Seabourn’s plans to impress Australian cruisers
NewsAustralia is giving tough competition to the UK to become Seabourn’s second source market after North America. And its not surprising at all that the luxury cruise brand has announced an array of developments to woo Australian cruisers.
Speaking aboard the Seabourn Odyssey in Sydney during a media event, John Delaney, Senior Vice President Global Marketing and Sales outlined the new offerings of the upcoming Seabourn Encore, including a Thomas Keller restaurant and the luxurious Wintergarden Suites.
Seaboard Cruise Line is launching its newest ship with a huge party at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore. The Seabourn Encore will sail straight to Singapore from the Venetian shipyard where she is being built, and will be joined at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre by the Seabourn Sojourn.
After the January 7, 2017 launch party, the Seaboard Encore will sail in Australia. Talking about the launch event Mr Delaney told Cruise Passenger, “We have been given permission to take over the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, we will have both ships in together and we are planning a wonderful party for all 1,050 guests to celebrate and it is really going to celebrate Asian culture.”
Mr Delaney also pointed out the average price paid of a Seabourn cruise had risen from US$11,000 in 2011, to $17,000 this year and $18,000 in 2017. But it still represented value, he said. A Thomas Keller meal on land, for instance, costs US$400 a head. On Seabourn, it’s included.
The luxury segment of cruising would grow capacity 45 per cent by 2018, showing the enormous potential of this lucrative area of cruise.
He said Seabourn would have an emphasis on agent training, with the seven-module training program available online at the company website.
The Seabourn Encore will operate two pre-inaugural cruises in December 2016 along the coasts of Israel, Arabia, India and Southeast Asia, before arriving in Singapore for its naming ceremony on Jan. 7, 2017, and official 10-day inaugural voyage.
Seabourn Encore will spend the remainder of its maiden season operating 16-day voyages in Australia and New Zealand. While the inaugural sailing is sold out, there is still space on the other maiden season voyages.
Read our article about Seabourn Encore’s Wintergarden Suites here
