The main showroom, Magellan Lounge (King Olav on Legend;
Amundsen Lounge on Spirit), has a stage and dance floor. It is used for daytime lectures and evening entertainment. In the lobby area are the purser’s and tour desk, cruise director’s office, writing room, and computer center.
One flight up is a second entertainment lounge, which is cleverly glass-partitioned in three sections: a small casino, an informal bar, and a piano lounge used for activities, socializing, daytime parties, and predinner cocktails. After dinner, it’s a nightclub. There’s also a small book-and-video library. The first of the two top levels contains the Sports and Spa Deck and indoor/
outdoor Veranda Café. Another flight up is the Observation
Lounge, a beautiful room with sloping floor-to-ceiling windows. Earlybird continental breakfast and afternoon tea are served here—both stellar times for ocean panoramas. Reference material on shore excursions, board games, and puzzles is available. A bar outside serves morning bouillon
and is a popular gathering spot in fair weather. A promenade used by walkers and joggers connects the bar to a sunning deck.
The daily agenda isn’t taxing but might include a
cooking demonstration, afternoon lecture by a well-known person from the arts, academia, politics, or show business, port talks, bridge lessons or play, art class, galley tour, wine-and-cheese party, ice-cream social, parlor
games and quizzes, or folkloric show. A movie about one of Seabourn’s other cruises—and a not-too-subtle sales pitch—may be presented. Not on the schedule are bingo, horse racing, pool games, or costume parties. The library has music and books, including some on CD. Also, cabin
stewardesses will deliver DVDs to suites, upon request. The boutique beckons to shoppers. The Computer Learning Center, with four computers, offers classes for a fee. Or you can do nothing at all. If the weather is fair, you’ll probably be out on deck, relaxing, snoozing, soaking in the Jacuzzi, or enjoying a “massage moment” (complimentary from the spa staff). Some places offer protection in hot or cool weather.
Evening entertainment is tony, designed for sophisticated people. The ship’s quartet plays easy listening and dance music in the Club, or a pianist/vocalist performs at the cocktail hour. Evening cabaret and variety shows staged in the Magellan Lounge are usually very good. They feature the cruise director and three or four social-staff members.
Lounge seats are slightly tiered, providing excellent sight lines. A classical concert or program by a young artist may be offered, or the Restaurant becomes a supper club with dancing. The casino offers roulette, blackjack, slot machines, and gaming lessons.
Shore excursions
Excursions are well organized and orchestrated by an
experienced, knowledgeable staff. On a Norwegian fjord cruise, the briefing was the most thorough heard on any but expedition-type cruises accompanied by specialists. There’s no push to sell excursions,and even off-the-shelf motor coach tours tend to be pricey. Information on excursions is available on Seabourn’s newly expanded and
enhanced Web site; excursions can be booked online.
Each cruise offers one event designated as an Exclusively Seabourn excursion for all passengers. These often are a cruise highlight and may be visits to private homes or local sites off the tourist track. Refreshments
and entertainment are provided, and guests may be introduced
to local dignitaries. For example, a Norwegian voyage offered a concert of Edvard Grieg’s music at his lakeside home near Bergen, presented by Norway’s foremost pianist.
In addition, the line recently added more than 75 new and unusual shore excursions created exclusively for Seabourn passengers. These excursions include special entry to sites of interest, meetings with famous personalities, and a variety of special-interest pursuits such as car racing,
yacht racing, photography, and river rafting. There’s a visit to Hong Kong’s Cantonese Opera to watch artists apply their makeup; a ride in a horse-drawn carriage to a winery in the Medoc; and shopping in Florence markets for an Italian Cordon Bleu Cooking School class, to name a few.
Unofficial Guide © 2009
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