Our guests often experience special moments on their Seabourn cruises that they’ll cherish forever.  Here is a story about two women and an unlikely, but exceptional chance meeting on a recent cruise aboard Seabourn Sojourn — one that they’ll certainly never forget.

It all started one evening during dinner at a table hosted by Seabourn Sojourn’s guest services manager. Two women struck up a typical “getting acquainted” conversation, talking about where they were from, where they attended college and so on.  As the conversation continued, the coincidences began to pile up. Eventually they discovered that they both had attended the University of California in Berkeley and had actually been in the same sorority together, Chi Omega. What makes this story even more remarkable is that they had been sorority sisters, and now had met each other again for the first time since 1946 … 65 years later! They each had no idea that the other was on the cruise until they met at dinner that night.  Needless to say, there were a few tears at the dinner table.  During the rest of the cruise, the sisters spent time together catching up with each other’s lives since their college days.

It was a chance meeting and a lovely one at that.  We’re so pleased to have been a part of bringing them back together, even if it was completely by chance!

Sorority sisters together again on Seabourn Sojourn. Shown here are Mrs. Lawrence (left) with her “big sister,” Ms. Tuttle (right).

We’re happy to share our latest Facebook photo album with you. “Postcards from Sea,” contains snapshots from our ships at sea and in ports all over the globe.  Our fans will see pictures of cruising Seabourn-style, the exotic destinations we visit, and the many unique experiences we offer both on board and ashore.  We’ll also share photos of our crew, many of whom have become good friends with our fans during a previous Seabourn cruise.

“Postcards from Sea” already contains some amazing shots from the ships, including a beautiful sunset shot in the South Pacific, photos of Seabourn Quest meeting up with Seabourn Legend for the first time this year, and pictures of UNESCO World Heritage site of Borobudur near Semarang, Indonesia.  Here are just a few photos in “Postcards at Sea.”  To see more pictures, please visit our Facebook page here.

We hope “Postcards from Sea” will bring back good memories to guests who have sailed with us in the past. At the same time, we hope our fans will be enticed to join us on a future cruise!  We also welcome fans to share their photos of their Seabourn cruises on our Facebook page, or email them to us directly to community@seabourn.com and we’ll include them in the album.

Staff Captain Sigurd Darbakk and Captain Mark Dexter watch the sunset over the island of Moorea after Seabourn Odyssey leaves Papeete.

Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Quest meet at sea.

Guests approach the UNESCO World Heritage site of Borobudur (near Semarang, Indonesia).

A lovely photo of Seabourn Odyssey in Kotor, Montenegro.

By now you are surely aware that in June, Seabourn was voted the World’s Best Small-Ship Cruise Line by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine for the third consecutive year. John Delaney, Seabourn’s senior vice president of marketing & sales, went to Los Angeles to accept the award at the ceremony on behalf of everyone at Seabourn. We finally got a picture of the ceremony, and here it is.

Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Nancy Novogrod, John Delaney and T+L VP/Publisher Jean-Paul Kyrillos

“Our famous Seabourn Goat Cheese Soufflé is clearly a guest favorite on board our ships. And one of the most requested recipes.”
- Bjoern Wassmuth, Manager of Culinary Operations

We’re pleased to share the recipe for this delicious dish.  Enjoy!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• ½ ounce butter
• ½ ounce all high gluten flour
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 ounce goat cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1 ½ egg yolks
• 2 ½ ounce whole milk
• ½ ounce grated parmesan cheese
• 1 ounce grated gruyere cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• nutmeg

Preparation:

• Warm the milk with the garlic and a little nutmeg.
• Mix the butter with the flour separately, fold with the milk to a sticky mass and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lump formation.
• Blend in the cheese.
• Remove from the heat and blend with the egg yolks.
• Season to taste.
• Whisk the egg whites with a little salt in a mixing bowl to help it stiffen.
• Slowly fold in the egg whites to the cheese mass.
• In the meantime, prepare the mold (can use a flexi-rubber mold), which has been brushed with butter and dusted with flour and grated parmesan cheese.
• Fill into molds. Place in water-filled baking sheet. Bake first in a hot oven for 50 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove from the molds and place in individual serving shells. Pour fresh cream around and grated gruyere cheese on top of the soufflés.
• Place the soufflés back in a 350-degree Fahrenheit hot oven for 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

If you want to receive more recipes for Seabourn’s appetizing dishes and other news, please sign up for Seamail here.

The staff on Seabourn Quest recently organized a special surprise for one of our most loyal guests, Mrs. Alene Witzke.  It turns out that Mrs. Witzke hit a milestone when she was sailing on Seabourn Quest earlier this month – she reached 2,500 nights on Seabourn, which is nearly seven years!!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, the staff told her they arranged a special visit to the bridge. As they took her through deck 6 forward, she pointed out to the crew that they were not going the correct way to the bridge. Having sailed on Seabourn so many times, it’s no surprise she knows her way around the ship very well.  They simply told her that they were taking a shortcut just for her and when they stepped out to the bow of a ship, she was greeted with a roar of applause and cheers from most of the entire ship staff!

Captain Geir-Arne Thue-Nilsen shared several photos from the celebration. Congratulations, Mrs. Witzke! We thank you for sailing with us throughout the years and look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon!

The staff applauds Mrs. Witzke as Captain Geir-Arne Thue-Nilsen leads her to a special seat among the crowd.

Congratulations, Mrs. Witzke!

Staff congratulates her on her 2,500 days with Seabourn.

Mrs. Witzke eventually did pay a visit to the bridge!

We’ve recently received additional photos from the special events in Saint Petersburg and Amsterdam during the President’s Cruise.

