My daughter & I boarded the luxurious, all-inclusive, Seabourn Sojourn in Ft. Lauderdale at the Port Everglades cruise terminal (it’s not too far from the airport). We arrived around 2pm and embarkation was quick & easy. At the gangway we were met by smiling staff offering warm hand towels, Champagne & Bellini’s. As we boarded, we were met by a line of staff waiting to take our bags and lead us to our cabin. Nothing better than white glove service!
Our Suite, Seabourn Suite V4 Balcony, was beautiful, well-appointed and luxurious. There was a curtain you could pull across the room dividing the bedroom from the sitting area & balcony providing a little privacy. The sitting area was a nice size; with a sofa, TV, mini fridge and table with chairs. Our mini fridge was stocked daily with our favorite sodas & the ice bucket was always replenished. Our room steward, Jo was a wonderful gal from Australia. She joined us in our suite to give us the grand tour and offer our
options for bathroom toiletries (L’Occitane, Bvlgari, etc.) and beverages for our mini fridge. We couldn’t decide on the toiletries so she brought us everything, every single day! Our room steward was just so fun & sweet, we saw her every day and if we didn’t see her in the day she made a point to come by during the evening to see if we needed anything. She enhanced our experience onboard Seabourn.
We took advantage of the 24-hour complimentary room service, which had a great selection for breakfast & dinner (pasta, steak, fish, burger, hotdogs etc.) along with a few dessert selections. All was fantastic, and although they would say 30-45 min, our food always arrived quicker. The waiters would lay out a white linen table cloth and full table setting, as if we were in Seabourn’s dining room.
I brought my 20-year old daughter with me, she has been with me on other trips and it was great to see her perspective of the Seabourn Sojourn as compared to other premium cruise lines she has been on before. I thought she would be bored, but to the contrary she and I equally loved it and had so much fun. We enjoyed the shows and the many activities they had to offer. Several evenings Seabourn even provided dinner and dancing out on the Pool Deck by the Patio Grill.
The Seabourn Sojourn is absolutely beautiful, with wonderful warm and inviting colors. There are so many wonderful common areas to sit, relax and enjoy the view; whether you are inside or out on one of the decks. One fun area is the Seabourn Square, which is a coffee bar, library, computer center area located deck seven, aft. The Square was always busy with people lounging, reading, drinking coffee or socializing. There were many nice places to go for privacy or quiet; whether it be on the Sun Terrace located on deck 11 with its comfy two person sun chairs or one of the other great locations you can sit and watch the view. One of the best features of Seabourn is even if you were in these nooks & crannies the waiters always found you to offer a cold beverage, wet towel, sun tan lotion or eye glass cleaner. Whatever you needed, they were there in the most inviting way.
Dining aboard Seabourn Sojourn was fantastic. The main dining room, The Restaurant, was designed gorgeous and the food and service were amazing. The Colonnade restaurant was less formal and beautiful. It offers buffet service for breakfast and lunch with cooked-to order specialties and an entirely different menu in the evenings. Restaurant 2 has a very modern décor, black & red with dim lighting. We found this seven course set menu to be a great restaurant for those who enjoy trying new interesting combinations of food.
The smaller size of the Seabourn Sojourn provided a more intimate cruise atmosphere to get to know other guests and crew. The age range onboard is approximately 50-75, but a fun and lively crowd and young at heart. The entire staff aboard Seabourn Sojourn was spectacular! Always around to offer a beverage, pleasant and friendly and…they really do know your name! This experience proved to be a great introduction to the all-inclusive luxury cruise experience for me. Many, many special touches that made this trip one of our best ever!
For more pictures of the Seabourn Sojourn and the Caribbean visit Cruise Specialists Facebook page.
