Seabourn Sojourn Heads Off on Maiden Voyage

LONDON, June 9, 2010 -- The tables on the Seabourn Sojourn were set. Silverware, from Sambonet, and wine glasses, from Schottzwiesel, were meticulously arranged, and napkins crisply folded. The empty dining room awaited the passengers for the luxury cruise liner's maiden voyage, set for June 6, from London to the Norwegian fjords.

The Seabourn Sojourn aims to provide a lavish yet personalized experience for the upscale cruiser.

Karlo Buer, the captain of the Seabourn Sojourn, which is the second of three nearly identical vessels released by Carnival Corp.'s Yachts of Seabourn line over the course of three years, said the Seabourn Sojourn distinguishes itself not only by its amenities and sophisticated cuisine but by its extra space and singular attention to details.

The 650-foot ship carries no more than 450 passengers, even though it could carry many more.

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"On a ship this size, we could hold up to 1,000 or even 1,200 [passengers], but since we're in the luxury market, we cannot do that," Buer said. "This is not about quantity. This is about quality."

Andrew Magowan, the vice president of Seabourn Cruise Line for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the Seabourn Sojourn has one of the highest space-per-guests ratios in the industry.

The Sojourn's emphasis on space extends from the sparingly furnished main decks to the passenger cabins. Ninety percent of the yacht's 225 suites include private verandas. Suites range from 295 to 1,182 square feet, and all have ocean views.

An Emphasis on Personal Service

The Seabourn Sojourn combines this abundance of space with an attention to particulars.

Guests can preorder their preferences for their in-suite bars and refrigerators. Rose petals are sprinkled over the beds at night, and warm, scented baths can be drawn upon request.

The ship offers four dining options, including the Restaurant, with menus created by award-winning celebrity chef Charlie Palmer.

The two-deck, 11,400-square-foot Spa at Seabourn offers herbal and aroma steam baths with salt inhalation and a Kneipp pool -- a knee-deep freshwater pool that increases circulation and stimulates the heart. The spa also has an extensive fitness room, fitness classes and Thai massages, and a full-service salon.

One of the ship's new amenities is Seabourn Square, a meeting place with a library, upscale boutiques, a coffee bar bearing espresso drinks and pastries, and computers with Internet access. Wireless Internet access and cell phone service continues at sea.

To achieve its high level of personal, intimate service, the Seabourn Sojourn keeps its crew-to-guest ratio low, said Buer, the Seabourn's captain. For the vessel's 450 guests, there are 350 crewmembers.

"The staff offers a kind of service that is very unobtrusive, very special and really personal," said Magowan.

Leaving nothing to chance, the Seabourn Sojourn puts its staff through extensive training provided by the Seabourn Cruise Line at the Seabourn Academy, where employees become well-versed in the company's policies and ships. All staff members on the Seabourn Sojourn are either veteran employees or graduates of the Seabourn Academy.

Magowan said that from the first day of the voyage, the staff learns each passenger's name and preferences, and tailors its service to each one.

"Luxury is a very overused word," said Magowan, of the Seabourn Cruise Line. "Our form of luxury is about pampering. It's very understated and very subtle, but the emphasis is very much on personal service."

Attracting the 'Right Person'

The personalized, intimate service and upscale accommodations are what draw "the right person," said Magowan.

"[We attract] people who are affluent and can afford the product, but they also have to understand what they are getting," he said.

Unlike larger cruise ships, the Seabourn Sojourn does not offer rock-climbing walls or ice rinks. Its two outdoor pools are small. Entertainment is a foursome from the West End instead of a larger theatrical cast.

But Magowan said the guests the Yachts of Seabourn target are not looking for a flashy experience: They are looking for value.

"We are consistently seeing our past guests continue to travel [with us]. They want value for money, and they want to be even more convinced that what we are doing is value for money," Magowan said.

The U.K.'s Passenger Shipping Association found that 60 percent of cruisers took more than one cruise in 2009, and despite the current recession, the association found that bookings on luxury cruise lines, such as Seabourn, increased 51 percent in the past year.

Buer confirmed that the Seabourn vessels are fully booked.

Magowan believes that growth depends on the changing priorities of the consumer.

"People are becoming more sophisticated in their tastes and have an aspiration to travel well," Magowan said.

"Particularly on these new ships, the yield is holding up and there is growth," he said. "It works, and I hope it continues. We certainly feel good about the next few years."