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Cruise Reviews

Seabourn

Seabourn Legend

Seabourn Legend Vs Her Larger, Newer Sisters...

Seabourn Legend vs her larger, newer sisters...	6 of 6 people found this review informative

Reviewed By: Greenhalgh, Manchester on 4th Aug 2010
Cruise Line: Seabourn	Times cruised before: 10+
Cruise Ship: Seabourn Legend	Sailed: July, 2010
Destination: Western Europe	Age: 46-55
Cabin: Outside

Having experienced one of the newer and larger ships in the fleet first before trying the Legend (unlike most previous guests we met abourd the Odyssey last year) I thought it may interesting for some to hear our impressions, experiencing it the other way around. We were a little apprehensive about sailing with only 200(ish) passengers and fewer onboard amenities etc. and were concerned about sailing without a balcony, which is perhaps one of the factors that prevented us from trying the older sisters previously... After finding the Odyssey mostly wonderful we thought we would try the Legend on an itinerary that reflects the signature values of Seabourn, visting smaller ports that the large cruise ships cannot reach on the French Riviera. We boarded at the World Trade Centre right in the centre of Barcelona at the end of the Ramblas, this was great and so easy after a very quick taxi ride from the airport costing only 20 euros and being delivered right next to the ship. We were very early and were welcomed with drinks and cold towels at the small terminal building. Each couple was asked to take a seat so that they could be individually escorted on board, less than ten minutes later we were lead to the show lounge, offered champagne or punch and checked in very quickly by extremely friendly crew. The one very strange impression though during this process was the very antiquated equipment used on trestle tables that resembled the mobile DJ equipment used at school disco's which really jarred with the otherwise opulent surroundings of the ship. Arriving guests are encouraged to stay in this lounge where there is an ample supply of complimentary drinks and a buffet of sandwiches and cakes. This is mainly so that each one can be individually guided to their suite once they are ready, and of course the intention is that you never have to carry anything once on the ship (not even a plate or a drink). After a similar introduction on the Odyssey last year we realised the reasons for this and as we are more than happy to carry our own bags, we headed upstairs to enjoy a drink at the Sky bar whilst we waited for our room to be ready at the official boarding time after 2.00pm, lunch was also being served at the veranda restaurant on the back deck at this time. Seabourn regulars will be well aware that the main distiction onboard is the extremely friendly and outgoing nature of the well travelled passengers and true to form before our first drink was topped up, we were engaged in converstaion with a charming couple from New Jersey who were entering their second week aboard after a prior week on Silver Seas. After rather too many top ups we ventured down to our suite which was a huge relief. It was a very good size and extremely well appointed and very much up to the standard of the one we had on the Odyssey. We immediately knew that we would be very happy to spend our vacation there and actually found quite a few areas better than the newer ship: The glass cabinets for the various crystal glasses and jugs, the very comfortable living area with enough seating to seat six or seven people, a decent dressing room which was particulary better designed than the Odyssey and a beautiful bathroom that although not quite as decadent as the newer ships was actually much more open, bright and practical. The Legend is the only ship in the fleet to have a single rather than double sinks but the taps do not splash you every time you turn them on and there were lots of cupboards, mirrors and shelves everywhere. The only feature not present here is the separate shower which was not an issue for us but for less agile passengers may be a consideration. At this point I will reveal the fact that we are both smokers, which is why we would normally enjoy a balcony cabin. It was of great comfort to us that smoking is permitted in the suites (they are all refered to as suites even though ours was the basic grade of accomodation and indeed much bigger and luxurious than the Princess Grill suites we have had on QE2 and QM2). For non smokers we can confirm that the ventialtion is excellent and there was never any odour upon entering the suite, which we are surprisingly aware of. You can also verify this on the various cruise review sites where the smoking issue has been discussed at great length. We found that there were a couple of indoor and outdoor areas where we could relax with a drink and a cigarette whilst obviously the majority of areas were non smoking providing everyone with the opportunity to relax with like minded passengers. I have just noticed that this is becoming rather long so I will attempt to bullet point the areas that I felt were better, worse of just different between the smaller and larger vessels (which was my original intention): Cabins: Living area: more comfortable to relax on Legend, we tended to sit on the settee whereas we tended to sit at the table on Odyssey. Bed: fabulously comfortable on Legend but the ones on the Odyssey are the most wonderful I found ANYWHERE. Balcony: We loved having one on the Odyssey but really didn't miss it on the Legend and actually found that we spend more time on deck socialising than when we have a balcony. Storage areas: Much better on the Legend in terms of functionality. Size: Much the same. Bathroom: Both are all marble with full sized baths, Odyssey is very contemporary and beautiful to behold, legend is bright spacious and open. Either are as good / better compared to those I have had on any other ship. Service: Outstanding in every way, on both ships our stewardess has intuitively noticed anything that we use most and adapted supplies of soft drinks, toiletries and fresh fruit etc to suit our preferences, even after the first day. Lighting: Outstanding choice of different lighting choices on both, but strangely better on the Legend. Public areas: The resemblence is very similar on both ships and there is a reassuring coherence in most areas. both the night club and observation lounge are better designed and stiking on the newer ships and this was noticable by the quantity of guests using them. the Sky Bar (which is on the upper outside deck) is the social hub day and night. Deck area: much better on Odyssey, athough we used it much more on the Legend for some reason. The Pool on the Legend is not welcoming at all being enclosed in a fairly small and disconnected area between the sun deck and the veranda restaurant. We never had any problem getting a lounger but it seemed that there was a much greater choice of sun bathing areas on the Odyssey with a noticable over-capacity of loungers and a fabulous pool area. Food / Restaurants: The food is fabulous on either but I prefered the variety on Odyssey although I was told that the menus are fleet wide (changing weekly on a six week cycle) so this could have just been my personal opinion of the current menu. It has to said that the main restaurant on the newer ships are simply breathtaking and as beautiful as you would find anywhere ashore. The veranda on the Odyssey is pure class from the second you see it and many a very romantic and ultra civilised evening was spent having a sunset dinner there, the one on the Legend is still extremely nice but almost incomparable, and the inside self service area actually too small even for a ship with so few passengers. Service was unfaultable on both though possibly a touch more intimate on the Legend. Tenders: Again very different form each other. Odyssey has much better access with elevators going directly to the point of access while the Legend involved a fairly tricky sequence of meandering through the show lounge, down two decks through a crew area and over quite high thresholds and lots of steps... not a problem for me and quite exciting but not acceptable to anyone with walking difficulties. The tenders themselves though are FAR superior on the Legend, they resemble the launches on the Royal Yacht Britannia!, have immensely powerful double inboard motors, they really say something about the class of the ship when arriving ashore and have very comforatble padded seating. The ones on the Odyssey were straight off the shelf, fibreglass lifeboats which seemed very inadequate for the luxury elsewhere in the ship. Overall I was very pleasantly surprised with every aspect of the Legend, I thought the smaller ships would be phased out once the three newer ones were all in service. Now I am not sure, there are many things which make both vessels wonderful and I am certain that both styles will be in very demand for a long time to come. If you have made it this far, I hope you have found my review interesting and informative. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about sailing on the differnet sized Yachts Of Seabourn.
Quality of Food

