Seabourn Sojourn sailed through a rough patch crossing from Ireland to Iceland. But when she arrived, the island nation greeted her with beauty and tranquility. Captain Hamish Elliott sent along some pictures of the ship and the harbor at Grundarfjordur on the west coast.

Sojourn at anchor in the fjord in Iceland.

The rugged peak of Kirkjufell guards the harbor at Grundarfjordur.

Earlier this month, Seabourn’s culinary department hosted a workshop, for which most of the executive chefs from Seabourn ships visited the company headquarters to discuss and review a variety of new – as well as ongoing – culinary initiatives for the fleet. Along with Culinary Operations Manager Bjoern Wassmuth and Master Chef Rudi Sodamin, our talented culinary team accomplished a lot, including creating new menu cycles for all itineraries, reviewing and updating many of our current recipes and also some newly-created dishes. They also worked on a new Seabourn culinary mission statement, which they hope to roll out soon.

There are many exciting things cooking in our culinary department, and we’re looking forward to implementing them on board soon!

Iron Chefs in Seattle: (L to R, back row): Culinary Administrator MHO Jonathan Ben-Ammi; Executive Chefs Andrew Soddy, Thorsten Gillert and Kurt Timmermans. (front row): Sodamin; Wassmuth; Executive Chef Graeme Cockburn and Traveling Executive Chef Rajat Adhikary.

A distinctive sculpture decorating the pier in Copenhagen inspired Seabourn Pride’s deck crew and officers to put their heads together for the good of the team. Staff Captain Kai Odegard sent us the picture, along with the advice that “Seabourn Pride’s staff are always thinking about new ways to make our guests’ experiences better!”

Putting their heads together: The Pride Deck Team pondering on the pier.

Seabourn has been named the “Best Luxury Cruise Line” by the readers of Cruise International, a consumer cruise publication centered in the United Kingdom. We’re very honored to receive this distinction! Many thanks to all our guests who voted for us, and a big thank you and congratulations to our entire staff who gave our guests the “Seabourn Moments” they voted for!

Lynn Narraway, Seabourn’s UK managing director, accepted the award on behalf of the line. Here is a photo from the ceremony held last week at the Soho House in London.

(L-R) Liz Jarvis, editor of Cruise International; Kate Huet, managing director of OneStop4; Lynn Narraway; and Gyles Brandreth, host.

On August 26, 2012, on the second to last day of the cruise, Seabourn Pride made its maiden call to Faaborg, Denmark. The good people of Faaborg gave the ship a very warm welcome, greeting them with a gun salute, followed by a parade with famous characters such as Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.

“The people of Faaborg certainly know how to welcome and made both guests and crew of Seabourn Pride feel special,” said Seabourn Pride Cruise Sales Specialist Sara Ferreira. “Some guests said that this greeting was the perfect ending of a great cruise.”

Faaborg salutes Seabourn Pride!

A group of locals dressed as Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and characters from his popular children’s books welcome Seabourn Pride guests.

Combines Popular South American Itinerary with Landings on the White Continent

Cruise the Farthest Place on Earth on the World’s Highest-Rated Small Ship Cruise Line

More than 20 years after the company pioneered an entirely new style of small-ship, ultra-luxury cruising, Seabourn plans to extend its repertoire of highly desirablecruising destinations to include Antarctica for the first time in 2013. Seabourn Quest, the newest ship in Seabourn’s award-winning fleet, will begin a series of four 21- to 24-day voyages sailing between Valparaíso, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina starting in November of 2013.

“Seabourn is already renowned for our extensive portfolio of worldwide itineraries,” noted Seabourn’s president Richard Meadows. “Antarctica was the only continent that Seabourn did not feature in our itineraries. This expands our global reach to all seven continents and builds on our already impressive list of exotic destinations. Seabourn is very proud to be bringing our highly rated ultra-luxury cruise experience to Antarctica.”

