Seabourn Sojourn - Reviews

Our first impression of Alaska was how lucky we are to have this magnificent, unspoiled place in America. Our second impression was how crucial it is for us all to protect it. You can't believe the miles and miles of untouched forest and wilderness. The amazing wildlife, that seems to be flourishing. The remarkable people, who chose to be there and wouldn't be anywhere else. And to do it all from this amazing floating hotel called the Sojourn made it incredible.

We love Seabourn, this is our 4th trip with them. Were a bit disappointed as it seems that their standards have slipped a bit, both in food quality and service. Some of the newer staff seemed to lack training and supervision, but ALL were very nice and pleasant. We hope that they will recover as we will try them again. A little skeptical of their new ships that appear to just stack and extra deck of passengers on to the same overall public areas.

Seabourn goes the extra mile to make sure everything is right. We had one of our outbound flights cancelled at the last minute and their emergency folks got us rerouted so we made it to the ship OK. There was a problem with our traveling companions' return flights (apparently bungled by Seabourn), but Alaska Air made it work so we all got back on the same flights.

It's Seabourn's first time back to Alaska in 15 years, and it showed.  A major selling point for this itinerary is Seabourn Ventures but our excursion was canceled- big disappointment.  Many of the excursions were disorganized and late; that is inexcusable.  The menu, always superb, was also disappointing. How can you plan an Alaskan-themed cruise without Alaskan king crab or Dungeness crab on the menu. We had king crab on a Mediterranean cruise with Seabourn!  I gave this feedback midway thru the cruise to no avail.  The chef could have easily obtained some when we docked in Juneau, but he didn't.  The menu at Restaurant 2 was so plain that we didn't even bother to book it, and it's normally one of the highlights of the trip..

Service aboard Seabourn, however, was terrific and met its usual high standards.  Everything functioned as it should. The suites are large and comfortable.

The ports/itinerary was well-planned, and many of the excursions were amazing.  Unlike many Mediterranean cruises which are culturally based, this one focuses on wildlife and does not disappoint.  However, whatever you may see or not see is weather-dependent.

Food, beverages, service and staff is great, entertainment was fine. Although there are more amazing gems in Arabia, itenarary lacks suitable ports. Excursions are good, except for Doha Qatar, there is nothing to see, no need to even stop there. Seabourn made sure, most of guest spent serious money to acquire Visa even before boarding the ship. In our case, it was close to $ 600. Muscat and Salalah are just so so. Monte Carlo was messed up by Formula one races. As Rome was not built in a day, It is even foolish to try to have reasonable attempt to see anything in four and half hours. They should have two stops in Italy.  And two day excursion  with overnight stay as it is available in Israel.  

I will recommend Seabourn, even though quality of services were less than advertised in their brochure. 

We enjoy cruising with Seabourn primarily because of the staff & the fascinating people we meet on board.  This cruise was no exception.  It was extra special seeing how SE Asia embraces the joy & wonder of Christmas.  The decorations were astounding.  At no time in our tours were we overwhelmed with poverty & dirty conditions.  We love Hong Kong & Viet Nam was a pleasant surprise.  

We enjoyed the day trip arranged to an island complete with picnic & caviar in the surf.  The crew really knocked themselves out to make the day extra special.

Definitely the best experience I've ever had. It was so well thought out and so many beautiful stops it is honestly hard to process everything. This is definitely an older cruise so know this before you embark on this but I found it great even though I am young. HIGHLY recommended.

This was our first Seabourn cruise, and there were so many great things about it.  What a shame they have 15 year old internet service.  Its a non-starter for the class of people on a 6-star cruise that they should be using Windows 2001 (they do this so you can't be working in multiple windows at the same time, optimizing the use of the overpriced service @ $0.4 per minute), waiting while the dial spins and spins.  Then when you get to sites, they won't work because Windows is so out of date.  Everybody was mad, and even the staff said they can't defend it and Carnival won't do anything about it. Why should they, it's a profit center for them?  The worse the service, the more time they sell.   Some people had been on that ship since November (it was a March cruise).  Some people were trying to make a living while on the ship.  People were mad, and employees were having to credit time when people complained.  Absolutely no way to manage pictures, upload to Facebook, etc. 

That said, the ship was glam, the food was unbelievable, the staff incredible.  The destinations were exotic and uncharted for a cruise ship.  What a shame about the internet.  Special kudos to the entertainers.  They ate dinner with us, socialized, and were so accessible - as well as amazingly talented.  Especially Chris Chatman - he will go places. 

The itinerary and comfort of this July '13 Stockholm to Copenhagen cruise made for a most enjoyable and romantic vacation. We were excited to experience and learn about the Baltic. The smaller ship size, service and entertainment provided by Seabourn was worth the extra cost for us. We had 3 wonderful days in Stockholm before boarding. Most people on the ship from other continents had spent at least 2 days before boarding to adjust. It was a great opportunity to get acquainted with the history, art and politics of the region. Having most things included (i.e. alcohol, special restaurant) in the cruise worked better for us. I was glad internet is not included - it kept me away from work! The itinerary works well. Having 3 days in St. Petersburg was quite valuable. We booked with Alla Tours, which went very smoothly. Folks who booked private tours (to focus on a religious or special cultural aspect) or with Seabourn also seemed very happy. Because there is so much to see there, we took a shorter day walking Helsinki on our own to rest. Food and wine were fantastic. Plenty of indulgent or more healthy options for each meal. Why not have a glass of wine with lunch if they're pouring it? We spent time in each dining venue based on menu and how much we wanted to dress. The library was great for reading while having a coffee and pastry. The in-room entertainment has a couple hundred movies, plus documentaries and music to enjoy. There is a laundry room on board with detergent provided (I'm the kind of person who finds paying $2 on board ridiculous). The fitness center and shopping are adequate. We both highly recommend Seabourn. It was a relaxing and enriching voyage! P.S. To do it again, reading more about the history of Vikings and Russia beforehand would have enhanced the experience.

