Even a small flood can’t stop the Seabourn Odyssey team from rolling out the red carpet for guests. During the ship’s visit to Semarang in Indonesia on March 21, the local tidal conditions flooded the pier, causing a large pool of water to surround the gangway. Determined to avoid having guests wade through the water to board the ship, the team came up with a brilliant solution and created a special “red carpet bridge” over the water. Staff members lined up along the platform to welcome guests back on board and more importantly, to ensure guests felt secure walking across along the open “bridge.” Needless to say, guests were surprised and very thankful to see that the staff went above and beyond their expectations.

According to Luca Di Matteo, Seabourn’s manager of restaurant and bar operations, the “guests loved it and said we should do this more often!”

Well done, Seabourn Odyssey, for providing guests with this wonderful “Seabourn Moment!”

Bravo to the Seabourn Odyssey staff for pulling out the stops for guests.

Another great Seabourn Moment!

This week Seabourn’s headquarters received a special visit from Chris Srigley, who will be an assistant expedition leader on our “Ultimate Antarctica & Patagonia” voyages.  A veteran of more than 60 Antarctic voyages, Srigley addressed Seabourn’s U.S. and international sales team in Seattle, where he shared tales of his experiences and illustrated facts and tips about Antarctic cruising.  In addition, he met with various departments – from marine and hotel operations to marketing – to discuss and prepare for the line’s upcoming Antarctic cruises.

With a passion for the natural world that did not go unrecognized by a former employer, Srigley started his career in the expedition cruise industry onboard the famed M/S Explorer as shopkeeper and Zodiac driver. Quickly he found his way directly onto the expedition team as a naturalist as he displayed his knowledge of the natural world.

Seven years now passed, he has spent as many as nine months of each year splitting his time between Antarctica, Central and South America, Northern Europe, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland and Canada as naturalist/Zodiac driver, assistant expedition leader and polar bear guard. To Antarctica alone, he has participated in over 62 trips for elite expedition operators.

His interest in natural history was cultivated through spending time on his family farm and at their remote cabin on the Eastern shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada, where he would vanish for days, sometimes weeks at a time, exploring the wilds around him.

Considering himself a “generalist,” Srigley has become well versed in all aspects of the regions in which he travels with many intriguing stories accumulated along the way. Once guests have traveled with him, his only hope is that he has been able to transfer his passion and knowledge of these stunning places they experienced on to them so that they may pass them along to others.

Srigley will be sailing on all four Antarctica & Patagonia cruises aboard Seabourn Quest. To learn more about these voyages and the rest of the expedition team, please visit our website.

Chris Srigley visits the Seabourn office in Seattle.

On March 1, 2013, all of Seabourn Quest’s world cruise guests were treated to a special Magical Balinese Kaleidoscope in Benoa, Bali. The colorful cultural event was held at the luxuriant, beachfront Taman Bhagawan, where guests experienced a lively festival procession, Balinese arts demonstrations, a children’s dance lesson and a fascinating, hypnotic Kecak dance. Cruise Sales Specialist Lindsay Havis shared these photos of the lovely evening.

The gorgeous setting for the event on a perfect evening.

Cruise Sales Specialist Lindsay Havis is greeted by the temple dancers.

On the morning of March 14, as Seabourn Odyssey was arriving in Lembar, Lombok in Indonesia, the team organized a special “bathrobe party” for the in-transit guests who were staying on board until Singapore or longer. The guests donned their bathrobes and slippers, and sipped on mimosas and bloody marys on that beautiful morning. Cruise Sales Specialist Nicole Hammer sent us a few photos of this wonderful “Seabourn Moment.”

Cheers!

All smiles!! (L to R): Hotel Director Marcel Gademan, Guest Mary Commager, Cruise Sales Specialist Nicole Hammer, F&B Manager Antony Bernardi, Restaurant Manager Marchiano Markoem, and Guest Services Manager Andrea Zanchi

Guests line up for mimosas and bloody marys on Deck 5, aft.

Seabourn Quest Executive Chef de Cuisine Thorsten Gillert took a party of about 20 guests on a “Shopping with the Chef” excursion on Grand Terre, Noumea in New Caledonia. They visited a local fish market, where they perused cases filled with beautiful fresh Pacific Ocean fish from the surrounding seas. To the delight of the guests, Chef Gillert picked out over 120 pounds of gorgeous fresh seafood that was displayed on ice later that evening in The Restaurant.

