Seabourn Encore

Seabourn Encore accommodates around 600 guests, cared for by a crew of approximately 400. This crew-to-guest ratio is one of the highest in luxury ocean cruising, and it’s central to how the experience feels on board, personal, intuitive and unhurried throughout the voyage.

Seabourn Encore entered service in 2016 as the flagship of Seabourn’s Encore Class, with sister ship Seabourn Ovation following in 2018. She was comprehensively refurbished in 2019, bringing her interiors and onboard offerings up to date with the latest Seabourn standards.

A Seabourn Encore cruise is genuinely all-inclusive. The fare covers all dining venues, including Sushi and Solis, fine wines, premium spirits and champagne throughout the ship, gratuities, and 24-hour in-suite dining. Most lines treat one or more of these as extras, so it’s worth factoring in when comparing prices across the luxury market.

It’s one of the questions we’re asked most often, and the honest answer is that the two ships are remarkably similar. Encore and Ovation share the same design, suite categories, dining venues (including the dedicated Sushi restaurant and Solis), and the same all-inclusive Seabourn experience on board.

The main practical difference is their seasonal deployment. Seabourn Encore tends to split her year between Alaska in summer and Asia in winter, while Seabourn Ovation spends more time in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Caribbean. The right choice usually comes down to where and when you want to travel rather than the ship itself, and our Voyage Consultants are well placed to help you match the two.

Seabourn Encore has five distinct dining venues, all included in the fare. These are The Restaurant for refined evenings, The Colonnade for casual and themed dining, the poolside Patio, and the two speciality venues, Sushi (a dedicated Japanese restaurant) and Solis (the Mediterranean fine-dining concept that has replaced The Grill by Thomas Keller across the fleet). 24-hour in-suite dining is also available.

Yes, but they’re more relaxed than the formal nights of traditional cruising. Seabourn Encore typically schedules one or two “elegant casual” or “formal optional” evenings per voyage, when guests dress more smartly for dinner. There’s no requirement for black tie, though some guests choose to wear it on the most formal evenings. Most evenings on board are smart casual. Find out more by reading about what to pack on your Seabourn cruise.

Seabourn Encore’s recent and upcoming programmes have split her year between Alaska in summer and Asia in winter, with occasional repositioning voyages in between. Her smaller size lets her access the inlets of the Inside Passage and the more characterful ports of Asia that larger ships cannot reach.

The Retreat is a private sun-deck enclave of fifteen cabanas arranged around a central whirlpool, with a dedicated concierge, a tailored menu and complimentary champagne. Cabanas are reserved for an additional charge and tend to book quickly on sea days, so it’s worth speaking to your Voyage Consultant about reserving one at the time of booking.

Yes. Seabourn Encore is a strong choice for guests stepping up from premium lines like Cunard or Celebrity to genuine luxury cruising. The all-inclusive fare structure, intuitive service, and small-ship feel make the transition straightforward, and Seabourn is widely considered one of the more approachable luxury lines for first-time guests.

The Seabourn dress code is generally relaxed. Daytime is resort casual, and most evenings on board are smart casual: jacket without a tie for men, dressy separates or a dress for women. There are typically one or two more formal evenings per voyage, but black tie is optional rather than required.