Best of the Baltic
Seabourn Sojourn will visit the Baltic’s finest ports, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg, while exploring other hidden lands of the midnight sun during its maiden summer voyage
Taking advantage of the long summer days, Seabourn Sojourn will begin its maiden voyage in June through northern Europe. In July, the luxurious new yacht will journey to Scandinavia and Russia, beginning and ending in Copenhagen. In between, it will stop at the finest metropolises of the Baltic, including Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, and Berlin. Guests will visit palaces, world-class museums, and some of the finest restaurants in Scandinavia. Along the way, Seabourn Sojourn will explore small ports—“Seabourn Secrets”—with authentic old-world cultures that are very much alive.
“The Baltic cruises offer something for everyone,” says Pamela C. Conover, Seabourn president and CEO. “There are some of the finest museums in the world, fascinating cultural attractions, and excellent shopping. But there are also many outdoor opportunities, whether it’s kayaking through Stockholm’s islands or biking in the heart of Copenhagen. We take full advantage of the long, beautiful days.”
Gateway to Scandinavia, Copenhagen is the natural starting point for Seabourn Sojourn’s 12-day journey. Anyone who has visited Copenhagen knows the sheer magic of the home of the Little Mermaid, with cultural attractions such as the National Art Museum, visitor-friendly parks such as Rosenbørg Castle, and the network of cobblestone streets that wander beside the city’s many canals. It is a supremely walkable city.
The capital of Denmark has consistently won praise for being one of the world’s most cultured cities, often cited for the highest quality of life. Certainly, it is one of the most environmentally advanced cities in the world. About 30 percent of the population commutes by bicycle, and the harbor is clean enough for swimming. Seabourn Sojourn guests have the option of seeing the city by bike, and many will stroll through Tivoli Gardens, take a canal cruise along the historic waterfront, or shop on Strøget, Europe’s longest pedestrian street, with the Østergade enclave being the exclusive home of native designer shops, including Malene Birger, Georg Jensen, and Illums Bolighus, and international brands Versace, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton.
Copenhagen’s restaurants have also undergone a culinary renaissance, boasting the highest number of Michelin stars per capita. Its new Nordic cuisine, with dishes ranging from marinated reindeer to superbly prepared lobster to fresh takes on traditional frikadeller (Danish meatballs), have set new standards in northern Europe. Michelin-star designees also have menus featuring seafood, French, Thai, and Italian cuisines. The Christianshavn-area eatery Noma has been awarded a two-star designation for its exceptional Nordic and seafood dishes.
Of course, one never needs to leave Seabourn Sojourn because its rich gourmet offerings equal any landside eateries. There are four restaurants on the yacht that range from a formal dining room to a poolside café. The main dining venue, called simply the Restaurant, offers traditional fine dining on exquisite crystal and china. Restaurant 2 is a bit more avant-garde, featuring innovative small-plates tasting menus that provide a wide variety of flavors in playful, eye-catching presentations. Menus are the creations of celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, who specifies the freshest ingredients, many of them locally sourced, and infuses them with herbs and essential oils to create bold, healthy dishes. The Colonnade, offering less formal dining, is an indoor/outdoor restaurant where the chefs work in an open kitchen, so guests can watch their meals being prepared.
There is open seating, and there are often themes, so dining feels like a relaxed, celebratory experience where one can make new friends. Each Seabourn chef also responds to specific guest requests, creating new entrees and desserts not only to meet dietary needs, but simply to add flair to an already versatile menu. As part of Seabourn’s philosophy to exceed guests’ expectations constantly, meals ordered from the Restaurant menu can also be enjoyed in the suites or on the private verandas, served course by course, on fine linen, by a waiter.
Every Seabourn staff member is expected to learn the preferences of each guest quickly, down to whether he takes milk in his coffee. “We strive to make each guest feel special,” says Christopher Prelog, director of hotel operations. “Some guests like things rather formal and reserved. Others like to kid around with the servers. Our people are schooled to be alert to these differences.” In fact, all Seabourn Sojourn staff carry a card outlining the “12 Points of Seabourn Hospitality” for interacting with guests. “Carrying this reminds them to deliver high levels of service to each and every guest,” says Prelog. “We encourage them to delight guests by constantly anticipating their needs, and surprising them with thoughtful touches.”
