Why Ultra-Luxury Cruise Line Seabourn is King When it Comes to Destination Immersion

Luxury cruise travel is more than just about having luxurious accommodation, exemplary service and champagne on tap – it’s about the destinations themselves. Discerning travellers want to learn about their holiday destinations and get a true taste of the local culture – something that cruise line Seabourn has always understood.

The ultra-luxury cruise line prides itself on going the extra mile for its guests with its exclusive partnerships and experiences, finding new and unique ways to immerse them in the attractions, cuisine, history, culture and local life of the ports they visit.

One of Seabourn’s most unique experiences is the chance to go shopping with the onboard chef. Giving guests an exclusive insight into the port’s local cuisine, you can have the chance to shop at a bustling Sicilian market, gather spices in Istanbul or explore the regional wines of Tuscany and Provence.

Seabourn chefs are renowned for being truly accomplished, having acquired extensive formal training and continued with professional staging in many of the finest hotels and restaurants around the world.

In some cases, guests will find themselves in an open-air location among pyramids of exotic fresh fruits and vegetables or standing before a vivid array of gleaming silver tuna or salmon, gem-like tropical fish, pearl-hued prawns spilling over heaps of ice.

Another stop might reveal a case of cheeses in every shape and size, or a charcuterer’s hanging pendulums of smoked or cured meats.

Another advantage of the ultra-luxury cruise line is that Seabourn’s small ships can cruise to the world’s most desirable and hidden destinations – from the high Arctic to the Antarctic continent, sailing to the heart of marquee cities, picturesque harbours and pristine natural landscapes, including many Unesco World Heritage Sites.

With Seabourn, guests will explore extraordinary places in a personal and meaningful way, through exciting, adventurous optional activities that are expertly planned, professionally operated and escorted by skilled and knowledgeable expert guides.

By recently signing a five-year extension to its Unesco partnership, Seabourn guests will have more chances than ever to discover unique experiences around the world.

Speakers with special knowledge about World Heritage join select sailings as a part of the line’s complimentary Seabourn Conversations enrichment and entertainment programme. In addition, fares for Seabourn’s optional excursions to Unesco World Heritage Sites include a small donation to the organisation.

The cruise line offers more than 250 shore experiences at over 170 Unesco designated sites and has also created special World Heritage Discovery Tours at a number of ports worldwide.

One of its most popular partner tours is in Greece, to the island of Delos. According to Greek mythology, Apollo was born on this tiny island in the Cyclades, and the sanctuary attracted pilgrims from all over Greece.

The island bears traces of the succeeding civilizations in the Aegean world, from the 3rd millennium BC to the paleo-Christian era, making this archaeological site exceptionally extensive and rich.

You will board a local ferry from the tender pier in Mykonos and cross to the ancient island of Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and his twin sister Artemis – the children of Zeus and Leto. This sacred island is uninhabited now, but its first settlements date to the 3rd millennium BC.

The ruins on Delos are numerous and important to Greek history, the Sanctuary of Apollo complex, the area of the Sacred Lake (which dried up in 1926), the Terrace of Lions, the sanctuaries on Cynthus, the theatre district, and the commercial harbour district. Your guided walking tour will reveal one of the most respected and revered sanctuaries of antiquity.

To add to the experience, two types of unique shore excursions allow guests to support conservation efforts as they visit and learn about them.

Seabourn World Heritage Tours include visits to World Heritage sites while Seabourn Discovery Tours are created exclusively for the cruise line at select World Heritage properties, allowing Seabourn guests privileged access to restricted areas and sequestered collections, custom interpretation by specially authorised experts and other extraordinary personal experiences at World Heritage sites.

On select cruises, there will be a team of veteran Expedition Team of naturalists, scientists, photographers and other experts on board to enhance and broaden the destination experience in what the cruise line calls ‘Ventures by Seabourn'.

Available in Alaska, Antarctica and Patagonia, the Amazon, Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific, Northern Europe, Iceland and Greenland, and South America, it includes complimentary onboard lectures, seminars and presentations by its team of experts add insights on regional wildlife, natural and cultural history, geography and other topics.

During scenic cruising, Expedition Team members will circulate on deck and in observation lounges, highlighting the sights with top-of-the-line Swarovski binoculars.

Optional excursions launch directly from the ship, where guests may kayak with Expedition Team guides through tranquil fjords, watching for wildlife along forested shores. Or paddle between towering icebergs in Antarctica and the milky meltwater at the foot of shining glaciers.

In most destinations, for guests who prefer to simply ride instead of paddle, its expedition team can take them on a scenic Zodiac tour, perfect for scenic eye-level cruising in fjords, along rivers and towering glaciers.

No matter where you’re sailing, Seabourn offers unrivalled experiences to truly help you make the most out of luxury travelling.

Seabourn offers worldwide destinations for 2021/2 from the Mediterranean and Northern Europe through to the Caribbean and Panama Canal, Alaska, Asia, Arabia, Australasia and Antarctica.

To find out more, call 0344 338 8615 or visit seabourn.com.