Seabourn…Small Ships, Big Experience
14/01/2016Free flowing champagne, massage moments poolside, complimentary pre-dinner cocktails with canapés and gourmet dining accompanied by fine wines, delivered with unmatched service that is personal and attentive. This is Seabourn – renowned worldwide for their service, cuisine and ultra-luxury ships.
It is no surprise that they hold a plethora of awards recognising this. They have just been awarded the Conde Nast Readers’ Award for Best Small Ship Cruise Line 2015. Over the last decade, this ultra-luxury line has dominated the category.
Odyssey, Sojourn, and Quest are often referred to as “game changers” in the ultra-luxury category. At 32,000 tonnes they are not that small, and a ship of this size configured like a normal cruise ship would cater for around 800 – 1,000 guests.
As a Seabourn ship, they carry a mere 450 guests and the three ships are all ranked among the world’s top 10 cruise ships. At the end of 2016, they are soon to be joined by Seabourn’s new-build – Seabourn Encore carrying some 600 guests. Encore will boast an additional deck, enhanced dining options and every suite will have a balcony.
The atmosphere onboard is elegant yet casual, intimate yet convivial; the service is sincere yet unobtrusive. Tipping is neither required nor expected, something that sets Seabourn apart. Guests relax in spacious, all-suite style accommodation with sweeping ocean views and most (all on Encore) with full balconies. These thoughtfully appointed suites are designed as ‘homes-away from home’ with space and ease and comfort in mind.
Seabourn’s gourmet cuisine is of the finest quality – fresh and innovative. With a smaller number of guests to cater for, the chefs can shop locally (and guests can join the chefs for an onshore excursion ‘shopping with the chef’). Seabourn offers a range of dining options which are casual, elegant casual, and formal, and there is no charge for any dining onboard. Guests enjoy a full open bar throughout the ship and complimentary mini bar in their suite.
A new association with Michelin star chef, Thomas Keller, is proving to be very newsworthy. Exceptional cuisine runs deep in Seabourn’s DNA, and they have a long term commitment to fine dining. There are already a number of culinary offerings beyond their award-winning restaurants, including appearances by guest chefs, and the innovative “Shopping with the Chef” program. This is now being enhanced, as dining is set to reach new heights in the cruise industry with Seabourn’s recent announcement of a partnership with world-renowned American Chef, Keller. Keller is the culinary genius behind a trio of Michelin-starred restaurants – Per Se, The French Laundry and Bouchon. He will bring his award-winning French and American cuisine to Seabourn menus adding new flavours and flair to complement the already celebrated cuisine onboard. This is not just a “linking of arms” with a celebrity chef – Seabourn and Keller have entered into a true collaborative partnership whereby the Seabourn chefs will spend time training with Keller.
“There is an inherent alignment of our philosophies, which makes our collaboration with Seabourn an exciting new opportunity for our restaurant group. We look forward to sharing best practices and our repertoire with Seabourn’s outstanding culinary team” said Thomas Keller, Chef/Proprietor Thomas Keller Group.
Seabourn’s reputation also encompasses innovative and well-crafted itineraries ensuring guests return again and again. These small ships offer fantastic options to cruise to small ports of call inaccessible to the big ships. Cruising worldwide and with a focus for Europe during the Northern Hemisphere summer, Antarctica & Patagonia during the Northern Hemisphere winter as well as a return to Alaska in 2017 Seabourn provides some very unique and special cruise experiences for new guests and past guests of this ultra-luxury cruise line.
Further information and the latest brochure contact Seabourn New Zealand – Cruise World on 0800 500 732
