Crystal vs Seabourn

Both are small-fleet ultra-luxury lines with devoted repeat guests and a sociable atmosphere, and in CruiseLens’ data Seabourn’s Encore class is the closest to Crystal of all the ship groups we score. Crystal offers more space per guest, a butler in every suite and outstanding speciality dining. Seabourn offers smaller, newer ocean ships with a watersports marina, the beach day and two expedition ships. Neither puts excursions in the fare.

Crystal

Crystal · Symphony, Serenity

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Seabourn Encore class

Seabourn · Encore, Ovation

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This page compares Crystal’s two ships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, with Seabourn’s newest ocean class, the Encore class (Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation).

By Marc Vitria, anthropologist, Fora travel advisor and founder of Expeditioner Travel. On Crystal I have sailed Crystal Serenity from Rome, Italy to Barcelona, Spain (May 2025), and Crystal Symphony from Tokyo, Japan to Seward, Alaska, United States (June 2026). My wider ultra-luxury sailing includes Regent Seven Seas, Silversea and Azamara. I have not sailed Seabourn: my views on it below are an advisor’s assessment, drawn from guest feedback, what fellow advisors report and Seabourn’s own published information.

Who this comparison is for

• A Seabourn loyalist wondering whether the relaunched Crystal is worth a try.
• A former Crystal guest weighing Seabourn’s smaller ships.
• A solo traveller or a couple who want a sociable ship without big-ship crowds.

So which is for you?

Lean Crystal if you want:

• space
• a butler in every suite
• some of the best speciality dining, buffet and afternoon tea at sea
• more single rooms for solo travellers.

Crystal Serenity is, overall, slightly the better of Crystal’s two ships.

Lean Seabourn if you want:

• a smaller, more intimate ship
• a retractable marina for watersports and the Caviar in the Surf beach day
• a service culture with a long-standing reputation
• expedition sailing on Seabourn’s two polar-class ships.

New to ultra-luxury? I usually advise Silversea, for its larger fleet and choice. Both Crystal (two ships) and Seabourn (five) offer fewer sailings. See Crystal vs Silversea and Silversea vs Seabourn.

The feel on board

Crystal. On Crystal Serenity, the crowd ranged from their 40s to their 80s, with many guests finishing the World Cruise. That gave the ship a club-like camaraderie among repeat guests, in a relaxed and sociable atmosphere.

Seabourn. By the accounts of guests and fellow advisors, Seabourn is similar in atmosphere:

• A large following of long-time repeat guests.
• Generally sociable, helped by the smaller ships.

Dress. Seabourn is the more relaxed of the two: its formal nights are optional. Crystal asks for its Evening Resort code after 6 pm, and on Formal Evenings for formal attire in every restaurant, bar and lounge except Beefbar.

Design. Serenity’s 2023 refit made it feel like a new ship, though some public-area decor still reflects its era. Seabourn’s interiors are classic too; advisors and guests often describe them as a bit more old-fashioned.

The ships and the space

Crystal has far more space per guest. On board, that means a teak promenade deck, a proper cinema, and room for a putting green and golf nets.

Age. Seabourn’s ocean ships are newer: Encore was built in 2016 and Ovation in 2018. Serenity entered service in 2003 and was reimagined in 2023, in a US$170 million refurbishment of both Crystal ships.

Suites.

• Crystal: on Serenity, the Aquamarine and Sapphire Suites run up to 323 and 430 sq ft, each with a veranda of up to 86 or 107 sq ft, and the entry veranda rooms up to 215 sq ft, with a veranda of up to 54 sq ft. Crystal also has dedicated single rooms.
• Seabourn: the Encore class’s entry Veranda Suite is 314 sq ft (CruiseLens published facts, below).

Service

Crystal includes dedicated butler service in every suite and guest room. On Serenity it was the best butler service I have had:

• My butler, Gary from South Africa, was intuitive and genuinely personal.
• Any wine on board could be stocked in the minibar.
• My suite key and luggage were waiting at embarkation.
• Restaurant staff knew every guest by name.

Seabourn gives every suite a suite host and a suite attendant, rather than marketing butler service fleetwide. Its crew culture has a long-standing reputation for warm, personal service that guests consistently single out.

Dining and drink

Crystal is a clear strength:

• Umi Uma, the only Nobu restaurant at sea, delivered standout sushi and Asian dishes. Crystal includes at least one complimentary visit; on my sailing, repeat visits carried a US$50 charge.
• Osteria d’Ovidio, whose menus are created with the Alajmo brothers, was one of the best Italian meals I have had at sea.
• Waterside, the main restaurant, is fantastic.
• The buffet breakfast beat comparable ships.
• Afternoon tea was the finest I have had in ultra-luxury.
• Beefbar was the least remarkable.

