Seabourn Quest officers, staff and crew took advantage of the balmy weather during Seabourn Quests Pacific crossing to host a special epicurean event on deck before dinner on a formal optional evening. The staff had special food stations on the Pool Patio to serve dishes from their national traditions – Hungarian goulash, Colombian empanadas, Peruvian ceviche, Brazilian feijoada, etc. Then other crew members had themed bar stations around the outer edges of the Patio – the security team hosted a “brig,” the medical team had a “first aid station” and Deck & Engine had a “bunkering station!” Then following dinner, guests were invited back onto the Pool Patio area to enjoy “Opera Under the Stars” featuring Seabourn Arts Conversations guest artist Anthony Steward Lloyd and friends. Cruise Director Handré Potgeiter reports that he could not imagine a more picturesque evening, with most guests attired in formal wear and a blanket of stars overhead as they were serenaded by the outstanding voices of the group. It was a first for the World Cruise and a most memorable evening for those lucky enough to attend.

Bar waiter Adam Morilly serves his time in the “brig” bar sponsored by the security team.

Dr. Sandra Mae Lim, Senior Nurse Joane Alonzo at the medical department’s “First Aid Station” bar.

A dazzling evening under glittering stars

Perfect harmony: the singers had guests spellbound

Are there any pinners out there? Seabourn is on Pinterest! We have a lot of wonderful photos of our ships and some of the places we visit around the world. We’ll be adding more boards in the future, but in the meantime, we hope you will follow us and start re-pinning! Check out our Pinterest site here!

Happy pinning!

It was like something out of “The Hobbit.” Seabourn Odyssey was sailing along mid-day off the coast of New Zealand between Timaru and Akaroa when suddenly the sky opened up and dropped a half-hour hailstorm of epic proportions onto guests and staff enjoying lunch-time on the Colonnade terrace and at the Patio Grill. Was it a spell from the evil Sauron, or simply a natural summertime phenomenon? No matter to the guests, whose cup of tea suddenly became iced tea! Thanks to Hotel Director Guenter Steinbrunner, who sent along the pictures to prove it.

Gimme shelter: Bar Manager Robert McGillivray and Head Bartender Ivaylo Dimitrov duck under cover on the Pool Patio.

Seabourn Pride Destinations Services Manager Riëtte Botes sent in this report from a recent two-night Seabourn Journey to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with some of the most magnificent religious architecture in the world.

We have just completed our first Angkor Wat Overland trip this season! The group – which consisted of 21 guests and myself – departed from Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on December 28^th and returned to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on December 30^th. The guests stayed at the Sokha Angkor Resort, Siem Reap for two nights.  Highlights included visits to Banteay Srei, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple & Ta Prohm temple, where the movie “Tomb Raider” was filmed.  Guests were also treated to a private poolside dinner & Apsara Dance show on the second evening (complete with an ice-sculpture).

Due to popular demand, we also included a last-minute addition to the trip – an excursion on the Tonle Sap Floating Village for a look at local life and culture.  Some guests also ventured out to the night market in Siem Reap on their own and returned with lots of shopping bags and smiles!

All guests were extremely happy and enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Seabourn Pride guests visit the archaeological wonders of Angkor Wat.

Captain Geir-Arne Thue-Nilsen welcomed local government, tourism and port officials from Bonaire aboard Seabourn Quest when the ship visited this beautiful Caribbean island on Friday, January 11, 2013. The ship hosted a plaque exchange ceremony, where local officials presented Captain Thue-Nilsen with a ceremonial plaque and the Bonaire flag.

Readers’ Polls, Critics, Travel Agents and Experts Agree on Top Rankings

In 2012, Seabourn continued to occupy the top ratings of the most prestigious awards in the travel industry. In annual surveys, high-profile consumer publications Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure discovered their readerships to be unified in naming Seabourn the Best Small-Ship Cruise Line, for the third and fourth consecutive year respectively. Cruise-specific consumer magazine Porthole’s annual readers’ poll showed Seabourn honored as Best Luxury Line, offering the Best Accommodations and Seabourn Sojourn named as the industry’s Best Small Ship. Seabourn also maintained its perfect record of inclusion on Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” of top global vacation choices every year the list has been published, and became a charter inductee of the magazine’s Platinum Circle of the most consistent winners.

“We truly appreciate these magazines giving Seabourn’s customers a venue to express their support and endorsement,” said Seabourn president Richard D. Meadows. “These awards are absolutely a testament to the hard-working hospitality professionals who serve our guests on board. Of course everyone likes to be told they are the best,” he continued, “but in truth there is no greater honor than to see past guests returning up the gangway to sail with us again. Nothing makes our staff more proud than that.”

