On Sunday evening, February 19, Seabourn Odyssey was sailing the Pacific Ocean some 150 miles southwest of Pago Pago, America Samoa, when the portside bridge watch spotted something in the distance. Captain Mark Dexter found no missing vessel reports, but wondered why this boat would be so far from land. He deviated from his course to investigate further and spotted a small boat adrift some miles away from the ship. As they drew closer, they saw three men jumping and frantically waving their clothing, clearly trying to catch the attention of Seabourn Odyssey. The ship deployed one of its rescue boats and, after determining that they were no threat, rescued three fishermen who had been lost at sea for nearly three weeks! The crew transferred them to the rescue boat and took them to the ship, where they were immediately checked out by the ship’s doctor. While they were dehydrated, hungry and had a few skin sores from the sun, the three men were in surprisingly good health considering they had been drifting at sea for weeks.

They shared their story that evening: they set out to sea from Apia in Western Samoa in early February with the goal of bringing back a chest full of fresh seafood. Unfortunately, they ran out of fuel and drifted further and further away, surviving on their catch of fish and rain water. They had no distress flares, nor any means of radio communication other than a cell phone. Days turned into weeks and they saw no ships until Seabourn Odyssey. They could only hope that the ship would see them and luckily, it did. If Odyssey had been passing in darkness an hour later, the ending might have been tragically different.

The fishermen gave the ship a contact for their employer. When the ship gave him the news, he burst into tears. The men’s families had given up hope and were preparing funerals for them, believing them lost at sea. Those plans have obviously changed and they will be preparing a festive “welcome home” celebration instead!  Seabourn Odyssey contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, which had stopped searching for the missing men, assuming the boat had sunk. The ship arrived in Pago Pago the next morning and the fortunate men were turned over to authorities, who assisted in transferring them home to Western Samoa the following day.

During the rescue efforts, Captain Dexter kept his guests informed of the situation. They were so moved by the men’s ordeal that they opened their hearts and wallets. When the fishermen disembarked in Pago Pago, they each received $800, collected from among the guests–money that they can use to purchase a new boat. What an incredibly thoughtful gesture from our guests!

Thanks to the watchful eyes of Seabourn Odyssey’s bridge watch, and the curiosity of Captain Dexter, the three fishermen were saved and will live to tell their terrifying tale. This is the second rescue involving a Seabourn ship in less than a year. It is another example of the amazing skills of our seagoing staff and the timeless code of seamen to look out for each other, which does not change from generation to generation. As the Coast Guard captain put it: “the PV Seabourn Odyssey and its crew deserve a Bravo Zulu for securing these fishermen’s lives!”

The rescue boat approaches the fishermen.

A small boat in the world’s largest ocean.

Safe and sound! They’re never letting go of those water bottles!

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.

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 new Seabourn Quest will embark on a 116-day World Cruise in 2013, visiting an array of exotic destinations in the South Pacific, Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and the Mediterranean.  The ship will depart Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on January 6, 2013, and traverse the globe westbound, arriving in Venice, Italy on May 3, 2013.

Travelers sailing on the entire World Cruise will visit 51 ports in 27 countries on six continents. They’ll have the chance to see world famous marquee ports and hidden gems, and can also overnight in some of the world’s greatest cities.  The itinerary also includes a number of destinations that are either maiden calls or ports that the line has not visited in years, such as Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji; Kuto, Ile des Pins and Nouméa, Grande Terre in New Caledonia and Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

We’re pleased to offer a value-packed menu of complimentary benefits and amenities for full world cruise guests, including:

• A pre-cruise Gala Bon Voyage event and luxury overnight stay in Ft. Lauderdale
• Special shoreside events and exclusive complimentary shore excursions
• Personal Valet luggage shipping service of up to 150 pounds
• Shipboard credits of $2,500 per guest
• Private car transfers, including door-to-door from the guests’ homes
• Complimentary round-trip business class air or $2,500 air credit
• Onboard gala celebrations
• A variety of special gifts.

Rates for the full 116-day world cruise begin at $49,640 per person, based on double occupancy.  For guests who cannot sail on the entire 116-day voyage, shorter segments ranging from 21 to 90 days are also available, with rates starting at $11,350 per person, based on double occupancy, that also include certain complimentary amenities.  Check out the entire 116-day itinerary here.

Have you ever sailed on a Seabourn World Cruise?  What is your most memorable experience?

If you’re making travel plans for the end of this year or early next year and still deciding where to go, here is a suggestion: South America.  Between October 2011 and January 2012, Seabourn Sojourn will sail around this continent on a series of cruises, including two 17-day Treasures of the Inca Coast voyages between Ft. Lauderdale and Valparaiso, Chile, and six 14-day Patagonian Passage voyages to the picturesque Chilean Fjords, Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands between Valparaiso and Buenos Aires, Argentina.  This continent is filled with stunning natural beauty, classic colonial cities, majestic ancient monuments, and exciting adventures that will undoubtedly leave visitors with unforgettable memories and experiences they’ll cherish forever.

One of the highlights is the famed Torres del Paine National Park, located in Chilean Patagonia.  A designated UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, the park centers around an alpine massif of three imposing granite towers, reaching more than 10,000 feet, together with several lesser horns formed of black shale, and a variety of glaciers, lakes, and wild rivers. Here is a snapshot of the park taken earlier this year.

