Construction of The Yachts of Seabourn’s third new ultra-luxury yacht, Seabourn Quest, is progressing well, and the company expects to take delivery of the vessel several weeks earlier than anticipated in May 2011. Following the delivery, Seabourn will operate two pre-inaugural cruises: a three-day round trip voyage from Monte Carlo starting from $1,299 per person, and an eight-day cruise from Monte Carlo to Barcelona beginning from $3,499 per person. Both voyages can be combined for an 11-day sailing starting from $4,549 per person.
The two sailings will offer travelers opportunities to have a “sneak peek” at the company’s newest yacht prior to its Maiden Voyage. The three-day pre-inaugural voyage will sail June 9-12, and call at Livorno, Italy, the port for Florence, Pisa, Lucca and other Tuscan highlights, as well as the picturesque port of Bonifacio, on the French island of Corsica. That will be followed by an eight-day cruise, June 12-20, visiting Portofino, Italy; Cannes, Ile de Porquerolles and Port-Vendres, France; and Valencia, Spain.
Seabourn Quest’s official debut will be June 20, with a gala naming ceremony featuring fireworks over the city of Barcelona, and a 14-day Maiden Voyage to Athens. Maiden Voyage guests will participate in the festive ceremony, and their names will be engraved on the commemorative onboard Maiden Voyage plaque to honor them. They will also mingle with Seabourn’s President and CEO Pamela C. Conover, who will be onboard and joining guests in a number of special gala events and activities throughout the cruise.
“It’s impossible to predict at the start whether everything will go perfectly in a complicated construction project,” noted Conover. “Of course we had to plan our 2011 schedule at that point, too, but we are delighted that the building has gone beautifully and that we will have the chance to welcome guests aboard Quest earlier than we had thought. In addition, our guests who are booked on the Maiden Voyage will enjoy the naming ceremony and many special amenities and events we are planning especially for them,” she added.
Seabourn Quest will be the third iteration of the sleek and widely admired design that first appeared on Seabourn Odyssey in June 2009, which has been hailed as a “game-changer for the luxury segment.” The second sister ship, Seabourn Sojourn, entered service the following year in June of 2010. Together, the three new vessels represent a capacity 216 percent increase for the line in a three-year period, allowing the line to offer more departures in more destinations than ever before.
Seabourn Quest’s maiden season will include seven-day Eastern Mediterranean cruises, operating alternately between Athens and Istanbul, and Venice and Athens, as well as a seven-day Black Sea voyage. On January 5, 2012, Seabourn Quest begins a 109-day World Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice on a unique eastbound course via South America, South Africa, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.
