In March, I was fortunate enough to sail aboard the Seabourn Odyssey on a 12 day

Mediterranean cruise from Lisbon to Istanbul. Pier check-in was a breeze and we were immediately greeted by the gracious Seabourn staff – white gloves and all.

Seabourn Suite:
After being escorted to our Veranda Suite, V4 #705, we were introduced to our room stewardess, Megan from South Africa. Megan greeted us with a glass of champagne and showed us around our lovely spacious suite. Our suite had a flat screen interactive TV with DVD and a music selection; I have never experienced this before at sea. Our large marble bathroom had two sinks and a separate tub and shower. The suite and our walk-in closet provided so much space; there were drawers we didn’t even use!

Culinary Endeavors:

Dining aboard the Seabourn Odyssey was truly amazing from the very attentive and accommodating wait staff to the remarkable presentation and delicious cuisine. We preferred the casual indoor/outdoor ambiance of The Colonnade, located aft on deck 8. The cuisine was always delicious and plentiful. In the outdoor space if it got a little chilly, the staff would bring you a blanket to keep warm. For breakfast or lunch The Colonnade is a very nice buffet with lots of choices and also the option to order from the menu. With all of the meals they pour either a white (usually Sauvignon Blanc) or a red wine, and of course they will bring you any other beverage you may like.

Restaurant 2 is a small intimate reservations-only venue offering a unique tasting of seven decadent small courses. The menu does change daily, so you could dine here more than once if you wished. The presentation and taste were amazing.

Additionally, every day the Patio Grill offers a great buffet style lunch with a variety of choices. We also took advantage of the complimentary room service a few times, it was always served promptly and the meals arrived hot.

Relaxation:
During our cruise we were lucky to be in the warm Mediterranean Sea and have ample good weather to enjoy the wonderful Pool Deck, which we did each day even after port! On the main Pool Deck they offer a variety of deck chairs, fresh towels and also blankets for when it gets chilly. The deck staff was always there to cater to your every need. The pool was very inviting and the two whirlpools in this area were rarely occupied. There is another smaller pool and whirlpools aft on deck five and a whirlpool forward on deck 6.

The Retreat, located aft on deck 11, was most enjoyable. The area is equipped with Shuffleboard, a putting green and a ping pong table. Right in front of The Retreat is the Sun Terrace, offering a vast quantity of lounge chairs with fresh towels and blankets. They also supplied a cart of drinks for the taking. In this area there were only a few guests here at any given time, yet we found it to be a really nice area.

Entertainment:
The Seabourn Odyssey entertainment staff consisted of two Cruise Director’s and Marla, the Social Hostess. They were very interactive with guests and had a variety of activities going on throughout the day – for example on sea days they had trivia, dance lessons and bridge etc. Before dinner each evening everyone was invited to a Pre-dinner cocktail gathering accompanied by music set to a certain predetermined theme.

The nightly shows in the Grand Salon consisted of four dancers – two men, and two women – all from the UK. They performed a variety of themed shows including Broadway Hits and they also sang a lot of 60’s and 70’s music. On each cruise Seabourn brings on different alternate entertainment, on our cruise we enjoyed a professional pianist, violinist, and a magician. After the show each evening, The Club offered late night entertainment and dancing. Additionally guests enjoyed the small casino, located next to The Club.

Most evening the dress was elegant casual – men wore a jacket or a collared shirt and sweater and ladies wore a dress or slacks with a blouse. We only had one Formal evening onboard, which we really preferred.

The intimate Seabourn Odyssey holds only 450 guests; we never felt crowded and there were never lines. The entire crew could not have been nicer or more accommodating. I am so happy to have experienced Seabourn and to be able to share my experience with my clients. If you are someone looking for a true luxury experience I highly recommend Seabourn. To see our recommended cruises visit Cruise Specialists Seabourn Cruises page.