There is so much more to see and experience on this beautiful continent, and we hope you’ll be able to join us on one of our voyages this year!  Stay tuned for more posts about South America!

Have you seen our new 2012-2013 catalogue yet? You can now view “The Cruise Collection” online and start planning your Seabourn vacation!  As you peruse through the colorful brochure, you can save pages as favorites, print out pages or sections, and even email the entire brochure or just pages you’re interested in. You can also share information from the catalogue on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out our e-brochure here.

We’re very pleased to announce that we have created a dedicated team of sales and reservations specialists in Sydney, Australia.  This is in response to a growing volume of travel agencies selling its ultra-luxury cruises to upscale Australian travelers, and the new office will enable our team to better provide Australians with the sort of individualized attention that has made us an icon of exceptional service.

You can read more about our new Australia office here: http://www.seabourn.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=97

It’s time to start planning a Seabourn cruise for 2012 and 2013!  We have released “The Cruise Collection,” a new 148-page catalogue detailing 212 luxury voyages during 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. Using a refreshing new look and feel, the catalogue provides full details on voyages of seven to over 100 days, visiting more than 379 ports – 50 of which are maiden calls – in 103 countries across six continents.

One of the newest components of the catalogue is a separate pull-out pricing guide, which serves as a convenient reference of fares for all Seabourn cruises published in the brochure.  Removing the pricing grids from the catalogue’s itinerary pages also leaves space for more and larger lifestyle and destination photographs, as well as a “highlights” box that provides extra details about each cruise. Inserted in a pocket on the back cover, the guide lists the fares by ship, itinerary and suite category, and offers helpful information to assist guests in planning for their voyages.

“The Cruise Collection” introduces a number of new itineraries offered during 2012 and 2013, including new Seabourn Spirit 10-day itineraries sailing round trip from Venice to the best of the Adriatic and Dalmatian coasts. Seabourn Spirit’s sister ship, Seabourn Legend, will offer two different, 10-day itineraries between Rome (Civitavecchia) and Monte Carlo, exploring many fascinating ports along the French and Italian Rivieras.  Also new is a series of cruises exploring the diverse and stunning lands of Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia aboard Seabourn Odyssey.

Seabourn’s ships will call at a bevy of new ports in the Mediterranean including Rosas, Spain; Porto Torres and Alghero on Sardinia; Mgarr on the Maltese island of Gozo; San Antonio on Ibiza; Sóller on Mallorca and Ciutadella on Menorca. In the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Lemnos and Chania are added ports in the Greek Isles, while Cesme, Sinop and Iskenderun are new ports in Turkey. The line will also add Larnaca on Cyprus.

In the Caribbean, Seabourn Spirit will operate two new seven-day voyages between St. Maarten and Barbados, combinable for a luxurious 14-day Southern Caribbean experience. Meanwhile, Seabourn Legend will offer Caribbean cruises round trip from Ft. Lauderdale, and round trip from St. Thomas.  In South America, Seabourn Sojourn will start 2012 with a series of Patagonian cruises and operate a pair of early 2013 cruises that will explore the natural beauty of the Amazon.

The newest ship in the fleet, Seabourn Quest, will depart January 6, 2013 on a 116-day World Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice via the South Pacific, Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and the Mediterranean.

To order a copy of “The Cruise Collection,” please visit our website: http://www.seabourn.com/contactUs/RequestBrochure.action.

Seabourn shipboard staff members are very likely to recognize the couple in the pictures below. That’s because Mr. Eric Cass and his wife Mrs. Jean Cass have accumulated 2500 days sailing on board Seabourn ships. In case you haven’t done the maths, that’s nearly seven years of Seabourn days and nights. Much of that time has been enjoyed on board Seabourn Pride, and they chose Pride again to celebrate their attaining that milestone on June 25, 2011 with their seagoing family. Captain Ian McNaught and Hotel Manager Laurent Lalouer presented the Casses with an engraved Tiffany silver tray in Pride’s Constellation Lounge, along with the sincere thanks and affection of all of Seabourn’s staff.

Mr. Eric and Mrs. Jean Cass pose with their trophy in the Constellation lounge.

Celebration in the Constellation: L-R -- Chief Engineer David O’Hara, Captain Ian McNaught, Mr. Cass, Mrs. Cass, Staff Captain Einar Westad and Hotel Manager Laurent Lalouer

We invite you to visit Seabourn’s newly re-designed YouTube Channel, featuring a new background image of our highly-popular “Caviar in the Surf” experience. The channel also includes five never-before-seen short videos highlighting “The Seabourn Difference” — offerings and amenities that set Seabourn apart from other options: gourmet cuisine, the suite life, gracious and intuitive service, variety of activities, and the Spa at Seabourn.

On Seabourn’s YouTube Channel you’ll also find “Welcome to Seabourn,” a nearly eight-minute video that provides an overall look and feel of the Seabourn cruising experience, plus two videos from the recently-launched Seabourn Quest — one on the naming ceremony and another offering a look inside the ship and introducing several ship’s officers and Seabourn executives.  While you’re there, you can compare the naming ceremony videos from the introductions of Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Sojourn.

We encourage you to subscribe to our channel to receive the latest Seabourn videos. We hope you enjoy our redesigned YouTube page and the videos!