There are a handful of cruise lines that cater to guests looking for the most luxurious experience at sea possible. These cruise ships are not for the mass market – expect the finest food, the best service, and a fairly hefty cruise fare too.
Two of the best options are Silversea and Seabourn, but is there one that’s distinctly better than the other? Are they relatively similar, or are they aimed at slightly different markets?
Let’s find out.
Ships
The fleets for both cruise lines are relatively similar, though Silversea does have more ships.
Each cruise line has its main luxury ships, along with a small selection of expedition ships that are smaller, and designed to visit some of the more remote parts of the world.
Silversea Ships
Silversea has 12 ships in total:
| Ship | Class | Year Built | Size (Gross Tonnage) | Passenger Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Shadow | Evolution | 2000 | 28,258 | 392 |
| Silver Whisper | Evolution | 2001 | 28,258 | 392 |
| Silver Spirit | Evolution | 2009 | 39,519 | 608 |
| Silver Muse | Evolution | 2017 | 40,700 | 596 |
| Silver Moon | Evolution | 2020 | 40,700 | 596 |
| Silver Dawn | Evolution | 2021 | 40,700 | 596 |
| Silver Nova | Evolution | 2023 | 54,700 | 728 |
| Silver Ray | Evolution | 2024 | 54,700 | 728 |
| Silver Cloud | Expedition | 1994 | 17,400 | 254 |
| Silver Wind | Expedition | 1995 | 17,400 | 274 |
| Silver Origin | Expedition | 2020 | 5,400 | 100 |
| Silver Endeavour | Expedition | 2021 | 20,649 | 220 |
Half of the fleet has been built since 2020, but then four of the other six ships are now over 20 years old.
Read More: Silversea Cruise Ships
Seabourn Ships
There are just seven ships in the Seabourn fleet, including two that are expedition ships:
| Ship | Type | Year Built | Size (Gross Tonnage) | Passenger Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seabourn Odyssey | Main Fleet | 2009 | 32,346 | 450 |
| Seabourn Sojourn | Main Fleet | 2010 | 32,346 | 450 |
| Seabourn Quest | Main Fleet | 2011 | 32,348 | 450 |
| Seabourn Encore | Main Fleet | 2016 | 41,865 | 604 |
| Seabourn Ovation | Main Fleet | 2018 | 41,865 | 604 |
| Seabourn Venture | Expedition | 2022 | 23,000 | 264 |
| Seabourn Pursuit | Expedition | 2023 | 23,000 | 264 |
Only the expedition ships have been built since 2020, but there are no current Seabourn ships sailing that were built before 2009.
In terms of size and passenger capacity, there’s not a huge world of difference between the two cruise lines.
Silversea’s newest ships are bigger than Seabourn’s, but not by a huge amount. Silversea also has the smallest ship with its 100-passenger Silver Origin.
Destinations
Luxury cruise lines tend to visit a wider range of destinations than more mainstream cruise lines do. That’s because they know that guests looking for a luxury experience care as much about the destination as they do the onboard experience, and they want to see the world (plus, they have the money to afford the long-haul flights alongside their cruise fare).
Both Silversea and Seabourn, therefore, have a similar range of destination options you can choose from.
| Destination | Silversea | Seabourn |
|---|---|---|
| Africa & Indian Ocean | YES | YES |
| Alaska | YES | YES |
| Antarctica | YES | YES |
| Arctic & Greenland | YES | YES |
| Asia | YES | YES |
| Australia & New Zealand | YES | YES |
| Canada & New England | YES | YES |
| Caribbean & Central America | YES | YES |
| French Polynesia | YES | YES |
| Galapagos Islands | YES | YES |
| Kimberley, Australia | YES | YES |
| Mediterranean | YES | YES |
| Northern Europe & Britain | YES | YES |
| South America | YES | YES |
| Transoceanic | YES | YES |
| World Cruises | YES | YES |
Itinerary lengths are very similar between the cruise lines, too. Around a third of the cruises offered by each cruise line are for 7 nights, with half of the itineraries being for 8-21 days in length. The remainder are longer sailings.
Silversea Destinations
The main reason to choose a Silversea cruise based on destination would be the smaller ports that some of the ships can visit. This is where the ship size does make a difference, but it’s marginal, as only a handful of ports exclude the Seabourn fleet.
The most notable, perhaps, is the Tower Bridge port in London – it’s quite something to sail along the Thames to begin your cruise on Silver Wind.
