It seems like a few of our sisters have been meeting up with each other lately. Earlier this year, Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Spirit had a dinner date in St. Kitts, while Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Quest met up last month in Safaga, Egypt. And just a few days ago, sister ships Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Legend rendezvoused in Livorno, Italy.

In true Seabourn style, the hotel directors of both ships put their heads together to organize a special “Welcome Back” experience for their guests returning from the full-day tours. They rolled out the red carpet and the bands from both ships played as one.

“Both teams gave our guests a wonderful ‘Seabourn Moment,’” said Seabourn Legend Hotel Director Nick Burger.

Together again in Livorno!

Seabourn Legend Hotel Director Nick Burger and Seabourn Pride Hotel Director Philip Reutener give their teams four thumbs up!

The talented bands from both ships welcome guests back to the ships.

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.

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.

Seabourn Pride Hotel Director Nick Burger sent us these great photos of the ship transiting the Corinth Canal earlier this month. The ship was on her way from Europe to Asia. Nick went ashore and positioned himself on a bridge to snap the perfect shot. As the ship sailed through the canal, Cruise Director Jan Stearman led the guests in a cheerful roar to greet him!

Seabourn Pride sails through the Corinth Canal.

Everybody say “HI!!”

A distinctive sculpture decorating the pier in Copenhagen inspired Seabourn Pride’s deck crew and officers to put their heads together for the good of the team. Staff Captain Kai Odegard sent us the picture, along with the advice that “Seabourn Pride’s staff are always thinking about new ways to make our guests’ experiences better!”

Putting their heads together: The Pride Deck Team pondering on the pier.

On August 26, 2012, on the second to last day of the cruise, Seabourn Pride made its maiden call to Faaborg, Denmark. The good people of Faaborg gave the ship a very warm welcome, greeting them with a gun salute, followed by a parade with famous characters such as Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.

“The people of Faaborg certainly know how to welcome and made both guests and crew of Seabourn Pride feel special,” said Seabourn Pride Cruise Sales Specialist Sara Ferreira. “Some guests said that this greeting was the perfect ending of a great cruise.”

Faaborg salutes Seabourn Pride!

A group of locals dressed as Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and characters from his popular children’s books welcome Seabourn Pride guests.

This summer Seabourn Pride has been making calls to Ronne on the lovely little Danish island of Bornholm. Bornholm is famous throughout Scandinavia for its succulent smoked herring. So a place with a lot of smokehouses seemed like a place that might have an occasional need of fire extinguishers. Coincidentally, Seabourn Pride received its complement of new dry powder type extinguishers, and Safety and Environmental Officer Stefan Tsvetkov found a home for the old water-type extinguishers with the Ronne Fire Department, who were thrilled to receive 64 extinguishers in good working order.

Seabourn Pride SENVO Stefan Tsvetkov hands over the extinguishers to the Ronne firefighters.

Loading up the extinguishers.

Here are two beautiful photos of the midnight sun shining on Seabourn Pride when the ship was near Arbogen and Evenskjer, Norway, last month. You probably thought this was in the middle of the day but actually, these photos were taken at approximately 11:20 p.m.!  A friend of Seabourn Quest Captain Geir-Arne Thue-Nilsen snapped these pictures and kindly sent them to us.

Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Sojourn shared some quality time together in St. Petersburg, Russia recently. The two ships were both advantageously docked at the English Embankment, bringing their guests in close proximity to the city’s main attractions. Guests also enjoyed the city’s famous summer “White Nights.” Seabourn Pride Cruise Sales Specialist Beate Zaderer sent a picture along to mark the occasion.

Sisters Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Pride snuggle up in St. Petersburg

Seabourn Pride welcomed some early admirers back on board in February when Mr. Knut and Mrs. Lise Nilssen embarked at Singapore.  With over 200 days and 17 cruises since 2000 on five different Seabourn ships (including Seabourn Sun), they are familiar friends to many of our Seabourn staff.  However, Hotel Manager Engelbert  Lainer-Wartenberg  got his first look at the distinctive jackets that the Nilssens bring every time they sail on Seabourn.  The jackets were a memento of their first Seabourn voyage, which was also Seabourn’s very first voyage—the departure of the newly-built Seabourn Pride from Bremerhaven, Germany to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1988.

Mr. and Mrs. Nilssen in their Seabourn Pride Maiden Voyage jackets, with Seabourn Pride Hotel Manager Engelbert Lainer-Wartenberg.