Supplement to Travel Trade
October 2002

Seabourn Sun:

The Tradition Continues

By Ethel Blum

When a popular ship changes ownership, there’s always an element of anticipation in the minds of consumers and the travel agency community. Here’s one instance where you can put any concerns to rest: The Royal Viking Sun’s transformation into the Seabourn Sun is a resounding success.

The vessel is receiving rave reviews from passengers and travel agents. It proves that there’s life — and a glorious future — in the fourth-time-around ownership cycle the vessel has undergone in the past 12 years.

When she made her 1988 debut as the Royal Viking Sun, the vessel set the stage for a new era of ultra-luxury cruising with her unique features and amenities. Now sailing under the Seabourn banner — after a $15-million refurbishment project — the vessel has reemerged as a refreshed and improved product. The ambiance that made her an industry leader in the high-end market remains.

According to president Larry Pimentel, the goal behind the multi-million dollar refit was to bring Seabourn Sun into the 21st century “with both a hint of the classic era of cruising and with contemporary amenities.”

Luxury travelers are voicing their approval with heavy advance bookings and some sold-out sailings. Loyal former passengers on my inaugural sailing said that they viewed the Seabourn Sun as a new and improved version of the Royal Viking Sun.

Seabourn Sun is lighter, brighter and slightly more contemporary, with a decidedly European flair. At 37,845 tons and with a passenger capacity of 740, she may well be the last of her breed. It’s simply not economically feasible to build ships this size with single seating dining and the space to hold all passengers in a single lounge or restaurant at one time.

Light woods have replaced brass, stainless steel and mirrors, creating a warm and friendly environment without any loss of luster. Lighting throughout has been changed to softer halogen fixtures and more elegant crystal chandeliers.

All of the new elements — the woods, textured fabrics and color tones — have enhanced the vessel and taken her to a new level of contemporary, reserved luxury. Starting topside, major changes include the Garden Café, a self-service restaurant (although there’s an abundance of service personnel on hand). The aft section has been enlarged and the added outside section expands the two Garden Café wings, thereby providing both indoor and outdoor casual dining opportunities.

Other major changes were made possible with the extension of Nine Deck. The lap pool was enlarged and moved farther aft, two whirlpools were added and a secluded sunning deck area created. Cabins and suites, as well as all public rooms, were redecorated in textured fabrics, light and airy draperies and companion colors in plush carpeting.

The expanded deckprovided space for a new Spa du Soleil in the aft section. A complete facility rivaling elite health clubs, the Spa is enhanced with beautiful Mediterranean sculptures and soft colors. There are private spa rooms ranging from the Massage Room to my favorite Rasul Chamber, which is comprised of treatment rooms for couples. The Fitness Center has also been expanded, with new toning and cardiovascular equipment.

The Dining Rooms have undergone dramatic changes. Heavy, cumbersome armchairs have been replaced with comfortable, elegant chairs. New carpets, wood trims, improved lighting and Lalique-like crystal chandeliers take center stage in the forward and aft dining rooms.

The area connecting the two dining rooms has been enlarged. Instead of a walkway type area, it has become a very popular waterview restaurant venue, offering intimate seating in a smaller dining room.

Most of the public lounges are located on Norway Deck (Deck 8), which is anchored forward by the main showroom, the Norway Lounge, and aft by the entirely refurbished 150-seat Midnight Sun Lounge, an alternative showroom used for late-night and pre-dinner dancing and for cabaret-type entertainment. The room boasts an enlarged dance floor and a bar that was reconfigured to provide a larger seating area.

Entertainment ranges from production shows scaled to fit the Norway Lounge’s stage to guest lecturers who cover a variety of topics.

The most obvious change is the enlarged and totally redesigned Compass Rose Room. Etched-glass partitions form intimate seating areas. A beautiful marble floor, area carpets and new furniture have transformed this into a popular lounge and social area.

Other innovations on this deck include the Espresso Bar next to the lovely Oak Room, with an entrance through the Compass Rose. It’s an active bar with full service featuring a variety of coffees.

Among other changes, the library has been renamed the Ibsen Library to honor the great Norwegian dramatist, and the Computer Learning Center has moved to Deck 8, with an entrance through the Card Room. The number of computers has been increased, as have the number of computer training classes, programs and lectures.

Agents should advise clients that access to their personal E-mail address is not available, so they must use the ship’s E-mail address to keep in touch.

Staterooms are beautifully appointed and exceptionally spacious. More than 60% feature floor-to-ceiling windows and 38% have private verandas. All but 19 are outside cabins.

Average outside cabins with verandas measure about 230-square-feet; deluxe cabins with verandas (Category A now listed in brochures as PH) are nearly 365-square-feet; and penthouse suites with verandas are 488-square-feet. Butlers serve the elegant penthouse suites and there is a sumptuous owner’s suite. It sells out quickly at twice the price, and almost twice the size, of two-room suites.

Smaller outside doubles are hardly small at 191-square-feet. Each has a walk-in closet, remote control TV, VCR, safe and a refrigerator. There’s a choice of tub/shower or shower-only in comfortable marble bathrooms. Twin beds convert to queens. Four cabins have been fitted for the physically challenged.

Dining is an important aspect of the luxury cruise experience. On the Seabourn Sun, it is a highlight. Menu choices are extensive. Caviar and lobster are plentiful and always available; special requests are encouraged and service is always accommodating. The window-walled triple dining rooms afford unobstructed views of the sea from just about every table.

Except for boutique-size ships with under 400 passengers, Seabourn and Cunard are the only cruise lines offering unhurried single seating dinner at assigned tables, with breakfast and lunch served as open sitting.

Meals are prepared by a cadre of chefs who previously worked in fine European hotels and restaurants. Because Seabourn Sun enjoys one of the highest number of passengers taking back-to-back cruises, the same menu is not repeated, even on a 100-day voyage.

Twenty-four hour cabin service is not limited to the printed menu. Everything from English High Tea to an intimate dinner for two can be provided.

Theme cruises range from music to golf. One in August, a 29-day Passage to the South Pacific, will highlight the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. A Theatre at Sea will be featured on a 14-day Mediterranean Sophistication voyage in April, followed by a 16-day Black Sea & Rome cruise. Other voyages will feature wine, culinary artists, exploration and discovery.

Both the on-board and the shoreside golf programs have been expanded to include a newly refurbished Golf Club & Pro Shop with a state-of-the-art golf simulator, outdoor hitting bays and a professionally-designed putting green. Shoreside programs are featured on a series of nine Escorted Signature Golf Cruises offered on select itineraries, and the Tailor-Made Program, a customized program in exclusive ports of call around the globe.

Also welcome, particularly in tropical ports of call, are the ships’ tenders, which ferry passengers to piers when the ship anchors. They are small, utilitarian vessels with catamaran hulls, equipped with radar and sonar, as well as lavatories.

In short, the Seabourn Sun more than lives up to expectations. For your clients who have the time and money to enjoy this unparalleled experience at sea, it’s sheer perfection.

The vessel sails on varied 10- to 100-day itineraries worldwide. In 2001, she will sail on a 100-day inaugural world cruise from San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale.