Seabourn Odyssey cruise review: All-inclusive fun

It's a scorching hot afternoon a few kilometres off the tip of Cape York and a clutch of diehard sunbathers are topping up their tans out in the blistering sun.

I've found a comfy sofa in the shade. I have it all to myself so I stretch out on the canvas and cane lounge. All the bronzed bodies are lounging around the pool on deck chairs fitted with soft headrests or on groovy circular pods, but I am not fighting anyone for a space to grill myself. I'm happy reading and dozing, enjoying a few hours of idleness until it's time to frock up for dinner. As if on cue, a waiter stops by, offering a tray of icy drinks, none of which is encumbered with paper umbrellas or maraschino cherries. What are they? I ask, slightly shaken from my languor.

"Baileys and banana" comes the reply and as it is 4pm and the sun well and truly over the yardarm, I see no reason to decline. Delicious doesn't come close to describing this little libation and while I try to get the ingredients the next morning from another bartender, who is busy mixing up a batch of pick-me-up vegie juices, he doesn't hear me over the whir of the blender. These Seabourn Cruises bartenders are forever devising concoctions at the poolside bar – morning, noon and afternoon – to pass around to guests. The deal is you say yes and take one, but there's no signing of chits or need to hand over your stateroom card.

Had I ordered a pina colada, Long Island iced tea or a frosty beer, it would be the same deal: there's no need to flash the cash. This is all-inclusive cruising and I like it – let's face it, who wouldn't?

I'm on a short sector of Seabourn Odyssey's cruise from Sydney to Bali (I board in Cairns and disembark in Darwin) and there's not a cent to spend unless I want a massage or a new outfit from the boutique.

Seabourn was the first line to introduce the all-inclusive cruising concept when the company launched in 1988; it means all drinks (beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, French champagne) are included in the fare, along with dining in the alternative restaurants. Speciality coffees are also part of the fare, and tips are taken care of – the brochure makes a point of saying "tips are neither required nor expected".

Each suite (there are no such things are "cabins" on these ships) has a mini-bar stocked with beer, soft drinks, champagne and a bottle of whatever spirit is your favourite tipple.

However, and this is the case with all luxury lines, the top-shelf wines and the very best booze are extra. But if, like me (and most passengers I meet), you're happy with the decent wines they offer at lunch and dinner and your typical beers, mixed drinks and cocktails, you'll be pretty mellow. Unfortunately there's a charge for Wi-Fi and passengers understandably gripe about it. All cruise lines, with the exception of river cruise companies and the occasional very small operator, impose an internet fee and it can be per minute, per hour or part of a package.

These days all five-star cruise lines are "all-inclusive"; that's where they have to be if they want to compete says Brett Jardine of the industry body Cruise Lines International Association Australasia. "Once a few lines introduced it, they all followed suit. They have to offer all-inclusive fares to maintain their distinction." Seabourn's three ships rank up there as among the best half-dozen in the world, according to the Berlitz Guide to Cruising. But with most things it pays to read the small print as "all-inclusive" doesn't always mean the same thing on every cruise line.

There will be some variations in the offerings and, surprisingly, the two ships that score the top marks each year with Berlitz – the German-operated Europa I and Europa II – do not include alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks in their fare. Sometimes folks ask if it's worth buying an all-inclusive fare or paying the fare on a cheaper, mainstream cruise line and paying for your booze, room service, tips and alternative dining experiences as you go.

I'd say yes it is, if you like a drink (teetotallers may, however, feel they are subsidising other people's habits), but also because there is freedom in not having to worry about big bills at the end of the holiday or that niggling anxiety of remembering who's shout it is! You can of course add up what the cruise might cost you, bit by bit, drink by drink before you go, and determine whether it's worth it. Or you can opt for a cheaper line and sign up for their pre-paid drinks package.

But luxury isn't just about another Bloody Mary or a six-course degustation on the house; the Seabourn experience is distinct for many other reasons.

It begins with check-in, a one-on-one procedure that takes place in Seabourn Square, which is a swish central location on Deck 7 that doubles as cafe, reading and internet room and general meeting place. Seabourn's near-identical three ships (Seabourn Odyssey, Quest and Sojourn) have what I'd call that New York penthouse apartment look; something akin to what you'd see in a glossy magazine spread – blond wood, chrome, marble touches, leather lounges here and there, swathes of diaphanous curtains (the most beautiful in the main dining room), eclectic but subdued art pieces in the main areas (such as a crystalline humanlike statue) and large statement light fittings – gorgeous but not in your face. I would have liked more colour and drama, but my taste is not everyone's and it's fair to say that Seabourn's take on elegance strikes the right chord.

There is colour of course – in the carpets, in a rather quirky wall art installation whose pieces look like lips of varying sizes, and in the maroon and chocolate tones of the alternative, small dining space called Restaurant 2.

It's the service that stands out, and the food. No sooner have we left our stateroom (nay suite) in the morning than the stewardess moves in to tidy up and, on entering the casual Colonnade restaurant for breakfast, we are met by a personal greeting. Although Seabourn's ships take only 450 guests at any given time, it is still a remarkable feat for staff to get your name down pat in such record time. I'm not fussed if my name's remembered or not, but others clearly love it. What is noticeable is that as soon as you have your tray in hand, a waiter approaches and offers to carry it to the table. And, come lunch time, another waiter appears at your side to take the drinks order. Pronto. You get to like these little touches. While the two formal dining rooms (the large Restaurant and Restaurant 2) are the last words in style, I am very fond of the Colonnade, mainly because it has those funky hi-tables; they are marble-like and shared between six diners. Sitting there, inside and away from the heat and humidity, I look out over the small deck outside to the sea beyond. Restaurant 2 is another surprise. Many alternative restaurants serve the small fare every night or change the menu only occasionally. This lovely little space (it takes 36 diners) has a different six-course degustation each night; we start with seared tuna mojito, shaved watermelon, minted lime dash and popcorn (which sounds busy but is tiny) and move through to lobster and chorizo croquette, clam cappuccino, spiced halibut with crisp foie gras and a dessert of white chocolate mascarpone cheese cake, and a half-dozen other accompanying morsels as well. It tastes as good as it sounds and I can't finish it. Another hit is the chance to dine under the stars every night, as the pool deck turns into the patio grill from 7.30pm and offers a different theme, be it British Pub night, Americana or whatever takes the chef's fancy.

A Seabourn cruise is also mercifully quiet – no announcements and no piped music – but sadly there was little joie de vivre on my sailing save for the happy band of pool party folk who I meet one day when having a dip. Luxury and elegance can often translate into "sombre", "subdued" and "secluded". However, as I spent only four sea-days on the ship, I suspect it gets a bit livelier when passengers are coming and going on port days. Fortunately, this quiet spell is broken on my last night when the ship turns on a fun "Officers on Deck" party, with handsome men in white uniforms serving us canapes and drinks, and entertainers cranking up the music and belting out the pop hits.

It struck the right note – a send-off with both style and exuberance!

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

seabourn.com

CRUISING THERE

Seabourn Odyssey will return to Australia in February 2016. A 38-day cruise departing from Sydney (on February 13) to Los Angeles via the South Pacific and including Isle of Pines and Mare in New Caledonia, the Solomons and Hawaii is priced from $19,999 per person, twin-share. All shorter sectors of this cruise are sold out.

A 14-day "Mediterranean Mosaic" cruise from Monte Carlo to Athens on Seabourn Sojourn departing October 17, 2015, is priced from $6999 a person twin share.