SeaDream and New Ship Rumor

With new luxury vessels on the way from Oceania, Seabourn, and Silversea, the rumors have been flying that other lines will follow suit. CruiseCritic.com has a story today about SeaDream's potential new ship that will accommodate 200 passengers. Click here for their full story.

QE2's Farewell Voyages On Sale 6/27

Cunard's special QE2 'farewell voyages' go on sale today. This storied ship will stop sailing as of November 2008 when ownership transfers to The Palm Jumeirah resort complex in Dubai. The QE2 will begin a new life as a first-class hotel, retail, and entertainment destination.

According to Cunard, two voyages already programmed for 2008 have been replaced by a British Isles voyage and two Transatlantic Crossings, while her final voyage to Dubai has also been added. These special voyages offer the perfect opportunity for guests to share in QE2's farewell to her country, where she has long been regarded as the flagship, and also to experience a farewell tandem crossing of the Atlantic, where she will bid farewell to New York, her second home. These voyages also offer a final opportunity for those who have always wanted to experience a voyage on this iconic Grand Dame of the Seas.

"These voyages will signal the eminent completion of QE2's service in the Cunard fleet and offer the opportunity to celebrate her widely heralded and illustrious career. She will make final calls to ports that are home to many of her most loyal fans, beginning with the British Isles, followed by two tandem Transatlantic Crossings," said Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Line. "Guests who sail these voyages will take their place in history on the longest-serving, most famous Cunarder and will no doubt be greeted by groups of well-wishers who will salute her one last time," added Marlow.

Farewell to the British Isles
QE2's Farewell to the British Isles voyage will depart Southampton on September 30, 2008 and replaces the previously announced Canary Islands Splendour voyage. The 10-night voyage will include maiden calls to Dublin and Belfast and an emotional call to the Clyde (Greenock) where QE2 was built, as well as calls to Cork (Cobh), Liverpool (Cunard's ancestral home), Edinburgh (South Queensferry) and Newcastle. Fares start from $2,455 for an M6 grade stateroom, up to $5,695 for a Q1 grade Grand Suite.

Final Transatlantic Crossings
On October 10, QE2 will leave Southampton with Cunard's flagship Queen Mary 2 and both vessels will depart on a final tandem crossing to New York. The six-night Final New York Arrival Crossing will arrive in New York on October 16 where QE2 will say farewell to what was her North American home, when she was Queen of the Atlantic for 34 years. Fares start from $1,175 for an M6 grade stateroom, up to $4,395 for a Q1 grade Grand Suite.

Later that day both liners will leave New York as QE2 begins her Farewell to America Crossing. This will be QE2's 806th and final Atlantic crossing and both ships will arrive in Southampton on October 22. Fares start from $1,065 for an M6 grade stateroom, up to $4,295 for a Q1 grade Grand Suite.

These two Atlantic voyages have replaced a Mediterranean voyage scheduled to depart on October 12, 2008.

QE2's Final Voyage
In addition, Cunard has also announced QE2's Final Voyage which will leave Southampton for Dubai on November 11 and will call at Lisbon, Gibraltar, Civitavecchia, Naples, Malta, Alexandria and transit the Suez Canal before arriving on November 27. Fares start from $4,615 for a M6 grade stateroom, up to $11,995 for a Q1 grade Grand Suite.

QE2 is likely to attract huge crowds at each port on each of these voyages and special onboard programming will be incorporated into these voyages to honor the completion of QE2's service in the Cunard Fleet.

Guests booked on voyages that are impacted by these changes will be given the opportunity to rebook on one of the new voyages. If they book one of the new voyages replacing their cancelled voyage in the same grade, their original fare will be protected. If the fare on the same grade is lower, then the lower fare will be honored. If a guest decides to book any other 2008 voyage, the applicable fare for that voyage will be charged. Rebooked guests will be offered a $300 onboard credit and those who wish to cancel will be refunded.

The new voyages will be open for booking Wednesday, June 27, 2007, at 9:00am (ET) / 6:00am (PT).

Seabourn Names New Ship “Odyssey”

Today, Seabourn announced the name of their new ship currently being built in Italy. Dubbed Odyssey, over fifty past passengers from Seabourn Club correctly guessed the moniker. Thousands of Seabourn connoisseurs made a guess and one duo who guessed correctly— John and Hazel Coleman of Monaco—was randomly selected as the winner of a cruise aboard the all-suite, 450-guest ship during her maiden year at sea. Seabourn Odyssey will be officially christened in Venice in mid-2009.

How did Seabourn winnow down potential names for the ship? Seabourn president Pamela C. Conover explains: “There were literally hundreds of names that we considered and we pursued dozens of different directions. But in the end, we wanted her name to reflect her primary purpose, which is to wander the globe, carrying our guests to the world's most exciting and fascinating destinations, in signature Seabourn luxury and style.”

Beginning last May, more than 8,500 tons of steel is being cut and welded to form the sleek hull and graceful superstructure of the line's new, $250 million flagship, which, when she is launched, will be the first addition to any fleet in the ultra-luxury segment of the cruise industry in six years.

Although three times the size of her smaller 10,000-ton sister ships, Seabourn Pride, Spirit, and Legend, Seabourn Odyssey will carry just over twice as many guests, and boast the same ratio of staff to guests and among the highest space-per-guest ratios in the cruise industry. In addition, the new vessel will offer more dining options than her sisters, as well as more types of suites, more verandas, more entertainment venues, and enhanced spa and recreational facilities.

Plans for maiden year itineraries are still being finalized, but the initial level of interest and excitement prompted Seabourn to devise a system for accepting reservations that will be at once equitable to its loyal guests and supporters, and manageable for the company's internal staff.

Guests who wish to sail on voyages during the maiden year can secure a spot on a waitlist by making a standard Seabourn deposit of $1,000 per person, or $2,000 per person for the actual maiden voyage. These deposits are being accepted now.

Seabourn expects to publish the details of Odyssey's maiden year schedules by the end of 2007. At that time, waitlisted persons will be notified in advance and given priority booking access, which will allow them to select the specific voyage and accommodation they prefer. These reservations will be accepted according to the following criteria:

• Guests who sail with Seabourn in 2007 or 2008 will have first priority. They will be notified in advance and given a two-week priority booking window. This will include anyone who books and sails on a cruise departing by the end of 2008.
  
  
• Past guests of Seabourn who do not sail in 2007 or 2008 will be granted the second priority notification and a second two-week booking access.
  
  
• A third priority booking period will be available to first-time Seabourn guests who have deposited for the waitlist.
  
  
• After that, reservations will be accepted from anyone for remaining space on maiden year voyages, based on Seabourn's standard deposit and booking policies.

Travelers can experience Seabourn's award-winning style on cruises of seven to twenty-eight days or more in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia, India, and Arabia. Cruise itineraries explore landmark ports and lesser-known gems where larger ships cannot go.

For information, contact a travel agent, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit Seabourn's website at www.seabourn.com.