Seabourn Cruise Line

Seabourn Odyssey in Venice

ABOVE: The Seabourn Odyssey in Venice. INSET BELOW: A balcony suite, a lounge with a panoramic view, and the Seabourn Spirit at sea.

Seabourn Cruise Line offers high-end luxury cruises on ships that are unusually intimate by today's standards. The yacht-like older vessels in the fleet--Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit, and Seabourn Legend--carry only 208 passengers each. The line's latest ships--Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn, and Seabourn Quest--are also relatively small, with maximum capacities of 450 guests.

All Seabourn cabins are called "suites" and feature such amenities as walk-in closets, Bose stereos, stocked bars, and optional WiFi Internet access (which is available throughout the ship). Wines, spirits, and other drinks are included in Seabourn's cruise fares, and tipping is not required or expected.

Seabourn Spirit Seabourn's European cruising season typically runs from March until the end of October, with dozens of short and long itineraries in the Mediterranean, Western Europe, and Northern Europe plus a few transoceanic crossings. (As Venetophiles, we're particularly intrigued that Seabourn is offering 20 roundtrip Adriatic cruises from Venice on Seabourn Spirit in 2012.)