Five things to love about the Encore, luxury line Seabourn’s new ship
With its extra deck and space for 600 passengers, The Encore is bigger than the Seabourn line’s other vessels, but the quality and comfort haven’t been compromised
When it comes to luxury line Seabourn’s first new ship in five years – the 600-passenger Seabourn Encore, which was christened this month in Singapore – it’s safe to say it’s bigger but not a radical departure.
Built on the same platform as the line’s three older vessels, but with one more deck, the Encore features all of the same public spaces that exist on the earlier ships, often in the same locations – a fact that will be a big plus to Seabourn fans who like things just the way the are. Still, Encore’s bigger size – the extra deck adds about 26 per cent more space – also allows for a handful of new venues, including a sushi eatery, a piano bar and a private, deck-top sanctuary.
Encore also features a new, more yacht-like decor – the handiwork of celebrated hospitality designer Adam Tihany. Tihany says he was going for something a little sexier than the Nordic-style sleekness of the earlier ships without straying too far. Following the instructions of executives, he went for “evolutionary, not revolutionary” design.
Perhaps most notably, Seabourn didn’t try to match the opulence of rival Regent Seven Seas’ new ship, Seven Seas Explorer, which has been the talk of the luxury cruise world over the past year. You won’t find a soaring central atrium topped with a four-metre-tall crystal chandelier on Encore, as you do on Explorer. Or a 4,443 sq ft master suite complete with en suite spa. There is a lot less extravagant marble and expensive art, and even the ceiling heights in central public spaces are noticeably lower.