Seabourn announces 2nd New Ship

SEATTLE, December 1, 2014 - Seabourn has announced that it has exercised its option for a second new 40,350-GRT ship to be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. It will be a sister ship to the newbuild announced earlier this year. The first new Seabourn ship is scheduled for delivery in late 2016, and the second ship will be delivered in spring, 2018.

Hospitality design icon Adam D. Tihany will also design the second new ship in its entirety, creating all indoor and outdoor guest areas, including multiple dining venues; the Spa at Seabourn; showrooms; casino and lounges; outdoor deck areas; and the innovative and popular Seabourn Square, the social hub of the ship with a club-like ambiance.

"There has been an incredible amount of excitement and interest since we announced the order for the first ship, and we're very pleased that the demand for our brand has allowed us to add a second new ultra-luxury ship to our expanding fleet," said Richard D. Meadows, Seabourn's president. "These two new ships will offer the understated elegance we are known for, as well as new amenities, innovations and modern design features that embody the hallmarks of Seabourn."

Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri Chief Executive Officer, stated: "When dealing with such important investments, exercising an option should never be taken for granted. We are very glad that Seabourn decided to 'double' its trust in us, especially considering that our partnership is very young and getting stronger quickly. I believe that this clearly demonstrates that new clients as well as old, such as Seabourn's parent company Carnival Corporation, and the market as a whole, consider Fincantieri as the world leader in the cutting-edge cruise line sector including the ultra-luxury segment where our partner for this project operates."

The new ships' configuration will be based on the highly popular Seabourn Odyssey-class ships, with one additional deck and new expanded public areas. Each ship will carry just 604 guests based on double occupancy in luxurious all-suite, veranda accommodations. The interior design will maintain Seabourn's high ratio of space per guest and enable highly personalized service by nearly one staff member per guest on board.

Both of the new ships will continue the fleet modernization that the line began in 2009 with the launch of Seabourn Odyssey. This award-winning new class of ship, which includes Seabourn Sojourn (2010) and Seabourn Quest (2011), has won acclaim from luxury cruisers, travel agents and journalists alike, one of whom proclaimed the design "a game-changer for the ultra-luxury cruise segment." With the addition of these two new vessels, Seabourn will have the most modern, ultra-luxury fleet in the industry.

Passenger space ratio of approx. 66 on newbuild. Approx. 71 on Sojourn. Probably not noticeable in real time.

...very exciting!

I cannot wait to see the deck plans. And when I do I will ensure that anything I say is clear and correct so as to keep everyone's expectations under control and hopefully prevent trolls from losing the plot and keep the ill-informed at bay.

For now I hope the first new build now anticipated for late 2016 is launched in November so I can celebrate my birthday on her and in style!

Happy sailing!

At last an announcement of what was known to be.

I will have the pleasure of seeing plans of the first new ship on Dec 16th in London and ask questions about the new builds.

Can't wait to see what has been decided.

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Mr L,

See you there.

Happy sailing!

At last an announcement of what was known to be.

 

I will have the pleasure of seeing plans of the first new ship on Dec 16th in London and ask questions about the new builds.

 

Can't wait to see what has been decided.

 

 

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Please share when you do. Hoping for an additional restaurant and an expanded GYM

Mr L,

 

See you there.

 

Happy sailing!

Yes,what a good TA we have

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Please share when you do. Hoping for an additional restaurant and an expanded GYM

The expanded Gym to go with the expanded waistline I suppose?

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For now I hope the first new build now anticipated for late 2016 is launched in November so I can celebrate my birthday on her and in style!

Oh great, that is sure to spoil everyones fun!:D

Passenger space ratio of approx. 66 on newbuild. Approx. 71 on Sojourn. Probably not noticeable in real time.

As a newcomer to Seabourn I await the new ships with interest.

To put that into Perspective Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) has a space ratio of circa 40 tonnes per passenger and around 3.5 passengers per crew member. Smaller ships in their fleet are closer to 30 tonnes per passenger!

Henry :)

As a newcomer to Seabourn I await the new ships with interest.

 

To put that into Perspective Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) has a space ratio of circa 40 tonnes per passenger and around 3.5 passengers per crew member. Smaller ships in their fleet are closer to 30 tonnes per passenger!

 

Henry :)

to really put it into perspective, 2 lifeboats of the Oasis will carry All the passengers and crew of the Sojourn!:eek::D

I heard a couple tidbits about the new design this week. Nothing major but it sounds like they definitely have considered guest feedback about certain venues as well as things that will be missed about the little sisters.