Seabourn. By all accounts from guests and fellow advisors, the food is weaker than at the top of the tier. That is a reported view, not a first-hand one. Seabourn states that all its dining venues are complimentary, and that caviar is complimentary. The Encore class has five restaurants, one of them a sushi restaurant, plus 24-hour room service. CruiseLens scores the two within a point on culinary ambition (Crystal 8, Encore 7).

The Retreat

On the Encore class, Seabourn sets aside The Retreat on Deck 12: 15 private cabanas around a central whirlpool. Access costs extra, at US$180 per port day or US$349 per sea day (each including a US$30 spa credit). On an all-inclusive ship, that creates a ship-within-a-ship feel. Crystal has no equivalent paid area.

Excursions, the beach and the marina

Neither line puts excursions in the fare.

Crystal prices them à la carte, through a programme vetted by Crystal and linked to its sister company Abercrombie & Kent. I didn’t take a Crystal excursion, but fellow guests found them consistent with industry standards.

Seabourn offers no excursion credit on ocean voyages. Its pluses:

• Caviar in the Surf, a beach barbecue with Champagne and caviar served from a surfboard bar in the water. It runs on select sailings, weather and conditions permitting.
• Marina Day: complimentary watersports from the Encore class’s retractable marina platform, or from a beach, at select destinations.

Crystal has nothing comparable on the water. On board, though, it has a padel and pickleball court, golf nets, a putting green on Serenity, and separate men’s and women’s saunas.

Fleet and itineraries

Seabourn operates five ships: Seabourn Quest, Encore, Ovation, Venture and Pursuit. Venture and Pursuit are the expedition ships.

Crystal has two, which limits itinerary choice. Its first new ship in 25 years, Crystal Grace, is due for delivery in May 2028, with her inaugural voyage on 11 June 2028. Crystal has ordered three ships in total from Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder.

For expedition voyages, Seabourn is the only choice of the two.

Where CruiseLens separates them

The characteristics on which the two ships are two points or more apart on our 1–10 scales, largest gap first. Scores are Marc’s judgement held to a written methodology, not a measurement.

Where they are alike

Within a point of each other on 19 of 28 characteristics: sociability, fellow guests, buzz, design, scale, suite space, culinary ambition, choice of restaurants, local food, remoteness, included touring, activity, pool and sun, evening shows, late nights, all-inclusive, being sold to, unlike a cruise and value for fare.

CruiseLens ranks Crystal among the top ship groups for quiet and space, and for travelling solo. See which luxury cruise line is right for me.

More comparisons: Crystal vs Regent, Crystal vs Silversea, Silversea vs Seabourn and Regent vs Seabourn.

The published facts

From each operator’s own published pages. Crystal: Crystal Serenity (representative; Symphony differs), checked 23 August 2026. Seabourn Encore class: Seabourn Ovation (representative; Encore sister), checked 23 August 2026.

Entry-level veranda accommodation: Crystal’s figure is Crystal Serenity’s entry veranda guest room, up to 215 sq ft with a veranda of up to 54 sq ft that Crystal lists separately. Crystal also sells guest rooms with a window and no veranda, and its veranda suites start with the Aquamarine Suite, up to 323 sq ft plus up to 86 sq ft of veranda.

Dress code: the table gives Crystal’s code as the CruiseLens data holds it. Crystal’s dress etiquette, checked 14 October 2026, asks for its Evening Resort code after 6 pm and, on Formal Evenings, for formal attire (suits or tuxedos, ties optional) in every restaurant, bar and lounge except Beefbar.

Questions people ask

Which has more space, Crystal or Seabourn? Crystal. Crystal Serenity has about 93 gross tons per guest, against about 70 on Seabourn’s Encore class.

Do both have butlers? Crystal includes butler service in every suite and guest room. Seabourn assigns a suite host and suite attendant to every suite, and its service has a strong reputation.

Which has better food? On my Crystal sailings the speciality dining, buffet and afternoon tea were outstanding. By the accounts of guests and fellow advisors, Seabourn’s food is not at that level.

Does either include shore excursions? No. Crystal prices them à la carte; Seabourn’s ocean voyages have no excursion credit. Seabourn’s Caviar in the Surf beach day and Marina Day are complimentary where offered.

What is The Retreat on Seabourn? A paid area on Deck 12 of Seabourn Encore and Ovation with 15 private cabanas, at US$180 per port day or US$349 per sea day. Crystal has no equivalent.

Which goes to more places? Seabourn, with five ships including two expedition ships, against Crystal’s two. Crystal Grace is due in May 2028.

Expeditioner Travel is paid commission by the cruise line on bookings, by every line here; no line pays for placement or for a score. Marc Vitria is a Fora travel advisor. How Marc is paid.