Seabourn Ovation moves to Miami with Australia's cruising ban still in place

Take a look at the Seabourn Ovation in the gallery above.

The Seabourn Ovation, part of Carnival's ultra luxury cruise brand, has a new home in Miami for the winter cruise season.

It's the first time the high-end cruise ship, where suites average at $US1000 ($A1400) a night, has sailed out of Miami. The ship was completed in May 2018 with the intention of being based out of Australia during the winter months. But the pandemic changed that.

"With Australia and most of Asia still closed, we decided to base the ship in Miami for this winter — this is, after all, the cruise capital of the world," said Josh Leibowitz, the president of Seabourn.

The Seabourn Ovation travels to far corners like Patagonia, the Baltic states, the Arctic and up the Amazon River, but is opting for two routes in North America, as many international travel restrictions are still in place. The ship's winter cruise routes include a one-way cruise to Los Angeles, going through the Panama Canal, and a Caribbean route starting and ending in Miami.

For a standard "veranda" suite, prices range from $US4929 for the 11-day Caribbean cruise to $US17,000 for the Caribbean and Mexico cruise through the Panama Canal.

The 210-metre ship has just 300 suites for 600 passengers, making it one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in cruising. Each suite has a private veranda, with standard suites measuring at 23-square metres and penthouse suites up to 50 square metres, plus a veranda of up to 18 square metres with amenities like a bathtub and a walk-in closet. The largest suite onboard offers 121 square-metres of indoor space.

"This is a floating seven-star resort. We have almost one crew member per guest," Leibowitz said, adding that Seabourn Ovation is the first ultra-luxury cruise brand to restart since the pandemic, drawing customers who sailed with other brands.

The ship brews its own coffee and has a homemade gelato parlor. There's a grill with a menu from famed chef Thomas Keller, who is also behind the Surf Club in Surfside and several Michelin-starred restaurants across the US. And a sushi bar with ingredients sourced from Japan and top-shelf wine, champagne and liquor included.