Luxury line Seabourn wins approval to restart cruises
Add Seabourn to the list of cruise lines promising a summer restart.
The Seattle-based luxury line on Tuesday said it has gotten a greenlight to resume operations in the Greek Islands in July from the government of Greece.
Seabourn said it planned a series of Greek Islands sailings out of Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens) starting on July 3 that would mark its return to cruising after a 16-month hiatus.
Seabourn said it would resume sailings with just one of its five vessels at first, the 600-passenger Seabourn Ovation. The ship will sail a series of seven-night Greek Islands trips out Piraeus that alternate between two itineraries.
"The entire Seabourn family is truly excited to provide our award-winning travel experience aboard Seabourn Ovation starting again this July in the Greek Isles," Seabourn president Josh Leibowitz said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "We're grateful to the people of Greece for welcoming Seabourn back to the Mediterranean this summer."
One of the two Greek Islands itineraries that Seabourn plans will feature calls at the Greek destinations of Agios Nikolaos, Rhodes, Mykonos and Nafplion as well as Limassol, Cyprus.
The second itinerary will bring visits to the Greek destinations of Patmos, Rhodes, Thira and Spetsai along with a call at Paphos, Cyprus.
The two seven-night sailings can be combined to create a 14-night sailing that hits all the above ports. The voyages will open for bookings on April 12.
Seabourn said customers would need to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to board Seabourn Ovation for the trips.
In addition, passengers will be required to comply with any other health protocols that may be in place at the time of the sailings, the line said. These include policies that may be in place to reach Greece for the trips or to travel homewards.
The trips will be open to passengers from any country.
Greece is quickly becoming a main hub for what appears to be a rapidly evolving comeback of cruising.
Earlier Tuesday, Norwegian Cruise Line announced plans to resume cruising in July with a single ship sailing to the Greek Islands out of Piraeus. The line plans to add two more vessels back to service in the Caribbean in August.
Norwegian's announcement came just days after Celebrity Cruises announced it would resume Greek Islands cruises out of Piraeus in June and Royal Caribbean said it would launch Greek Islands sailings out of Cyprus in July.
Greek Islands cruise specialist Celestyal Cruises also has announced plans to restart operations with sailings in the Greek Islands starting in May.
As part of Tuesday's announcement, Seabourn said it was still finalizing details of the new Greek Islands sailings, including details of the shoreside experiences that will be available. The line promised more information in the coming weeks.
In related news, river and cruise operator Viking on Tuesday announced plans for a handful of "welcome back voyages" out of Bermuda and Reykjavik, Iceland, starting in June. There will be four sailings out of Bermuda, all focused entirely on Bermuda. There will be six sailings out of Reykjavik that only include calls in Iceland.
Viking already has announced plans to restart cruise operations in May with a handful of sailings out of the U.K.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways cruisers waste money
- 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up
- What to pack for your first cruise
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app