We’re happy to share a few photos of our annual President’s Cruise, which is currently taking place aboard Seabourn Sojourn.  Seabourn President Richard Meadows is on board and mingling with guests, as well as enjoying the sights and sounds of Northern Europe.  For more pictures, check out our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter for updates from the cruise!

During the Gala Reception, Seabourn President Richard Meadows pays a special tribute to the longest serving crew members on Seabourn Sojourn. Pictured here with Meadows are: Arnel Zablan (Laundry Master) – joined in 1997 Francisco Hubahib (Able Seaman) - joined in 1996 Danilo Ondoy (Linen Keeper) - joined in 1995 David Santos (Assistant Electrician) - joined in 1993 Jose Noel Jontongo (Sous Chef) - joined in 1991 Domingo Dilla (Butcher) - joined in 1991 Miro Marino Enriquez (Bosun) - joined in 1988

Seabourn Sojourn arrived into Helsinki, Finland, and the day could not be any more picture perfect as the ship was greeted by plenty of sunshine.

Many guests were out and about and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the wonderful capital city of Helsinki. Standing in front of the very famous Sibelius Statue are Seabourn President Richard Meadows with Seabourn Club Members Lin and John Kohler.

Both Richard Meadows and Pamela Conover hosted a special party for all the mid-level and senior management and toasted to everyone's efforts. They thanked the entire team for the staff’s efforts in creating and delivering the special Seabourn experience to guests. Left to right: Ship Doctor Sam Slishman; Nurse Rachel Obra Lagrimas; Training Manager Cathy Meyer; Seabourn Brand Ambassador - Pamela Conover; Chief Purser Ann-Cathrin Nilsson; and Executive Housekeeper Debbie Smith.

All smiles from some of Seabourn Sojourn’s staff!

St. Petersburg could not have been any more spectacular! Everything about the visit was just perfect - sunny blue skies formed the perfect backdrop at our Exclusive President’s Event hosted by Richard Meadows and Pamela Conover at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. World-famous choreographer Boris Eifman presented a medley of scenes from his most famous work, and the show left the audience in awe! "This is the type of magical moments lasting memories are made of," said Seabourn Sojourn Cruise Director Handré Potgieter. Here is a picture of guests entering the theatre.

Seabourn Sojourn overnighted in St. Petersburg, allowing guests ample time to explore this opulent city. Left to right: Brent Boylan, Patty Edwards (the only guest to sail on all five Seabourn President’s Cruises), Richard Meadows, Marie Fisher and Carol Armstrong

Vera David, Richard Meadows and Antonia Ryan

Enjoying St. Petersburg are Pamela Conover, Mark Elovitz and Michele Merkel.

Prior to the ship's departure, the St. Petersburg Military Ensemble performs a local song and dance, showcasing a colorful collage of Russian art and culture. This leads to a spectacular sail away party with music and dancing continuing as the ship sails up the Neva River.

It's a very lovely evening as Seabourn Sojourn departs St. Petersburg. The staff serves up champagne and caviar during the sail away party. Left to right: Waitress Annie Michalsky; Chef Alex Zillessen; Assistant Maitre'd Bart Durand; and Sommelier Gareth Cronje.

After a few days in St. Petersburg and Talllinn, Estonia, guests enjoyed a beautiful day at sea to relax. That morning, Richard Meadows hosted his “Seabourn Today” presentation, where he shared some insight into the history of Seabourn, highlighted some of our very exciting itineraries and noted that we have more than 50 maiden calls in 2012-2013. The Grand Salon was packed, and guests were listening intently and deciding where and when their next Seabourn cruise should be.