The ultra-luxury line also garnered some more specialized accolades in 2012.  The Spa at Seabourn has twice been awarded a SpaFinder® Wellness Readers’ Choice Award as Best Spa on a Cruise Ship, including this year. The newsletter Ocean & Cruise News, published by the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society cited Seabourn cruises as the Best Cruise Value in the highest, Ultra-Deluxe, 6-Star+ category.

Professionally edited cruising guidebooks concur, with Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation awarding the Seabourn fleet Six+ Black Stars, its highest rating, and the Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships awarding Five Stars and listing the Seabourn fleet among the highest-rated ships in the world.

With so many of Seabourn’s guests utilizing the convenience and expertise of a travel agent to handle their travel arrangements, it is important to note that the travel trade publication Travel Weekly’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards named Seabourn as the Best Luxury Cruise Line.

Finally, the prestigious American Academy of Hospitality Sciences has once again awarded Seabourn its highest honor, the Six Star Diamond Award.

Award-Winning Line Further Enhances Its Onboard Enrichment, Entertainment

Seabourn has launched “Seabourn Conversations,” a new concept for onboard enrichment and special guest entertainment aboard its award-winning fleet of six all-suite ships. The program will include a stellar lineup of celebrities and guest experts, augmenting Seabourn’s already diverse entertainment.

“Conversation has always been central to the Seabourn experience,” noted Richard Meadows, Seabourn’s president. “Our guests are interesting people with interesting life stories, and they really enjoy chatting in the relaxed camaraderie made possible by our small ships,” he continued. “We recruit explorers, heralded chefs, authors and scholars, celebrated performers and renowned experts from every arena of the arts, sciences, politics and the humanities with particular talents or expertise. On board they will lecture or perform, and take part in Q&A interviews, but on Seabourn they also enliven the social scene – and join the conversation.”

On Seabourn’s intimate ships, these luminaries share the journey. They each provide skilled presentations of their expertise for guests to enjoy. But just as importantly, they may share meals, adventures ashore and casual chats with the other guests throughout the voyage.

Seabourn Conversations topics can be broken down into categories. “Culinary Conversations,” for instance, will include chefs such as Michelle Bernstein and Robert Irvine, winemakers or master sommeliers like Catherine Fallis, restaurant critics or experts in gastronomy. “Arts Conversations” will include topics such as theater, dance, film, literature, music or the plastic arts, and personalities such as stage and screen actress Penelope Ann Miller, singer/composer Patti Austin or satirical author Christopher Buckley. Explorers such as Dr. Lawrence Blair or mountaineer Paul Deegan, as well as historians, anthropologists and geographers will participate in “Culture & Destination Conversations,” while diplomacy, international relations, politics and economic affairs will be categorized as “Current Affairs & History Conversations,” and feature guests such as Ambassador Robert Smolik or Captain Peter Martin of the Royal Australian Marines.

A list of currently scheduled Seabourn Conversations guests can be viewed here.

For more details about the award-winning Seabourn fleet, or to explore the worldwide selection of Seabourn cruising options, contact a professional travel agent, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit www.seabourn.com.

Seabourn Quest’s world cruise is well underway! Yesterday the ship called at Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic, where guests experienced our signature “Caviar in the Surf” Beach Party featuring champagne, caviar and a delicious barbeque lunch.  Kudos to our hardworking culinary team (pictured here) for putting together a superb lunch for all to enjoy! Great job, team!

Congratulations to Sonya Rojas, the winner of our Seabourn Difference Suitestakes! She was very excited and over the moon when we shared the news with her. “What a great way to start the New Year!” she said. Sonya is now looking at cruises in Europe this summer. It will be her first Seabourn voyage, and we have no doubt she will be amazed by the Seabourn Difference. We look forward to welcoming her on board, and we’ll share photos and stories from her experience.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Seabourn Difference Suitestakes! Watch for more Seabourn Facebook sweepstakes coming soon!

Seabourn Quest has embarked on her 116-day world cruise, and we will post photos and stories on our blog as the ship visits many exciting destinations on this voyage!

At the helm of the ship is Captain Geir-Arne Thue-Nilsen, who has a passion for photography and will snap many pictures throughout the voyage.  We will share some of them here but you can also view the pictures on his online photo gallery.

In addition, there are two guests who will blog about the cruise until the ship reaches Hong Kong. Read about their Seabourn experience here as they sail around the world.

And of course, we will also post many photos on our Facebook page!

There are many exciting events and activities planned on the world cruise, so stay tuned for photos and updates!