We enjoyed a luxurious cruise for 5 adults and one 15-month-old grandson. Because he was the only baby on-board, much of the crew and many guest knew him by name by the end of the trip (Odin). He had a great time. The Seabourne Sojourn staff were incredibly friendly and the 24-hour room service made it easy to enjoy the 3-generation flexibility needed. Adjoining veranda suites and balconies made it a great family trip. We booked our own on-shore excursions, less expensive that through the ship. Three full days in St. Petersburgh, baby in tow, with a guide and driver made sense and gave us flexibility. A day of kayaking in Helsinki (sans baby), and three days in Copenhagen after the cruise rounded out an incredible vacation.

Excellent cruising adventure. We would highly recommend Seabourn to everyone. Our accommadations,food,entertainment,onshore activity,and overall services were found to exceed our expectations. Our only recommendations would be to provide free internet to guest and to provide more diversification for diabetic diets.

One cannot really see the wonders of Chilean archepeligoes without a ship, and what more luxorious way to do so than on the Sojourn. Thanks to everyone for organizing and helping the passengers realize such a magical experience.

Great ship, great crew, outstanding food and service

We enjoyed the cruise

The Seabourn Sojourn is a well designed small ship (450 passengers) with outstanding artwork throughout the ship. Excellent food, service, and entertainment contribute to the overall experience. Staff was always eager to please by positively responding to special requests.

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.

We have just finished a 19 day Seabourn adventure to Alaska and as we anticipated it was what we have come to expect from Seabourn. For both of us it was our second visit to this wonderful state. The first 5 days were a part of the Seabourn expedition program. We were met at the Anchorage airport and then whisked off to the Thomas Cook hotel where we met David the tour guide, coordinator, and all around handy guy. That evening we had a group dinner with 26 cohorts, soon to become friends. The next morning it was off to Denali via an 8 hour train ride through some gorgeous country. Wednesday was a free day for us to rest and take in the lodge. Excursions were available although Dee and I just took the day off. Thursday’s we were off into the park, not just a panoramic view but deep into the park. Where most tours go in about 15 miles our excursion went in about 63 miles. During that wonderful drive we ran into ptarmigans, caribou, grizzly, doll sheep, magpie, and the preverbal snow hare. Every minute of the 8 hours trip was fun and exceptionally interesting. Our guide had been leading these expeditions for 30 years and knew the park like the back of her hand. Our last day was a busy one as well. The alarm jolted us awake at 6:00 AM, we put our bags out, got breakfast then, on the bus for a three hours drive to Talketna. There our intrepid group boarded three planes to fly to Anchorage. The reason for the plane ride was to give us the opportunity to see the Alaskan back country and get a great view of a number of glaciers. We were taken aback by the beauty of the mountains and glaciers from a birds eye view. After an hour and a half of flying we landed in Anchorage and it was off to lunch, then on to the ship. In short the expedition was more than we expected in terms of quality, and the wonderful companion ship of our travel mates. It was truly a Seabourn experience. There is a lot to be said about knowing a group of people before you get on the ship. The companionship of the expedition group continued on into the cruise. If you are visiting Alaska via Seabourn and they offer this pre cruise adventure, take it. We have been on the Sojourn before, and like its sister ship the Quest it was a great cruise experience. Once on board we saw cruise members we had sailed with before and believe it or not they remembered us. Like previous trips the crew was very attentive and after a short period of time knew our names and our preferences. One of the surprises on this trip was the fact that our suite was upgraded from a veranda suite to a penthouse suite. Our joke was that it was so large that Dee and I had to carry gps devices to find each other. In truth the suite was fantastic. It had a separate bedroom, living area, a dining area, a two room bathroom, and a huge veranda. The itinerary was excellent as we were able to go places larger ships could only dream of. Add to that the off ship excursions via kayak and/or zodiac really made these excursions up close and personal. The picture opportunities were plentiful including glaciers, whales using bubble netting to get their lunch and a female grizzly with her two cubs just to name a few of the opportunities. The food, as in the past, was excellent. We are Colonnade people as we like the more casual dining experience. Our one complaint is that consuming this food seems to shrink our clothes. . As is our way we continued our “May We Join You” philosophy. We share a table every night with different people. On this trip we met lawyers, entrepreneurs, a gentleman and his wife who lived in South Africa, New Zealanders, Australians, and Germans. The most impressive couple however was the couple who exuded tremendous courage and strength in the face of health issue. As we have written before and will again, Seabourn knows how to make a cruise special. We love cruising with Seabourn so much that in 2019 we will be returning to the Quest to venture to Antarctica and the Amazon.

Excellent staff and service. Ship was great on size as it was easy to get to the shows and dining.

Very nice ship. Well maintained. Food was good, not great. Food in Thomas Keller The Grill was better. All should know that the meats are all frozen due to regulations. Only fresh for the day fish was fresh. The deserts were excellent. There is no 24 coffee or food on this ship, except room service. Very unusual. This ship’s stabilizers are a must on a ship of this size and work very well to minimize rocking. Very old average age to crowd. I would guess 75. Some well into their 90’s. Good handicap accessibility.

The cruise is a great way to see Alaska. The expedition staff made a huge difference in spotting wildlife and in explaining the geology. You get right up close to the glaciers in the smaller ship.