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I have been fortunate to talk with many guests on luxury cruise ships. Invariably the conversations turn to the places they’d like to see. One part of the World is very popular right now: Down Under. Seabourn Aussie experiences can take these cruisers from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef and beyond.
Seabourn have a new range of Australian adventures to explore.
That explains why Seabourn are sending two of their five ultra-luxury ships to the region. There’s a rich vein of new experiences waiting to be tapped during the upcoming Seabourn Australia season.
Indeed, getting access to those one-of-a-kind experiences is now as much a part of ultra-luxury Seabourn cruising as the five-star amenities onboard.
Experiences are the new luxury
According to Tony Archbold, Senior Director Sales & Marketing for Seabourn in Australia & New Zealand, ‘experiences’ are the new luxury. “You’ve got to have that wow moment, whether it’s onboard or as part of the cultural destination. Without the experience its not luxury at all”.
Luxury travel today means getting the chance to immerse yourself in the local culture. In fact I believe luxury cruise guests are in a unique position to see and experience the destination in a much richer way. So too do Seabourn, which is why they offer a lot of overnight stays in places like Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef.
“[Our] guests want to be challenged and experience authentic cultural immersion”, Tony Archbold told me. “The overnight stays we choose give our guests the chance to see so much more – things like evenings ashore. Food is a big part of the cultural experience, so we take guests ashore for authentic evening meals on overnight stays.”
Seabourn Australia highlights
Seabourn Encore and her smaller sister ship Seabourn Sojourn will both be part of the Seabourn Australia season during the first few months of 2019. The guests onboard will have the chance to see places never before visited by any cruise ship. Places like Flinders Island with its’ outstanding natural beauty and wild kangaroos, as well as the picturesque fishing village of Batemans Bay which is famous for its’ snorkeling.
The beautiful Seabourn Encore alongside in the Great Barrier Reef town of Cairns, Australia.
In fact Seabourn will do nine maiden calls in Australia this season including beautiful Airlie Beach on the Great Barrier Reef, the World Heritage listed Fraser Island, historic Port Arthur, plus Broome and Kuri Bay on the remote north-west Kimberley coast.
Enjoy a Broome sunset while riding one of the towns famous camels.
Broome is sandwiched between the desert and the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean and it is the heart of the Australian pearling industry. It’s a stunningly beautiful place with magnificent sunsets that are best appreciated from atop a camel! Aboriginal culture and dreamtime legends are also ready to reveal themselves to curious travellers.
Rainforest and sand dunes collide on Fraser Island in Australia.
Fraser Island on the north-eastern coast of Australia offers something completely different. “I think our guest will absolutely love it”, said Tony Archbold.”They can walk from enormous sand dunes to the rainforest within a couple of hundred metres. It’s a great experience.”
Ventures By Seabourn takes you even further
The acclaimed Ventures By Seabourn program will be running in many ports Down Under. Naturalists and local experts will be onboard to escort small groups on tours into pristine environments on Zodiacs or kayaks. There are even walking tours as well.
The Ventures By Seabourn program will be available in Australia.
Tony Archbold explains that the Ventures By Seabourn program takes small ship cruising to the next level. “Seabourn ships are small so they can get very close to shore, then you can get in the kayaks and Zodiacs and really get close to nature”.
Many of the Seabourn Ventures programs are partnerships with UNESCO and take you places others simply can’t go. They are ultra-luxury experiences in that they reveal parts of the World few others get to see. The program in Australia is sure to impress and I think it will really enhance the acclaimed Seabourn experience.
For more information about the upcoming Seabourn Australia season visit the Seabourn website.
About the Author: Jason Kerr