Seabourn also put an inordinate amount of forethought into the layout of Seabourn Sojournand its other new sister ships. The yacht has 225 ocean-view suites, most with their own verandas, floor-to-ceiling windows, light, elegant furnishings, and other designer decor. These floating villas offer exceptional waterfront views, whether one wakes up to freshly baked croissants and orange juice in front Stockholm’s City Hall or enjoying an evening aperitif anchored off the walled city of Tallinn, Estonia.
“The new yachts were designed to carry 450 guests in complete comfort,” says Conover. “They have the highest ratio of space per guest in the industry, with exceptional amenities, including the largest spa facility on any luxury ship—11,400 square feet on two decks. The size and amenities of the yachts are important because they encourage the uniquely relaxing, yet invigorating, style of travel that our guests enjoy.” The complement of guests, which is comparable to the size of a wedding party, also fosters onboard camaraderie. Many report forming lifelong friendships during a cruise.
The other successful element is the voyage itinerary, which Seabourn director of planning Peter Cox carefully fashions for each cruise. “We match up marquee ports that everyone knows with places we call ‘Seabourn Secrets,’” says Cox. “These are places that guests have never heard of, but they’ll never forget them once they’ve been there.”
The Seabourn staff will also organize special shoreside experiences, such as arranging dinner with distant relatives in Sweden, or perhaps putting together a meeting with a person in the same line of business, as they did with a guest in Portugal recently.
Of course, Seabourn’s destination services staff provides a range of field trips for guests, whether it’s kayaking through the National City Park in Stockholm’s Brunnsviken Bay, biking around Djurgården(once the royal family’s private hunting grounds), or pursuing the Millennium Walking Tour, which follows in the footsteps of characters from Stieg Larsson’s best-selling detective novels. “We also gain privileged access to places that are normally closed to the public,” says Cox. “Head curators of historic sites lead us on visits to provide extra insight into their cultural treasures.”
Helsinki, the only Baltic capital with a relatively modern past, fuses Russian architecture with Art Nouveau. The city, intimate but formal, has a style unlike any other in Scandinavia. In Helsinki, guests can try Nordic walking, getting a whole-body workout with Nordic walking poles, while striding through Market Square, onto the Esplanadi, Helsinki’s famous design district, that showcases designer boutiques such as Marimekko, Moomin Shop, and Artek.
Of course, St. Petersburg is peerless in northern Europe for its cultural treasures. The Seabourn Sojourn stops for a generous three days, allowing guests to experience the full scope of its magnificence. Optional day trips include biking through Alexandria Park, with its palace and extensive grounds on the Gulf of Finland, and exploring dozens of locations that inspired great works of art from Tchaikovsky to Gogol and Dostoevsky. “The Hermitage, Russian Museum, Palace Square, ballet performances, the Summer Palace, and dozens of other attractions make this an unforgettable stay,” says Conover. “We sail right up the Neva River into the heart of St. Petersburg. That’s a real bonus that Seabourn Sojourn can offer, because larger ships have to stay further out.”
Seabourn Sojourn also visits small Baltic ports such as Tallinn, Estonia; Szczecin, Poland (which offers easy access for a day trip to Berlin and Warnemünde, Germany. “The big advantage of the smaller places is that our guests enjoy an undiluted experience of the place,” says Cox. “Tallinn is like a living museum—perfectly preserved and full of charm.”
The Nordic medieval city has cobblestone streets, 26 watchtowers, carefully restored buildings, baroque and choral music that resonates from its old churches, and an Old Town that are at once authentic and visitor-friendly with its sidewalk cafes and boutiques. “Places like Tallinn are as memorable as many of the larger cities,” says Cox. “Our guests really appreciate having the best of both worlds during the voyage. After St. Petersburg and Stockholm, visiting these Seabourn Secrets is a fantastic way to see the other side of the Baltic.”
Seabourn guests love the yachting lifestyle, with its onboard pampering and side trips, so much that more than half on most cruises are repeat guests. More than a third sign up for their next voyage while they’re still on the yacht. “We asked our repeat guests why they keep coming back,” says Conover. “They said it was because of the service and social life onboard. They simply can’t find those things at the same level anywhere else.”
For a limited time, travelers can enjoy the Seabourn experience at substantial savings. The company is offering two-for-one cruise fares that include round-trip airfare, or cruise-only savings of up to 65 percent on all Seabourn voyages in Europe through fall 2011.
For more information, contact a travel agent, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit www.seabourn.com .