Seabourn Sojourn

The 2010-built Seabourn Sojourn cruise ship is the second of Seabourn's older boats, with sisterships Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Quest. On each of the three vessels is installed the biggest Spa ever created on a luxury cruise ship.

The vessel (IMO number 9417098) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311027100) 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 - the 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.

The 450-passenger ship Seabourn Sojourn is line’s second new-class ship that accommodates only 450 guests. At 32,000 GRT Sojourn and her sisters are the smallest built new vessels by any of all major cruise lines and feature the highest ratio space-per-guest in industry. Sojourn offers excellent, comfortable staterooms, the biggest luxe spa at sea, and an in-stern marina full with kayaks and speed vessels. There is also an onboard atmosphere which is cultured yet also quite informal.

While largely the same as Odyssey cruise ship (the first in Seabourn's newly designed trio) and identical to Quest (released in 2011), Seabourn Sojourn is the cruise line's enhancement on an already-outstanding concept. It achieved the feat simply by tweaking bits and pieces. The spa features were the largest beneficiary of the line's experience with the first vessel, that has an additional spa sun deck zone replacing some of the pretentiously expensive private villa spaces. In The Restaurant, the vessel's stylish major dining venue, an experiment with communal tables - intended to foster sociability - hasn't been replicated on either Sojourn or Quest ships. However, the group bar-height seating concept is accessible in its more casual Colonnade.

Decks and Cabins

Seabourn Sojourn staterooms (225 total) are in 15 cabin categories. The largest are the GRWG-Grand Wintergarden Suites (1180 ft2 / 110 m2 including the 220 ft2 / 20 m2 terrace). These are actually 2 connecting cabins (WG-Wintergarden Suite plus V4-Veranda Suite) with connecting balconies.

All staterooms are in suites categories and have luxury hotel amenities like separate sitting-sleeping areas, a walk-in closet, electronic safe box, smart HDTV (with free on-demand movies), iPod docks, minibar, refrigerator.

Most staterooms are Veranda Suites (sized 300 ft2 / 28 m2 plus 65 ft2 / 6 m2 balconies). Penthouse Suites are spacious (435 ft2 / 40 m2 with 100 ft2 / 9 m2 terrace) and with bedrooms separated from lounge areas (with dining tables and comfortable armchairs) and powder rooms. Grand Suites are two-bedroom and with a glass-walled Solarium (whirlpool bathtub and lounge bed).

The boat has 11 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 Sojourn delights her guests with varied menus in the four onboard restaurants and provides in-suite dining as well. The Restaurant features eclectic menus created specifically for Seabourn Yachts by Chef Charlie Palmer. Each restaurant offers different experiences, from casual meals on deck to avant-garde tasting menus. Enjoy traditional Italian lattes and espressos in Seabourn Square at leisure or try one of the six lounges and bars – enjoy world-class champagne, wine, top-shelf spirits.

The ultra-luxury Seabourn Sojourn yacht offers sumptuous gourmet cuisine at the traditional Restaurant by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, but you can also enjoy casual meals at the Patio Grill poolside. Enjoy complimentary French champagne, wine, and spirits with lunch and dinner, no matter where you dine. With one staff member for each guest, Seabourn provides unmatched cruising experience and level of service. Attire in most evenings is “jacket required”, but on special nights they host candlelit dining and black tie is optional.

Restaurant 2 is an avant-garde restaurant featuring stellar service and intriguing food and wine. Dishes are individually prepared by the chef and passengers to enjoy the innovative creations. The Colonnade is an indoor/outdoor restaurant, where chefs serve guests’ meals in an open kitchen and they can watch their work while personally preparing orders. A different theme is offered each evening. The finest casual dining is available poolside at Patio Grill. Its superb offerings delight guests’ palette as they enjoy a relaxed ambiance by Sojourn’s pool. In-Suite Service – fresh crudités or late night pizza in your suite, the Sojourn room service menu is available around the clock. Choose to have your dinner served course by course in-suite, complete with personal service and fine linens.

