The intimate, all-suite ships of Seabourn deliver accommodations, service, cuisine and attention to detail that place it among the elite in the global hospitality industry, according to the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. For 2012, the prestigious organization has invited the small-ship cruise specialist into the rarified ranks of its Six Star Diamond honorees, comprising a roster of the world’s finest hotels, resorts, spas, luxury transportation providers and others who cater to the most discerning clientele around the world.

“Seabourn’s dedication to excellence in service, cuisine and its unique ability to provide travelers with authentic experiences in ports of call made it a standout among our original Five Star Diamond honorees,” said AAHS president Joseph Cinque. ”Then the company introduced three new luxury vessels that quite simply reset the bar for what luxury cruise guests can expect, and that made them a natural choice to be among our first Six Star award-winners.”

Richard Meadows, Seabourn’s president, said “We are proud to be in such distinguished company. Our onboard service team has a well-deserved reputation and commitment to being the best, and for that reason they wear the Six Star Diamond insignia with pride.”

For the second year in a row, Seabourn’s intimate, luxury cruise ships sailed to the top of Condé Nast Traveler’s prestigious list of the world’s 100 best cruise ships, based on scores achieved in the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice poll. Seabourn’s fleet dominated the survey, occupying five of the top seven spots. Once again, Seabourn Odyssey was the highest-rated small cruise ship, with Seabourn Pride coming in second. Seabourn Sojourn ranked fourth, and Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Spirit rounded out the top seven. Seabourn Quest, which debuted to rave reviews in June of 2011, was not included in the poll but is a sister ship to the top rated Odyssey.

“These honors truly belong to Seabourn’s hardworking crew” said Richard Meadows, Seabourn’s president. “We’re extremely proud of them, and we know that these rankings are a direct result of the exceptional way they care for our guests.”

The list, published in the magazine’s February issue, outlines the scores of each ship in a variety of categories, including service, itineraries, food and dining, activities, design and layout, and more. Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Legend received the highest scores in three categories: 93.5 for design/layout, 97.1 for cabins, and 98.8 for food/dining, respectively.

We can’t say it enough: THANK YOU to our extraordinary staff for their hard work and dedication. We’re very honored to receive this recognition.

First-place awards and honors keep accumulating for Seabourn’s intimate all-suite ships in 2011.  Recent announcements by the editors of the twin Cruise Critic websites in the U.S. and U.K. confirm the opinions resulting from earlier readers’ polls at both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler naming Seabourn the best small-ship cruise line in the world. The readers of the popular consumer cruise magazine Porthole have also once again expressed their praises for Seabourn’s ships and accommodations. In addition, Seabourn’s fleet of six elegant ships also represents six of the ten highest scoring ships in the world, according to the ratings in the 2012 Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships.

“All of us are tremendously gratified by these honors” said Seabourn’s president, Richard Meadows. “We’re extremely proud of our hardworking crew who truly deserve the recognition for these awards.”  

The editors of Cruise Critic’s authoritative web presence have collectively spent thousands of days at sea on hundreds of cruise ships. So when they single out Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest as the “Best for Luxury,” they know whereof they speak. They also must have sampled the sublimities in quite a few shipboard spas before selecting Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest as being the “Best for Spa-Lovers.”  Cruise Critic’s U.K.-based sister site also selected Seabourn as representing the “Best of Luxury” for the second consecutive year.

The newly released December issue of Porthole magazine announced that its readers had named Seabourn Best Luxury Line, and Seabourn Quest as the Best Small Ship in its 13^th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards, and had also cited the fleet for offering the Best Accommodations afloat.

Douglas Ward, the longtime editor of Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, is renowned for the meticulous and detailed scoring system he uses to rate ships of all sizes and shapes. In the 2012 edition, he once again rates all of Seabourn’s ships five-stars-plus, and also includes all six of Seabourn’s vessels on a comprehensive list of the ten highest scoring ships overall.

For the second year in a row, Seabourn has been named the “Best Small-Ship Cruise Line” by readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the magazine’s 24^th annual Readers’ Choice Awards.  This is the third time in four years that the magazine’s well-traveled readers have recognized Seabourn as the best.

The honor is a testament to the line’s consistent ability to deliver exceptional vacations and outstanding service that attract and delight sophisticated, affluent travelers.  It is only the latest of many accolades the line has garnered over the years.  Most recently, Seabourn won its third consecutive “World’s Best Small-Ship Cruise Line” from readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. In addition, the line has been included on Condé Nast Traveler’s prestigious “Gold List” of top travel choices for 17 consecutive years from 1994, when the list first appeared, through 2011.

“Condé Nast Traveler readers are very discerning and experienced, and we’re exceptionally pleased that they named us the best once again,” said Seabourn President Richard Meadows.  “We’re gratified that the readers have again rewarded our dedicated and hard-working employees.  This award is for the entire team at Seabourn, all of whom strive every day to provide our guests with the very finest travel experiences at sea.”

John Delaney, Seabourn’s senior vice president of marketing and sales, attended the awards ceremony in New York City on Monday. Here is a photo of John at the event.

