We’re happy to share several recent photos of several of our ships at sea. To see more pictures, visit our “Postcards from Sea” photo album on our Facebook page. Enjoy!

Beautiful blue skies greeted Seabourn Pride when the ship visited Mahon on the Balearic island of Menorca earlier this week. Here is magnificent photo sent by Captain Sean Whalley.

Seabourn Sojourn is seen against the Boston skyline earlier this month.

Last week, Seabourn Spirit and Holland America Line’s Ryndam were in Kotor, Montenegro, on the same day. Brandi Johnson, Ryndam’s human resources manager, was kind enough to share this picture of both ships with us!

Here is a beautiful photo of Seabourn Sojourn in Quebec, Canada. Thanks to Marco van Belleghem, hotel manager of Holland America Line’s Eurodam, for sharing this with us!

The holidays are less than three months away and we’re sure many of you are already thinking about where to celebrate.  Many will stay home with loved ones.  Some will travel to visit family.  However, if there is anyone who wants to escape the holiday stress and being pampered, we suggest taking a Seabourn cruise during this festive season.

The holiday spirit is definitely in the air aboard the ships, with each one adorned with holiday decorations, from gingerbread houses and menorahs to trees and garland.  Our staff prepares delicious traditional holiday meals, eggnog and delightful sweet treats.  They consider guests to be their second family and no doubt, they will ensure guests have the best holidays on the cruise.  Most importantly, staff will make sure guests feel like they are home away from home.

Not only will our guests enjoy holiday cheer onboard, they will also sail to several fascinating destinations around the globe.  Here are just a few of the exciting places our ships will visit:

Seabourn Spirit will operate a 14-day Costa Rica, Panama & Belize cruise departing Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, on Dec. 23, 2011.  On Christmas Day, guests will enjoy the day in Quepos, Costa Rica, where they can explore the rainforest, opt for an adventurous zipline excursion or discover the area on their own!

Seabourn Odyssey will sail on a 16-day Panama Canal voyage departing Dec. 20, 2011, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.  Five days later, the ship will transit the Panama Canal — now that will certainly be a unique way to spend Christmas!

Further south, Seabourn Sojourn will be cruising both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans around South America.  On Dec. 19, 2011, the ship will depart Buesnos Aires, Argentina, on a 15-day Patagonia Holiday cruise. Guests will enjoy a relaxing day at sea on Christmas Day, en route to Ushuaia, Argentina.

You can find the holiday itineraries for the rest of our fleet on our website.  We hope to welcome you aboard our ships during the holidays!

We’re happy to share our latest Facebook photo album with you. “Postcards from Sea,” contains snapshots from our ships at sea and in ports all over the globe.  Our fans will see pictures of cruising Seabourn-style, the exotic destinations we visit, and the many unique experiences we offer both on board and ashore.  We’ll also share photos of our crew, many of whom have become good friends with our fans during a previous Seabourn cruise.

“Postcards from Sea” already contains some amazing shots from the ships, including a beautiful sunset shot in the South Pacific, photos of Seabourn Quest meeting up with Seabourn Legend for the first time this year, and pictures of UNESCO World Heritage site of Borobudur near Semarang, Indonesia.  Here are just a few photos in “Postcards at Sea.”  To see more pictures, please visit our Facebook page here.

We hope “Postcards from Sea” will bring back good memories to guests who have sailed with us in the past. At the same time, we hope our fans will be enticed to join us on a future cruise!  We also welcome fans to share their photos of their Seabourn cruises on our Facebook page, or email them to us directly to community@seabourn.com and we’ll include them in the album.

Staff Captain Sigurd Darbakk and Captain Mark Dexter watch the sunset over the island of Moorea after Seabourn Odyssey leaves Papeete.

Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Quest meet at sea.

Guests approach the UNESCO World Heritage site of Borobudur (near Semarang, Indonesia).

A lovely photo of Seabourn Odyssey in Kotor, Montenegro.

Earlier this week, Seabourn Spirit met up with her big sister, Seabourn Sojourn, in the Ionian Sea.  Guests and crew came out on deck and waved to each other as the ships sailed past each other.  Seabourn Spirit Cruise Director Nick Hale hopped on the rescue boat and took these pictures of the rendezvous.  It will be a while before the sisters meet again, as Seabourn Sojourn will be sailing in Northern Europe and Seabourn Spirit will be in the Mediterranean this summer. So long for now!

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!!!

Seabourn Spirit is currently sailing in some of the most exotic locations in the world, visiting many off-the-beaten path locales in Indonesia and Asia.  One of the most awe-inspiring stops is Semarang, Indonesia, an ideal gateway to the majestic monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Borobudur.  Built between the 8^th and 9^th centuries with more than 2 million cubic feet of stone, Borodubur is the largest religious complex in the world. This man-made marvel is an ancient Buddhist site with immense stupas and statues, surrounded by jungle and encircled by active and dormant volcanoes.

Borodubur is a definite “must-do”, and guests sailing on our Indonesian cruises can take a shore excursion to visit this mystical site.  Seabourn Spirit Destinations Services Manager Nicola Kenny sent us a couple of pictures from a recent visit to Borodubur.

It’s not everyday you get to walk around and underneath a cruise ship.  Members of the Seabourn Spirit housekeeping staff did just that when the ship was recently in drydock in Singapore.  Here is a great photo of the team with the ship in the background.

From the entire Seabourn family — both at sea and ashore — we would like to wish all of our readers and guests a very happy holiday season.  We hope the new year will bring you joy and take you on new journeys and travels across the globe!

Two weeks aboard Seabourn Spirit in the Mediterranean … don’t you wish you were on-board?  But for now, you can live vicariously through Dr. Irene S. Levine, who recently sailed aboard the yacht off the coast of Croatia and Italy.

One of the best parts of her cruise?  The service provided by the dedicated staff.  “Personal service was, indeed, the hallmark of our experience.”

Read about her Seabourn experience here