Follows the complete list of Seabourn Sojourn 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.
• Restaurant 2 (reservation-only; offers an avant-garde dining experience, featuring a rich selection of fine wines and regionally-themed menus)
• 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 (the menu and ambiance are inspired by the classic American chophouse; a collaboration between designer Adam D. Tihany and 3-star Michelin chef Thomas Keller).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Grand Salon is Sojourn’s main showroom which can accommodate all passengers, though it seldom does so because a variety is available. Cooking demonstrations, movies, lectures, and other interesting gatherings are held there in the daytime. In the evening, live music for dancing gives way to comedy, vocal production shows, classical recitals, cabaret performances, and more dancing. The Seabourn Square is an innovative living room which replaces the reception lobby and provides a welcoming lounge with comfortable sofas, cocktail tables, and easy chairs.

The Club is a lively lounge on Seabourn Sojourn offering daily tea service. It’s popular for dancing to live music and pre-dinner drinks. Later the DJ spins dance music. Another terrace boasts two whirlpool spas and a plunge pool. The Spa is the largest spa on any luxury ship, featuring six treatment rooms, thermal area with large hydro-pool, sauna, dry float, and steam rooms, well-equipped gym, motion studio with Thai massage area and Kinesis Wall, and a full-service salon.

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 Sojourn could be held in any of the public spaces (no onboard chapel).

Follows the complete list of Seabourn Sojourn 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)
• Promenade (on Deck 5)
• Observation Bar (round-shaped observation lounge with grand piano)
• 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).

Itineraries

Seabourn Sojourn itinerary program is based on luxury cruises in Asia with departures from Singapore and Hong Kong. In Europe, Sojourn operates on Mediterranean itineraries with departures from Piraeus-Athens, Monaco, Civitavecchia-Rome, with Suez Canal repositioning transits between Europe and Asia.

In 2017, the ship offered a unique Alaskan cruise itinerary program with departures from Vancouver BC Canada and Seward/Anchorage Alaska. (read more in the "wiki" section below).

Sojourn is also Seabourn's "world cruiser" as each year the ship offers 100+ days long voyages that visit some of the most popular port cities and scenic destinations throughout the globe.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Seabourn Sojourn was paused for 2+ years, rescheduled to restart operations (in Europe-Mediterranean) on June 6, 2022. The cancellations affected the ship's "World Cruise 2021" (141-day from Miami to Barcelona), the entire Europe 2021 program (Baltic-Mediterranean) and "World Cruise 2022" (145-day from Los Angeles).

Seabourn Cruises Sojourn ship is the newest of all three vessels providing all-inclusive "big yacht cruising" luxury vacation experiences. Her sisters are the fleetmates Odyssey and Quest. The three vessels have been produced under the same cruise ship design. When the Seabourn company launched them, it bragged that this vessel design will be the "game-changer for the luxury segment" of the cruising market. Traditionally for all ships in the Seabourn fleet, all passenger cabins (all are suites) have private verandas.

The Sojourn ship's christening ceremony took place on the 4th of June, 2010 in London England. It was widely commented that weather was unusually warm and shiny- far from being common to London. A curious fact is that for the christening of the Odyssey ship, the weather in "sunny" Venice Italy was terribly rainy. The godmother of Sojourn is Twiggy - an undoubted fashion icon of the 1960s.

The maiden voyage began on the 6th of June. It was a Northern European cruise from London with ports in Baltic Sea (Scandinavia) and Iceland. That year was a cause of concern for Iceland cruise travellers as the country posed them with some volcanoes related problems. A volcanologist was invited onboard Sojourn to share some of his expert knowledge with the Inaugural Cruise passengers.

Seabourn Sojourn is among the top-luxury World Cruise ships offering each year an Around The World itinerary. It includes numerous exotic ports of call in Asia, Australia, South America, USA, Caribbean, Africa, also Transatlantic crossings, Panama Canal and/or Suez Canal transits.

Seabourn Sojourn refurbishment 2018 review

The ship's last drydock was in January 2018 (at Freeport Bahamas). The 6-day long refurbishment project was designed and completed by Trimline. The company employed 150 workers to work on the ship. Trimline specializes in interior refurbishment works. Its services are used regularly by Seabourn Cruises since 2015.

