Seabourn’s Grand Tour of the World’s Nicest Places (Now With More Plum Blossoms and Champagne in the Sea)

Just when you thought luxury had reached its reasonable apex—white tablecloths, foie gras, a towel origami elephant perched nightly on your bed—along comes Seabourn with its 2026–2027 voyage collection to remind you that you’re still very much on the luxury bunny slope. Between November 2026 and April 2027, the cruise line that specializes in tasteful opulence will dispatch three of its splendid ships—the Ovation, Encore, and Quest—on 31 jaunts to 73 destinations in 30 countries. These ships do not so much visit ports as glide into them, like swans arriving fashionably late to a pond party.

And what ports! Japan, for one, just when the plum blossoms are blushing their way into the season, before the cherry blossoms come along and steal all the press. For the first time, Seabourn will offer two voyages during plum blossom season, which is like cherry blossom season only cooler and far less Instagrammed. These include a 12-day drift from Hong Kong to Tokyo, and a 14-day circuit beginning and ending in Tokyo—ideal if you prefer your travel to form a tidy loop.

Then there’s Southeast Asia, that steaming, intoxicating corner of the world where food is more exciting than most people’s lives and temples appear every time you blink. From December to April, the Encore will embark on a series of 8- to 14-day journeys that stitch together a map of spice markets, colonial towns, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites like a particularly tasteful quilt. There will be city stops in Singapore, jungle-swathed coasts in Thailand, and those gorgeous Vietnamese limestone cliffs that look like nature’s attempt at abstract sculpture.

But wait, there’s more! Caribbean-bound passengers aboard Ovation and Quest will call at ports with names like St. Kitts, Montserrat, and St. John's—all sounding either like British boarding schools or characters from an Agatha Christie novel. Highlights include the “Pompeii of the Caribbean,” Montserrat, where a volcano decided to redecorate half the island in the 1990s, and Carambola Beach, where—this is absolutely true—Seabourn officers wade into the ocean in full uniform bearing silver platters of caviar and champagne. If that doesn’t make you feel imperial, nothing will.

Among the other curious and delightful options: a “Shopping with the Chef” tour, where a Seabourn chef escorts you through local markets in Penang or Ho Chi Minh City, explaining what the heck galangal is, and why it’s not just ginger with better PR. Or a “Marina Day,” where they quite literally open the back of the ship so you can leap into the sea like James Bond if he had opted for snorkeling over espionage.

In Japan, you might find yourself in the ancient city of Kanazawa, admiring the Kenrokuen Garden, whose name translates roughly to “Garden of the Six Sublimities” (though “Absolutely Stunning Garden” might have worked just as well). Or you might disembark in Osaka, eat your way through several species of grilled squid, and hop a train to Kyoto, which has more temples than a theology degree.

And if you’re keen on celebrating the holidays with maximal panache, Seabourn has you covered there too. The Encore will spend Christmas in Ko Kood, a Thai island so photogenic it looks like it was dreamed up by travel brochure writers during an especially long lunch. Meanwhile, the Quest and Ovation will ring in Christmas and New Year in the Caribbean, stopping at spots like Jost van Dyke and Grenada, offering yuletide feasting under the sun. It's like celebrating Christmas, but without socks.

All in all, these itineraries promise an impressive smorgasbord of experiences—temples, beaches, blossoms, volcanic islands, UNESCO wonders, and of course, no shortage of expertly chilled champagne. If your idea of a perfect holiday includes history, culture, beauty, and a chef who knows your name, Seabourn appears to have stitched it together into one elegant floating package.

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