Cruise - SEABOURN and the brand new SEABOURN ENCORE

SEABOURN an ultra luxury Cruise line, and the new SEABOURN ENCORE a value for money luxury offer?

by Earl of Cruise

The new SEABOURN ENCORE is not even wet I have seen encore the first bargains for cruises on ... Bargains! For Ultra Luxury?

SEABOURN ENCORE © SEABOURN CRUISE LINE

Writing this I feel a bit like Waldorf and Statler from Muppets. But it IS not funny at all.

In Bavaria the vessel´s design would be called `Großkopfert´(originally: conceited, but too: a big hea

d) - the new SEABOURN ENCOREhas for my taste as the older SEABOURN vessels a bit too much steel, or better aluminium on the front of the superstructure - the bridge house. This makes them unbalanced in design.

Is it for the creation of a penthouse-like atmosphere?

A further separation amoung the passengers on board?

Creating artificial classes within the luxury customers? ... a really good idea.

I learned one thing amoung the top 10,000: they hate to be segregated in different classes when anoung them.

SEABOURN QUEST © SEABOURN CRUISE LINE

The older vessels of the ODYSSEY class (SEABOURN ODYSSEY, SEABOURN SOJOURN, SEABOURN QUEST - 450 pax and 335 crew) look a bit more rounded, but more top heavy looking and unbalanced, while SEABOURN ENCORE is sailing along as edgy as the mass transporters of CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE, the mother of SEABOURN CRUISE LINE, which droped with the SEABOURN ODYSSEY apperance like a wise man the "the Yachts of SEABOURN".

SEABOURN PRIDE - Source:Wikipedia (original size)

Sold to WINDSTAR CRUISES as the sister vessels

When the first newbuilds could have been called "Mega Yachts", the SEABOURN PRIDE, SEABOURN SPIRIT and the last one SEABOURN LEGEND - 208 pax and 164 crew, with their passenger numbers, crew quantity and size, the ODYSSEY class got blown up as fat ducks. The term yachts or mega yachts could not be used any longer. Somneone wrote about graceful lines of SEABOURN ENCORE ... okay ... beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And knowing the new ships are built at FINCANTIERI ... I feel the plastic stuffed in, to reduce construction costs. And experts know, that the low prices of FINCANTIERI are calcultaed by the lines with higher maintenenace costs later in service.

And now we see 210m ships of some 40,000 plus GT for 600 ... the EUROPA 2 has nearly 43,000 GT and only 525 passengers max. This means definitely more space per passenger on the HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES vessel than the ENCORE class. And a better pax/crew ratio also. The average stateroom, falsly called suite is on both ships 28m² plus balcony. These staterrooms are sold as suites on both - a suite is more than one room, or something with a balcony in front of, or a an additional sofa in, but those are only staterooms a with a suite-like service.

Veranda Suite - a stateroom of 28m² with balcony of 6m² © SEABOURN CRUISE LINE

And one passenger above over 500 guests on board is to me only a premium 4,5 star product with some luxuries offered but not a rel 5star offer. And 6 stars is an invention without any reality. A marketing claim with no base.

SEABOURN ENCORE deckplan © SEABOURN CRUISE LINE

Both cruise vessels are not really luxury to me.

But the marketing department is drumming the ultra luxury conga and blurbs its own truth. And the cruise and tourist media is copying behaved their slogans. And as we all know or not in the postfactum age, a 23 timesrepeated lie is a truth.

Wintergarden Suite - of 114m² with balcony of 17m² © SEABOURN CRUISE LINE

The interior and exterior spaces are designed by Hotel and Restaurant designer Adam D. Tihany which can be seen on the company own "creating SEABOURN SENCORE" web site.

Like the ODYSSEY-class vessels, ENCORE will include the Restaurant, the main sit-down dining venue with open seating for breakfast, lunch and dinner - the Colonnade for casual dining with a mix of buffet and a la carte offerings; the Patio Grill for alfresco dining poolside at lunch and dinner, Seabourn Square for cafe offerings like coffee, pastries, sandwiches and gelato; and room service - including anytime selections and in-suite delivery of the Restaurant's menu items during dinner. However, the restaurant spaces are being rethought on ENCORE - SEABOURN SQUARE will have a round design with a bigger cafe area, the Colonnade will feature islands to display the food and a LED screen with high definition panels, reflecting the time of day and the port of call, and the Restaurant will have a softer look with lattice work and starbursts, as well as a wine tower.

In addition, Seabourn is partnering with acclaimed chef Thomas Keller, known for his Michelin-starred restaurants The French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon. In addition to consulting on dishes for various venues fleetwide, Keller will have a new signature restaurant on Encore, called The Grill, serving updated chophouse fare. (The restaurant will debut on sister ship Seabourn Quest and then be rolled out fleetwide.) The Grill will hold 94 passengers and include an outdoor dining option.

A sushi restaurant will replace the alternative fine dining eaterie, Restaurant 2, found on the Odyssey-class ships.

