Five fascinating ‘Seabourn Conversations’ experts sailing with Seabourn

The art of conversation has always been central to the Seabourn experience.

Seabourn voyages attract interesting, interested people — people who enjoy talking together, sharing their interests, their adventures and discoveries, and their life stories with long-time and newfound friends.

Their enthusiasms and curiosity are far-ranging, and these are what spark their desire to travel the world.

To encourage and enhance this satisfying aspect of the Seabourn voyage, the company invites luminaries of particular interest and accomplishment to join you onboard — and bring fascinating insights, expert opinions and delightfully entertaining diversions to the conversation.

Daring explorers, heralded chefs, learned scholars, celebrated performers and renowned experts from every arena of the arts, sciences, politics and the humanities share these journeys on Seabourn’s intimate ships.

They each bring skilled presentations of their expertise for you to enjoy. But just as importantly, they participate in the daily social scene, sharing meals, adventures ashore and casual chats throughout the voyage.

On some ships, they lecture. On Seabourn, they join the conversation. Here are five of the many ‘Seabourn Conversations’ guests who will be onboard in 2024.

1. Seabourn Encore’s cultural heritage specialist, Alessandra Borchi

With an academic background from Paris-Sorbonne University, Alessandra Borchi has been working for UNESCO, the United Nations agency dealing with education, culture, and the sciences, since 2005.

She started her career at the World Heritage Centre, where she conducted monitoring missions to over 300 World Heritage sites all over the world.

She then moved to the field, managing UNESCO’s culture programmes in Afghanistan and Tanzania.

After serving in the executive office of the assistant director-general for culture for two years, she became coordinator of UNESCO emergency response operations.

Alessandra lives and works in Cuba, where she is overseeing the largest UNESCO programme in Latin America and the Caribbean. Alessandra is Italian and speaks English, French and Spanish.

Alessandra will be hosting ‘Seabourn Conversations’ on the following Seabourn cruises:

Seven-night Grecian Gems itinerary with Seabourn departing August 18, 2024, from Piraeus (Athens) to Dubrovnik.

Seven-night Balkan Jewels with Seabourn departing August 25, 2024, from Dubrovnik to Piraeus (Athens).

2. Garden historian Caroline Holmes

Guests joining Seabourn’s 14-night Jewels of the British Isles voyage departing roundtrip Dover on July 13 2024 are in for a horticultural treat.

Garden historian and expert Caroline Holmes will be on hand as a ‘Seabourn Conversationalist’ to help discover the highlights of some of the stunning gardens that will be featured during this ultra-luxury cruise.

Caroline Holmes is an international lecturer on every continent except Antarctica, as well as an author, consultant designer and broadcaster.

She researches ancient, modern and contemporary gardens to unearth how they interrelate with landscape and architecture as well as artists, sculptors and craftsmen.

Informative and entertaining, her conversations explore people, plants and places, delving into how they have shaped their surroundings.

You can join Caroline on an array of garden-themed excursions across Scotland and England as part of the sailing below:

14-day Jewels of the British Isles with Seabourn departing July 13, 2024, as a roundtrip from Dover.

3. Archaeologist Dr Colleen Batey

Dr Colleen Batey's main research interests lie in the field of Viking and Late Norse archaeology with particular reference to the Northern Isles and Caithness and the North Atlantic region.

She has excavated widely on several major sites: Jarlshof in Shetland; Brough of Birsay and Birsay Village, Earl’s Bu, Orphir, Westness, Rousay in Orkney; Freswick Links, Caithness; and Hofstađir, Iceland.

She has also carried out and directed excavations at Tintagel Castle, Cornwall (writing the revised guidebook to the site) and St Kilda, Scotland – publishing extensively on this research.

A major area of Dr. Batey's work focuses on the promotion of Orkney (and to some extent Shetland) as centres for cultural tourism and she has spent the last 20 years working with small expedition ships, which undertake day-long visits to the main UNESCO sites in Orkney, for example.

She is committed to ensuring that the archaeology of the region is showcased to the largest possible international audience, and you can learn more as she hosts ‘Seabourn Conversations’ on the 11-night Scandinavia & North Sea Ports onboard Seabourn Quest from Stockholm to Greenwich.

11-day Scandinavia & North Sea Ports itinerary with Seabourn departing July 3, 2024, departing from Stockholm to Greenwich.

4. Vice-president of the Sunday Times wine club, Will Lyons

Described by The Spectator magazine as having one of the finest palates in Britain Will Lyons is a wine writer, author and broadcaster.

For nearly two decades he has published a weekly column on drinks, formerly in The Wall Street Journal and now in The Sunday Times.

He is best known for his humorous, informed, down-to-earth writing, which has been recognised in both the Glenfiddich and Roederer wine writing Awards. In fact, in 2022 his podcast Wine Times was named Podcast of the Year at the British Media Awards.

He began his career in London, where he developed a love for the classic wines of Europe working in St James’s for Justerini & Brooks and Berry Bros. & Rudd.

What’s more, he also co-authored “Selecting, Drinking, Collecting & Obsessing A Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine” with fellow Wall Street Journal wine writer Lettie Teague and contributed to “Reds, Whites & Varsity Blues ’60 years of the Oxford & Cambridge Blind Wine Tasting Competition.”

Known for his discerning palate and accurate predictions Will is also an accomplished blind wine taster and has lectured on the art of wine appreciation at Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities.

A past president of the Edinburgh University Wine Society, and a Commanderie de Bordeaux, Will is Vice President of The Sunday Times Wine Club, a regular on Times Radio Will is co-host of the award-winning Wine Times podcast.

You can enjoy Will’s extensive knowledge of wine on the 14-night Bay of Biscay & English Channel itinerary onboard Seabourn Sojourn departing June 29 2024 from Lisbon to Dover.

5. BBC journalist Stephen Cole

British journalist, producer, news anchor and television presenter Stephen Cole is a powerhouse.

He was also the creative force behind the TV programme ‘BBC Click’ and hosted the show between 2000-2006.

Other TV showings include being part of the original launch line-up for Sky News in 1989, the revamped CNN International in 1995 and the launch of Al Jazeera English in 2006 as well as anchoring for BBC World News from 1996 to 2006.

Get to know Stephen as he hosts ‘Seabourn Conversations’ onboard the 11-night Scandinavia & North Sea Ports onboard Seabourn Quest departing July 3 from Stockholm to Greenwich.

For more information visit seabourn.com, call your travel professional or Seabourn on 0344 338 8615.