Web Resources

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

ON BOARD
Once on board, my first impression of the Odyssey was that it was not as grand as I'd thought it would be. I didn't have the same awestruck reaction as when I boarded Celebrity's Solstice or their Equinox ship (my two most recent cruises). There was no grand entryway and no huge atrium with glass elevators. However, what Odyssey lacked in stature, she sure made up for in food, service and overall experience.

SEABOURN BRAND
Don't get me wrong! The ship is genuinely beautiful. It's classy and contemporary, not flashy. But before I go any further, I guess I should tell you about the Seabourn brand. If you didn't know by now, Seabourn is known for small intimate yachts with extraordinary levels of personalized service, food and providing an overall exceptional cruise experience. We’re talking the crème de la crème of luxury cruising.



MORE 450-PASSENGER SHIPS
Prior to the Odyssey, Seabourn only had three boats and none held more than 208 passengers. So building this 450-passenger mega-ship (by their standards) was a new venture. And it looks like it will be their future as well since they have two more identical ships launching in the next two years. Seabourn Sojourn is scheduled to launch in June 2010 and a third ship, which hasn't been named yet, is scheduled for 2011.

SEABOURN'S ACCOLADES
Seabourn has earned all kinds of awards including the prestigious "World's Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" by Travel + Leisure Magazine's World's Best Readers' Survey 2009 and the world's #1 Small Ship Cruise Line by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the magazine's 2008 annual Readers' Choice Awards.

SEABOURN ODYSSEY: SERVICE
With all these accolades, I guess I shouldn't have been as taken aback by Seabourn's level of service as I was. But it shocked me that at the breakfast and lunch buffet, every time I walked to my table, a Seabourn staff member was there waiting like a security guard at a high-end jewelry store. The moment I took a step towards my table they insisted on holding my plate – even when there was just one itsy-bitsy, tiny scoop of ice cream. I would say, “It's okay, I can handle it,” but they wouldn't have any of that. At first I thought they were trying to take my food away so I would high-step around them like a running back but when I realized what was going on, I had no choice but to succumb to the service. I guess this is one way to prevent guests (like my out-of-control self) from overeating, since their staff members would know just what a piglet you really are.

ONE ON ONE
It constantly surprised me that they had so many free staff members and I later read that the ship has nearly one staff member per guest. Now that's impressive.

PORTER SERVICE
Seabourn's fine service began the moment we cleared the onboard security check. That's when a white-gloved porter from Zimbabwe, who also worked in one of the restaurants, offered to take our carry-on bags and whisked us up the elevator to the sixth floor.

THE LONG HALLWAY
There are 11 decks so we were in the middle of the ship towards the front. Our room number was 604 and on our maiden walk there, I was still thinking that so far, this ship wasn't as glitzy as I'd thought it would be. The hallway looked like a normal hotel hallway but narrower. But halfway there, I started to see the light.

FRIENDLY STAFF
Each staff member we passed was genuinely friendly. They got even friendlier when I took an interest and asked where they hailed from -- they came from all over the world and the only way to find that out was to ask; their nametags don't identify where they're from.

1 | 2 | NEXT PAGE >>> | 4







Copyright 2009 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.