Caption: Chef Gillert and his group of guests look over the wares in Noumea.

Caption: Chef Gillert watches as more snappers are added to his haul of fresh fish.

Unanimous decision

Guests aboard Seabourn Odyssey were challenged by the entertainment team to create sea-worthy craft from materials on board. All guest-created ships were to be tested in the pool to ensure they would float, and preferably remain upright. The tank-testing was done on March 12 by Captain Bjarne Larsen and Staff Captain Todor Kantchev, and a clear winner emerged. Dubbed Seabourn Fashion, the elegant craft was laden to the gunwales with flair, and a bountiful cargo of je ne sais quoi that placed it at the head of the fleet. Mrs. Catherine Claus, who headed the winning team, had the following comment:
“It is my pleasure to send you herewith the picture of the winning ship Seabourn Fashion, built as an homage to all Seabourn elegant travelling ladies by a team of Belgian, French and Swiss engineers on their way to Bali!”

Seabourn Odyssey received a lot of love when it visited Cairns, Australia, earlier this month. Captain Bjarne Larsen sent us this report from that day:

“One of our loyal guests, Mrs. Ronwyn Corcoran, who lives in Cairns, posted this banner on her balcony as we sailed by her home. During our stay in Cairns, I asked her to come on board for dinner with her sister and a friend, and they were all taken well care of by our excellent Social Host Michelle Gordon. Mrs. Corcoran mentioned to me that she is considering cruising with me to Antarctica on board the Seabourn Quest. I truly hope to see her again.”

Wow! What a wonderful way to welcome Seabourn Odyssey to Cairns! Thank you for the love, Mrs. Corcoran, and we do hope you’ll join us on one of our Antarctica voyages!

Seabourn Odyssey receives a very warm welcome in Cairns.

Mrs. Corcoran waves hello to the ship!

Seabourn Pride’s Executive Housekeeper Linda Duvenhage had a special request from two guests to host her team on the foredeck as a thank-you for their excellent service. The guests, Steve Lanza and Jason Smith, provided Champagne for the celebration, which was held inbound to Ho Chi Minh City.

Salute to Seabourn Pride’s housekeeping team. Front row (L-R) Bianca Tonkinson, Gina Wood, Guests Steve Lanza and Jason Smith, Luitha van Loggenberg, Kate Granovska, Svitlana Olinykova and Exec. Housekeeper Linda Duvenhage. Back row (L-R) Asst. Housekeeper Claire Maasdorp, Charne Cain, Belinda Harmse, Sonja Bornkhorst, Mariska Botes, Stoyanka Raycheva and Marina Sanches.

After the first two months of a world cruise, interesting phenomena begin to occur on board. Seabourn Quest Cruise Director Handré Potgieter reports: “Recently we held a ‘Fancy Dress Trivia’ in which the teams were challenged to present something original using only onboard resources. Teams were judged for originality, team spirit and overall impression. What fun! It’s amazing to see how guests use just about everything from Seabourn Coasters to Room Service Menus.”

Contest Judges Captain Geir Arne Thue-Nilsen (kneeling center) and Guest Services Manager Colleen Ellis (right) with the winning team “Who Cares” and runners-up “The Aristocrats.”

But that’s not all. Handré notes that “People are often creatures of habit and approximately 80 guests or so participate in trivia on every sea day. They mostly sit in the same spots and have their favourite drinks and snacks. I wish you could have seen the expressions on our guests’ faces when everyone arrived for trivia, and their intuitive bar team had prepared each guest’s favourite drink — and had it ready and waiting for them in their habitual spots …. Wow, this was a Seabourn Moment to witness!”

The elated bar team celebrates pulling off the perfect surprise: (L-R) Chistia Reisener, Carolina Fiore, Balazs Soter, MiMi Popovic, and Adam Jubb. Good one, guys!

On Friday, March 1, Seabourn Sojourn made her final call of the season in Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas. Former Seabourn Captain Sean Whalley snapped a photo of the ship anchored in Port William, an inlet leading into Port Stanley, and kindly sent it to us.

On Tuesday, March 5, the ship is scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it will sail on a pair of cruises exploring the natural beauty of the Amazon before departing for Europe for the summer.

Luxury Cruise Ship, Seabourn Sojourn, anchored off of Port Stanley.