Q – The wife and I are seriously considering a Seabourn Cruise that will explore Japan and some of Korea next year. We’ve been on one cruise, a Windstar, which we enjoyed. There is lots on the internet about Seabourn but the criticisms you always read are that they are way too formal and they are owned by Carnival, not a very good line from what we hear. What do your editors think about these criticisms?
A – Not much. This is kind of typical of the cruise prattle that litters the internet.
Let’s look at dress first. There is only one dress up night aboard Seabourn on a one week cruise and even that event does not require any more than a sports jacket. There are alternative restaurants that are always country club casual. There is absolutely no reason to pack a suit, sports jacket, or ties unless you want to in preparation for a Seabourn cruise.
We think that Carnival’s ownership of Seabourn is a net plus. Carnival has extremely deep pockets and is committed to the Seabourn brand. Five years from today, Seabourn will still be sailing and our guess is that you will see a new fleet comprised entirely of Odyssey-Class new builds. Seabourn’s competitors, meanwhile, may be wondering where their next ship is coming from. There are no new ship builds announced for Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, or Silverseas at the present time.
We think you should ignore the prattle and proceed.
