Dream Trip(s) for 2011
We haven't decided where to go this year. We had two trips last year, my daughter just returned from a friend's wedding in the Phillippines, and I want to cruise anywhere.
My guess is that this is going to be the year of a Minute Cruise on Orbitz . . . in part 'cause they start at $50 per night! or maybe we'll skip a flight to a port city -- 'cause we live near one -- and go with Orbitz on one of their ships leaving our home port!
We haven't gone to Alaska on a cruise ship, and with the tight budgets being managed by the average family, lots of cruises, including those to Alaska, are being heavily discounted, as well as are airfares. You can Check Up-to-date Airfares on Orbitz's new destination flight pages and check out Vacation Packages for Under $500 while you're there.
What we really want to do . . .
Cruise on a Seabourn Vessel . . . To see how exquisite they are, click on the Orbitz Cruise Tab and select "Seabourn" on the right under Cruise Line.
Seabourn's vessels are considerably smaller than those of Princess, Carnival, etc., whihc affords excellent treatment, but also the ability to sail into ports and along rivers where larger vessels cannot follow.
I'm sure it's partly due to cost, but their ships attract interesting people seeking to share experiences beyond the expected in places beyond the ordinary.
Seabourn introduced Seabourn Pride, our first 208-guest, all-suite ship in 1988. At the time, a cruise expert stated that “Seabourn is in a class by itself,” and that is still true today. Our fleet of six graceful ships carry between 208 and 450 guests each (rather than the 1,000-3,000 of the mega vessels), exclusively in ocean-view suites. They are graciously served by nearly the same number of hand-picked crew, who are consistently ranked as the finest at sea, earning Seabourn honors as the World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line in surveys of readers by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure.
In 2009, Seabourn again raised the bar with the debut of Seabourn Odyssey, hailed as “a game-changer for the ultra-luxury segment.” Although larger than the original Seabourn sisters, Seabourn Odyssey carries just 450 guests and offers a wealth of amenities made possible by the highest ratio of space per guest in the cruise industry, including the largest spa on any luxury ship and generous private verandas on 90 percent of her suites. Seabourn Odyssey has since been joined by two identical sisters, Seabourn Sojourn in 2010 and Seabourn Quest in 2011.
Our dream is to sail on and on for an entire season in the classic tradition of the great British travellers. Float into exotic ports housing the world’s greatest treasures. Ships this luxurious invite experts from every field of human endeavor, adding insight and impact to the journey.
The cruises are offered in segments and total a 109 Day World Cruise broken down into segments and priced accordingly:
World Voyage I (88 days): Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US Departure Dates: Jan 05, 2012 Ports of Call: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US; Bridgetown, Barbados; Devil's Island, French Guiana; Recife, Brazil; Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jamestown, Saint Helena; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town, South Africa; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Durban, South Africa; Maputo, Mozambique; Pointe Des Galets, Portugal; Port Louis, Mauritius; Maldives (Male), Maldives; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Penang, Malaysia; Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Chan May (Hue), Vietnam; Keelung, Taiwan, China; Shanghai, China; Hong Kong, China; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Port Kelang (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Cochin, India; Marmagao (Goa), India; Mumbai (Bombay), India109 Day World Cruise: Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US Departure Dates: Jan 05, 2012 Ports of Call: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US; Bridgetown, Barbados; Devil's Island, French Guiana; Recife, Brazil; Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jamestown, Saint Helena; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town, South Africa; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Durban, South Africa; Maputo, Mozambique; Pointe Des Galets, Portugal; Port Louis, Mauritius; Maldives (Male), Maldives; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Penang, Malaysia; Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Chan May (Hue), Vietnam; Keelung, Taiwan, China; Shanghai, China; Hong Kong, China; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Port Kelang (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Cochin, India; Marmagao (Goa), India; Mumbai (Bombay), India; Khasab, Oman; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Salalah, Oman; Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan; Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; Enter Suez Canal at Suez; Exit Suez Canal at Port Said; Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt; Kerkira, Corfu, Greece; Venice, ItalySegment 1: 28 Days: Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US Departure Dates: Jan 05, 2012 Ports of Call: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US; Bridgetown, Barbados; Devil's Island, French Guiana; Recife, Brazil; Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jamestown, Saint Helena; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town, South AfricaSegment 3 (15 days): Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Singapore Departure Dates: Feb 27, 2012 Ports of Call: Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Chan May (Hue), Vietnam; Keelung, Taiwan, China; Shanghai, China; Hong Kong, ChinaSegment 4 (20 days): Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Hong Kong, China Departure Dates: Mar 13, 2012 Ports of Call: Hong Kong, China; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Port Kelang (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Cochin, India; Marmagao (Goa), India; Mumbai (Bombay), India; Khasab, Oman; Dubai, United Arab EmiratesSegment 5 (21 Days): Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Departure Dates: Apr 02, 2012 Ports of Call: Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Salalah, Oman; Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan; Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; Enter Suez Canal at Suez; Exit Suez Canal at Port Said; Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt; Kerkira, Corfu, Greece; Venice, ItalyWorld Voyage V (56 days): Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Singapore Departure Dates: Feb 27, 2012 Ports of Call: Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Chan May (Hue), Vietnam; Keelung, Taiwan, China; Shanghai, China; Hong Kong, China; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Port Kelang (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Cochin, India; Marmagao (Goa), India; Mumbai (Bombay), India; Khasab, Oman; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Salalah, Oman; Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan; Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; Enter Suez Canal at Suez; Exit Suez Canal at Port Said; Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt; Kerkira, Corfu, Greece; Venice, ItalyWorld Voyage VI (41 days): Seabourn Quest
Departure Port: Hong Kong, China Departure Dates: Mar 13, 2012 Ports of Call: Hong Kong, China; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Port Kelang (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Cochin, India; Marmagao (Goa), India; Mumbai (Bombay), India; Khasab, Oman; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Salalah, Oman; Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan; Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; Enter Suez Canal at Suez; Exit Suez Canal at Port Said; Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt; Kerkira, Corfu, Greece; Venice, Italy
In addition to the world routes, some of their cruises follow old trade routes, such as a 34-day Egypt, Arabia and India voyage, on Seabourn Pride, which are written about in the history of those regions on The Maritime Heritage Project.
Departure Port: Piraeus (Athens), Greece Departure Dates: Nov 10, 2011 Ports of Call: Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Agios Nikolaos, Greece; Port Said, Egypt; Enter Suez Canal at Port Said; Daylight transit Suez Canal; Exit Suez Canal at Suez; Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan; Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; Safaga, Egypt; Salalah, Oman; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Mumbai (Bombay), India; Mangalore, India; Cochin, India; Penang, Malaysia; Singapore
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude