Seabourn Encore

The 2016-built Seabourn Encore cruise ship is one of the newest in the Seabourn fleet - with sistership Seabourn Ovation (2018).

The vessel (IMO number 9731171) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311000464) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Seabourn Cruises is a top-luxury (all-inclusive) company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Seattle WA. Seabourn operates on global itineraries, ranging from the 7-day Caribbean to 100+day Around the World voyages. Since 1998, Seabourn is fully-owned by Carnival Corporation - world's largest passenger shipping company. Seabourn is a signature travel brand and a major player on the premium-cruising market, competing for head-on with Silversea and RSSC-Regent Seven Seas.

The 40,350-ton, 604-passenger cruise ship Seabourn Encore is a top luxury vessel with a surprising wealth of facilities. The ship is 26% larger than the older Seabourn ships Odyssey, Quest, and Sojourn. The ship's passenger capacity is bigger with 34%, but with just 6% less space per guest. In comparison, the ship also features an additional deck and expanded public areas.

Decks and Cabins

Seabourn Encore staterooms (302 total) are all in Suite categories (13 grades). Like all Seabourn ships, Ovation is an all-suite vessel, but every suite aboard this Seabourn's vessel has a private veranda. All accommodations are thoughtfully appointed, designed as homes with a separate lounge room. The Owners Suites measure up to 1065 ft2 (including a veranda); four Grand Suites (two-bedroom) are up to 1,680 sq. feet private living space. Choose to stay in a Penthouse Suite (one of the 21) on uppermost decks, featuring up to 540 sq. feet each.

The boat has 12 decks, of which 10 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.

By company's loyalty program "Seabourn Club", Silver Level and above passengers receive free Internet (limited and unlimited packages), free phone calls (20-30-40 min worldwide), complimentary Spa Massage, Day Pass for Spa Serene Area, free laundry (1 bag for every 7-days on the ship), plus discount pricing on onboard alcohol purchases (premium wines and spirits), future cruise booking discounts, luggage shipping service discounts, access to special offers and exclusive onboard events.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Seabourn Encore is operated with all-inclusive deals and provides the best choice of dining venues (all complimentary) and open-bar lounges. Guests dine when, where, and with whom they wish. The design of Encore features contemporary spaces created by the Adam Tihany's company, including ship's Main Dining Room and the club-like Seabourn Square lounge area.

Follows the complete list of Seabourn Encore restaurants and food bars.

• The Restaurant (main dining room with open-seating breakfast, lunch, and dinner; the dining amenities are top-luxurious; the Restaurant's dress code is "elegant casual" with optional "formal" dress on special nights.
• Sushi Restaurant (replacing the traditional "Restaurant 2" on the Odyssey-class Seabourn ships)
• Patio Grill (serves the pool area with grilled specialties, salads, and several side dishes; fresh pizza by the slice is offered throughout the afternoon)
• The Colonnade (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; its chefs cook in an open kitchen and guests can enjoy watching the food being prepared; the menu for dinner is differently themed each day; the restaurant has an aft Terrace and an outdoor seating area)
• The Grill by Thomas Keller (3-star Michelin chef) - with a classic American steakhouse menu.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The ambiance of Seabourn Encore is relaxed, with sheer activities variety. Most sailings feature Seabourn's Caviar in Surf Beach Barbecue or Marina Days when you can go kayaking or sail right from the ship. Seabourn's service is ranked the best on the luxury cruising market - highly personalized and attentive. Tipping is not expected.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry, Self-Serve Laundromats. Tipping/gratuities - tips are not expected or calculated in the price. Wedding parties on Seabourn ship Encore are held in any of the public spaces (no dedicated chapel on board).