That evening Seabourn Brand Ambassador Pamela Conover co-hosted the Seabourn Club Party with Seabourn Club Representative and Cruise Sales Specialist Pierre Van Breda. They honored 282 Seabourn Club members who sailed a combined total of 17,229 days, which equates to 47 years! They also honored Lorraine Thompson, who has the most days sailed with 1,362 days (and counting!). That’s a lot of champagne and caviar! Following the celebration, most guests were off to The Restaurant, where Chef Marcus de Jong prepared his seven-course Chef's dinner. Left to right: Pierre van Breda, Captain Karlo Buer, Pamela Conover, Lorraine Thompson, Cruise Director Handré Potgieter

Pamela Conover and Lorraine Thompson

Our very own Captain Mark Dexter is now on Twitter!  He is currently the Master on the beautiful Seabourn Odyssey, cruising the eastern Mediterranean, and he is sharing his thoughts about life at sea.  Just today, he tweeted “Off to Mylos on a clear and sunny evening. New passengers exploring this lovely ship. Glasses of champagne at sail away party. All is well.”  Follow @CaptainDexter and see what else is on his mind as he sails around the globe!

On Thursday evening August 17, Seabourn Quest captain Geir-Arne Thue-Nilsen received an urgent request from Piraeus to join a search for a missing small boat south of Mykonos in the Aegean Sea. As it was quickly growing dark, the captain immediately alerted all guests and staff on board that Quest was diverting to join the search. Capt. Thue-Nilsen reports that all available staff and a remarkable number of the guests all lined the rails, their eyes searching for any sign of the small boat.

A tiny boat on a vast black sea.

It was nearly 10 p.m., and the Seabourn Singers and Dancers were about to start their show in the Grand Salon, when word came that two lookouts reported seeing a small, intermittent light, like a burning torch in the distance. The show audience and the entertainers swept onto the deck, cheering when they saw the small white boat bobbing in the searchlight. Capt. Thue-Nilsen steered toward the truly tiny boat on the black immensity of the sea. Roger Wright, the male vocalist, used his powerful baritone voice to shout “We’re coming to get you, hold tight!” They heard a woman’s voice faintly answer “OK!” They put down a rescue boat and proceeded slowly toward to the bobbing boat.

Nearly saved.

It turned out that the couple had hired the boat in Mykonos and started off around the island when their engine suddenly failed.  Unable to get it started, they drifted away from the shore at the mercy of the choppy seas for a horrifying eight hours. After dark, the couple had begun removing and burning items of their clothing in an attempt to attract attention, doubtless the dim light the lookouts spotted.  Within minutes, they were safely on board Seabourn Quest, the woman wrapped in a pool towel the rescuers had thoughtfully brought along.  They were transported, in a style infinitely more elegant than your usual emergency vehicle, to the island of Rhodes where they disembarked the next morning.

Contact is made!

The picture of their tiny boat, alone on an empty black sea, gives silent testimony to the seriousness of the situation they found themselves in.  Another example of the secondary benefit our skilled seafarers render to the general public as they transport our guests throughout the world’s waterways.

Well done, ladies and gentlemen.

Staff Captain Krasimir Radev and Captain Thue-Nilsen deliver the couple to Rhodes.

If you’re making travel plans for the end of this year or early next year and still deciding where to go, here is a suggestion: South America.  Between October 2011 and January 2012, Seabourn Sojourn will sail around this continent on a series of cruises, including two 17-day Treasures of the Inca Coast voyages between Ft. Lauderdale and Valparaiso, Chile, and six 14-day Patagonian Passage voyages to the picturesque Chilean Fjords, Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands between Valparaiso and Buenos Aires, Argentina.  This continent is filled with stunning natural beauty, classic colonial cities, majestic ancient monuments, and exciting adventures that will undoubtedly leave visitors with unforgettable memories and experiences they’ll cherish forever.

One of the highlights is the famed Torres del Paine National Park, located in Chilean Patagonia.  A designated UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, the park centers around an alpine massif of three imposing granite towers, reaching more than 10,000 feet, together with several lesser horns formed of black shale, and a variety of glaciers, lakes, and wild rivers. Here is a snapshot of the park taken earlier this year.

