On the evening of July 4^th, Seabourn Sojourn threaded the narrow entry to the tiny Trollfjord, a two-km-long side branch of the Raft Sound that snakes between the Lofoten Islands and the Vesteraalen islands. The entry is just 100 meters wide, and nearly invisible until you are just in front of it.

The entry requires a tight turn and there is an apocryphal story about a captain who was giving a tour of the fjords to a member of the European royalty. As he steamed confidently toward the apparently sheer granite cliff, a nervous royal bodyguard drew and cocked his pistol and held it to the captain’s head. Once the opening came into view, and the captain began his turn into the breathtaking fjord, the bodyguard quietly un-cocked the pistol and put it away.

Because it is so narrow and the peaks are so high on either side, it is a high point of the journey along the inside passage of Western Norway. Note the sunlight shining on the peaks—this is 10:30 PM!  Thanks to Assistant Maitre d’Hotel Arek Przytula for the photos.

In the Hall of the Mountain King

Threading the fjord

Little House on the Fjord: not much to speak of, but the driveway is awesome!

On the longest day of the year, Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Quest met in passing at the island of Lipari in Italy. Seabourn Quest’s Cruise Sales Specialist Sara Ferreira sent us these pictures of Seabourn Legend. She commented: “Today Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Quest meet each other in Lipari – Italy. Unfortunately they were too far apart to get a picture of both, but we were able to get the attached photos when the Legend passed right by the Quest. Was great to see crew and guests waving to each other as true family.”

The Hot Chocolate on a Stick that we showed you last month is making its way aboard the Seabourn fleet. Culinary and Beverage Operations Manager Bjoern Wassmuth introduced it on Seabourn Sojourn in May, holding a formal tasting event in Seabourn Square for sweet-toothed staff members.  Once it was made available, the tasty treat was welcomed warmly (sorry!) by enthusiastic guests. Fifty cups were ordered the first day.

Eight cups and four stripes. The tasting was the most popular muster of the month.

Stirred, not shaken: Bjoern demonstrates the technique to Hotel Manager Hubert Buelacher; Bjoern Wassmuth; Public Room Manager Bogdan Crnobrnja; F&B Manager Bozidar Copic; Executive Chef Andrew Soddy; Restaurant Manager Craig Coulson.

Seabourn Sojourn is cruising the Fjords of Norway, and Cruise Sales Specialist Pierre van Breda sent us a few photos of the region’s stunning scenery. According to Pierre, “the scenery is amazing – snow-capped mountains with lush green pastures at the bottom and then the gorgeous sun has been making for some beautiful scenic cruising.” Enjoy these photos from Olden!

Here is a “bird’s eye view” of Seabourn Spirit when she was in beautiful Venice last week. Thank you to Captain David Bathgate for sending us this great photo!

One busy evening in Seattle, our manager of Culinary Operations, Bjoern Wassmuth, was stuck in a major traffic jam on his way home. He and his carpooling colleagues were not moving at all, so instead of sitting idly in the car, they went to a local pizza restaurant to wait for the traffic to ease. It was a charming mom-and-pop restaurant and according to Bjoern, it served some of the best pizza he’s ever had!

“It was real Italian pizza,” he said. What made it so delicious? The crust.

Always thinking about new dishes and recipes for the Seabourn ships, Bjoern asked the restaurant owner what kind of flour they used and turns out, it’s pizza flour all the way from Italy. So, he ordered a batch and did a pizza tasting at the test kitchen in Seabourn headquarters. Bjoern molded the dough, tossed it in the air and topped each pizza with a variety of tasty toppings – prosciutto, mushrooms, basil and more. The critical part of the process was knowing how much water to the flour.

“I played with the liquid content to get the crust just right,” Bjoern said. “Pizza flour from Europe is very different from American flour so it’s important to add the right amount of water to make the crust perfect.”

It certainly worked. Six pizzas later, the judges – which included several executives with a hearty appetite – were all smiles and gave two thumbs up to the delicious pizza.

It’s a good thing Bjoern was caught in the traffic jam that day. He discovered a new source for a key ingredient for one our most popular dishes onboard!

Up in the air!

Covered in tomato sauce

Voilà!! The finished product!

June 4, 2011 marked the first anniversary of Seabourn Sojourn’s naming in London. Since the day corresponded to the welcome Gala Dinner on board this year, Captain Hamish Elliott decided to make celebration of it. We’ll let him tell it in his own words:

Good morning.

