Recommend March 2018 - 30

onboardreview

Seabourn Odyssey
Geri Bain

Sipping champagne on deck and listening
to live performances of operatic arias as the
pink-purple glow of sunset spread across the
sky and watching the executive chef, in full
uniform, take a flying, somersault dive off one
of the ship's launches and surface to serve
"Caviar in the Surf" at an all-ship beach
barbecue party were among the unforgettable
experiences on a recent 12-day Seabourn
Odyssey cruise through the Caribbean.
The line calls these "Seabourn Moments"
but equally important were the more subtle
touches-like discovering the tucked-away
Deck 6 whirlpool that my husband and I had
to ourselves and having a waiter appear as if
by magic to offer us drinks (cued by a security
camera, we later learned), being served
drinks and popcorn as we played team trivia,
and the fruit platter that Raquel, our cabin
stewardess, delivered to our cabin
each afternoon.

"Our ships are essentially ultra-luxury
hotels/resorts. They just happen to be at sea...
traveling from place to place, discovering
hidden harbors and marque ports and
destinations," says Chris Austin, Seabourn's
senior v.p. of global marketing and sales.
With 335 crew members serving a
maximum of 456 guests, the staff has time to
tune in on individual needs. For example,
one elderly solo traveler found his home
chatting and teasing with the everfriendly guest services staff. Additionally,
guest services is on hand 24/7 to right
any complaints and a mid-cruise in-room
questionnaire offers another opportunity to
tease out possible improvements.
Seabourn also has one of the highest ratio
of space per guest in the cruise industry.
Public spaces include a library, a card and
game room, and six lounges and bars as well
as a casino and boutique. There are two

Want to see what SEABOURN'S Chris Austin has to say
about ultra-luxury cruising? Visit RECMD.IT/SEABOURNULTRALUXURY
30 march 2018

pool areas-one in the heart of the ship
and a quieter one in the aft, along with five
whirlpools and ample deck space.
Fellow passengers were well-traveled,
affluent, generally aged 45 to 65, and largely
British, North American and Australian. On
our sailing, we were surprised by how many
devoted Seabourn cruisers there were; almost
¾ had sailed with the line at least once and
many couples we spoke with had been on five
or more cruises with Seabourn.
Dee Framson CTC, MCC, cruise & travel
expert, Boca Raton Travel & Cruises, a
Virtuoso member, wasn't surprised. "My
clients choose Seabourn for its consistently
high level of service. They might cruise on
another line when Seabourn doesn't go where
they want." She adds that for about half her
Seabourn clients, the ports are irrelevant.
"They say 'I don't care where the ship goes,
I'm going for the ship.'"
The sense of luxury is enhanced by spacious
all-suite accommodations; most are 295 sq.
ft. Like 90 percent of the cabins, ours had a
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