Seabourn Cruise Line Sojourn

Drinks Overview

There were four dedicated bars on Seabourn Sojourn, though drinks could also be ordered at the restaurants, and servers would check in on the Grand Salon, the Aft Pool and the Forward Whirlpool. There is a serviceable list of complimentary wines, and most spirits and mixed drinks are complimentary. For the few special wines and spirits that carried a surcharge, no additional service charge was assessed.

Beer & Wine

The selection of complimentary wines available at both the ship’s bars and restaurants encompassed about 30 different options. Seabourn describes this list as “fine wines,” but that’s an exaggeration (wine snob alert: even Beringer white zinfandel found a place on the list). Still, a little prying allowed us to discover a number of good bottles that retail for $15 to $20 at home, along with a number that were unfamiliar. Among the standouts were Santa Margharita pinot grigio, Louis Latour Grand Ardeche chardonnay and the Château Saint Amand sauternes from Bordeaux. The house Champagne was Nicolas Feuillatte brut, though a prosecco was also available. When we got wines we didn’t care for, servers had alternatives close at hand.

For those with more refined wine tastes, the selection was excellent. About a third of the list of more than 100 premium bottles was devoted to France, a quarter to California and the rest was a mix of old and new world options. Many were available in multiple vintages, and among the headier choices were Château Margaux 1-Cru Classe 2000 ($1700), Château Petrus Pomerol 1999 ($2700), Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC, Bertani 2001 ($162), Opus One 2003/2004 ($240), Penfolds Grange shiraz 2001/2003 ($550), Joseph Phelps Insignia cabernet sauvignon ($250) and Louis Roederer Cristal rosé 2002 ($600).

Those bottles aren’t representative of the whole list. Premium wines started at about $29 for Saint Martin Domaine Laroche Chablis (2009), $32 for Coyam (a biodynamic red from Chile), and $45 for non-vintage Piper-Heidsieck or Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut.

Mixed Drinks

Seemingly any mixed drink we could name could be crafted by the bartenders. Spirits included all of the top mainstream labels—Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Ketel One, Absolut, Jack Daniel’s, Knob Creek, Johnny Walker (red and black), Mount Gay, etc. At the pool, servers often carried around small pours of frozen drinks for us to try.

All drinks were complimentary except for premium spirits. Premium encompassed such pours as Johnny Walker Blue Label, Laphroaig 10-year single malt and Courvoisier Napoleon.

Drink Packages

For connoisseurs there were two wine packages available worth investigating. The selection for the Silver Menu—three bottles for $225—included Cakebread chardonnay, Château Suduiraut sauternes, Northstar merlot and Château La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The Gold Menu—six bottles for $450—added a few more selections to the list, including Hanzell chardonnay, Penfolds St. Henri shiraz and Grigich Hills cabernet sauvignon.