Make that a fleet expansion after a contraction. Last February Seabourn announced the sale of the line's original three vessels to Xanterra Parks & Resorts(®), owner of Windstar Cruises. After Seabourn Pride is transferred to Windstar in April 2014, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend will leave the fleet in April 2015 and May 2015, respectively. With their passenger capacity lowered by more than 600 berths, the next logical step for Seabourn is to build a new ship to join its three newest vessels.Therefore, it came as no surprise when Seabourn announced last week that it has signed a Letter of Intent for the construction of a new ultra-luxury cruise ship with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. While the new ship will be modeled after Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn, and Seabourn Quest, no details have been revealed other than that it will encompass the features that have made these ships so successful. However, Seabourn has hinted that it will be a larger version of those ships, which each accommodate 450 passengers, as the line has stated it will replace the capacity that is leaving the brand. We predict the new ship will feature a capacity of 600-700 passengers, still on the small side by today's standards, but large enough to contain all the amenities expected on a luxury vessel.
With delivery of the new ship planned for the second half of 2016, that will leave the Seabourn fleet with a diminished capacity for just over a year and loyal past passengers will have plenty of time to anticipate a new addition to their favorite cruise line.
Seabourn Quest Image courtesy of Seabourn
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