A few words from Jack E. Mannix, CTC, president and CEO, Ensemble Travel Group…

Ensemble Travel Group is bullish on The Yachts of Seabourn because Seabourn shares the same priority as our network of nearly 900 expert premium- and luxury-focused travel agencies in the U.S. and Canada – and that’s you, the customer and guest.
We are both committed to exceeding customers’ expectations. Ensemble Travel Group accomplishes this through strong personal relationships and by offering clients a lineup of standout products and programs. (more…)

Gerry Ellis, Seabourn’s director of compliance, has announced that The Yachts of Seabourn has successfully achieved certification of its environmental management system under the ISO 14001 regime designed and maintained by the International Organization for Standardization. (more…)

Blog correspondent Chief Engineer Neil Carney sent some more photos taken during Odyssey’s time in the drydock. As he told us, at that time most of Seabourn Odyssey’s below-the-waterline equipment was installed while she was “high and dry.”  In the first photo below, you see a view of Seabourn Odyssey that you’re unlikely to ever see again, showing the beautiful new five-blade propellers, the rudders and the all-important propeller shafts. (more…)

Our shipyard correspondent Chief Engineer Neil Carney has filed an update on the engines pictured in an earlier report. Those, as you may recall, were destined for the second Seabourn sister: Seabourn Sojourn.

“I write this as an update to both my blog of 3rd Nov’08 – Seabourn Sojourn’s (MAR063) Wartsila Engine FAT’s and what’s just happening in Port Nogaro with those engines. I also hope it answers the interest raised in the comment written by Wayne E Porter to that blog report.” (more…)

Matthew Upchurch

Most Seabourn  guests book through travel agents, and a number of those agents are members of a network of travel advisors  called Virtuoso. We asked Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, to tell us how Seabourn matches up with the Virtuoso philosophy and also what he is looking forward to with the launch of Seabourn Odyssey. Here is his answer: (more…)

Ryan Wahlstrom of Cruise Market Watch has named Seabourn Odyssey as one of the Top 5 Cruise Ships for 2009.

“Guests will feel special and cared for by everything from scented Pure Pampering baths drawn by the stewardess to an intimately shared Caviar on the Surf beach party.  The Odyssey will maintain Seabourn’s famous industry highest crew to guest ratio.”

We are proud to see that Odyssey is generating so much buzz! Thanks to Ryan for recognizing us.

Check out this photo of Seabourn Odyssey leaving the dry dock with a fresh coat of white paint!! She has really come a long way, (both literally and figuratively.) If you are wondering who the fellow in the picture is, it’s our own Odyssey Blog Correspondent Neil Carney.

Seabourn has always utilized eco-friendly practices, and Odyssey will surpass all previous standards. For instance,  advanced technology allows us to forgo conventional oil-lubricated stern tubes and shaft seals for Thorden water-lubricated bearings (as seen above in the “I” & “V” Bracket photo’s and a ManeSeal from Wartsila/Deep Sea Seals.) Using water-lubricated bearings removes any chance of any oil leakage/pollution if the stern tube was damaged – as there is NO oil. We simply pump “seawater” to lubricate the bearings, which is possible due to the special material the bearings are made from. (more…)

Did you know that Facebook has several groups dedicated to Seabourn?  One group, Seabourn Guests, is a community where friends can share stories and experiences. Visit Facebook to visit these and other Seabourn groups. It’s a great way for us to all keep in touch!