A journey with Seabourn Cruises – an ultra luxury cruise line

Journeying on a luxury cruise line is the dream of many world travelers. And making those dreams your reality means trusting a great name to make your cruise vacation the best it can be. Seabourn Cruises offers an all-inclusive, ultra luxury cruise line experience. Both on board and on land.

You get a complete vacation package to hidden harbors and extraordinary destinations. The only reason these places are not on your bucket list is perhaps that you do not yet know that they exist.

Cultural, exquisite, incredible, and awe-inspiring. These are just a few words we have heard used to describe a journey with Seabourn Cruises.

Seabourn Cruises is the ultra-luxury cruise line of the Carnival group. There are seven ships, with a guest capacity of between 400 to 600 ships. They also have two vessels offering a different kind of cruise experience in the expedition cruise market.

What makes Seabourn a luxury cruise line – and different from the rest?

First, you have entered the ultra-luxury cruise line market when you start looking at Seabourn Cruise Line. Prices are high; the experience is one-of-kind.

You are most likely adults looking for a cruise vacation a cut above the rest. Well traveled, you are looking for destinations that you have never visited before. Indeed, those that you may never have even heard of before.

If you want to meet interesting people and share incredible experiences with them, look no further. On board, it’s an international crowd, and you will surely make friends. Most guests are couples. However, solo cruise travelers are welcomed and well taken care of. There are some families with teenagers, but not many.

A social hub – a meeting place at Seabourn Square

Seabourne Square on board your cruise ship is like a big, friendly, open-plan living room. There is a library, daily newspapers, a guest services help desk, and a great coffee shop to enjoy snacks and beverages included in the price of your cruise.

It’s the ship’s beating heart and a daily hive of activity.

Specialists in their field, guest speakers, and excellent partnerships

As a luxury cruise line, Seabourn excels at key partnerships for each sailing.

For example, the concert-style presentation of “An Evening with Tim Rice,” the famous musical theatre lyricist. Chef Thomas Keller is the mind behind the menu of the incredible restaurant on board “The Grill.” And the name behind Seabourn’s products with its signature scent is Molton Brown. To name but a few.

But probably the best news for Seabourn cruise guests is that the partnership with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) continues. And you have the choice to visit some of the most incredible and culturally significant places on earth as part of your small ship cruise experience.

Seabourn Cruises – an all-inclusive experience, almost

As a cruise guest willing and able to pay a high price for an ultra-luxury cruise on a luxurious cruise line such as Seabourn Cruises, you most likely want an all-inclusive experience. That includes a company that will book everything for you. When you finally do climb on board, there are no hidden extras.

A cruise on Seabourn Cruises will include your accommodation in a balcony or suite cabin (depending on the ship you choose), all meals and beverages, including fine wines and premium spirits, and a fitness and well-being center.

When we say meals, there are a lot of choices over and above the main dining room. (Try the Colonnade, our favorite place for breakfast al fresco!).

However, you can visit particular restaurants, such as The Grill, with a menu created by US-based chef Thomas Keller once during a one-week cruise. This is due to high demand. Make your reservation long before your sail date, so you get the evening and time you want.

Wifi is extra but purchase the wifi package that suits you best before you leave home. The same goes for Spa treatments.

Take advantage of the Mindful Living Program on board. It’s a truly inspirational program developed for this luxury cruise line by Dr. Andrew Weil. The program includes lectures and seminars about mindful living, and you can reap the benefits of this long after your cruise is finished and you return home.

And excursions are also extra. That’s because there are many to choose from and different price points. And they are wonderful. So take your time reading the cruise itinerary and choose what you want to do before you set sail. We recommend that you include at least one UNESCO-partnered excursion during your cruise.

Entertainment and activities are all included in the price of this luxury cruise line. They can include musical evenings and shows, guest lectures from archeologists, historians, and travel experts.

