Seabourn's Steve Smotrys on what's new and why agents should consider expedition cruising
Last year Seabourn launched its first purpose-built expedition ship, Seabourn Venture, to rave reviews from guests and travel advisors alike. Now, the luxury cruise line is gearing up to debut a second expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, this August.
“It’s wonderful to have all of our ships sailing again, and we’re very excited about 2023 and the future,” Steve Smotrys, vice president of Global Sales for Seabourn, tells Travel Courier. “The response to our expedition ships – and our entire fleet – has been positive.”
Notably, Smotrys says bookings indicate a trend toward guests wanting to visit open-air, nature-rich places.
“Seabourn has shifted to take guests to explore nature in remote areas such as Alaska’s hidden secrets, Iceland and Greenland, as well as the Arctic to tap into these interests,” he shares. “In addition, we are seeing a trend toward guests wanting to go beyond typical touring and be highly active on vacation.”
To meet this demand, Seabourn has expanded its marina day operations giving guests access to Zodiacs, paddle boards and kayaks off the back of the ship.
“We have emphasized expedition experiences to keep guests moving and getting closer to nature,” he adds.
To find out more about what travel advisors should know about selling expedition cruises and what the future holds, Travel Courier connected with Smotrys for a one-on-one interview.
To increase bookings, travel advisors should take advantage of the resources available to them through Seabourn. They have access to Seabourn travel advisor rates to experience Seabourn first hand including 50% off select voyages, and even more reduced rates once they complete our Seabourn Academy Graduate training course. We also provide limited time offers of bonus commissions as extra incentives, and we offer limited ship tours in Vancouver and in the Maritimes. To celebrate and show our appreciation to the travel advisor community, we are offering travel advisors a special 5% Bonus Commission on select voyages booked now through May 31, 2023.
With our new expedition ships, Seabourn will offer a true ultra-luxury expedition product with no compromise unlike anything else on the market today. It is easy for other brands to offer elements of luxury, but an authentic ultra-luxury product is one that extends throughout everything a ship does. We believe that no one else does it better than Seabourn. Seabourn is entering this new market with two compelling ultra-luxury expedition ships and extensive operational experience that will appeal to travellers, especially those who may typically choose a land-based experience. These new ships are going to be game changers in the luxury expedition cruise category because they were designed by leading travel experts with deep levels of knowledge in expedition, fine dining, and luxury cruising. Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit are equipped to provide a myriad of experiences from Zodiacs, scuba diving and even submarines, and they are built to explore hard-to-reach corners of the world. Our 10 years of experience in operating our program in Antarctica and our Ventures by Seabourn program has reinforced that this is a natural extension of the existing ultra-luxury cruise experience Seabourn offers rather than a separate product. So much activity is packed into each voyage, making it easier for the travel advisor to ensure their clients will be well cared for with many life-expanding moments. The ships and our world class expedition team will deliver amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to any guest who chooses to sail with us, and a relaxed, club-like atmosphere of each of our ships allows our guest to experience luxury while still feeling at home.
Seabourn has just released extraordinary worldwide itineraries to explore the Caribbean, Asia and Arabia between fall 2024 and winter/spring 2025. Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation will take guests on more than 40 unique sailings to hidden harbors, marquee ports, and must-experience destinations, including new stops and ports Seabourn has not visited in five years, such as Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico; Santa Marta, Colombia; Port Antonio, Jamaica; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and Kaohsiung and Magong (Makung), Penghu Islands, Taiwan.
Seabourn also opened booking for its first-ever “Grand Africa Voyage.” Departing November 30, 2024, Seabourn Sojourn will circumnavigate the continent and sail more than 17,000 miles during a 90-day, roundtrip adventure departing Barcelona, Spain. The journey will offer a world of experiences for guests, visiting 44 marquee and off-the-beaten path ports and cities throughout 26 countries, with six overnight stays on the itinerary.
The 2024 Grand Africa Voyage will feature a blend of historically profound destinations such as Alexandria, Cairo, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; luscious, tropical paradises such as the Seychelles and Bom Bom Island; lands with breathtaking, diverse landscapes and wildlife such as Kenya, Madagascar and Zanzibar; and culturally rich destinations such as Cape Town, Morocco and Mozambique. In addition to renowned destinations, guests can discover Africa’s lesser-known gems such as Luanda, the “Paris” of Africa, and Cape Verde, the “Gateway to the West.”
Antarctica is on the ‘must-visit’ list for many travellers, and therefore, it is one of our most popular destinations. It truly feels out of this world, and you must visit Antarctica to fully understand the awe and majesty of the destination. For many, there is no greater place on Earth. Another destination proving to be very successful is Scoresby Sound, located on the east coast of Greenland. Scoresby Sound is the world’s largest fjord system, coupled with the Greenland icecap pouring into the fjords through endless glaciers, making this truly one of the most spectacular scenes in the world.
Seabourn has debuted brand new voyages on our newest purpose-built expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, which is scheduled to be complete this summer. Travelling on this ship is going to be game changer in the luxury expedition cruise category because she is equipped to provide a myriad of experiences including Zodiacs, scuba diving and even submarines and she’s built to explore hard to reach corners of the world while being small enough to dock at smaller, more hidden ports of call.
On October 10, 2023, Seabourn Pursuit will arrive in Barbados from where she will begin her expedition journeys, taking guests to remote corners of the globe. Seabourn Pursuit will head south for expeditions exploring coastal South America, the Amazon, and Antarctica into late March 2024.
Following its inaugural Antarctic season, the ship will head to the South Pacific and Australia, which will include the line’s first exploration of the Kimberley region in northern Australia between June and August 2024. The iconic Kimberley, with its red sandstone gorges, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, and aboriginal stories, is the ideal setting for a truly, world-class expedition experience. In addition to the Kimberley, Seabourn Pursuit will visit Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and sail to the South Pacific from Chile to Melanesia between March and October 2024.