The Sojourn ship's 2018 refurbishment included general maintenance works, as well as cabin upgrades, The list of updated/renovated onboard venues included Colonnade Restaurant (deck 8), Observation Lounge Bar (deck 10), The Club disco (deck 5), Grand Salon Theater (deck 6).

During drydock refurbishment 2015, deck 10's aft “Spa Terrace” area was remodeled into 4 new Penthouse Spa Suites (new cabin category PS). Spa Suite passengers now have unlimited access to the Spa Terrace relaxation area. They are also served by a dedicated spa concierge throughout the cruise and enjoy top-luxury spa amenities, among which a large marble bathroom.

Seabourn World Cruise 2023

On February 12, 2021, were opened for sale Seabourn Sojourn's 140-night/141-day "World Cruise 2023" ("Extraordinary Discoveries") and Seabourn Quest's 79-day "Grand Voyage 2023" ("Grand Americas, Amazon and Antarctica").

Seabourn Sojourn's 2023 World Cruise crosses 2 oceans (Pacific and Indian), also the Atlantic (along Africa's coast - Mombasa Kenya, South Africa/Cape Town, Durban, Dakar Senegal, Casablanca Morocco), South Pacific (Papeete Tahiti, Australia/Sydney-Melbourne-Fremantle, Easter Island, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Cape Verde).

The 140-day voyage departs on January 6, 2023, from Miami and ends in Barcelona Spain. The itinerary visits 61 ports/destinations in 32 countries, with 10 port overnights and extended late-evening departures in 16 seaports. World Cruise 2023 segments range from 21-day to 81-day.

Full cruise prices started at USD 67000 (~EUR 56200) per person with double occupancy.

Bookings (made by May 31, 2022) receive the following perks: Roundtrip flights, up to USD 3000 per person OBC (onboard credit), Unlimited Internet, private car transfers (door-to-door service home-airport), luggage shipping (home-ship), Visa package, Gala Bon Voyage (dinner and overnight hotel in Miami/prior departure), pillow gifts, reduced deposit (50%), Early Bonus Savings (3%), Repeat World Cruise Discount (5%, with full itinerary booking).

Seabourn World Cruise 2022 (canceled)

In mid-September 2020, Seabourn announced Sojourn's World Cruise 2022.

The 146-day "World Cruise - Extraordinary Horizons 2022" itinerary (Los Angeles to Piraeus-Athens, January 11 through June 6, 2022) included 72 ports/destinations (28 countries on 5 continents) and featured 20 port overnights and 21 late-night port departures.

The westbound voyage's signature destinations included Hawaii, South Pacific (Islands, Australia, New Zealand), Asia (Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Arabia), Africa (Egypt), Europe-Mediterranean.

However, in August 2021 the company postponed the ship's restart date in 2022 (from January 11 to June 6) with which the 145-day "World Cruise 2022" was effectively canceled. Seabourn also announced that as an itinerary, Voyage 2024 will replicate Voyage 2022, with bookings to be opened in October 2021.

146-days itinerary from Los Angeles to Athens

Full cruise prices started at EUR 62000 pp (Oceanview Suite).

As shorter segments were offered the following itineraries (prices are in Euro per person / double-occupancy Oceanview Suite rates):

• 22-day "Southeastern Asian Splendors" (Shanghai China to Singapore) - EUR 13K pp
• 33-day "Queensland Coast and Tropical Treasures" (Sydney Australia to Keelung Taiwan) - EUR 17K pp
• 34-day "Empires Of The Sun" (Singapore to Athens) - EUR 19K pp
• 39-day "Pearls Of The South Pacific" (Los Angeles to Sydney NSW) - EUR 19K pp
• 39-day "Imperial Asia and The South China Sea" (Keelung to Singapore) - EUR 21K pp
• 50-day "Australia and Imperial Asia" (Sydney to Shanghai) - EUR 26K pp
• 56-day "Sojourn Of The Ancient Empires" (Shanghai to Athens) - EUR 30K pp
• 72-day "Australia and Asian Splendors" (Sydney to Singapore) - EUR 36K pp
• 72-day "Treasures Of The Pacific Realm" (LA to Keelung Taiwan) - EUR 43K pp
• 73-day "Route Of Ancient Empires" (Keelung to Athens) - EUR 38K pp
• 89-day "Gems Of The Pacific Rim" (LA to Shanghai) - EUR 42K pp