Eating from designer plates does not make the food better tasting. High class food producing when using the CARNIVAL food suply chain ... this is a wonder. I have heard about complains about the food quality of SEABOURN and service of the staff on board

SEABOURN, founded in 1987 by Atle Brynestad and Norwegian Financiers, is part of the CARNIVAL CORPORATION pls. (NYSE/LSE: CCL and NYSE: CUK) and is member of CARNIVAL´s own created alliance "WORLD´s LEADING CRUISE LINES" - CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES, HOLLAND AMERICA LINE, PRINCESS CRUISES, CUNARD LINE, COSTA CRUISES, AIDA, P&O CRUISES UK, P&O CRUISES AUSTRALIA. The next customers ridiculising. SEABOURN as "Ultra Luxury" in one line with mass market products. The alliance itself is a joke as it is only of CARNIVAL subsidiaries ...

It is said by the marketing department of SEABOURN it is the piomeer in ultra luxury cruises.

Maybs working with people who don´t know history, but I can´t see it, when knowing about HAMBURG AMERICA LINE´s PRINZESSIN VICTORIA LUISE. But who needs history knowledge ...

With that in mind I even question the sincereness of CARNIVAL´s UNESCO partnership to protect World Hweritage Sites, and the support of the OCEAN CONVENTION & TOURISM ALLIANCE which is founded to protect the oceans. Luckily we have TIER III, but CARNIVAL will have got an exemption ... eventually ... Perhaps ...

SEABOURN ENCORE will launch in Athens, and its maiden season will include cruises to the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand and the Mediterranean. The most ports of embarkation, like Dubai, etc., can be found with cheaper cruise lines. With them you have to wait to climb the busses and getting to the destinations of the shore excursion.

I have to recall what will be in SEABOURN ENCORE.

The 300 cabins will be suites, of which some are only staterooms, with private balconies. Sizes range from almost 28m² for a standard verandah stateroom to more than 114m² for the Wintergarden Suite. Balconies range from 6 to 41m², depending on cabin category. Cabin design incorporates mahogany wood and a subtle nautical theme. All-marble bathrooms sport a modern design, separate tub and shower, double sinks and Molton Brown bath products. For an "ultra luxury" product it could have been a better delivery partner, e.g. HERMÉS. Suites offer real walk-in closets, a comfortable seating area, in-suite bar setup and a personal "suite stewardess" who can draw you a bath, replenish your bar and assist with special requests.

Penthouse Suites offer passengers the option to close off a glass wall to separate the bedroom from the living room space. Here we find what I mean about a suite - two seperate rooms. The Owner's Suite features separate living and sleeping areas (with a dining table for four) and an additional half bath for guests. The Signature Suite expands on this concept with dinner seating for up to six, a pantry with wet bar, forward-facing windows and a whirlpool bath. The Wintergarden Suite offers a glass-enclosed solarium with a tub and day bed.

The Grand Salon on Deck 6 will be SEABOURN ENCORE's show lounge. It features a red and blue color scheme with plush chairs for cabaret-style seating. The show lounge will host guest speakers, classical musicians, comedians, cooking demos, dancing, musical shows and cabaret performances. Debuting with SEABOURN ENCORE is a new production show, "An Evening with Tim Rice," which features vide clips of the award-winning Broadway lyricist interspersed with concert-style performances of his popular songs, sung by the ships' singers.

The Club on Deck 5, with nautically inspired decor, is another lounge for music, dancing and socializing. The space houses a bar featuring custom-crafted cocktails and wine and a casino with slot machines and tables for blackjack and roulette. The Club leads out to the Club Terrace, an alfresco space with a plunge pool, two whirlpools, fountains (illuminated at night) and deck service for ordering food and drink. Ordering should be a standard for ultra luxury and not specially mentioned.

Rendering of Observation Bar © SEABOURN CRUISE LINE

The top deck Observation Bar will be given a skylight with a stunning central design of a school of fish.

Seabourn has partnered with renowned mixologist Brian van Flandern, and his exclusive drinks menu will be available and complimentary aboard SEABOURN ENCORE. (A variety of rare spirits will also be available for a fee.) He has also helped the line upgrade its barware. Having seen the beverage products offerd I would say it is still mediocre, but a Bombay Gin is still better than the one from Gordon´s. And The Kir Royal has to be made with the right Cassis and Champagne and not as done with sparkling wine and a Cassis of obscure provinance. Both, Champagne and sparkling wine have bubbles, but there is the end of comparability.

SEABOURN ENCORE also has a gym, spa and shops. When SEABOURN debuts SEABOURN ENCORE, it will also launch the Spa and Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil program, which offers passengers classes in mindful living, such as complimentary and daily yoga and meditation sessions, as well as seminars on topics like healthy aging and anti-inflammatory foods.

SEABOURN ENCORE, like its fleetmates, features a water sports marina at the back of the ship offering complimentary use of kayaks, pedal boats and windsurfers.

The Retreat will be a covered area on the ship's top deck, with 15 cabanas available for rent, starting at US$ 350.00 per day. It will have a centrally located hot tub as well as a bar, a spa cabana, sun loungers and food and beverage service. Okay the SEABOURN product is not an all inclusive, but US$ 350.00 per day for a day bed? Real class is something else ... may be more show off´s book SEABOURN than I am thinking.

As conclusion for this review about SEABOURN ENCORE, I would say it is encore not a value for money sailing on this ship. You pay much for what you can find less expensive on other ships or with other lines than SEABOURN. But if you need to bragg than this is the offer. And a product starting its sales with bargains starting at 20% and going up to 41% is nothing but a mass market product or with the beginning out of place.

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