There is so much more to see and experience on this beautiful continent, and we hope you’ll be able to join us on one of our voyages this year!  Stay tuned for more posts about South America!

Have you seen our new 2012-2013 catalogue yet? You can now view “The Cruise Collection” online and start planning your Seabourn vacation!  As you peruse through the colorful brochure, you can save pages as favorites, print out pages or sections, and even email the entire brochure or just pages you’re interested in. You can also share information from the catalogue on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out our e-brochure here.

Nick Hale, the cruise director on Seabourn Odyssey, sent us this picture as a reminder of bygone days on Seabourn Pride. One has difficulty imagining the circumstances under which this delivery of deck sun loungers had to be expedited by helicopter and a manned hoist. Perhaps an errant wave swept some overboard during a Transatlantic crossing? Seabourn does go all out to fulfill guests’ wishes, so a shortage of chaise lounges on Deck 8 must have generated the urge to call in air support to get the job done. It was definitely a Seabourn Moment.

Now there’s something you don’t see every day!

We’re very pleased to announce that we have created a dedicated team of sales and reservations specialists in Sydney, Australia.  This is in response to a growing volume of travel agencies selling its ultra-luxury cruises to upscale Australian travelers, and the new office will enable our team to better provide Australians with the sort of individualized attention that has made us an icon of exceptional service.

You can read more about our new Australia office here: http://www.seabourn.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=97

It’s time to start planning a Seabourn cruise for 2012 and 2013!  We have released “The Cruise Collection,” a new 148-page catalogue detailing 212 luxury voyages during 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. Using a refreshing new look and feel, the catalogue provides full details on voyages of seven to over 100 days, visiting more than 379 ports – 50 of which are maiden calls – in 103 countries across six continents.

One of the newest components of the catalogue is a separate pull-out pricing guide, which serves as a convenient reference of fares for all Seabourn cruises published in the brochure.  Removing the pricing grids from the catalogue’s itinerary pages also leaves space for more and larger lifestyle and destination photographs, as well as a “highlights” box that provides extra details about each cruise. Inserted in a pocket on the back cover, the guide lists the fares by ship, itinerary and suite category, and offers helpful information to assist guests in planning for their voyages.

“The Cruise Collection” introduces a number of new itineraries offered during 2012 and 2013, including new Seabourn Spirit 10-day itineraries sailing round trip from Venice to the best of the Adriatic and Dalmatian coasts. Seabourn Spirit’s sister ship, Seabourn Legend, will offer two different, 10-day itineraries between Rome (Civitavecchia) and Monte Carlo, exploring many fascinating ports along the French and Italian Rivieras.  Also new is a series of cruises exploring the diverse and stunning lands of Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia aboard Seabourn Odyssey.

Seabourn’s ships will call at a bevy of new ports in the Mediterranean including Rosas, Spain; Porto Torres and Alghero on Sardinia; Mgarr on the Maltese island of Gozo; San Antonio on Ibiza; Sóller on Mallorca and Ciutadella on Menorca. In the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Lemnos and Chania are added ports in the Greek Isles, while Cesme, Sinop and Iskenderun are new ports in Turkey. The line will also add Larnaca on Cyprus.

In the Caribbean, Seabourn Spirit will operate two new seven-day voyages between St. Maarten and Barbados, combinable for a luxurious 14-day Southern Caribbean experience. Meanwhile, Seabourn Legend will offer Caribbean cruises round trip from Ft. Lauderdale, and round trip from St. Thomas.  In South America, Seabourn Sojourn will start 2012 with a series of Patagonian cruises and operate a pair of early 2013 cruises that will explore the natural beauty of the Amazon.

The newest ship in the fleet, Seabourn Quest, will depart January 6, 2013 on a 116-day World Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice via the South Pacific, Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and the Mediterranean.

To order a copy of “The Cruise Collection,” please visit our website: http://www.seabourn.com/contactUs/RequestBrochure.action.