Seabourn Odyssey - Shore excursions and activities

Shopping with the Chef — at local food markets. Shop a bustling Sicilian market, gather spices in Istanbul or explore the local wines of Tuscany and Provence. Wherever you are in the world, you'll enjoy an insider's look at unique regional markets with an expert Seabourn chef as your guide.

Seabourn chefs have always been encouraged to seek out fresh local produce, seafood, cured meats, cheeses, herbs, spices and other local specialties to augment and enliven their onboard menus. What began as a casual gathering has become one of our most anticipated shoreside activities. Guests contact Guest Services soon after embarking, and request to be alerted when the chef will be making a shopping excursion. Scheduling depends on the chef’s needs for ingredients to supplement the current menu rotation, and the expected availability of items in a particular port. Once a date and place is chosen, guests who have requested the outing are notified, and those without conflicting plans are invited to join the excursion.

Meeting dockside, guests have their first opportunity to get to know the chef. Seabourn chefs are accomplished professionals, who have acquired extensive formal training and continued with professional staging in many of the finest hotels and restaurants around the world. Daily tasks seldom bring our chefs into direct contact with guests, so it is a refreshing experience for everyone. Markets vary widely depending on location. In some cases, guests will find themselves in an open-air location among pyramids of exotic fresh fruits and vegetables or standing before a vivid array of gleaming silver tuna or salmon, gem-like tropical fish, pearl-hued prawns spilling over heaps of ice. Another stop might reveal a case of cheeses in every shape and size, or a charcutier’s hanging pendulums of smoked or cured meats. Time together is passed in tasting, learning and good-humored fun between the local vendors, guests and the chef. Later, back on board, guests will doubtless recognize in various dishes the same ingredients they first saw and learned about in the market, while they were Shopping with the Chef.

One of Seabourn’s most popular guest offerings is Marina Day. Available at select destinations, this fun-filled day features complimentary watersports either from the ships’ unique, retractable Marina platform or from a beach, which is typically on the same day as when the line’s signature Caviar in the Surf and beach barbecue is offered. Guests may enjoy a wide array of water sports, including kayaks, pedal boats, donut rides, banana boats, paddle-boards, waterskiing and more. Guests can be as relaxing or adventurous as they choose to be. It’s not to be missed!

* Guests choosing to participate in Marina Day activities must be able to swim and be in good physical condition to safely mount/dismount the equipment, including in open water.

** Watersports are offered where weather and ocean conditions permit, permissions are granted by the Harbour Master, and at the discretion of the Captain.

*** Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

The art of conversation has always been central to the Seabourn experience.

Our voyages attract interesting, interested people –people who enjoy talking together, sharing their interests, their adventures and discoveries, and their life stories with longtime and newfound friends. Their enthusiasms and curiosity are far-ranging, and these are what spark their desire to travel the world.

To encourage and enhance this satisfying aspect of your Seabourn voyage, we invite luminaries of particular interest and accomplishment to join our guests on board – and bring fascinating insights, expert opinions and delightfully entertaining diversions to the conversation.

Daring explorers, heralded chefs, learned scholars, celebrated performers and renowned experts from every arena of the arts, sciences, politics and the humanities share your journey on our intimate ships. They each bring skilled presentations of their expertise for guests to enjoy. But just as importantly, they participate in the daily social scene, sharing meals, adventures ashore and casual chats throughout the voyage. On some ships, they lecture. On Seabourn, they join the conversation.

Seabourn is pleased to announce in partnership with The Onboard Spa by Steiner, we have created a fleet-wide mindful living program offering guests a holistic spa and wellness experience that integrates physical, social, environmental and spiritual well-being. The new Spa and Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil program will be the first-ever of its kind at sea. The new program will be led by the newly established position, The Wellness Guide. The Guide, will be a certified yoga and meditation practitioner who will inspire and educate all guests through various complimentary classes and gatherings throughout the voyage. Guests who choose to participate in this new program will have a cruise experience that is further enhanced by a holistic mind and body perspective. The program kicked off with Dr. Weil sailing on Seabourn Encore's inaugural cruise in January 2017. The program will be rolled out throughout the entire Seabourn fleet in 2017, including Seabourn Ovation in spring of 2018. Dr. Weil will sail on a different Seabourn ship each year where he will deliver a 60-minute lecture for guests and will also offer smaller informal group discussions. A separate team of wellness experts will also make regular visits to spa facilities throughout the Seabourn fleet. Central to the program is the daily practice of meditation and yoga through a selection of complimentary sessions. Guests can experience Mindful Meditation, which will introduce positive affirmations and mantras they can reflect on throughout the day. There will also be daily restorative yoga classes which will continue to focus upon the mantra and positive affirmations. Yoga classes will be varied, offering guests the ability to choose classes that focus on various physical issues, such as yoga to heal back and joint pain, headaches and body alignment, as well as yoga to enhance creativity, mental focus and happiness. Classes will focus on mind, body and spirit over a period of seven days, and will change daily with a new theme. Integral to the wellness program are enriching complimentary Mind and Body seminars designed to educate guests on philosophies and practices that are aligned with the program's mission. Each presentation will aim to empower guests with ideas and practices that enhance well-being and increase the awareness of connection between mind, body, environment and wellness. Seminars are created by Dr. Weil and Steiner's Wellness professionals, many of which will be based upon Dr. Weil's teachings, and will explore the fields of the healing arts. The launch of the Mind and Body Wellness Program with Dr. Andrew Weil deepens the already wellness-focused Seabourn spa program that offers a wide range of body massages, facials, fitness and beauty treatments. Lending itself to the program is the powerfully aromatic Thai Poultice massages that use the traditionally prepared steamed herbs of Camphor, Kaffir Lime, Prai, Turmeric and Lemon Grass in muslin poultices to melt away stress and tension, or nourishing desecrated Coconut that nurtures the body with soothing fats and lipids. Guests will also find Deeper than Deep Hot Stone Massage, Bamboo Massage and Freestyle Massage to engage their minds and bodies.

For meetings and gatherings, our ships offer meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 40 guests. The meeting rooms can be arranged to guests’ specifications including theatre-style or with tables; and each of the rooms have large-screen TVs for presentations. Guests may also reserve the Card Room when available. Our crew members are happy to assist guests with meeting room reservations and setup.

One of Seabourn’s most popular events is our signature “Caviar in the Surf” beach barbecue. Our uniformed staff members plunge into the water and invite guests to wade in and get iced champagne and caviar at a surfboard bar. The event includes a lavish barbecue lunch, watersports, music and ample time to soak up the sun on a white-sandy beach.