This is our seventh Seabourn cruise and the best ever. I believe this was due to the Sojourn leadership of hotel director Luca and F&B Antonio. They are Seabourn old school who sailed on the orginal Pride, Legend and Spirit.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The Sojourn was tendering a first for us for embakation. We arrived at Male airport and a quick 10 minute taxi ride and 10$ fare to the jetty where we could see the ship at tender. Our luggage was swiftly taken from us by the local porters and a Seabourn crew member ticked our names off and we welcomed onboard the tender shuttle. On boarding the ship we were directed to the Grand salon to swiftly complete formalities and we were then handed our suite card pass.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The executive chef Lindsay Lewis ensured that the food quality and delivery exceeded all expectations. He was frequently observed at all dining venues discreetly checking that standards were being met and exceeded by his chefs.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There were lots of additional special events on the ship.the galley market,caviar in the surf, the epicurean event, lunch cooked twice pool side by the Italian Hotel Director Luca and F&B Manager Antonio.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
There were numerous guest entertainers and of course the fabulous Seabourn singers that kept us entertained every evening as well as the trio piece band and the onboard Orchestra.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The difference on this Seabourn Sojourn cruise was definitely the management of the crew led by Captain Tim and his officers (HD)Luca & (F&B) Antonio. It was evident that the crew were a family. This became apparent when Captain Tim presented awards to two of his galley satff who has completed 10 & 20 years service with Seabourn.They were weclomed on stage at the Seabourn members event and were personally handed the awards and congratulated and thanked for their loyal service to Seabourn by Captain Tim. The staff in return made us the passengers feel part of that family which was very special. Our names were frequently used even by the senior officers . All our requests were met with happy geniune smiling faces. Lead by example to obtain excellence customer experience was apparent thanks to the senior officers.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is one of the oldest in the fleet but she is constantly being maintained. Having sailed on her larger sisters Encore & Ovation I personally preferred the smaller Sojourn as it is more intimate.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This V5 cabin was ideally situated for us at the beginning of the corridor. Being on the 6th deck we rarely used the lift as were only ever 2 decks up or below from where we wanted to go. It was not a noisy cabin despite being at the corridor entrance and all the passing foot traffic. The cabin is actually wider than on the newer sister ships Encore & Ovation which was a bonus.
Ship tip
There are two self service laundrettes on deck 5 and washing powder is provided free of charge.
We only boarded at Male. From the taxi Male town appeared to be densly populated. The locals live there but the tourists would normally stay on one of the nearby luxurious islands,
We went with chef Lindsay on the market tour to one of local fruit and veg markets. It was were the locals brought their produce from the fields to the city. Vibrant and full of local life.
We actually docked in Hambantota. There was nothing at the port so the ship provided a free shuttle to the local Shangri la hotel where guests at a minimal cost could spend the day relaxing.
We were docked at Myanmar for two nights. We took the ship tour of Yangon which included the Shwedagon Paya Pagoda complex and the local Scott market. The second day we went on a Seabourn tour to a local village Thanlyin where we experienced local modes of transport of horse and trap and also a trishaw ride through the village. The ship was docked at the new commercial port about an hour and a half south of Yangon. There is currently huge infrastructure development between the port and Yangon to improve the road connections which in future should help to improve the transfer time to the city.
Due to the taxi unions the ship could not provide transfer to Phuket town. There were taxis available at the port. As the weather was hot and humid we didnt venture far except for the local market shore side.
The noon day arrival into Singapore was spectaular. We arrived into the port adjacent to Sentosa island whilst the crew served Singapore slings and the crew and onboard singers provided live entertainment.
Excellent. We remained in the seabourn square until we were advised to disembark. The captain was at security disembarkation to individually say farewell to all guests.
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