Seabourn Cruises' six-ship fleet is split evenly between larger and smaller vessels.
On the smaller ships, it takes the wait staff all of a day to learn passenger names, according to Ed and Ginny Wolfe, who were traveling on a recent Seabourn Quest cruise.
On the larger Quest, it took a few days.
"The learning curve is a little longer," said Ed, a semiretired logistics contractor from Doylestown, Pa.
Still, what sets Seabourn apart from other cruise lines is that kind of personalization of the guest experience. Most guests have a story about something that Seabourn did for them that made them feel uniquely recognized.
For me it was an invitation to dine with one of the ship's entertainers, someone whom I had a casual conversation with the day before. Seabourn makes a practice of inviting solo travelers to dine with the ship's officers or entertainment staff.
By the third day of my recent 12-day Caribbean cruise on the Quest, the newest of Seabourn's six ships, it seemed every waiter knew me by name. My cruise carried 437 guests, just shy of the capacity of 450. The crew numbered about 350.
About 80% of Seabourn passengers are repeat cruisers. Many have sailed on several luxury lines, including Silversea Cruises and Crystal Cruises. Trading opinions about which line has the best food, service or ships was a favorite pastime, as was greeting passengers from past Seabourn cruises.
The decor on the Seabourn Quest is fairly plain for a luxury ship. The basic color scheme is wood and white. The ship's architecture is not hidden, so it is less hotel-like than some larger, contemporary vessels.
Seabourn Square, a distinguishing area not found on Seabourn's smaller ships, combines a library, Internet stations, a coffee bar and the ship's guest services salon in a comfortable, casual area that does away with barriers between guest and crew.
I was surprised that the service wasn't more formal. Waiters treat guests with a polite familiarity; cabin attendants are helpful but without the over-the-top enthusiasm of some other lines.
Hotel manager Karl Eckl said that the Seabourn ideal is to be authentic in delivering service.
"The crew is not driven by tips, they're driven by genuine service," he said. "So everybody can bring their own personality."
There are four dining venues on the Quest, one more than you'll find on the older, smaller Seabourn ships: a main dining room, a buffet-style restaurant on an aft deck, a pool deck grill and a 12-table specialty restaurant (reservations are necessary, but there's no extra charge).
Food on the Quest was consistently good. I had dined at specialty restaurants on a contemporary and a premium line before coming aboard the Quest, and the food was every bit as good or better.
In addition to Seabourn Square and a fourth restaurant, the larger Seabourn ships have more balconies, two pools instead of one and three more decks than the smaller vessels.
The older ships, known as "The Triplets," carry 208 passengers.
One area that shined onboard the Quest was the entertainment. This was another surprise to me, since I presumed that bigger ships had better theaters and larger casts. But in this case, quality trumps quantity. The vocal performances on the Quest were lyrical and personal, and the small stage lent an intimacy lacking on bigger ships that depend more on spectacle to provide an entertaining show.
"Crossing Atlantic," a late-night tribute to 50 years of British pop music, was one of several new shows being rolled out on Seabourn ships in late 2012 to add more variety to the main show presentation.
My 300-square-foot Veranda suite included a walk-in closet and a dual sink, tub and separate shower in the ample bath. Electrical outlets were notably scarce.
Four new penthouse spa suites are coming to the Quest in June, replacing the cabana and spa villa areas on Deck 10. The Quest makes Seabourn's first-ever visit to Antarctica in November.
Follow Tom Stieghorst on Twitter @tstravelweekly.