20-night Tyrrhenian & Mediterranean Overture Cruise

1. Seabourn- Lisbon RT to Canary Islands and Morocco

   

   May 2024 Lisbon, Canary Islands, Morocco

   PROS: Did not care for the stop in Agadir

   CONS: The cruise ship was wonderful

   RECOMMENDED: Yes

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2. First Time on Seabourn - will not be the last!

   

   January 2024 Saint Maarten - Barbados

   PROS: Service was over the top - staff could not have been more friendly or helpful. Meal selections and food quality was consistently excellent.

   CONS: Entertainment was very good but frequently conflicted with dinner meal times - while we enjoyed the relaxation time, there didn't appear to be alot of activities organized during the day.

   RECOMMENDED: Yes

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   Had the pleasure to sail Seabourn for the first time. We are very experienced cruisers and appreciate excellent food/service. Seabourn did not disappoint. Highly recommend!

   While the ship may not have that wow factor, the understated elegance is evident throughout the ship. Our stateroom was spacious (walk in closet), full tub in bathroom and excellent shower water pressure. The bedding was some to the best we have experienced. From cabin stewarts to wait staff to guest services, service was EXCELLENT. The quality of the meals and food options were impressive and don't miss the Thomas Keller specialty restaurant - definitely a trip highlight. Impressed with the number of repeat guests on board which I believe is always a good indication that the supplier is meeting/exceeding expectations. Not alot of activities during the day, which we did not miss, but some might not enjoy relaxing the day away as we did! Overall an excellent cruise - we will definitely be back on another Seabourn cruise again soon!

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3. Friendly luxury aboard the Ovation - and six countries too!

   

   September 2023 Northern Europe

   PROS: All-inclusive friendly luxury. Staff seemed more informal than Silversea, several dining options, surprisingly decent information

   CONS: Many repeaters on board, seemed like Seabourn assumed everyone knew how things worked. And seemed a bit short-staffed at times.

   RECOMMENDED: Yes

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   Seven days on Northern European Seabourn Ovation a great stress free way to sample six different countries.

   The Seabourn Ovation is a lovely ship, with even the smallest cabins having verandahs and walk-in closets. This September 3 cruise started in Copenhagen and ended in Dover. Stopping in Aarhus, Gothenberg, Kristiansand, Amsterdam Zeebrugge and Dover - In general, would highly recommend. Seabourn's all-inclusive format - including no additional charges for specialty restaurants - makes it particularly relaxing. And quite possible if you are a do-it-yourselfer on shore excursions not to spend anything on board. (Tipping IS included too, though we gave some cash to a few expectional staffers. ) Food was quite good, especially with the sushi restaurant and Thomas Keller Grill. And the Seabourn favorite caviar and seafood buffet lunch on board. Only issue with the crew is that it felt a bit short staffed sometimes at meal times, breakfast especially. There were four dinner options where you didn't need reservations plus the Thomas Keller grill so it may have been hard to plan. But everyone was friendly, and the cruise director, entertainment and bar staff were particularly good. And less formal than you might expect. Housekeeping was exceptional.  Free Wi-fi wasn't fast but it worked. And Seabourn allows one device at a time, not one device period which is a nice perk. It was easy to be using a laptop in the cabin, then switch to a phone, and if you forgot to log off in the cabin, there was an option to do it automatically when you got to your phone. A few notes especially for those who haven't been on Seabourn before. The Seabourn Square had port information including maps, but it wasn't made obvious. And everyone on board is entitled to one dinner at the Thomas Keller grill for no extra charge. But some people said they weren't made aware of it. (Maybe their travel agents didn't tell them.) And the famous Seabourn caviar on demand isn't talked about... they'll gladly do it... if you know. Ports were either central or had shuttles for the most part. Oddly enough Amsterdam was the port, while the center was reachable, where Seabourn gave the least information. Another suggestion, tell clients if they want to do laundry on board, a very nice perk, avoid sea days. Apparently it was a long line. The cruise line also offered a transfer to Heathrow Airport but not Central London. (The train was not difficult from Dover, but noticed some inexperienced or older travelers struggle a bit.) And Seabourn pushes hard with the "everything's on the app" idea. Which we noticed some older clients struggling with. I understand that they want to save paper but..      But these are small quibbles. Over all it was a great value and would highly recommend.

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4. Seabourn Ovation

   

   March 2023 Bermuda - Miami

   PROS: Food, accommodations, shore excursions

   CONS: there is a serious staffing problem

   RECOMMENDED: Yes

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   Lovely ship, great accommodations, excellent food and beverage!!

   One of the newer Seabourn ships looks very fresh and well maintained. Food outstanding, accommodations excellent. Staff friendly. I had a handicapped accessible, and it was HUGE!

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5. Seabourn Ovation Panama Canal & Central America March 2022

   

   March 2022 Panama Canal & Central America

   PROS: There was nothing to criticize. I would have to get very picky to find something to complain about.

   CONS: The lectures were not great. Also, They couldn't rent a private beach so the caviar & champagne in the surf was at the pool. Still delicious, but not quite the same atmosphere as when they are juggling it on a surf board in the ocean.

   RECOMMENDED: Yes

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   Fabulous ship. Outstanding cruise director, Ross Roberts. Wonderful food and entertainment.

   Even with Covid, Seabourn has their act together. Normal pre-cruise procedures with showing Covid vaccination card and Rapid antigen Negative test results obtained within 48 hours of sailing. Everything about this sailing was wonderful. We lucked out with Sunshine and smooth seas. At the beginning we were requested to wear masks in the theater and in gatherings of people like Trivia. As the cruise went on, these rules relaxed because there were no cases of Covid on board. The Seabourn singers and dancers were outstanding talents and the cruise director, Ross was hysterically funny.  The lecturers were a little on the dry side The lectures were sparsely attended. I'm not sure whether that was the subject matter or the delivery of the presenters.  On the whole, it was absolutely terrific.

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