CORRECTION: The Odyssey-class and Encore-class specifications have been slightly updated to reflect accurate capacities.
Seabourn's 2011-launched Seabourn Quest was already a super-impressive luxury cruise ship, but its latest Seabourn Encore has managed to improve once more on excellence.
Increasing in size from the three preceding 458-guest (based on double occupancy) Odyssey-class vessels, the 600-guest Encore-class also boasts interiors by acclaimed designer Adam D. Tihany. (Previously, the Quest had been remodeled to feature The Grill by Thomas Keller designed by Tihany, but the hospitality director was put in charge of the entire ship this time around.)
As I sail onboard this week-comparing early renderings to the fully realized ship-I'm amazed by how expertly Tihany's conceptual vision came to life onboard.
The Quest was beautiful, but the Encore is stunning on a whole other level.
It just so happens that part of what literally elevates the Seabourn Encore is an additional deck. In order to provide guests with more options, (primarily dining), another level allows the room to expand. The Grill by Thomas Keller has been more than doubled in capacity on this ship, and Sushi is an entirely new restaurant onboard.
The former is still a handsome evening venue with dark tones while the latter is a small, bright and cheery space that's great for lunch and dinner.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Looking Forward to Seabourn's New Seabourn Encore[/READMORE]
Private accommodations are mostly unchanged. If anything, it would've been nice to have seen larger showers as part of the overall increase in ship scale, but they remain skimpy for suites.
Elsewhere, however, favorite public venues are laid out mostly as before, albeit with more significant spatial enhancements and refined design cues. Tihany definitely played up the classic maritime themes and yacht aesthetic to great effect.
Throughout, high-gloss natural wood paneling predominates, accented by mirrored chrome and vertical ribs, while art deco curvature adds timeless style.
Seabourn Square probably stands out as the most dramatically improved over the Quest. Tall partitions have been dropped down to create uninterrupted sight lines across the room, and a new central column is where casual reception desks, bookcases, recliners and sofas now radiate from. The corner coffee bar continues to service it all, while the shops across the way appear to occupy less space.
The forward Observation Lounge is equally more inviting with a new skylight and expanded seating; The concentric footprint from the Square perfectly continues here. The Club and Casino layouts have been opened up, with fewer dividers and a better placement of the bandstand. The ghosted multicolored bottles behind the bar are even a bit reminiscent of Tihany's other great cruise ship work on corporate cousin Holland America Line's latest Koningsdam.
The Grand Salon main theater, on the other hand, is mostly identical in design to that on the Quest-except for new side stage wings for the live musicians and an updated audiovisual package including a vibrant LED wall backdrop.
For other dining options, The Restaurant still has its impressive vaulted ceilings. However, their focal points are now Murano-style blue sunburst chandeliers supported by a substructure, not unlike the natural tree limb-inspired pillars of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.
Altogether, with clean white surfaces, the dining room brings a chic cathedral-like purity to the culinary experience. Perhaps less transcendent-but making wonderful use of space again-is the brilliantly laid-out Colonnade buffet, with a much-improved flow and seating arrangement, as well as the now offset Patio Bar and The Patio itself.
The spa benefits from a more efficient configuration while The Retreat crafts a completely new enclave at the top of the ship. For a surcharge, private cabanas are available for rent with a shared whirlpool under plentiful shade-all serviced with food and drink, as well as spa services if so desired.
Whether publicly or privately, Tihany's Seabourn Encore is a crowning achievement in luxury cruise ship design for its privileged guests to enjoy.
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