Seabourn christened its newest ship, the Seabourn Encore, in a ceremony in Singapore over the weekend. International recording artist and world's best-selling soprano Sarah Brightman presided over the naming ceremony as godmother of the new 600-guest ship, the first of two new all-suite vessels for the company.
Guests and VIPs joined Seabourn staff to enjoy the launch festivities as a projection screen showed the climactic moment when Brightman sent a bottle of champagne smashing against the bow of the ship. Local musicians and cultural acts, including lion dancers and stilt walkers, sent the ship and its guests off.
Following the naming ceremony, Seabourn Encore departed on its inaugural voyage, the 10-day Gems of the Java Sea cruise, bound for Indonesia. The ship will then move on to a 16-day Great Barrier Reef & Gold Coast and back-to-back 16-day Australia & New Zealand voyages. The ship will then reverse the earlier 10-day Gems of the Java Sea cruise to Singapore, proceed on 16-day Jewels of India & Arabia cruise to Dubai, and finish its first season with a 19-day Arabian Gems & Holy Land voyage before ending its winter season at Athens on May 5.
Seabourn Encore will spend summer 2017 along the Mediterranean, offering itineraries including a seven-day Greek & Italian Jewels cruise departing from Piraeus (Athens), Greece on May 6, followed by a seven-day Riviera Allure voyage departing Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy on May 13. The ship will go on to offer a series of seven-, 10-, and 14-day cruises throughout the region, including a Mediterranean Moments itinerary that departs Barcelona (Spain) on June 3 and makes stops along the cities and coastal villages of France, Monaco, Italy and Greece. In August, the ship will finish summer with a 10- or 20-Day UNESCO Gems of the Western Mediterranean cruise, arriving in Barcelona, Spain, on September 13 for the start of its autumn season.
Seabourn Encore is the fourth vessel to join the Seabourn fleet and the first of two ships to be designed by Adam D. Tihany. The second, Seabourn Ovation, is currently under construction and is scheduled to launch in spring 2018. New features include The Retreat, a secluded for-charge sanctuary for guests to stretch out and relax in private cabanas, and Sushi, a restaurant new to the Seabourn fleet.
With the inaugural voyage, Seabourn Encore is also marking the formal debut of several new onboard partner programs. Spa and Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil is being introduced in partnership with The Onboard Spa by Steiner, offering guests a holistic spa and wellness experience that integrates physical, social, environmental and spiritual well-being. A new production show, 'An Evening with Tim Rice,' created exclusively for Seabourn in association with Belinda King Creative Productions, will also have its debut on board in the ship's Grand Salon. Seabourn Encore will also offer The Grill by Thomas Keller, a restaurant inspired by the classic American chophouse that first opened on Seabourn Quest last year. All three partner programs will be rolled out across the entire Seabourn fleet by 2018.
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