Afternoon tea aboard an ultra-luxury Seabourn Cruises ship is just one example of living the highest high life on the high seas.
Taking place every day in an elegant lounge with a grand piano and panoramic windows, this tasteful and tasty event is as much a signature of the upper-crust cruise line as the Bernardaud French porcelain used for the cups of aromatic tea and three-plate towers of sumptuous savory and sweet selections served by staff up on their English tea culture.
There’s no grand entrance of parading waiters carrying trays and teapots to classical music and cheering patrons — leave that to the British-bred Cunard cruise line — but Seabourn does offer something that its sister Carnival Corporation brand doesn’t at afternoon tea: a sand clock on the table so that the infused leaves are steeped to your preferred strength.
Classy as all this sounds, the most impressive aspect about Seabourn’s mid-afternoon tradition, and this is indicative of the cruise line, itself, is a crew so attentive that when a guest was observed using his cloth napkin to wipe a smudge off his eyeglasses, within seconds an assistant waiter silently placed an individually wrapped lens cleaner on the table. His smooth and discreet gesture was followed by another — that of bringing a second fresh apple-cinnamon scone, with clotted cream and strawberry jam, of course, to another guest. “I was just about to ask you for another one of those,” the passenger told the mind-reading waiter whose smile lit up the room through my spotless eyeglasses.
Such random acts of kindness seem to be less random the loftier the cruise category, as it should be when spending perhaps five times more than normal for an ultra-luxury cruise. Getting what you pay for not only has your inner monologue repeatedly saying, “it’s the little things that count,” you’re also enjoying a swankier and smaller ship with capacities in the hundreds and not the thousands, cuisine cooked up by chefs with “Michelin” somewhere on their résumés, and a well-appointed suite that comes with a pillow menu and either a five-star cabin steward or quasi-personal butler, depending on the cruise line.
Silversea, the largest ultra-luxury brand and the only one of the biggies to provide a butler across all stateroom categories, sails 13 ships. Seabourn has seven vessels and Regent Seven Seas’ fleet numbers six. These well-heeled brands of the Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian corporate portfolios, respectively, are all leaders within the same category, but comparing them isn’t apples to apples to apples. It’s more gala to red delicious to honeycrisp — all varieties of the same fruit, but each has its own flavor.
For this 61-time cruiser, and possibly Goldilocks, too, Seabourn isn’t too pampering like Silversea or too relaxed like Regent Seven Seas – it’s just right. We say this with respect to the many who adore being coddled to the point of excessiveness and others who appreciate quality service without all the fuss. Still, a happy middle ground may be more in tune with luxury cruising in these sociocultural-changing 2020s.
Using a real example, getting up from the dinner table on a Silversea cruise earlier this year immediately set three dutiful waiters in motion: One pulled out my chair, another smoothed out my blazer and a third took off the lobster bib I didn’t want in the first place. A similar scenario on Regent Seven Seas activated a single, courteous waiter who only tended to my chair. On Seabourn, as my server assisted with the seat, the sommelier asked if I wanted my half-finished bottle of Riesling kept chilled for the next evening. Not too much, not too little. As said, just right.
That also goes for the dress codes across the toniest of categories. The same dark blue Tommy Bahama jeans that had a Silversea Silver Moon maître d’ showing me the door on a supposed “casual night” earlier this year off the coast of Brazil were welcome in the exclusive The Grill by Thomas Keller aboard Seabourn Odyssey the other week in the Alaskan fjords.
Good thing, too, because the chef and proprietor best known for The French Laundry in Napa Valley not only delights guests with amazing lobster thermidor, rib-eye, Dover sole and a classic Caesar salad prepared tableside at The Grill, his recipes find their way at The Colonnade, a buffet-a la carte hybrid restaurant that a few times a cruise features some of Keller’s best comfort foods. The buttermilk fried chicken and whipped goat cheese spread with drop biscuits are especially worth the calories.
If the rest of Seabourn’s fleet has an executive chef as talented as J.P. Keene, the cruise line doesn’t need to rely on Keller’s signature cuisine to please passengers’ palates. In addition to the best selection of sweet and savory found at a floating afternoon tea, winning dishes include the quiche-like gruyere tart, tamarind-kissed grilled jumbo shrimp and potato gnocchi starter in The Restaurant (Seabourn’s main dining room); the to-die-for baklava in The Colonnade; and pretty much everything served at The Patio, an exciting poolside option when feeling naughty (try the perfectly charred pizza by the slice and tempting desserts) or healthy (great fish dishes and terrific ingredients to make your own salad, including 10 different seeds and grains for us crunch lovers).
Putting down the fork and knife, Seabourn scores with its spa and wellness facilities, too. Treatments and services are like what’s offered on other ships that contract with cruise-dominating One Spa World, which is a good thing — just as is an understatedly beautiful environment on Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships.
Moving on to entertainment, talented guest artists come and go depending on the cruise, but one marvelous mainstay is a salute to EGOT-winning lyricist Tim Rice. “The Circle of My Life,” an update of previous Seabourn shows celebrating the knighted wordsmith, is brought to life by a talented ensemble of singers and dancers that does justice to an hour’s worth of Rice’s collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John, Alan Menken and others. Hits and deep tracks from stage and screen are pulled from the likes of “The Lion King,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Aladdin” and “Evita.”
Other “Seabourn Signature Events” enhance a few of the paradises where the cruise line goes. In Carambola Beach in St. Kitts and Ko Kood in Thailand, guests enjoy Champagne and caviar right there in the water. Even cooler, the delicacies are served by waiters who are in full uniform, yet also waist high along the shore. No napkins needed. On select Mediterranean itineraries, “Evening at Ephesus” invites passengers to a private cocktail party at the Turkish archaeological wonder. Magic is made at the Epicurean & Officers Deck Farewell, which happens on the final night of every Seabourn cruise. Good food, good drinks and good times make for a great sendoff with or without a slice of the most mouthwatering cakes on the ship.
Many Seabourn voyages include a “Marina Day” that has the ship emptying out as much of its recreational equipment as conditions and time allow. We’re talking kayaks, paddleboards, banana boats and other watersport fun launched directly from the vessel’s retractable marina platform. On other scenic stops, such as the majestic Mysty Fjords in Alaska’s Rudyerd Bay, guests board Zodiacs from the side to explore nature’s masterwork up-close and personal.
Speaking of shore excursions, while Silversea and Regent Seven Seas throw them in with the fare, save for the more extravagant tours, Seabourn doesn’t. That could explain why you might find lower prices with Seabourn, but bear in mind that variables exist across the brands; when it comes to inclusions, airfare, specialty dining, internet, butler service and other factors may not be — you got it — apples to apples.
For Southern Californians interested in bobbing for Seabourn’s apples, two of the cruise line’s five ocean ships will combine for the most itineraries embarking out of Los Angeles by an ultra-luxury cruise line in 2024. The 450-passenger Seabourn Sojourn departs from San Pedro on Jan. 11 with voyages ranging from 29 to 145 days. Also next year, Nov. 27 to be exact, Seabourn Quest, sister ship to both Sojourn and Odyssey, begins adventures of 32 or 46 days in time for guests to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner on their first full day at sea. A complete list of itineraries, including those on Seabourn’s two expedition ships, is available at seabourn.com.
