Seabourn Encore Features Wealth of New Luxuries

Richard Meadows has served as president of Seabourn since 2011, when the luxury line moved from Miami to Seattle. The company has continued to evolve over the years and now operates four ships, including its newest, the 40,350-ton, 600-passenger Seabourn Encore, which entered service in December 2016.

Its sister ship, Seabourn Ovation, is slated to begin sailing during spring 2018.

How have your customers responded to the Seabourn Encore?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive from both our loyal and new guests who have sailed on Seabourn Encore. They’re quite impressed with the new design and spaces throughout the ship. Some spaces are in slightly different locations, but our guests have adapted quite easily since the overall layout and environment feels familiar as compared to the Odyssey-class ships.

Tell us about Seabourn’s partnership with renowned chef Thomas Keller, known for restaurants such as French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro and Per Se.

The Grill by Thomas Keller was first introduced on Seabourn Quest last year. The Grill on Seabourn Encore is larger and has a different layout, but the menus are the same.

Our partnership with Chef Keller offers our guests one of the finest dining experiences at sea. He is one of the world’s most heralded chefs, and serving his award-winning cuisine has taken our culinary experience to a whole new level.

The Seabourn Encore also marked the formal debut of partnership programs with wellness expert Dr. Andrew Weil and famed lyricist Sir Tim Rice. Will these programs be expanded to the rest of the fleet?

Our partnership with Sir Tim Rice features our new flagship show, “An Evening with Tim Rice,” which highlights songs from his hit shows and features the stories behind their creation in a video narration by Tim Rice himself. He is the creator of such hit shows as “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Evita.” His show will be expanded to the rest of the existing fleet by this summer.

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The partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil kicked off during the inaugural sailing of Seabourn Encore.

The “Spa and Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil” program will continue to roll out to the rest of the Seabourn fleet in 2017 and will also be implemented on Seabourn Ovation. Select “Mindful Living” wellness seminars and meditation classes are complimentary.

Onboard seminar topics include “Spontaneous Happiness & Spontaneous Healing,” anti-inflammatory foods, healthy aging and an introduction to mindful meditation. Some classes and one-on-one wellness sessions are available for a fee, including yoga, acupuncture and sound therapy.

One of the new features is The Retreat, a for-fee sanctuary with private cabanas. Do your guests resist the extra fee on an otherwise all-inclusive luxury ship?

While there are some guests who have asked questions about what is included and asked about features of the new Seabourn’s first sushi restaurant space, there have been many who have experienced The Retreat.

The response has been very positive, and The Retreat is being embraced by more and more of our guests to the point that we believe it will be one of the most coveted outdoor venues on board.

Located on Deck 12, The Retreat has 15 private cabanas designed as individual luxury living rooms, with a whirlpool in the center of the space. Each cabana features a large HD flat-screen television and a refrigerator stocked with a personalized selection of beverages. Amenities include fresh fruit baskets, premium sun lotions, Evian mist spray, plush towels and bathrobes.

A dedicated Retreat Concierge is available to respond to guest requests. There’s a spa treatment cabana and 30 comfortable sun loungers. We also offer a selection of bites from a specially designed menu.

The cabanas are available for rent for $249 per couple, per port day, and $349 per couple, per day at sea.

READ MORE: Exploring the Luxurious Seabourn Encore

Also new is Sushi, a restaurant offering Japanese cuisine.

Sushi is the first dedicated restaurant of its type in our fleet.

It’s a beautifully appointed and intimate space. Very high-quality Hamachi, tuna, shrimp and other seafood, as well as authentic Japanese ingredients, will be purveyed for Sushi and served à la carte for dinner. The menu features caviar and small plates, along with a selection of maki rolls, sushi and sashimi, and salads.

In addition, the restaurant will feature three varieties of Bento boxes for lunch: meat, seafood and vegetarian. Guests at Sushi will also find selections of special sake, fine matcha teas, and desserts to round out their meal.

Will Seabourn Ovation have any new features or changes?

Seabourn Ovation will have some minor aesthetic changes but, by and large, the ship will be very similar to Seabourn Encore.