Agents Give Seabourn Quest Near Perfect Scores
by Dori SaltzmanSeabourn’s new Quest received rave reviews from five agents who sailed aboard the ship on a pre-inaugural cruise last month. One agent went so far as to describe the ship as “near to perfection.”
Agents were particularly enthusiastic about the service levels and staterooms on the Seabourn Quest.
Another plus in their eyes – the ship is identical to its sister ships, the Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Odyssey. You can’t talk about one without talking about all three, they said, and that expands itinerary choices for repeat clients who are reluctant to switch ships.
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Mary Jean Tully, CTC, was among the enthusiasts. “The European wait staff – their attention to detail – went above and beyond,” said Tully, chairman and CEO of the Cruise Professionals in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
“The cabins were magnificent, from the smallest cabins to the suites. You couldn’t want for one more thing. Seabourn has come pretty close to perfection,” Tully told Travel Market Report.
Following are firsthand reports and sales tips from these recent Seabourn Quest passengers.
What are highlights of the onboard experience?
“Seabourn Square is tremendous – that center section where people can co-mingle – it’s a great meeting spot. They’ve also done a wonderful job having different areas of deck space where you can find alone time, so you’re not always around the main center pool.” – Kimberly Wilson Wetty, co-president, Valerie Wilson Travel, Virtuoso
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“The service and the warmth of the staff. The cuisine is extraordinary. It always tastes better when it’s served with style, a smile and that caring touch. My favorite spot is the hot tub on the bow.” – Eric Goldring, ECC, owner, Goldring Travel, Red Bank, N.J., Ensemble
“The marina that’s attached to the back of the ship for water sports. They have banana boats, kayaking, windsurfing, and you can swim in the sea water.” – Donna Christensen, CTA, senior travel consultant, Preferred Travel of Naples Inc., Naples, Fla., Signature
“Their in-room entertainment and movies on demand is one of the best systems I’ve ever seen, and it’s complimentary.” – Eric Maryanov, President, All-Travel, Los Angeles, Signature
What are key selling points for the Seabourn Quest?
“It’s a small ship feel but it’s not a tiny ship; the attention to detail, the refinement, the cabin sizes. It has a casual elegance; it surrounds you with luxury without being stuffy.” – Mary Jean Tully
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“The main pluses are the intimacy of the experience and yet the diversity of the programming. There are a lot of good venues for eating onboard with great diversity for a small ship.” – Eric Maryanov
“Seabourn provides the finest cuisine and service on the most luxurious cruise ships in the world. They provide more space and more alternatives – anything from a little putting green to oversized lounges overlooking the bow. It’s a lifestyle experience as opposed to just getting on a ship.” – Eric Goldring
“The larger ship gives you a little bit more diversity, so the dining options really become unique. Everything is just a little bit bigger, but it maintains that high quality of service and food and the onboard experience that everybody knows about Seabourn.” – Kimberly Wilson Wetty
“The Quest is absolutely identical to both the Sojourn and the Odyssey. The advantage is that it creates familiarity on return. At times people get partial to a particular ship. The nice thing is that now the three are interchangeable and it opens up the itineraries, yet it’s like returning home.” – Eric Maryanov
What’s the target market for this ship?
“The market is the upscale traveler, someone looking for fine cuisine, extraordinary service and the feeling of being cared for. That doesn’t mean they have to be rich. It means they should enjoy the finer things.” – Eric Goldring
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“Definitely the luxury traveler. If you’re looking for an age category: mid-40s on up. It’s a lot younger than it used to be. There’s fabulous dining for foodies and wine people.” – Donna Christensen
“It’s definitely got a young demographic to it.” – Eric Maryanov
Would you recommend the Quest to families?
“Seabourn Quest does have a program so younger cruisers have some activities. But it’s not really a child-friendly environment. I have many clients that bring their teenage children, but that’s for a family experience, not to be entertained by the ship. Overall it is an adult experience.” – Eric Goldring
“It’s an interesting product for families who are used to traveling in five- and six-star accommodations and are looking to do that on a cruise ship. Seabourn really does a nice job of creating a small children’s program without making it all about the children.” – Kimberly Wilson Wetty
What’s the potential for repeat business?
“It’s huge. Once you’ve experienced the service and the food and the staff and the whole Seabourn experience, it’s very easy to create brand loyalty.” – Kimberly Wilson Wetty
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“Definitely the repeat factor is there – with the itineraries, the fact that they’re not repetitive, so you could stay and do back-to-back-to-back itineraries.” – Mary Jean Tully
What are the barriers to selling the ship?
“If somebody loves the action of a casino, and it’s really important to them that there’s a strong nightlife, I wouldn’t put them on Seabourn Quest.” – Mary Jean Tully
“The Seabourn experience is not for everybody. There is a level of formality on the ship, even though they have more of a relaxed dress code. If your guest isn’t comfortable with that smaller ship experience, where it is more of a country club feel and there is a lot of co-mingling with guests, if you’re looking to get lost a little bit on the ship and just be with the person you’re traveling with, Seabourn might not be the right experience.” – Kimberly Wilson Wetty
“There is a misconception that Seabourn is formal, it’s not. You have the ability to be as formal as you wish, but it’s really an elegant country club feel. There is a false belief that the clientele are elderly, but that is not the case. In fact, on Seabourn, age is not really the measure; it’s the enthusiasm of the guests.” – Eric Goldring