Seabourn Destinations
Seabourn has historically been better known for its more adventurous shore excursions, but Silversea has caught up in that regard.
As a result, Seabourn doesn’t really offer anything destination-wise that Silversea doesn’t, and the differences between the cruise lines are very minimal when selecting an itinerary.
Food
Silversea and Seabourn both offer fine dining across the fleet – each meal truly is a level above what you would expect from a mainstream cruise line. The quality of the ingredients used, and the menu options, really are quite special.
There are some key differences between the two cruise lines though – and this could sway you when booking your cruise.
Silversea Food
There are 14 different restaurant options across the Silversea fleet.
Atlantide
An elegant grill offering seafood and steak options. Available on Silver Spirit, Silver Muse, Silver Moon, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn and Silver Nova.
Il Terrazzino
An authentic Italian restaurant with a cosy, intimate design. Available on Silver Endeavour.
Indochine
A pan-Asian venue serving dishes from India, Thailand, Vietnam and more. Available on Silver Spirit and Silver Muse.
Kaiseki
An Asian restaurant that offers sushi, sashimi, and a teppanyaki grill for dinner. Available on Silver Muse, Silver Moon, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn and Silver Nova. A $40-80 per person fee applies.
La Dame
Described as “quintessentially Parisian”, this restaurant offers fine French cuisine. Available on all ships except Silver Origin. This is the only Relais & Chateaux restaurant available at sea and a $60-160 per person fee applies.
La Terraza
An Italian restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Available on all ships except Silver Origin and Silver Endeavour.
S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table
A private dining experience with food prepared in front of you, paired with fine wines and cocktails. Available on Silver Nova and Silver Ray. A $180 per person fee applies.
S.A.L.T. Kitchen
A destination-focussed restaurant with an ever-changing menu. Available on Silver Moon, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn and Silver Nova.
Seishin
A pan-Asian restaurant serving fusion cuisine. Available on Silver Spirit. A $40 per person fee applies.
Silver Note
A lively venue with jazz and blues music, serving tapas. Available on Silver Spirit, Silver Muse, Silver Moon, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn and Silver Nova.
Spaccanapoli
A specialist pizza restaurant. Available on Silver Spirit, Silver Muse, Silver Moon, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn and Silver Nova.
The Grill
A poolside venue with lava stone cooking at your table. Available on all ships.
The Marquee
An outdoor dining venue that houses The Grill and Spaccanapoli but also serves a plant-based menu for breakfast. Available on Silver Nova and Silver Ray.
The Restaurant
The main dining room, serving a varied menu. Only available on Silver Whisper, Silver Origin, Silver Shadow, Silver Cloud, Silver Endeavour and Silver Wind.
This means that, if you’re sailing on Silver Spirit, Silver Muse, Silver Moon, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn or Silver Nova, you don’t have a main dining room – instead you’ll choose from the other specialist venues instead.
Silversea allows guests to order from The Restaurant for room service, and on ships without that venue there is still an extensive room service menu.
Seabourn Food
Seabourn has fewer restaurant options than Silversea, with 7 main venues to choose from.
Solis
A new venue that offers modern Mediterranean cuisine all freshly prepared. Available on Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation and Seabourn Sojourn.
Sushi
As the name suggests, this restaurant offers a sushi-based menu including vegan options. Available on Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation. Some sushi options are served in The Club Lounge on Seabourn Pursuit and Seabourn Venture.
Earth & Ocean
A vibrant restaurant serving destination-focussed menus. Available on Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation and Seabourn Sojourn.
The Grill By Thomas Keller
A seafood and steakhouse venue with menus tailored by renowned chef Thomas Keller. Available on Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation and Seabourn Sojourn. This is extremely popular and reservations fill quickly.
The Colonnade
A buffet restaurant with open kitchens during the day, and a contemporary bistro for dinner, again with Chef Keller inspirations. Available on all ships.
The Restaurant
The main dining room serving a wide-ranging menu. Available on all ships.
The Patio
Relaxed poolside dining venue serving burgers, pizzas, salads, soups and more. Signature burgers designed by Chef Keller are an option. Available on Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Ovation and Seabourn Sojourn.
Seabourn has also massively expanded its in-suite dining options, and guests can enjoy an amazing menu served course-by-course, even in the middle of the night.
While Silversea has more varied dining options compared to Seabourn, the main difference is that Seabourn never charges extra for its speciality venues, whereas some of the Silversea restaurants have a considerable additional charge.