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

The readers of Travel + Leisure have ranked Seabourn the World’s Best Small-Ship Cruise Line for the third consecutive year. Seabourn achieved the highest score awarded to any cruise line, regardless of ship size category, according to the results of the magazine’s 2011 survey published in its August issue. It is the fourth time the line has won the award in five years.

The latest win underlines Seabourn’s remarkably consistent record of attracting and satisfying discerning, affluent travelers. Seabourn has also won Best Small-Ship Line honors from readers of Departures, and in the 2008 and 2010 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.

Seabourn president Richard Meadows noted that it is simply unprecedented for a shipboard staff to repeatedly win this award in the three years when the company added three new ships and tripled its capacity. He considers the awards a testament to the hard work and dedication of the crews in maintaining Seabourn’s highly personalized service standards during the fleet’s expansion.

They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and a tide of enthusiasm from cruise travelers has elevated our entire fleet to the top of Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s prestigious annual survey of its readers.

Seabourn was ranked above all other cruise ships, regardless of size, in the three all-important categories of Service, Food, and Accommodations in the 2011 edition of Condé Nast Traveler’s prestigious Gold List, published in the magazine’s January issue.  In the February issue, individual ship results show the 450-guest Seabourn Odyssey as the highest-rated cruise ship regardless of size. Odyssey’s smaller, 208-guest sisters Seabourn Spirit, Legend and Pride, are ranked number two, three and five respectively in the small-ship category. Odyssey’s twin sister, Seabourn Sojourn, debuted in June of 2010 and was not rated in the poll. Seabourn Legend, meanwhile, achieved the highest scores in several categories, including a perfect 100 for Crew/Service, 99.1 for Food/Dining and 97.4 for Schedule/Itineraries.

You can read more about the scores here: http://www.concierge.com/images/cnt/pdf/2011CruisePoll.pdf

“Scores like these would be an outstanding achievement under any circumstances,” noted Richard D. Meadows, Seabourn’s president. “But the fact that they were earned during a period of very rapid fleet expansion is a testament to the professionalism and passion of Seabourn’s onboard management and their staffs.”

Receiving such distinguished awards would not be possible without our stellar staff, who are 100% committed to providing lifelong travel memories for our guests.  We’re very honored for this recognition … THANK YOU!!!

We have more exciting news to share!  Our list of awards and accolades continues to grow!  The Spa at Seabourn aboard Seabourn Odyssey has received SpaFinder’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Award for “Favorite Spa on a Cruise Ship.” It is the largest spa on a luxury ship and offers luxurious pampering services at sea – relaxing treatments, a hydropool, two herbal steam rooms and two spacious Spa Villas.  It’s really no wonder why the Seabourn Odyssey spa is a fan favorite!

The awards and accolades continue to roll in for Seabourn! The editors of the websites CruiseCritic.com and CruiseCritic.co.uk have both singled out Seabourn for the 2010 Editors Pick awards in the luxury segment. Here is what they said about Seabourn and why they chose us as the “best.”

On the U.K. site, the editors cited Seabourn as Best for Luxury, noting that “Seabourn, renowned for its superb cuisine, service and small-ship ambience, has long been a contender in the best luxe category. With the debut of its new, slightly-larger Sojourn and Odyssey that build on its traditions while offering a more contemporary atmosphere, the line clearly sets the standard for luxury cruising.”

Editors on the U.S. site specifically identified Seabourn’s two newest yachts, Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Sojourn, as Best for Luxury, saying “Seabourn’s new Odyssey and Sojourn are the largest true luxury ships in cruising, and yet the size works. It allows for more on board choice — especially the fantastic Seabourn Square, a combination library, coffeeshop, bakery and social hub — and yet attention to detail in its cuisine, service and upscale yacht-like ambience, is impeccable.”

Thank you, Cruise Critic, for these honors! We’re very proud of the entire staff and the wonderful job they do every day!

Seabourn won the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Small Ship Cruise Line 2010 from Condé Nast Traveler

We have sure been cleaning up the awards circuit this year!  The latest honor?  Seabourn has once again been awarded one of the cruise industry’s most desirable honors: the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Small Ship Cruise Line 2010 from Condé Nast Traveler.  The prestigious award recognizes Seabourn’s intimate fleet as being at the top of its class in the magazine’s 23^rd annual survey of its readers.

The 2010 award marks the second time in three years that Condé Nast Traveler’s readers have selected Seabourn as the best. We have also earned a spot on Condé Nast Traveler’s coveted “Gold List” for 16 consecutive years from 1994-2010.

“We are very honored to receive this recognition from the readers of Condé Nast Traveler, which speaks high volumes about our staff and their commitment and passion to deliver a unique and personalized cruise experience to all of our guests,” said Seabourn President & CEO Pamela C. Conover.  “Ranking best in a competitive field during challenging times demonstrates the dedication of our employees to provide the finest, most rewarding experience on the seas,” she continued, “and we thank the readers of Condé Nast Traveler for singing the praises of our staff.”

We are so very proud of each and every Seabourn team member who has worked so hard to contribute to our success.  We are truly honored and humbled by this recognition, and we remain fully committed to continuing to provide the best travel experience at sea!

Pam was at Condé Nast’s awards ceremony last night to receive the honor and we will be sharing photos from the event very soon!