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19th Jan 2025 | 14 nights | Seabourn | Seabourn Encore
Seabourn Encore is an evolved version of Seabourn's popular Odyssey-class ships, boasting a larger size at 40,340 tons compared to 32,000, with an additional deck and accommodating 600 passengers in 300 suites, compared to the smaller ships which host 458 passengers. Notable additions include two new restaurants: Sushi and The Grill by Thomas Keller, alongside a VIP area named The Retreat on the top deck. The spa introduces a new wellness program, integrating treatments and classes into the voyage experience.
The ship's layout places accommodations forward and public areas aft, facilitating excellent passenger flow with forward and aft elevators, staircases, and a striking spiral staircase from Deck 10 down to Deck 3. Designer Adam D. Tihany opts for a lavish, yacht-like aesthetic, featuring rounded edges, rich dark blue hues, gleaming mahogany, and shining stainless steel, accentuated by ample lighting through skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows.
New concepts include a mindfulness program endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil, and revamped entertainment with new shows. The Ventures by Seabourn concept includes a team of six onboard to educate passengers about wildlife and ecology. The dress code is a mix of elegant casual and "formal optional," with formal nights being optional and allowing a range of attire from tuxedos to suits for men, and cocktail dresses for women.
Elegant casual attire prohibits jeans or shorts, but jackets are not required. Women tend to dress elegantly at night, so packing jewellery, strappy shoes, and dresses is recommended.
The Grand Salon on Deck 6 doubles as a theatre, concert hall, and lecture venue onboard. Despite its stylish design and comfortable seats, it's somewhat hindered by pillars, affecting views. However, it suits intimate events like Seabourn Conversations and hosts nightly production shows. Bar service is available during performances, with drinks offered at daytime events.
Ship-produced shows feature singers, dancers, and ballroom experts, with sets and virtual backgrounds. Guest performers, like Australian tenors and a British magician, also entertain.
Adjacent to The Club on Deck 5, a mini-casino offers roulette, blackjack, poker, and slots. The lively venue attracts high rollers and offers cigar sales but is smoke-free.
During the day, activities like trivia, music quizzes, and bridge classes are held. Enrichment lectures cover diverse topics relevant to the cruise destination. The Ventures by Seabourn program combines adventurous excursions with wildlife talks and deck watches.
Seabourn Encore boasts stylish bars and lounges. The Grill Bar on Deck 8 and Observation Bar on Deck 11 are popular spots, while The Club on Deck 5 features live music and dancing. The Patio Bar on Deck 9 serves poolside drinks, and the Sky Bar on Deck 10 offers a convenient alternative.
Deck 9 hosts a pool and hot tubs with ample loungers but limited shade. Various outdoor areas across decks provide additional seating, including quiet spots and sunbathing areas.
Seabourn Square on Deck 7 offers concierge services, internet access, and shops selling essentials and luxury items. The ship also features a card room, meeting rooms, and a launderette. Medical facilities are available on Deck 4.
The Spa on Deck 10 focuses on mindfulness treatments and classes. Amenities include treatment rooms, saunas, a thermal suite, and a gym. Wellness lectures are offered, alongside spa treatments and fitness classes.
The Retreat on Deck 12 offers exclusive cabanas with amenities like TVs, loungers, and dining options, providing a VIP experience for guests seeking extra luxury.
Seabourn's regulars praised Encore's expanded dining options, finding every meal delightful, from the casual Colonnade buffet to the exquisite Grill by Thomas Keller. Locally sourced fruit and authentic Japanese dishes impressed, with a booklet in each cabin detailing the Grill's dishes' origins. Service is exceptional, with attentive crew members eager to accommodate requests, such as securing outdoor seating or fetching a better cappuccino from Seabourn Square.
Renowned chef Thomas Keller's influence extends across the ship, with his creations featured in The Restaurant and The Colonnade. Keller's training kitchen in Napa Valley shapes Seabourn's chefs, and his premium ingredients elevate the dining experience. No extra charges apply for dining in any of Encore's restaurants.
The Restaurant, adorned with elegant décor, offers a varied menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lunches feature light options, while dinners present sumptuous dishes, including Keller's specials every two days. The generous pouring of wines complements the meals.
Seabourn Square boasts skilled baristas and a tempting array of cakes. Sushi offers Japanese delights, while The Grill by Thomas Keller dazzles with its upscale ambiance and delectable grill menu. The Colonnade provides indoor and outdoor dining, with themed dinners and Keller-inspired family-style meals. The Patio offers casual poolside dining, and 24-hour room service caters to various comfort food cravings.
Encore has 300 cabins, all suites. Basic cabins include a balcony, marble bathroom, and walk-in closet. Decor is consistent, with cream carpets, colourful sofas, and leather accents. Suites come with a stocked mini-bar, personalised stationery, and robes.
Eight suites are wheelchair-accessible. Some cabins can connect to create larger accommodations. Veranda Suites, the most common type, feature similar decor and amenities with varying balcony sizes.
Penthouse Suites offer a larger living area and separate sleeping space. Penthouse Spa Suites provide access to spa amenities.
Owner's Suites feature spacious layouts, some with whirlpool tubs. Signature Suites connect to Veranda Suites for extra space.
Wintergarden Suites offer luxury with spacious living areas and outdoor tubs.
Couples and friends who enjoy the Champagne and caviar lifestyle, along with excellent service and a relaxed, country club vibe
Penny pinchers who care little for fine food and drink, loud family groups
The age of most Seabourn passengers averages around 60 -- generally ranging up from 45. It's also not uncommon to have 30-plus nationalities onboard during a sailing, mostly from the US and Canada, and then from the UK, Australia, and Continental Europe. All are likely to be well-off and well-travelled. Although there are occasionally older children on board in summer, Seabourn is not really a family-oriented line.
Yes, although not during the day and never entirely formal. During the daytime, casual, resort-style attire, including shorts and jeans, is acceptable throughout the ship. After 6 p.m., you'll find varying levels of dress, including resort casual — trousers and a jumper or shirt for men, sundress, skirt, or trousers with a jumper or blouse for women. No jeans are ever permitted in The Restaurant. There's at least one Formal Optional evening for passengers who wish to dress up in The Restaurant or The Grill by Thomas Keller. It should be noted that on Seabourn formal means a jacket and buttoned shirt. Some men wear a tie or even a dinner jacket, but it's not a requirement, in line with Seabourn's more relaxed form of luxury travel. However, on Formal Optional evenings, the line requests no jeans in any of the lounges or dining venues.
No, but a lot is. You won't have to pay to dine in any of the onboard restaurants, or pay for gratuities (even in the spa), most wines and spirits, soda, water, coffees, cocktails or fitness classes. There is an additional charge for shore excursions, internet, dry cleaning, laundry and valet services, salon and spa treatments, and transfers. Past Seabourn cruisers may receive some of these amenities complimentary as a perk of being a past passenger.
When they can tear themselves away from the variety of onboard activities -- films with fresh popcorn, open bridge play in the Card Room, teatime, live music -- passengers are lured into ports of call that mix famous and unusual destinations that Seabourn's smaller ships can access, taking advantage of the rich choice of shore excursions. Onboard the ship, the Seabourn Conversations programme, which brings lectures from big-name experts is enormously popular, as is a once-per-cruise evening show highlighting the works of Sir Tim Rice (with video appearances by the lyricist himself). Passengers also flock to the spa and wellness programme developed in partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil.