Follows the complete list of Seabourn Encore lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Living room (open-floor area serving as a lounge with a small seating area)
• The Casino (with 1 roulette table, 3 gaming tables for blackjack and poker, 15 slot machines)
• The Club lounge (disco & nightclub)
• The Club Pool area (with one plunge pool flanked by two Whirlpools, served by The Club’s bar)
• Whirlpool (with an open-deck area with loungers)
• Grand Salon (main show lounge for grand productions, featuring a 6-piece band; hosts guest lectures and presentations during the day)
• Card Room (cards playing and bard games room)
• 3 duty-free shops (The Boutique for fashion clothes, perfumes, and luxury cosmetics; The Seabourn Shop for Seabourn-logo merchandise; The Collection for brand watches and jewelry)
• The Coffee Bar (patisserie & specialty coffee bar, serving Seabourn Square lounge area, which has a corner serving as the Library/Computer Centre)
• Patio Pool (swimming pool, two Whirlpools, sunbathing area with loungers, private cabanas; served with drinks by Patio Bar; the pool deck also hosts barbecue parties)
• Sky Bar (serves the Patio Pool’s balcony level)
• The “Spa at Seabourn” (11,400 ft2 wellness area spanning on two decks, with outdoor relaxation deck area, Massage-Treatment Rooms, Steam Room, Saunas, Thermal Suite, glass-roofed Spa pool, Beauty Salon)
• Fitness Center (panoramic-view modern gym)
• Motion Studio (separate Aerobics Room)
• Observation Bar (round-shaped observation lounge with grand piano)
• Promenade; Outdoor relaxation areas (The Retreat, Sun Terrace, Spa Terrace)
• The Retreat (multi-use, open-air relaxation area with a 9-hole Golf putting green and courts for deck games - Giant Chess, Shuffleboard).
• On Seabourn Encore, the cruise company debuted a new production show (titled "An Evening with Tim Rice") and a new Wellness program (by Dr. Andrew Weil). The show was created exclusively for Seabourn Cruises by "Belinda King Creative Productions". Tim Rice and Dr. Weil were both guests on the ship's maiden voyage.

Itineraries

Seabourn Encore itinerary program is based on European and Asian voyages. In Southeast Asia are visited ports in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore. In Europe the ship is usually deployed in the Mediterranean and homeported in the capital cities of Turkey (Istanbul), Greece (Piraeus-Athens), Italy (Venice, Civitavecchia-Rome), Spain (Barcelona).

Suez Canal itineraries (via Dubai UAE) are offered seasonally on repositioning between Asia and Europe.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Seabourn ship Encore was paused through February 2022, restarting in the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean from Lisbon Portugal.

Seabourn Encore cruise ship is the line's newest vessel providing all-inclusive "big yacht cruising" vacation experiences. Her sister as the design is Seabourn Ovation (2017). The other fleet members are named Odyssey, Quest and Sojourn. All Seabourn ships, as a sea vacation travel concept, continue to be widely acknowledged as the "game-changer" for the luxury ship travel industry.

Compared to fleet's three Odyssey-class vessels, the Encore ship is about 1/5th larger in size (26%), 1/3rd bigger as passenger capacity (34%, based on double occupancy), with 1 additional deck, re-designed venues, expanded public spaces, and features 6% less space per passenger. Traditionally for the ships in the Seabourn fleet, all passenger cabins (all are suites) have private verandas.

On September 15, 2015, with the keel-laying ceremony officially started the vessel's construction. The ceremony was attended by Antonio Quintano (Marghera shipyard's manager) and Keith Taylor (Holland America Group's Executive VP). On March 4, 2016, was the vessel's launch at Marghera shipyard. The special event was attended by Marnie Tihany (wife of Adam D Tihany, the ship's interior designer).

The godmother's name was revealed in Nov 2016 - Mrs. Sarah Brightman (born 1960). She is a UK classical soprano, also actress, musician, songwriter. Her 1996 duet with Andrea Bocelli (the single "Time to Say Goodbye") became one of the world's best-selling singles. Seabourn ship's namesake is the 2019-launched Norwegian Encore (NCL).

On November 30, 2016, the vessel was officially delivered with a ceremony held at the Marghera shipyard. The event was attended by Seabourn's President Richard Meadows, and Fincantieri's CEO Giuseppe Bono.

On January 7, 2017, was the vessel's christening ceremony held at Port Singapore. The naming ceremony was led by the godmother Sarah Brightman. Cruise passengers and many VIP guests joined the ship's staff for a show launch. Followed performances by local musicians and actors, including lion dancers and stilt walkers.

The Inaugural Cruise (maiden voyage themed "Gems of the Java Sea") was a 10-day itinerary to ports in Indonesia (Singapore to Benoa, Bali). Followed Asian and Australian voyages and repositioning via Suez Canal to Europe (the Mediterranean). During its Inaugural cruise season in 2016, Seabourn Encore offered mostly one-way itineraries to ports in Europe (Mediterranean), Asia (Dubai, India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore), Australia and New Zealand. Seabourn Encore spent the summer 2017 season in Europe / Mediterranean on itineraries 7-, 10-, and 14-day in length.