Seabourn also has better options for casual dining – if you want to enjoy gourmet food, but occasionally grab a burger, then Seabourn would be the better choice.
Activities And Entertainment
Luxury cruise lines don’t offer the same range of onboard activities as you’d find on some of the bigger cruise lines aimed more at the mass market.
You’re not going to find bowling, roller coasters, go-karting or climbing walls on these ships – that’s not who they’re aimed at.
Both cruise lines have a similar range of activities to enjoy both during the day and at night, despite that. On these cruise lines, you can look forward to:
- Cookery demonstrations
- Movies at the ship’s theatre
- Spa treatments
- Use of a large fitness suite
- Relaxing by the pool or in a whirlpool
- Enrichment classes and talks
- Luxury shopping
- A card room for games
- Drinks at one of the many bars onboard
Things To Do On A Silversea Cruise
Silversea offers a selection of evening entertainment options, including a variety of theatrical and musical performances in the onboard lounges. You’ll also find live music in feature bars, adding a lively ambience to the sophisticated evenings onboard.
Things To Do On A Seabourn Cruise
Similar to Silversea, Seabourn offers a range of exciting evening entertainment, including live music performances and a musical production exclusive to the cruise line, An Evening with Sir Tim Rice, which is playing on all ships in the fleet.
Occasionally guests can also enjoy Evenings Under The Stars, a dance party with live music on the deck.
Seabourn also offers Marina Days on select cruise itineraries. This is when the ship drops anchor out at sea and opens up the marina to allow guests to enjoy a host of complimentary water sport activities, including canoeing, jet skiing and more.
Some of the expedition ships even have miniature submarines that carry up to six guests for an amazing undersea experience.
These are only available on select sailings when the conditions are suitable, and are very exclusive – not everyone will have the chance to try them.
Price
It’s always difficult to do a side-by-side comparison of cruise lines, as the itineraries are not identical and will be affected by the ship and the demand.
However, Seabourn’s cruises do tend to be more expensive. Here are some example prices to use as a guide:
| Cruise | Silversea | Seabourn | ||
| Lowest Price | Highest Entry-Level Price | Lowest Price | Highest Entry-Level Price | |
| 7 Night Caribbean | £3,950pp | £4,600pp | £2,999pp | £4,909pp |
| 7 Night Alaska | £2,900pp | £4,500pp | £4,099pp | £6,374pp |
| 7 Night Mediterranean | £2,800pp | £6,400pp | £3,099pp | £4,899pp |
The Price of Silversea Cruises
Silversea’s cruises are considered all-inclusive, because you get all of the following included:
- Food
- Premium drinks
- All room service
- Gratuities
- Standard internet (some suites have Premium WiFi included, or you can upgrade)
- In-suite bar with premium liquors
What isn’t included with Silversea is:
- Speciality dining in select venues
- Shore excursions
Silversea offers a choice of cruise fares when you book. You can choose port-to-port fares, which covers just the cruise element, or you can choose door-to-door. This not only includes any flights you need, but also includes transfers that pick you up from home – you don’t have to worry about how you’ll get to the airport.
The Price of Seabourn Cruises
Seabourn’s cruises are also all-inclusive, as you get:
- All food, including speciality dining
- Premium drinks
- All room service
- Gratuities
- Standard internet (some suites have Premium WiFi included, or you can upgrade)
- In-suite bar with premium liquors
Just like Silversea, your shore excursions aren’t included in the fare. And while Seabourn offers fares that include flights, you’ll need to pay extra if you also want to book transfers from your home.
Suite Deals
I recommend booking with luxury specialists Panache Cruises for the best service.
The Verdict
The experience that both Silversea and Seabourn offer is not completely dissimilar. Both are extremely special cruise lines that cater to guests who want to enjoy the finest things in life, including on their luxury holidays.
Silversea tends to be slightly more formal in style, with slightly less to do onboard during the day and at night – Seabourn is a little more ‘fun’ but still very much aimed at those who like a relaxed, upscale vibe.
And while Silversea does have more variety of restaurants, including the ever-popular opulence of La Dame, at least with Seabourn you know you can enjoy all the venues onboard without paying anything extra.
In summary, if you really want to feel like you’re enjoying the finest quality of cruise, then choose Silversea. But if you are more adventurous and want your luxury to be slightly more understated, then Seabourn may be the better choice.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