Early bookings (made by May 31, 2021) received complimentary roundtrip Business-Class flights, private door-to-door car transfers (home-to-airport-to-home), Personal Valet luggage shipping (home-to-ship in Los Angeles Piraeus-Athens), onboard credit per cabin (USD 4000 for OceanView and Veranda Suites, USD 6000 for Penthouse and Premium Suites), Visa Package, unlimited shipboard packages (Internet, laundry, dry cleaning, pressing), 50% Reduced Deposits, 3% Early Bonus (full pay by May 31, 2021).

Repeat customers (Seabourn world cruisers) received 5% Repeat World Cruise Guest Discount. Full world cruisers received access to exclusive amenities including Gala Bon Voyage Dinner and Overnight Hotel at Ritz Carlton Marina del Rey (prior the Los Angeles departure), 3 Exclusive Events, President’s Event, Special World Cruise Pillow Gifts.

Exclusive events planned for Voyage 2022 included Evening Onboard Battleship USS Missouri (January 20, in Pearl Harbor Hawaii/from Honolulu), Dinner at Stone Sculpture Museum and Gardens (March 24, in Keelung-Taipei Taiwan/Yangmingshan NP), BBQ Dinner at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo Resort (May 14, in Male Maldives), Surf Beach Barbecue Party (at Koh Kood Beach Resort Thailand), Evening at Ephesus (June 4, from Kusadasi Turkey, with a classical concert in the ruins).

Seabourn World Cruise 2020

Sojourn's World Voyage visits 62 ports and features unique shipboard entertainment, including themed deck parties, special musical productions, and enhanced enrichment programming. Developed by Belinda King Creative Productions (Northampton England), the onboard entertainment program (made exclusively for the world voyage) features “An Evening with Tim Rice” (Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice - English author/theatrical lyricist), "Ruthie Henshall & Norm Lewis" (Gala Dinner show), Charl du Plessis Trio (piano-bass-drums), CH2 Guitar Duo, Soweto String Quartet (South Africa), Filip Wojciechowski Trio (Polish jazz band), Wouter Kellerman (South African flutist/composer) and His Band, Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (Filipino singer/actress), Rhonda Suzanne Burchmore (Australian entertainer), Rita Rudner (US comedian).

Shipboard parties with be themed on the visited region/destination and with live performances by local artists. Smaller deck parties include "Farewell USA’" (upon leaving Miami), "Opera Under the Stars" (with Venetian masks) and "Roaring 20s Speakeasy" (with specialty cocktails). Themed dinners (at The Colonnade) are also with resident artists and local entertainers. Seabourn Conversations (enrichment program) features speakers like John Creighton (NASA astronaut), Zelda La Grange (Nelson Mandela's secretary) and Sir Alan Collins (former British diplomat).

Next table shows the ship's 144-day "World Cruise - Extraordinary Destinations" (full-length itinerary) as ports sequence and port times (arrival/departure). Prices started from ~USD 67,000 per person (double occupancy Seabourn Suite/window cabin).

Alaskan cruise itineraries

On June 1, 2017, with Seabourn Sojourn. the company operated its first cruises in Alaska (since 2002). The ship's Alaska cruise 2017 program included a series of one-way and roundtrips leaving from Canada and Alaska-USA.

The following table shows the "inaugural" 25-night / 26-day roundtrip Vancouver itinerary (themed "Exploration Of The Last Frontier") as ports sequence and times. Suite prices started from around USD 400 per night.

In 2017, the ultra-luxury Seabourn cruise line offered an exceptional series of 11-, 12- and 14-day long voyages. The unique itineraries combined all the most popular Alaskan ports, most of which are rarely visited by cruise vessels. All deals were inclusive of professionally guided sea kayaking and Zodiac tours led by world-class expedition teams.