In Saint Petersburg, guests were transferred from the ship after an early dinner to the sumptuous Mikhailovsky Theater, which is seldom open to visitors, being mostly used for sponsored events by its owners. Upon arrival, they proceeded up a red carpet being heralded by the St. Petersburg Horn Capella, the only ensemble of its kind in Russia, playing antique straight brass horns that were popular in the 18^th century.  They were ushered into the theater where drinks and dessert bites were offered, and had a chance to peruse the theater’s collection of artworks. Then they were seated in the theater for a ballet performance exclusively created for them by the renowned Russian choreographer Boris Eifman. The evening’s performance consisted of a medley of scenes from his most famous works – Tchaikovsky, Red Giselle, Anna Karenina, and I am Don Quixote – and performed by a troupe hand-picked for the occasion by Mr. Eifman. Following the performance, the guests were informed that a donation had been made on their behalf to Mr. Eifman’s ballet school, where he boards and trains talented orphans and children from distressed families to enter the traditions of the Russian ballet. A cadre of the young students passed thank you gifts to the guests as they departed to return to Seabourn Sojourn.

A beautiful performance in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photo courtesy of Anton Udovichenko

In Amsterdam, guests visited the historic Westerkerk church, dating from 1631. They were greeted by characters who seem to have stepped out of Rembrandt paintings. (Rembrandt is buried in the church, but nobody is sure exactly where.)  They entered a restoration of Holland’s Golden Age, with music, games, refreshments and lots of fun. There was a recital of music from the period on the church’s magnificent pipe organ, built in the 17^th century and expanded early in the 18^th. After an evening of this time travel, they left the church and embarked on canal boats and enjoyed dessert during a beautiful canal cruise back to Seabourn Sojourn.

In Amsterdam, guests enjoyed a live recreation of Rembrandt's famous “Night Watch." Photo courtesy of Martine Berendsen

Check out the photos from both of these events on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/seabourn.

The new Seabourn Quest will embark on a 116-day World Cruise in 2013, visiting an array of exotic destinations in the South Pacific, Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and the Mediterranean.  The ship will depart Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on January 6, 2013, and traverse the globe westbound, arriving in Venice, Italy on May 3, 2013.

Travelers sailing on the entire World Cruise will visit 51 ports in 27 countries on six continents. They’ll have the chance to see world famous marquee ports and hidden gems, and can also overnight in some of the world’s greatest cities.  The itinerary also includes a number of destinations that are either maiden calls or ports that the line has not visited in years, such as Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji; Kuto, Ile des Pins and Nouméa, Grande Terre in New Caledonia and Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

We’re pleased to offer a value-packed menu of complimentary benefits and amenities for full world cruise guests, including:

• A pre-cruise Gala Bon Voyage event and luxury overnight stay in Ft. Lauderdale
• Special shoreside events and exclusive complimentary shore excursions
• Personal Valet luggage shipping service of up to 150 pounds
• Shipboard credits of $2,500 per guest
• Private car transfers, including door-to-door from the guests’ homes
• Complimentary round-trip business class air or $2,500 air credit
• Onboard gala celebrations
• A variety of special gifts.

Rates for the full 116-day world cruise begin at $49,640 per person, based on double occupancy.  For guests who cannot sail on the entire 116-day voyage, shorter segments ranging from 21 to 90 days are also available, with rates starting at $11,350 per person, based on double occupancy, that also include certain complimentary amenities.  Check out the entire 116-day itinerary here.

Have you ever sailed on a Seabourn World Cruise?  What is your most memorable experience?

On Tuesday, September 6, as Seabourn Pride enjoyed another beautiful day in St. Petersburg, Russia, the city had a special visitor. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark came sailing into the city aboard the Danish Royal Yacht Dannebrog and docked at the English Embankment. As is customary in such instances, Seabourn Pride saluted Her Majesty by “dipping the flag.” And the honor was given to Pride’s Second Officer Vladimir Glushkov.

Dipping the flag to honor Her Majesty’s arrival

Passing to starboard

Preparing to dock

A message from Capt. Hamish Elliott on holiday in the UK.

I will be running in the “Great North Run” next Sunday, which is the UK’s best known half marathon. Having never run further than 3 miles before, I started training during my last tour onboard across 12 countries and 5 different time zones. Things only really got serious though when I returned home at the end of July and I’ve managed to slowly increase the distance I can cover over the last 7 weeks. I’m running on behalf of a local charity from the North East of England “Cash for Kids” which supports all sorts of disadvantaged and disabled children and their families in Tyne & Wear area.

I have been interviewed by the local radio station, Metro Radio last week and will be interviewed again on Monday morning as they are interested in the fact that I am at sea, so will of course be mentioning Seabourn.

I have attached a picture of myself with my race number (There are over 50,00 runners). If anyone is interested in sponsoring me they can do so on line at Just Giving / Hamish Elliott or by using the following link:  http://www.justgiving.com/hamishelliott

I appreciate any help you can give,
Thanks very much
Hamish

...a different uniform.

Seabourn Pride had a special guest onboard when the ship recently cruised through Trollfjord in Norway– the legendary Troll King!  It was actually Cruise Sales Specialist Charl Smith dressed as this mythical character as the ship sailed through one of the narrowest and most impressive fjords in Norway.  It was a very fun and memorable afternoon as many guests had their photo taken with the Troll King with the beautiful fjord serving as the backdrop.  Pictured here are Staff Captain Kai Odegaard, Cruise Director Jan Stearman, the Troll King (Cruise Sales Specialist Charl Smith), Guest Lorraine Thompson and Captain Erik Saabye.