I’d like to share a few pictures with you for the Seabourn Signal. On June 4^th, Seabourn Sojourn celebrated a year in service since her naming on June 4, 2010. As this coincided with the Welcome Gala on our current cruise I took the opportunity to present some of the crew who have been with the Seabourn Sojourn for the whole 12 months. We have well over 100 crew members who were present at the delivery and start-up of this ship, and these are the people who have really helped make Seabourn Sojourn what she is today – one of the finest ships afloat! Unfortunately, some were not able to attend as someone has to work! After a short film showing the construction of the ship, the crew was presented to huge applause in the Grand Salon. A toast was made to a successful first year and many more to come. We also had a birthday cake on display at the entrance to the main restaurant and special dessert featured on the menu. Finally, of course, as well as the crew, we have one very special passenger who was with us at the naming and is still going strong. Mrs. Alene Witzke was also mentioned and pictured with Hotel Manager Hubert Buelacher and myself. All pictures were taken by Paul Charlsey, our Personnel and Training Manager.

 

Capt. Hamish Elliott presents the start-up crew from Sojourn's first year.

Sojourn's First Birthday Cake by Pastry Chef Silvia Daetwiler.

 

Sojourn Hotel Manager Hubert Beulacher, Mrs. Alene Witzke and Capt. Hamish Elliott at Sojourn's Birthday Party.

On May 2, Seabourn and Holland America held a celebration to welcome new Seabourn staff to the Seattle office and recognize employees who are supporting the transition efforts. Employees who relocated to Seattle from Miami were greeted with welcome baskets full of Northwest-themed gifts including local travel books, chocolates and coffee. Here are some photos from the special celebration!

John Delaney, senior vice president, Seabourn Marketing & Sales, presents Karen Sinclair, director, Seabourn Marketing Communications, with a welcome basket.

Members of the executive team spent time chatting with employees during the celebration. From left: John Delaney, senior vice president, Seabourn Marketing & Sales; Stein Kruse, chairman, Seabourn and, president & chief executive officer, Holland America Line; Richard D. Meadows, president, Seabourn, and executive vice president, Marketing, Sales and Guest Programs, Holland America Line.

Some of the Seabourn employees who moved from Miami and were able to attend the event gather for a photo. Front row: Karen Sinclair, director, Marketing Communications; Olav Torvund, director, Technical Systems; Ove Olsen, technical superintendent; Rick Meadows, president. Second row: Tim Littley, director, Itinerary Development; Chris Prelog, director, Hotel Operations; John Cook, product manager; Bruce Good, director, Public Relations; John Delaney, senior vice president, Seabourn Marketing & Sales.

John Delaney and team serve up some delicious cake for attendees. In photo from left: John Delaney; Trina Holm, administrative assistant, Seabourn Marketing; Patty Desharnais, administrative assistant, Seabourn Marketing & Sales; Peggy McNeil, sales specialist, Seabourn.

Photos are courtesy of Steve Schimmelman.

Earlier this week, our sister company, Carnival Cruise Lines, introduced the Carnival Magic during a festive and magical naming ceremony in Venice.  The new ship represents the 100th vessel in the Carnival Corporation & plc fleet – a remarkable and extraordinary achievement for the company.

On April 29, all guests sailing aboard Carnival Corporation & plc’s 100 ships enjoyed a complimentary champagne toast at dinner to commemorate this historic and unprecedented milestone.  All told, more than 227,000 guests across the company’s 10 cruise brands participated in the toast, believed to be the largest celebration of its kind at sea.

Seabourn was very proud to be a part of this celebration.  In addition to the champagne toast, our talented pastry teams created a special, signature dessert in honor of this momentous occasion.  Here are just a few pictures of the tasty desserts. Check out more photos on our Facebook page and tell us which one you like the most! www.facebook.com/seabourn.

Seabourn Sojourn

Seabourn Pride

Seabourn Odyssey

Seabourn Legend

As promised, here are some more pictures of Seabourn Quest from the shipyard.  Take a look at two of our most popular spots, The Colonnade and Seabourn Square.  They may be empty now but before you know it, both of these rooms will be filled with guests and brimming with enthusiasm and activity!

Up Close with Seabourn Quest

Seabourn Quest

The Colonnade

Seabourn Square