Seabourn has just sold off a second ship, Seabourn Sojourn, after selling of Seabourn Odyssey and chartering off (in part) Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit. It is, for me, sad news after years of promoting Seabourn as “the best of the best”. But emotions aside what does it mean for the future of Seabourn and its possible impact on the other luxury lines?
First: Yes, it is another one of those articles from Goldring! And, once again, the answer is, “No!” I do not have animosity toward Seabourn. I still handle reservations for those who want to sail Seabourn, AND those involved in that absolutely ridiculous and vindictive lawsuit that was “resolved” in 2023 are pretty much long gone. In fact, so many who were at Seabourn at that time are gone, either by termination or personal decision. (If you recall, I was also very critical of my Oceania experience last April and, low and behold, Oceania and Regent have just announced basically a “housecleaning” of its executives. Oceania Riviera in Japan – Discovering a Premium Experience: Reflections (What Does One Problematic Cruise Tell Me?) – Goldring Travel and Big Moves at Regent Seven Seas & Oceania Cruises – Goldring Travel)
Importantly, please don’t focus on blaming me because what is happening at Seabourn is exactly what I said would happen; albeit it is happening in slow motion. I guess you could call me “the canary in the coal mine” or observational, rather than someone with a grudge. I am focused on providing the best information, not spinning things so it sounds better than it is.
OK, now down to business!
Seabourn is a minor player within Carnival Corporation, and Carnival Corp. (and its financiers?) has put its focus on the two brands that bring in the most revenue: Carnival Cruises and Princess Cruises. Since Seabourn has never been a “cash cow”, it is hard to argue with that. And, of course, if Seabourn is operating at a loss (something that has been more than rumored to be the case for years, but those numbers are never publicly disclosed), the question becomes “What do to with Seabourn?”
The sale of Seabourn Odyssey, if looked at myopically, might be seen as a way to consolidate loyal Seabourn guests onto its remaining fleet, thereby reducing operating costs, as well as the cost of maintaining a ship that would be soon entering into the world of needing significant investment. However, reducing capacity actually signals not only a weakness in profitable bookings (selling at a loss to trade and travel agents doesn’t fill the coffers), but a belief that Seabourn is not trending towards growth. (Explora Journeys, Silversea and Regent Seven have all invested heavily in building new ships.)
The chartering of Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit signals something similar but in a different way. By accepting charter hire (payments), Seabourn receives guaranteed income – probably much of it upfront – while reducing its potential losses by not being able to profitably sell its suites. (I do have to mention that, independent of Seabourn, there are now too many polar expedition ships, so the once high-profit segment of the market is now filled with previously unanticipated lower pricing.)
Now there is the sale of the Seabourn Sojourn, which shrinks the Seabourn fleet even further; noting that the rumors I reported back in October 2024 that it and Seabourn Quest were for sale leaves open the question about Seabourn Quest. I have heard rumors that Seabourn Quest is scheduled to leave the fleet in 2027, but, again, I cannot confirm that.
Add to all of that Carnival Corp. virtual total elimination of the Seabourn sale team, it is on its third president in about three years (Why would Natalya Leahy – a longtime Carnival Corp. executive – depart so quickly and to a smaller operation?), along with there be no announcement of anything positive to offset all of the bad news, and it isn’t a pretty picture.
I do have to mention the concept of Seabourn Moments. It used to mean something extraordinary and unexpected. For example, I had a small group where we visited an exclusive aquaculture farm and salt flat with the Seabourn chef. There was a deck barbeque that evening, and the chef stopped all of us at its beginning and instructed us not to order anything. Then arrived a perfectly grilled branzino for each of us just harvested from the farm…and when we went back to our suites, a bottle of very expensive flower sea salt was present. Now, unfortunately, Seabourn Moments have been relegated to raving over a standard weekly beach barbeque…and one, honestly, not as nice or intimate as the one I recently had on Sea Cloud Spirit.
Why have Seabourn Moments devolved so much? Two reasons: The lack of executives and staff that know the history, the essence, of them; and, the loss of empowerment by the staff to make them happen.
All of this has had an inescapable effect onboard its ships. While there are some that say “All is well“, what I continuously hear is that “Seabourn is not the Seabourn that everyone had come to love“. It is undisputable that there have been cutbacks, new lesser trained staff, more of an onboard delivery of service than a personal experience, etc. The fact is that much of the onboard staff have left not only through Seabourn terminations and natural attrition, but the feeling that there isn’t much of a future with Seabourn. Heck, reducing the fleet means a significant reduction in staff and the feeling that another shoe will soon drop.
So, what is to be done with what was once the premier luxury cruise line that now is shrinking in size, has no announced (or even rumored) plans to upgrade (no less significantly) its remaining ships, no plans to recover a larger part of the luxury market, no dedicated sales team…well, you get the concept.
The answer is, “I don’t know”. But what I do know is that with all the issues Seabourn has, and lines like Explora Journeys, Silversea, and Regent among the larger brands, and quite a few lesser-known and expedition brands such as Windstar, Scenic Eclipse, Aurora Expeditions, etc., there is a bigger question…far beyond speculations as to Seabourn’s future or demise: With Seabourn having undercut hundreds (thousands?) of guests who had booked the Seabourn Odyssey and/or Seabourn Sojourn only to have their cruises canceled, and with the onboard experience not being what it used to be, what is the upside of booking a future Seabourn cruise rather than one of the other options?
(Don’t talk to me about loyalty to a brand. Seabourn can’t even control who it might want to be loyal to, be it guests, staff or executives, as Carnival Corp. doesn’t seem to have loyalty to any of them…including you.)
Remember the old commercial,. which I am modifying:
“Good investments [in your cruises] don’t walk up and bite you on the bottom and say, ‘We’re here’. Finding them takes good old fashioned hard work. Research….[Make your cruise line choice] the old-fashioned way, [make them] earn it!”
What is Seabourn doing to earn your business? Riding on its now tattered coattails is not enough. Heck, you don’t even know if or when Seabourn is going to offload more of it ships or, possibly, sail off into the sunset. If you want to take the risk, it is a personal decision. And if you want to book a Seabourn cruise, I am there for you.
But I have to ask, “Since when does booking a cruise include a risk that your ship or even the cruise line won’t be there when it is time to set sail?”
Just something to think about.