Seabourn Cruises aspires to meet each and every criteria of the discerning traveler looking for new and exciting destinations whilst traveling in luxury. Service is attention-oriented, friendly and elegant, yet not stuffy and formal. That's why they have been voted Best Luxury Cruise Line by both Cruise Critic and Cruise International.

The Seabourn fleet of ships

The Seabourn Cruises fleet is oceanfront all-suite ships. Every cabin is a suite, but they will differ between window or balcony (veranda). There are currently a total of 7 ships in the Seabourn fleet.

Seabourn Ovation and Seabourne Encore are sister ships with 300 suites on each. These ships include the new relaxation area known as The Retreat. It comes at an additional cost if you want to rent one of the 15 cabanas in this area.

Seabourn Quest is slightly smaller, with 229 suites. In the same class are Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Odyssey.

We feel that it’s impossible to have a favorite. Each ship is beautiful. Your cruise ship choice will most likely be determined by the destinations you want to visit.

Seabourn in the Mediterranean

Seabourn are experts in the Mediterranean. Some of the itineraries they offer include the more secluded ports that other big ships are unable to reach. For example St. Tropez and Monte Carlo in France, Porto Venere and Portofino in Italy, and ,Zakinthos Sami, and Pylos in Greece – options to book your dream cruise endless.

Expedition cruising – possibly your best trip ever

Expedition cruising takes you to the more remote destinations of the Arctic, Antarctic, the Amazon, Northwest Passages, South Georgia, and the Kuril Islands. There are a total of 160 expedition ports offered by Seabourn Cruises.

These cruises are one-of-a-kind, and you are escorted by naturalists and scientists for a deeply immersive experience. You visit remote places that very few ships can visit.

If you are thinking of doing this type of cruise, we would say that you need to be reasonably fit to make the most of your adventures. Getting in and out of zodiacs and submarines for excursions needs full mobility, and even trekking or hiking over the land can be strenuous.

There are two expedition ships to choose from in the fleet: Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit. Zodiacs and kayaks make exploration of your destinations great fun. And best of all, there are two fix-seater submarines that can dive down to 300 meters.

Now, where else will you do this type of activity?

You will spend more money on this vacation than you have ever spent before. It’s expensive, and we estimate a price tag from at least USD 10,000 per person and upwards. In addition, if you are visiting destinations such as Antarctica, you will need particular clothing, which you purchase before you travel. The cruise line will provide you with a list of what you need. You will often get a parker jacket as your outer layer from the cruise line.

Seabourn Around The World Cruise

The majority of us book a cruise for seven nights. Plus, tag on a few days in the origin port destination to see the sights of the city before climbing on board.

For others, a Seabourn around the world cruise is a dream just waiting to be fulfilled. And no other small ship cruise line does this experience better.

Seabourn world cruise, on board Seabourn Sojourn, includes ports such as Casablanca, Bora Bora, Easter Island, and the Cook Islands. On your journey through the Panama Canal, you cross the equator and have more insights and experiences than you most likely have ever had on any one trip before.

You can cruise in January from Miami to escape your normal winter routine. Finish by cruising into the port of Barcelona at the end of May. That’s 140 days waiting to be discovered. Is this the cruise for you?

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The luxury of your own private jet

When you think it couldn’t get any better, you think about how you want to get to your port of origin and home again at the end of your cruise. So to add to your luxury cruise line experience, what could be more indulgent than a private jet?

Think, no queueing at check-in, seamless boarding, and exceptional service.

Both journeys will be tailor-made to suit your itinerary – when and where you want to travel. Villiers are specialists in private jet travel or shared flights on private jets. With over 10,000 private jets, you will most likely find that one of the 40,000 destinations they offer suits your ultra-luxury cruise itinerary.

Meet the author: Sarah has created and booked hundreds of travel itineraries for thousands of customers during a career in the travel industry that spans 20 years. Having worked hand in hand with cruise lines, hotels, airlines and tour operators worldwide, she offers inspiring & detailed insights in the world of travel and tourism.

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