Seabourn Quest in Dover

After a very long drive and an overnight stay in Dover, I opened my curtains this morning and saw what I have waited years to see. Today was the day I was visiting a Seabourn ship. I have to admit to being a little excited. Seabourn Quest was built in 2011, but she could be a brand new ship, as soon as you step on board you feel the stresses of everyday life just melt away.

The beauty of this ship visit is that in effect I have seen three ships as Quest, Odyssey (2009) and Sojourn (2010) are the same build and layout with subtle differences in décor. Seabourn have the youngest ultra-luxury fleet at sea, which they will be adding to with Encore in December 2016 and Ovation in 2018.

At 32,000 tons she is an intimate all suite ultra-luxury ship carrying 458 passengers with all the amenities you find on a larger ship.

The salon style theatre features cabaret shows as well as local entertainers from the destinations you are visiting, the restaurants also serve regional dishes and did you know guests can even go ashore with the chef to choose ingredients for that evening’s dinner. They have specialty restaurants on board which carry no supplement including The Grill by Thomas Keller. If you fancy a night in you can take advantage of in-suite dining which is delivered course by course.

My favourite inside space on the ship has to be Seabourn Square, it’s a great place to just relax with a good book. Here you will find the shops, coffee bar, computer centre, library, concierge, destination services and the future cruise desk. It has lots of comfy seating and great sea views. There is no queuing at a reception desk on a Seabourn ship.

The outside deck space doesn’t disappoint either. The main pool at the centre of deck eight is the place to be day and night. This is where the officers on deck and sail away parties take place. You can eat lunch at the patio grill while catching the rays.

I could carry on talking about this ship, the wonderful spa voted the best at sea by Conde Nast, the fantastic suites, but I think I need to tell you about the enrichment program available on board.

Seabourn have a partnership with UNESCO to offer something completely exclusive to travellers. They have teamed up to promote sustainable tourism at World Heritage properties. This means they offer a deeper understanding of these sights through specialist shore excursions as well as having speakers on board.

Venture by Seabourn program is also another amazing thing on offer, it started out just on the Antarctica cruises, but is now also going to be offered on the Amazon and in Alaska starting in 2017. It mixes an on board academic program with practical hands on excursions such as going out on the ships zodiac boats and kayaking among other things.

I think the one thing I haven’t mentioned yet, but it really is the most important, it’s the staff and crew on board, they are what make Seabourn so special. Tips are included, so they are not expecting anything. When you are a passenger they will know your name within the first 24 hours, they will know you favourite tipple and greet you like a long lost friend when you return.

Seabourn Moments are special and it’s the little things that count.