This was our first trip with Seabourn and we thought it was amazing. We liked that the ship was much smaller than ones we had been on before, and it is unlikely that we’d ever travel on the larger ones again. Obviously there are differences with the smaller scale. The restaurants all close at 8.45 p.m. and there’s not a continual buffet service available as on the huge ships, however for us this wasn’t a problem. You’re definitely not going to starve! We enjoyed all the dining venues, the food was fabulous and the staff charming. We also liked that all drinks were included in the fare. (There are some choices that can be purchased but everything freely available was very good) We’re not big drinkers but it’s nice not to have to think about that as an additional cost. And oh my goodness, the cocktails are amazing!

I had assumed that the entertainment would be on a smaller scale too, but far from it. There were a series of excellent, polished and engaging performances in the Grand Salon (one night a film was put on instead of a show) Also there were other musical offerings in other venues throughout the ship, also excellent. We also went to the golf putting and baggo competitions a couple of times which are not wildly exciting but offer an opportunity to mix with fellow guests if you’re at a loose end. (I’d quite like to see some crafting activities available too. Nothing fancy but the chance to learn a new skill. There were knit and natter sessions, but as I didn’t know until we got on board I hadn’t brought any supplies) We joined in the Trivia quiz, ably hosted by Ross & Dave, which was a lot harder than we expected (despite being seasoned quizzers) and surprisingly competitive (We quiz for fun but it was apparent that it was definitely a matter of life or death for the majority of the attendees) I think the only thing I didn’t enjoy were the talks/slide show in the Grand Salon on what was available to visit at each of the ports. I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it, but for the fact that the person giving the lectures made derogatory remarks about the area of Bali that was our ultimate destination, after leaving the ship, Nusa Dua. (“I can’t imagine why any one would want to stay there”) I felt incredibly deflated and then quite angry. It’s tempting to expand on this point but I won’t, but would like to say we were very happy with our choice to stay in Nusa Dua. We also attended Herman’s 5 at 5, which covered all information necessary for the independent traveller along with a printout and found it very useful.

There are chargeable items on board, of course. We didn’t use the Spa so can’t comment on that. I thought the WiFi was ridiculously expensive and didn’t avail myself of it but I think Seabourn could usefully explore lower cost options for basic WiFi usage. I don’t want any more than to WhatsApp family members, periodically. The WiFi in the terminal buildings of the ports we visited was mostly pretty good though. The trips from the ship are also very expensive. We chose not to go on them as we had 5 days in Bali to explore under our own steam.