Maiden Voyage Guests Named Godparents of Seabourn Odyssey

I really like the way Seabourn executives think. First they held a contest for guests to name their forthcoming vessel, due to start sailing in June 2009. (The winning entry dubbed the new ship the Seabourn Odyssey, by the way.) Now the cruise line has announced that all 450 guests sailing on the ship’s maiden voyage on June 24, 2009, will be named a "godparent." What a clever way to tip their hat to the very people who’ve helped make Seabourn what it is today. (In fact, just this month Seabourn was named third-best Small-Ship Cruise Line in Travel + Leisure magazine’s venerable World’s Best Awards ’08. The award has staying power since actual travelers vote, and not magazine editors sitting in their ivory towers…far away from the open seas.)

Upper management at Seabourn certainly appreciate the kudos from past guests and feel they owe maiden voyage travelers something special. “Everything we do at Seabourn is focused on our guests who, in a very real sense, are the reason this superb vessel is being built,” says Pamela C. Conover, president and CEO of The Yachts of Seabourn. “Those joining Odyssey’s maiden voyage will not only be treated like a celebrity, but will become a part of the vessel’s history, representing the many guests who have sailed with us in the past and those who will sail on her in the years to come.”

Maiden voyage guests will hold the title of godparent throughout the life of the Seabourn Odyssey and their names will be engraved on a plaque that will be proudly displayed onboard the yacht.

Departing from Venice, Italy on June 24, 2009, the 14-day maiden voyage will call upon ports along the Dalmation coast, the Greek islands, and Turkey.

The 32,000-ton, 450-passenger Odyssey is actually one of three new ships being built for Seabourn. Ninety-percent of the all-suite accommodations—measuring from 290 to over 1,600 square feet—will have private verandas. Guests will enjoy five restaurants, five lounges and bars, a pool and sunbathing area, and a very special 11,400-square-foot two-deck, indoor/outdoor spa facility. The next two ships from Seabourn will debut in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

In 2009, the Odyssey will sail the Mediterranean and Caribbean before heading off on Seabourn’s first World Cruise in January 2010.

For more information, contact your travel agent, call Seabourn at (800) 929-9391, or visit their website.