Seabourn Pride in Hong Kong

Here is a fantastic photo of Seabourn Pride arriving in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon.  Doesn’t it look like it was taken from a helicopter above the harbour?  Instead, our correspondent, Karen Sinclair, found the perfect spot with an excellent vantage point and snapped this shot of Pride sailing in to Tsim Sha Tsui, near the Star Ferry terminal.  Hong Kong has one of the world’s most beautiful skylines, and guests onboard ventured out on the decks to take in the stunning views of skyscrapers and towering buildings along the waterfront.  Guests enjoyed 24 hours in this bustling city before the yacht set sail for the next destinations: Vietnam and Thailand.

The city of Qingdao greeted Seabourn Pride with a warm and festive welcome featuring local bands and Chinese dancing lions.

Seabourn Pride made its maiden call at Qingdao, China, on the morning of Sunday, May 2, 2010, and docked at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, marking the first time a cruise vessel docked at the facility.  There was great fanfare in the city as local residents gathered around the marina to watch the yacht sail into their city.  Pride received a warm and celebratory welcome from city officials, and two local brass and drumming bands assembled on the pier, along with Chinese traditional dancing lions, to greet guests with a lively music performance representing the rich Chinese history and culture.

Seabourn Pride Captain Hamish Elliott and Hotel Manager Laurent Lalouer sent us several terrific pictures from Qingdao.

It was another day in paradise as Seabourn Pride visited the beautiful island of Ko Kood, Thailand.  The day couldn’t have been any better with gorgeous weather, a beautiful beach and a delicious barbeque meal. And best of all, guests delighted in Seabourn’s signature “Caviar in the Surf.” It was without a doubt a picture-perfect day in this private beach escape.

Halong Bay in Vietnam is considered one of the world’s natural wonders, with more than 1,900 islands rising out of the waters.  Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994, this is THE place to visit in Vietnam.  (more…)

What is this country, and who are these people that, from a standing far behind in the race, and greatly helped by our Western consumerism and technology, have fought their way ever closer to the front of the pack, and now are slated to play a dominant role in every conceivable way as this century progresses?  (more…)

Peter Cox

Peter A.M. Cox is Seabourn’s Director of Itinerary Planning and Development.  He is one of the most experienced, knowledgeable and insightful destination experts in the world. Originally from The Netherlands, Peter started his travel career as an enthusiastic amateur, hitchhiking across North Africa and traveling in Asia during the off-season from his summer jobs as a tour director in Europe. His itineraries included South America and the United States as well (he once spent three and a half months driving around the U.S. in an old Ford Falcon.) (more…)

Seabourn’s original three sister yachts, Seabourn Pride, Spirit, and Legend, are being treated to a multi-million dollar makeover over the next year.  The look and feel of the public rooms on each vessel will be enhanced with open and airy interiors, modern embellishments, and richly colored contemporary on-deck furnishings. Spirit just came out of drydock with all the changes made, and Pride and Legend will have their turns next year. (more…)

Today, Seabourn announced that it will not operate a planned five-month, 15-cruise series of voyages in the Indian Ocean aboard Seabourn Legend in late 2010 and early 2011. The vessel will instead be positioned back to the Americas at the end of its Mediterranean season to cruise in the Caribbean for the winter. (more…)

Spin the globe and stop it with your finger – chances are The Yachts of Seabourn go where it lands in 2010-2011.  It’s the most extensive and diverse year yet. Cruises now can be viewed at www.seabourn.com. A cruise catalogue will be published in April.

With the addition of Seabourn Odyssey in June 2009 and Seabourn Sojourn in June 2010, Seabourn can explore more far-flung ports of call, such as Palopo on Sulawesi; Zanzibar; and Madagascar. (more…)

We have said before that Seabourn enjoys a very high rate of repeat guest bookings. People tell us that one of the reasons they return again and again is the personalized style of service they receive. That is sort of hard to describe in general terms, so we thought it might be easier for those who haven’t been on board a Seabourn yacht to post some great stories. (more…)