Well, the time has finally arrived—we’re about to embark on our very first Seabourn voyage! 🚢✨ We’ll be sailing on the Sojourn for 48 days, from January 6th through February 24th.
A little backstory on how this cruise came to be: we’ve been cruising since the early 1990s. Our very first voyage was with Princess, and they’ve been our primary cruise line ever since. Over the years, we’ve sailed to all seven continents and have logged nearly 1,100 sea days with Princess alone—clearly, we’ve been loyal 😄. While we’ve tried a few other cruise lines along the way, Seabourn has always been on that “must-try someday” list.
Over the past ten years—especially since cruising restarted after the pandemic—we’ve noticed a gradual but consistent decline in the overall product Princess has been delivering. This has been most noticeable in the quality of the food and the wines being offered, both of which are pretty important to us (life’s too short for mediocre wine 🍷).
We’ve also seen the watering down of Princess’ loyalty program, mostly because there are simply too many people in the top tier now. For years, we’ve been told that the program was going to be “restructured,” but so far… nada.
Interestingly, Seabourn did recently overhaul their loyalty program, and that move generated plenty of complaints from their long-time loyalists. Adding to the intrigue, we were recently told by a trusted Princess Corporate friend that Princess’ new loyalty program is already completed and just waiting for HQ to pull the trigger. He also added—without hesitation—that folks are not going to be happy with it. 😬
We’ll see… 👀🚢
That said, the crew continues to be among the very best we’ve experienced at sea. Sadly, even the most professional and dedicated staff can only do so much with what they’re given by the cruise line.
After hearing similar feedback about other cruise lines in the same premium category, we decided it was time to see what an ultra-luxury cruise line is all about. Now, to be fair, we’ve also heard some of the same “things aren’t what they used to be” comments from long-time Seabourn cruisers. But since Seabourn will be completely new to us, we won’t have that same point of comparison—and we’re going into this voyage with an open mind and high hopes. 🚢✨
Then, this past August, while casually browsing the Seabourn website—as I usually do—I spotted an unbelievable fare for a 48-day segment of the Sojourn’s 129-day world cruise. We immediately called our fantastic travel agent and said, “Book it!” 📞😂 Of course, that meant canceling two Princess cruises we already had lined up: a 10-day Sea of Cortez New Year’s cruise on the Emerald Princess and a 54-day voyage on the Island Princess in March.
Here’s the wild part: the fare for the Sojourn, in an Ocean View Suite (large window, no balcony), was almost identical to what we were paying for our 54-day voyage in a Reserve Collection mini-suite on the Island Princess with the Plus Package. Once we realized that, the decision became a no-brainer—the long flight home from Sydney suddenly felt like a very small price to pay. ✈️😅
I should also add that in the weeks following our booking, the fares did climb substantially—and as of a few weeks ago, this voyage is now completely sold out.
One big difference between that Island Princess itinerary and this one is that our Seabourn voyage includes a lot more of New Zealand. 🇳🇿 We’ve visited the North Island a couple of times, but we’ve never been to the South Island. This voyage includes nine port stops throughout New Zealand, visiting both islands. We’ll also visit two new-to-us islands in French Polynesia—Huahine and Raiatea. 🌴🌺 These are ports too small for the larger cruise ships. All of our ports in Fiji will also be new to us.
Many of our Princess friends will be following along, curious about how Seabourn compares. We’re expecting some meaningful differences, and I’ll do my best to highlight them along the way.
For our Princess followers, I wanted to share a little background about Seabourn and our ship. Seabourn currently has only six ships in their fleet, two of which are expedition vessels. The Seabourn Sojourn entered service in 2010 and carries 458 passengers with 350 crew members. The ship was recently sold to Mitsui Ocean Cruises, a new Japan-based cruise line, and will be handed over to its new owners in May 2026. We knew about the sale before booking, and seasoned Seabourn cruisers who have sailed on “final voyages” before handovers have reassured us that there’s no decline in the Seabourn experience leading up to the transition.
The Sojourn is one of only two Seabourn ships that offers Ocean View suites, with her sister ship Quest being the other. These Ocean View suites do not have a balcony—Seabourn calls them Verandas—but instead feature a large picture window. As nice as it is to step out onto the balcony to check the weather for the day, we’ve stayed in similar suites on Princess and didn’t miss it at all, as we rarely use the balcony anyway.
A couple of nice Seabourn perks: you can bring as much wine onboard as you’d like—either at embarkation or in port—with no corkage fee. You can also pre-order one bottle of spirits or wine per passenger for your stateroom from a reasonably good list of known brands. For wine, the choice is simply “red” or “white,” but our Seabourn friends tell us that if you’re not thrilled with what you get, you can generally exchange it for other available options.
Seabourn also has an app, though it’s nowhere near as developed as the Princess Medallion app.
Dining-wise, in addition to “The Restaurant,” which serves as the ship’s main dining room 🍽️, Seabourn offers what we’d consider its specialty venue: Solis. Until recently, this was a Thomas Keller restaurant. Guests can dine at Solis once every seven days at no additional charge, and for our voyage we’ve already pre-booked seven nights there—something we’re very much looking forward to 🍷✨. We’ve also been told that if you stop by and chat with the Solis manager once onboard, you can often snag additional reservations.
There’s also The Colonnade, which functions as the ship’s buffet, along with Earth & Ocean, an outdoor, poolside dining venue that’s open in the evenings 🌙🌊. Seabourn Square appears to be their version of Princess’s International Café—coffee, light bites, and a great place to relax with a book or people-watch ☕📚. And finally, The Patio serves as the poolside grill during the day, perfect for casual lunches and those inevitable mid-afternoon cravings 😎🍔.
Here are some other amenities Seabourn advertises:
• Intimate ships with a private yacht-like atmosphere designed by Tihany Design
• All ocean-front suites, most with private verandas (balconies)
• Complimentary premium spirits and fine wines available at all times
• Complimentary caviar offered throughout your voyage
• World-class dining
• All dining venues are complimentary—dine where, when, and with whom you wish
• Welcome Champagne and an in-suite bar stocked with your preferences
• No tipping required or expected
• Complimentary Wi-Fi packages with unlimited minutes powered by Starlink
• Signature complimentary events such as Marina Day, Caviar in the Surf®, Evening at Ephesus, Shopping with the Chef, Caviar on the Ice, Polar Plunge, and more
Seabourn is also a member of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, one of the world’s most prestigious gastronomic societies devoted to the art of fine dining.
Since Seabourn is extremely wine-friendly as previously mentioned—unlimited wine allowed onboard, no corkage fee—we’re bringing along a case from our cellar. 🍷😉
This cruise will be beach-intensive and involve very little shopping… which may be a challenge for my “professional” shopaholic spouse. 😆👜 She has already announced, however, that a visit to her favorite black pearl dealer in Papeete will happen, and I’ve been instructed to prepare my wallet accordingly. 💸🫠
After we disembark, we’ll spend a week in Sydney before flying home. 🇦🇺 We absolutely love the city, and our dear friends who live near Brisbane will be flying down to spend time with us—we can’t wait to see them!
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Stay tuned—our Seabourn adventure is about to begin! 🌏✨
