Outstanding Ovation
With its latest ultra- luxury ship, Seabourn deserves all the applause and accolades.
With its latest ultra-luxury ship, Seabourn deserves all the applause and accolades.
“Does the word sexy mean anything to you?”
Noted hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany can’t contain himself. The word “sexy” clearly means something to him, and he’s about to use it to describe the 600-passenger Seabourn Ovation, a new ultra-luxury ship he’s designed from bow to stern, with smooth corners and a yacht-like appeal.
“If you ask that to some people they might be embarrassed,” he says, “but to me it just means very tactile. Everything you touch feels nice. We wanted this to feel like a beautiful private yacht, not like a ship.”
We are on a preview of Seabourn’s newest ship, a sister ship to the award-winning Seabourn Encore.
Heading out of the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa on the way to Venice, our sailing includes just one port of call, in Montenegro, docking right in the city of Kotor. Even though this is one of the line’s largest ships, it’s still small enough to fit into dreamy, smaller ports that some larger ships can’t.
To me [sexy] just means very tactile. Everything you touch feels nice. We wanted this to feel like a beautiful private yacht, not like a ship.”
For Ovation, Tihany tweaked the design, but just a little. It’s just enough of a change from
Encore to wow both newbies and those who have already sailed, which is a good thing since about half the guests on any given Seabourn cruise are repeat passengers.
The most obvious update is its stunning art collection. Curated by London-based ArtLink,
Ovation’s collection is 1,600 pieces strong and represents the work of 120 emerging artists from around the world. Themes include different climate zones, flora and fauna, habitats, and the world as seen by imaginary travelers. And it’s not just paintings. There are sculptures, ceramics, and glassworks, many cleverly paired so your eye wanders from flat to 3-D.
The ship’s double helix staircase will leave design fans gasping. It’s simply stunning, especially when viewed from the top. Tihany says he was inspired by classic Busby Berkeley movies. The space is designed to “dazzle and amaze,” the designer says. Even if you’re in your flip-flops walking down the blue-carpeted steps, you’ll feel grand.
At the bottom, outside the open-seating main dining room simply called The Restaurant, is an eye-catching sea-green Murano glass work by sculptor Luciano Vistosi. Taking a selfie in front of this piece just seems necessary, especially if you’re dressed up in your fanciest duds for a formal night.
Ovation ( like Encore) is a deck larger than Seabourn’s 450-passenger Odyssey- class ships. With the extra space, Tihany had room to play. Everyone stays in a spacious oceanfront suite with a glass door leading to a private veranda. There’s a walk-in closet and sparkling marble bathroom with a shower, tub, and botanical Molton Brown bath products developed specially for Seabourn, plus a complimentary minibar stocked with your favorite premium beverages; if you run out of sauvignon blanc, just ask for more. In the top categories, Wintergarden Suite guests lounge in their own glass-enclosed solarium with tub and daybed. In the Signature Suites, there’s as much room to play indoors as out, with extraordinarily large verandas.