The  all-suite ship will cruise the Chilean coast, including visits to Puerto Montt for the Chilean Lakes District, Castro on the huge island of Chiloé, and Puerto Chacabuco for the Rio Simpson Valley and Coyhaique, as well as Punta Arenas, from where guests can tour the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park. Then the intimate ship will thread the glaciers, peaks and channels of the Chilean Fjords, culminating in a transit of the Beagle Channel and its spectacular Glacier Alley.  Weather permitting, following a call at Ushuaia in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, Seabourn Quest will cruise by Cape Horn bound for the Southern Ocean. Guests on board will experience five days in Antarctica, including scenic cruising of highlights such as the breathtaking Lemaire Channel, picturesque Paradise Bay and the Gerlache Strait. An experienced Antarctic expedition staff will ensure that guests enjoy the best of the hundreds of available sites for landings and cruising in smaller inflatable boats, based on real-time weather and wildlife reports during their Antarctic adventures. Scientists, naturalists and other lecturers in a number of disciplines will speak on board and accompany guests ashore to add insights to their once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

During the South Atlantic portion of the voyage, guests will enjoy visits to Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, and Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, en route to or from Buenos Aires.

A 24-day Holiday version will include two days exploring the sub-Antarctic wildlife Eden of South Georgia Island, renowned for its beauty and its vast, teeming rookeries of king penguins and other seabirds, as well as breeding elephant and fur seals.

For more information or reservations, contact a travel professional or visit www.seabourn.com.

Seabourn celebrated the announcement of the luxury Swiss watchmaker Hublot as its official timekeeper with a special visit aboard Seabourn Quest on Sunday, September 2, 2012. Seabourn Quest Captain Geir-Arne Thue Nilsen welcomed Carnival Corporation and plc Chairman and CEO Micky Arison and Hublot’s Chairman of the Board Jean-Claude Biver aboard the line’s newest ship during a port call at Cannes, France.  Captain Thue Nilsen led a personal tour of the Seabourn Quest, proudly showing off several of the elegant Hublot wall clocks now displayed at various locations on the ship.

Pictured here from left to right in front of the new Hublot wall clock outside the ship’s Grand Salon are: Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot’s Chairman of the Board; Seabourn Quest Captain Geir-Arne Thue Nilsen; and Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc Chairman and CEO. To view more images of the celebration, please visit our Facebook page.

Seabourn named Hublot as its official timekeeper. Seabourn guests on board the line’s six intimate ships will now be kept abreast of the current ship’s time by means of handsome Hublot wall clocks, designed and finished with the same flair and elegance that have made Hublot’s wristwatches multi-faceted icons of a constantly evolving Swiss watchmaking tradition, which pay tribute to it by connecting it with the future.  The clocks are a perfect complement to the stunning beauty of the ships themselves, adding a luxurious accent and an eye-catching cachet to various locations throughout each vessel.

Companies Cite a Shared Dedication to Excellence

Hublot, the luxury Swiss brand which brings the “Art of Fusion” to watchmaking, has been named the Official Timekeeper of the award-winning ultra luxury cruise line Seabourn.

Guests enjoying voyages on any of Seabourn’s six intimate, all-suite ships will now be kept abreast of the current ship’s time by means of handsome Hublot wall clocks, designed and finished with the same flair and elegance that have made Hublot’s wristwatches multi-faceted icons of a constantly evolving Swiss watchmaking tradition, which pay tribute to it by connecting it with the future.  The clocks are a perfect complement to the stunning beauty of the ships themselves, adding a luxurious accent and an eye-catching cachet to various locations throughout each vessel. 

“Hublot‘s distinctive porthole-styled timepieces are crafted with a commitment to innovation grounded in respect for tradition.” noted Seabourn’s president Richard D. Meadows. “They display a dedication to excellence and an attention to detail that resonates with Seabourn‘s mission. Our companies share a common goal – to be the very best at what we do.”

“This partnership is a story of friendship, a human story. It is about mutual great respect based on a shared passion for the sea, a love of sport and the quest for performance and excellence.” added Hublot’s Chairman of the Board Jean-Claude Biver. “Hublot and Seabourn share many core values. Hublot has always been close to the sea world, through its very name of course, which is the French word for a porthole, but also through prestigious partnerships such as with the Yacht Club of Monaco, the Monaco Oceanographic Museum and the Real Club Nautico de Palma to name just a few of them. Today, teaming up with Seabourn is an honor and forms a perfect extension.”

In addition to the ship’s clocks, Hublot will represent a stylish presence on Seabourn’s website and in other marketing materials, and the ships will host select trunk shows of Hublot timepieces to guests on selected cruises.

Seabourn and Hublot share a reputation for excellence that has earned both companies recognition and awards from authoritative critics and loyal support from a discerning clientele.