Big ship or small ship

[Charleyben]

Our experiences on Seabourn so far have been on the Encore and Ovation.  We are shortly going on the Quest and we would be interested in what are considered to be the main advantages and disadvangages.  I know that we will miss the Keller Bar but we are hoping there are some plusses other that the passenger count.

 

Any views would be most appreciated.

[jdk-atlga]

Depending on your cabin location, you might have one less deck to climb or descend. Having been on both ship sizes, I really can't tell much differences in cabins. I do like that the Seabourn Square is actually square on the "smaller" ships. 

Best, jdk

[markandjie]

The larger ships do not have a proportionately larger MDR, so the MDR is very crowded and busy. On the smaller ships the MDR is much better size for number of passengers and tables and provides a noticeably calmer dining experience.

 

The biggest disadvantage of the smaller ships used to be the lack of a sushi restaurant, but with Sushi in the Club that is largely a non-issue now.

[stan01]

Larger ships have larger TK Grill (now Solis with outdoor dining) and the sit down bar area.  They have the pay-to-use Retreat on top level.  They have sit down Sushi with a full lunch/dinner menu (Sushi in the Club has a partial sushi menu just in the evening).  There is one extra deck so more stairs to climb which some will feel is better for marginally increased exercise on board.  Larger ships actually have fewer PH suites and no Ocean View suites (without balconies).  PH Spa suites get elevator access on the larger ships.

 

These are minor in the big scheme of things, I would not worry about them at all.  Enjoy your trip!

 

[Tallante]

5 hours ago, Charleyben said:

Our experiences on Seabourn so far have been on the Encore and Ovation.  We are shortly going on the Quest and we would be interested in what are considered to be the main advantages and disadvangages.  I know that we will miss the Keller Bar but we are hoping there are some plusses other that the passenger count.

 

Any views would be most appreciated.

Our last few cruises have been on the Encore.  However as our Dubai cruise has been cancelled we are now on the Quest from Barcelona.  We are looking forward to being on the smaller ships again.  The only drawback that I see is that we don’t have the benefit of dining outside in Solis. The advantages are that the top deck is for all guests, unlike the Retreat and padded sun loungers .

[ara.Senna]

We find the “larger” ships a bit hectic in contrast to the “smaller” ships like Sojourn and Quest.  I think Odyssey is out of commission?  Too bad.  Of course, we miss the originals…. Legend, Spirit and Pride where guests were very chummy and one truly felt looked after.  Love “The Retreat” only available on largest ships.  And really, the experience is quite lovely no matter size of ship.

[Hlitner]

We find both kinds of SB ships quite desirable and comparable.  But if forced to choose our preference would be the larger vessels for a few reasons.  We like the larger TK (now Solis) venue and the nearby bar area (with piano music).  And the Sushi restaurant does provide a welcome change (although the new Sushi offerings on the smaller ships is a good addition.  We have tried the Retreat on the larger ships and find no need to ever return!  

 

Hank

[nancygp]

2 hours ago, ara.Senna said:

think Odyssey is out of commission?  

It is still in the fleet…sailing until the end of September 

[Charleyben]

Thank you all for your views.

[avalon1025]

Last year we had a wonderful cruise on Sojourn and a just ok cruise on Ovation. It was our first time on the larger ship and it just felt materially more crowded,  staff overwhelmed and honestly nothing special.  We had the some of the same crew from our earlier Sojourn cruise and they were so overworked on Ovation.  The Ovation was beautiful,  and perhaps it was the officers on board leading to a blah atmosphere, but we’d likely sail the smaller ships going forward 

[LACruiser88]

Long-time Princess cruisers here looking to book our first Seabourn cruise.  Thanks for all of the information.  I'll keep perusing your forum for more info before making the leap!

[robertmartha]

LACruiser88 - once you book/sail on your 1st Seabourn - no going back 😉

[Ken&Patricia]

We just booked our 3rd Seabourn cruise.  Our first cruise was on the larger 600 passenger Encore in June 2022.   We were fortunate that there were only 450 passengers on that cruise so we had lots of room.   Our second cruise was on the Quest a 458 passenger ship.   Frankly, the layout is very similar with the omission of the Sushi restaurant and a smaller TK grill.  Had our first trip been full we may have had a slightly different experience.   On either ship we never had to wait for a table for dinner.  Assessability to the grill was fairly easy, just make friends with your fellow shipmates and join them.     Our next cruise will be on the Quest again over the holidays for 46 nights 🙂