Where can you go on a Seabourn cruise ship? Just about everywhere in the world. Despite having just six vessels, the small luxury line operates voyages to more than 100 countries on all seven continents, from North America and Europe to Australia and Antarctica.
In other words, its ships are often on the move from region to region.
Among all the Seabourn cruise destinations, Europe may be the most popular. As is often the case with luxury lines, Seabourn has a particularly large footprint when it comes to Europe itineraries, with more than half of the 500-plus voyages currently on its schedule focused on either the Mediterranean or Northern Europe. In a typical year, the line will deploy five of its six ships to Europe during the summer months.
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Seabourn also typically deploys at least one of its vessels to Alaska in the summer.
In the winter, Seabourn moves at least two of its vessels to the Caribbean and South America while basing another ship in Asia and a fourth vessel in Australia. A fifth vessel is typically sent on an around-the-world voyage during winter.
In just the last year, Seabourn also has begun to base a ship during the winter at the southern tip of South America for regular sailings to Antarctica — a move made possible by the 2022 debut of its first expedition ship, Seabourn Venture. The vessel was specially built to operate in polar regions and also sails in the Arctic.
A seventh Seabourn vessel, Seabourn Pursuit, is due to debut in late 2023, allowing for an even more diverse array of itineraries.
As of now, among Seabourn’s itinerary lineup, there’s everything from seven-night cruises in the Caribbean to 145-night globe-circling voyages. The company generally doesn’t do short sailings of just three or four nights, unlike mass-market lines.
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Overwhelmed with the choices? Here are our picks for the five best Seabourn cruise destinations.
The Mediterranean
Seabourn Odyssey in Mykonos, Greece. SEABOURN
The No. 1 Seabourn cruise destination is the Mediterranean. As of the publishing of this story, a whopping 218 of the 505 voyages on the line’s schedule for 2023, 2024 and 2025 included calls in the region. That’s 43% of all Seabourn itineraries.
The Mediterranean trips offer a wide range of port stops and vary greatly in length. There is everything from relatively short, seven-night sailings around the sunny Greek islands to monthlong voyages that span the entire width of the Mediterranean from Istanbul to the Strait of Gibraltar and offer lots of opportunities for cultural immersion.
Seabourn features voyages focused specifically on the Western Mediterranean, voyages focused specifically on the Eastern Mediterranean and voyages that include days traveling beyond the edges of the Mediterranean to such places as the Canary Islands.
Typical of the latter is the line’s epic, 28-night “Mediterranean Rivieras and Canary Islands” routing, a one-way trip between Barcelona, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal, that brings a wide mix of stops in Spain, France, Italy, Monaco, Morocco and Portugal. It’s a deep exploration into the western side of Europe and North Africa.
Related: The best Mediterranean cruise for every type of traveler
Some of Seabourn’s Mediterranean itineraries also include a passage through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea for visits to Egypt and Jordan.
Typical of the line’s more focused, quickie Mediterranean itineraries is a seven-night “Jewels of the Dalmatian Coast” routing out of Dubrovnik, Croatia, that concentrates on the narrow span of coastline along Croatia and Slovenia with five stops in the countries.
In the Mediterranean, the line’s main hubs are Barcelona; Monaco; Civitavecchia and Fusina, Italy (located near Rome and Venice, respectively); Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); and Istanbul.
Northern Europe
ERIC LAIGNEL/SEABOURN
In any given year, Seabourn offers far fewer sailings in Northern Europe than in the Mediterranean. But they are some of the line’s most interesting itineraries. They include unusually long voyages that focus intensely on the United Kingdom, voyages that focus almost entirely on Norway and a growing number of off-the-beaten-path sailings far north into the Arctic Circle that include adventurous landings by Zodiac boat in Iceland and Greenland.
Among the latter set of trips are epic, monthlong voyages into the Arctic out of Reykjavik (such as the 30-night “Greenland Wild Shores, Vikings & Volcanoes” voyage scheduled for the summer of 2023) that bring expedition-style Zodiac boat landings along both the east and west coast of Greenland over several weeks. They take place on the line’s new Seabourn Venture, which was specifically built for adventurous exploring in polar regions.
The line also operates some weekslong Arctic voyages that start in Iceland and Greenland and extend all the way into the fabled, ice-filled Northwest Passage above Canada.
Still, Seabourn’s Northern Europe itineraries aren’t all of such an extended nature. The line also offers a mix of shorter voyages in the region that are perfect for someone looking to test out the line. They include short, seven-night trips out of Copenhagen and Reykjavik that offer a quick taste of Iceland.
