Seabourn Sojourn

It has become apparent to me why this small ship cruise line is the pinnacle of luxury and has the highest standards in today’s competitive cruise industry.

This new ship is so... More info

It has become apparent to me why this small ship cruise line is the pinnacle of luxury and has the highest standards in today’s competitive cruise industry.

This new ship is some 30,000 tons, 600 feet long and caters to only 450 guests in all-suite accommodations. Seabourn refers to the Sojourn as a yacht but she is a cruise ship albeit a small one. As the unabashed winner of Conde Nast’s annual Readers Choice Awards as the ‘Best’ small ship line, I will agree that this company sets the standards for higher levels of food, service and accommodations. The staffs attitude is to always please the guest, to never say no, and to go the extra step to provide a guests every need. The training that takes place for Seabourn staff must be nothing less than remarkable as they are unfailingly polite, courteous to every request and go that extra mile.

I am sitting in my spacious suite which is nearly 365 square feet, including my balcony, a comfortable living room, two soft plush leather tub chairs and a dining table. The bedroom is separated by sliding silk curtains and there is a full bar with the guests choice of premium alcohol. The smallish flat screen interactive TV has more pre-programmed movies and TV shows than one could possibly watch. Room service is among the best I have ever encountered anywhere. After a late night in the ships Club where the band played with a lively crowd until at least 2 am, I retreated to my suite and ordered a delicious Caesar shrimp Salad and crisp fries – served to absolute perfection!

The touches of quality are everywhere! This ship has abundant marble and granite, fine art and has the look of a plush country club. Simply elegant but not pretentious. My room stewardess Monika was waiting in the hallway to greet us on embarkation day with two glasses of champagne and some salmon hors de oeuvres’.  She kindly offered us a choice of elegant bathroom soaps while discussing the benefits of the luxurious suite. The suite had a stunning masculine bathroom adorned in brown marble and grey granite, a large walk-in closet and plenty of storage space for a significant wardrobe. Monika is perfectly adorable. On our final night she left us a sweet note on the bed with a red rose. The entire staff was just delightful!

I am going to add that Seabourn has dropped its enforced dress code to far fewer formal nights and has even adopted a primarily elegantly casual dress code. I think this is wonderful and falls in line with the needs of today’s traveler. The food onboard has been nothing short of marvelous. The meals are as close to gourmet as one could find onboard a ship and service unfailingly professional and superb. It truly does not get better than this. For around $400 a day per person- you too can have an all-inclusive (truly) luxury experience in a suite. I doubt seriously that anyone could match this value on a large mass market cruise ship where you pay for all the extras including tips, alcohol and many other services that Seabourn includes.

Tom Baker – CruiseCenter