I had a thought that perhaps the best accommodations on a mainstream major cruise line where extras are paid for might compare favorably to an ultra-lux cruise line that was more all-inclusive by nature. Putting that notion to test, I sailed on both and found that to be true in many ways, not so much in others, and along the way found a place for both.
First, let’s talk price.
I checked pricing on Royal Caribbean‘s Freedom of the Seas for a seven-night Caribbean sailing in January and found a Royal Suite for right at $9800 total for two. Seabourn Sprit does a ten-night Caribbean sailing around that time for right at $10,600 total for two. Price tag: pretty similar.
Now, let’s touch on the Royal Caribbean suite experience.
We sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas in an upper level suite (See Luxury at Sea: Royal Caribbean Suites- Gadling) that came complete with in-room dining, a concierge at our beckon call, priority everything from embarkation to show seating and more.
Being room service fanatics, this was pure heaven and Royal Caribbean delivered, literally, on every meal. Still, there were charges for alcoholic beverages, not that we drink much; we don’t. But if we had, those charges alone would have added up quickly.
A dedicated cabin steward kept our suite immaculate and was rarely seen. To us, that’s one mark of good service. Add in a Concierge Lounge set aside for suite guests for an away-from-the-crowd experience and it was quite possible for those in top-level accommodations to avoid the belly-flop contest/hairy-chest competition-like activities gang altogether.
But we had found avoiding events we did not care for and customizing our experience possible on other mainstream lines, Carnival, Princess and others as well, in normal everyday cabins. Don’t get me wrong: there is a time, place and market for such shenanigans; they are just not our personal cup of tea.
Getting out and about the ship on Freedom of the Seas, we paid a bit more for upscale Portofino’s, one of the ship’s signature dining venues. Well worth the extra charge, I had the best steak ever, a truly fork-tender cut that absolutely did not require a knife.
Add it all up and dollar for dollar, top accommodations on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, one of the line’s top-rated ships, come in about the same as a standard balcony suite on a Seabourn cruise.
So take “total cost” off the table. Now let’s look at the Seabourn onboard experience.
That’s tomorrow. As I write this we’re still onboard Seabourn Quest and the lifestyle does not allow for too much work. Oh my, I may have given away a bit of the focus of part two there.
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- Sailing Seabourn: Check the attitude, set the stage (chriscruises.net)
- Travel mag honors pile up for Seabourn (chriscruises.net)
- Choosing the right cruise line- a good source to turn to (chriscruises.net)