Since people seem to want to lump like threads together

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2126494

One improvement I would like to see is a re-arrangement of the Bar in the Observation Lounge. The bottles are kept in cupboards when the Bar is not in use, and have to be brought out by staff. The result is that in bad weather during the day the only Bar open is the Patio Bar, in the open air, as either management or staff are unwilling to go through the procedure to open the indoor Bar. Yes, the Square is available, but it is not set up for for a proper g and t or whatever. Bars should be able to be closed up without having to move all the bottles. Do hope this has been noticed by the designers of the new ships.

One improvement I would like to see is a re-arrangement of the Bar in the Observation Lounge. The bottles are kept in cupboards when the Bar is not in use, and have to be brought out by staff. The result is that in bad weather during the day the only Bar open is the Patio Bar, in the open air, as either management or staff are unwilling to go through the procedure to open the indoor Bar. Yes, the Square is available, but it is not set up for for a proper g and t or whatever. Bars should be able to be closed up without having to move all the bottles. Do hope this has been noticed by the designers of the new ships.

This is the most intelligent, important, and inspiring post I have ever read on CC. Lincslady, I hope we sail together someday!

to really put it into perspective, 2 lifeboats of the Oasis will carry All the passengers and crew of the Sojourn!:eek::D

YIKES! Just another reason to NOT sail on the mega ships and stick to the small ships. :)

There are those who say less is more and others who say more is more.

I remember once sailing on QE2 and a rather elderly matron, one not especially athletic looking, told me she didn't like the ship. She added it doesn't have a climbing wall like RCL ships do.

Well, that was a dozen years ago now and RCL ships have wave makers, ice rinks, forests and best of all thousands more passengers per ship than they used to. More IS more.

But not for me. I can't stand the noise and behavior of those self-described "partiers". The most work I will commit to is pondering dilemmas such as that introduced by lincslady about G&T time in motion considerations. The Observation Bar crowd and those cocktails are the remedy. Save those "woo hoo" experiences and those who appreciate them for RCL. And Carnival, too.

Happy sailing!

On the other hand.....

A larger swimming pool, improved food preparation to compliment the coffee shop in the square and indeed an improved square with more comfy seating.

An extended card room which isn't long and thin but more inclusive, improved theatre facilities, an extended and improved restaurant 2, possibly with scope for open cooking, more little nooks and crannies to steal yourself away for a quiet read or a quick forty winks.

A revised club with more separation between music and conversation, possibly a feature bar. An extended IT suite with scope for providing tuition on all things computing, video and photo editing etc.

Additional dining options over and above the current offerings.

More dramatic relaxation / hot tub facilities building on the bow hot tub. You don't have to be swinging from a goldfish bowl mounted to a HIAB arm to look at each other and say - Wow !

I'm just a newcomer to Seabourn, the powers that be will have ideas beyond my short-sightedness but not a rock wall, flow rider or ice rink in sight. Not that any of them a a bad thing.

Oh yes, and of course a kid's club :)

I shall get my coat........

Henry :)

They already have a kids' club. It's called the life boat!

Don't bother with your coat, Henry; walking the plank in skivvies would be more appropriate for your last suggestion!

Some thoughts on extra public space:

1. A fifth dining option. Preferably a restaurant specializing in Asian cuisine (Chinese, Thai, Indian, etc.).

2. A partially covered outdoor bar on the stern (a bit like the deck behind Seabourn Sq. but with the addition of a bar). This could be part of the expansion of Seabourn Sq. (see 4 below) and could incorporate an expanded coffee bar with an indoor/outdoor theme.

3. Clearly the Grand Salon would have to be expanded to house an extra 150 people.

4. Seabourn Sq, would also need to be bigger as would the coffee bar (see 2 above). Perhaps locate some of the shops on the new deck and expand the Sq. into that space.

5. Creation of a proper/better walking track.

They already have a kids' club. It's called the life boat!

I thought it was the crew bar

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At last an announcement of what was known to be.

 

I will have the pleasure of seeing plans of the first new ship on Dec 16th in London and ask questions about the new builds.

 

Can't wait to see what has been decided.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I guess you must be an important client of SB to be invited to such an exclusive event. Hopefully the new ships detail will become common knowledge soon. It will be good to know more, but cannot get too excited as I have read previous comments on CC that the maiden voyage won't be on a first come first served basis.

Generally maiden voyages are based on time/loyalty to the line. Then it becomes first come first served.

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

Generally maiden voyages are based on time/loyalty to the line. Then it becomes first come first served.

 

Sent via squirrels and a rotary phone

We were on the Maiden Voyage of Cunard's QM2 (not a good thing) and that is exactly how they allocated cabins. Top level loyalty members down, then open to the public. Not sure I would ever do another Maiden Voyage. Not even counting the premium pricing of same. Just too many glitches to work out and too many passengers (me included) expecting much better. Seems to be the norm for Maiden Voyages based on others experiences as well.