Related: The ultimate guide to picking the right cruise line for you
Note that Seabourn traditionally also has offered voyages around the Baltic Sea that visit such classic Baltic ports as Helsinki and Stockholm, and have included overnight stays in St. Petersburg, Russia — the latter considered the highlight of any Baltic cruise. However, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Seabourn has eliminated all its sailings to the Baltic as part of removing Russia from its itinerary schedule.
Whether the Baltic and St. Petersburg will return as Seabourn cruise destinations in coming years will depend on whether there is a resolution to the conflict.
In Northern Europe, Seabourn ships mostly sail out of Dover, England; Copenhagen; and Reykjavik.
Asia
The Wat Arun Buddhist temple in Bangkok. MIK122/GETTY IMAGES
Seabourn typically sends one of its six ships to Asia every winter for Asia-focused sailings out of Singapore and Hong Kong.
The line also typically sends a second ship on an around-the-world cruise that includes multiple segments in Asia, resulting in two of the line’s ships sailing in Asia during parts of the winter.
For the coming year, most of the line’s itineraries in Asia will be 14-night voyages to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, with some voyages also including stops in Malaysia.
Seabourn destinations visited on such trips typically include Laem Chabang (the port for Bangkok) and Ko Kood, Thailand; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Halong Bay in Vietnam.
Related: The best cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity
Asia-focused segments of the line’s around-the-world cruises vary from year to year. In 2024, they will include a 33-night trip from Sydney, Australia, to Taipei, Taiwan, that brings a heavy focus on Indonesia and the Philippines.
A second, 39-night segment of the same world cruise from Taipei to Singapore will bring stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
Caribbean
Seabourn Odyssey in St. Lucia. SEABOURN
Seabourn isn’t a huge player in Caribbean cruises, unlike its sister company Carnival Cruise Line. However, it typically sends at least one or two vessels to the region every winter to operate warm-weather-focused getaways to lesser-visited Caribbean ports.
For the most part, Seabourn’s lineup of Caribbean cruises is focused on one-way, seven-night trips between the islands of Barbados and St. Maarten (the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin).
When sailing outbound from Barbados, the trips typically bring stops at the islands of St. Vincent, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Nevis, Antigua and St. Kitts. On the return to Barbados, the itinerary is a bit different, with stops at Tortola, Anguilla, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and Grenada.
The two itineraries can be combined to create one long, 14-night sailing that has relatively little overlap in stops.
Related: 5 fabulous destinations for luxury cruise fans
In addition, the line often operates an epic voyage to South America out of Miami every winter that brings stops in the Caribbean in addition to a complete circumnavigation of South America. The next such voyage, an 80-night trip, is scheduled to start Jan. 4, 2024, and will include calls at Barbados, Martinique, Antigua, St. Kitts and Puerto Rico.
A shorter, 27-night segment of the above voyage that includes only the Caribbean portion of the trip, as well as stops in Brazil, also is available.
Antarctica
GALAXIID/SEABOURN
Seabourn has recently gone big in cruises to Antarctica with the unveiling of Seabourn Venture — a polar-class vessel that was specifically built to sail in the region as well as the Arctic.
As of this year, the 264-passenger expedition ship is spending multiple months every winter sailing to Antarctica out of Ushuaia, Argentina. It’ll soon be joined by a second vessel in the same series, Seabourn Pursuit.
The vessels are offering Antarctica itineraries that range from 11-night trips that focus on the Antarctic Peninsula to 29-night trips that add stops in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island.
Like several other upscale lines that have gone into Antarctica voyages in recent years, Seabourn is targeting a high-end customer that wants to explore the continent in style. Seabourn Venture features high-end restaurants serving elegant cuisine crafted in part by leading American chef Thomas Keller, and every room on the ship is a suite with its own balcony — something that isn’t often the case with expedition ships.
In addition, Seabourn Venture offers a lot of high-end adventures. Outdoor equipment includes kayaks and Zodiac boats for landings along Antarctica’s shoreline to visit penguin colonies. But perhaps the ship’s standout adventure feature is its two, six-person submarines.
Related: This is what’s it like diving under the waves in Seabourn’s submarine
The vessel also has a high-definition Cineplex camera that can pick up wildlife like a polar bear up to 4 miles away, streaming the footage into an onboard “discovery center” while leaving the wildlife undisturbed.
Bottom line
Seabourn is a relatively small cruise line with just six ships, but you’ll find a wide array of Seabourn cruise destinations. The line is known for regularly moving its vessels around the world to offer a diverse lineup of itineraries everywhere from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia. Plus, in the last year, Seabourn’s destination roster has grown to include Antarctica and the Arctic, as well.
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