Entertainment	n/a

Shore Excursions	n/a

Staff

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Onboard Activities

Cabins

Overall Rating

6 of 6 people found this review informative

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Opinion: Agree Comment by Ings, Wakefield (24 Aug 10 16:00) about this REVIEW

We're joining the ship on 18th September and our concern was the size of this 'yacht' having previously been SeaDreamers. Are tables form 2 easily obtained in the restaurants and how often is the aft of the ship available for a sea swim?

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Comment by Greenhalgh, Manchester (25 Aug 10 19:27) about a COMMENT by Ings (24 Aug 10 16:00)

Hi. You have concerns the opposite way than we did! as I think Seadream have around 110 passengers? We met a couple that we spent most of the cruise with who had done Seadream on several occasions and they really loved the Legend. Personally I think they have made the marina's too complicated on both generations of ships which means that it takes a couple of hours to erect everything, therefore they only use them once per week and not if the sea is too choppy. I think the one on Seadream is more of a flap which forms the marina which they can probably drop whenever they like, but the seabourn ones do have the pool area so you can swim in the sea without getting eaten by jaws! We prefer dining on a table for two and have never had a problem, the tables are the same as the ones for four people so there's no shortage and apparently the ship was much fuller than usual with all the cabins for three fully occupied which we heard is very unusual. Of course we never had to stand in line for anything, often travelled on the tenders alone, and never doubted that we would get a sun lounger etc so at normal occupancy you will have nothing to worry about. Our friends said the cabins were much bigger than Seadream too. They really liked the one bar on Seadream with Karaoke which they said was always full and fun, to be honest this sounded a bit naff to me until the last night when we had a karaoke party at the sky bar which was lovely with all the people we had got friendly with during the week, it was like having all our friends over for a barbie!

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Comment by kelly, falkirk (04 Aug 10 07:18) about this REVIEW

thanks for the review, we were on the legend in may and loved it. going on the sojourn this sunday and will be interesting to see the difference. cant wait! everything about a seabourn cruise is outstanding real 6 stars.

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Question by Green, Inverness (25 Jan 11 17:22) about a COMMENT by kelly (04 Aug 10 07:18)

It would be interesting to hear the approx age group drawn to a Seabourn cruise. Is the dress code very up market? Would acouple of reasonably fit 70 feel a bit out of it or not.?

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Answer by kelly, falkirk (25 Jan 11 23:04) to a QUESTION by Green (25 Jan 11 17:22)

feel out of it? not at all,you will love it.ages range from twenties to nineties,its not a problem. dress code is not any more upmarket than RCI with usually only 1 formal night in 7 days but it is only a suit and tie (not a prob.) we preferred the smaller legend with under 200 passengers,very friendly. food and service outstanding. cant wait to go again. enjoy it if you go!

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Opinion: Agree Comment by Macro, Reading (04 Aug 10 05:38) about this REVIEW

I loved the doorbells outside suites ! Funny how little things make a big difference.

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