PRESS RELEASE

NEW, ENHANCED 'SEABOURN CLUB' EXPANDS LOYALTY BENEFITS

Luxury Cruise Line Rewards Returning Guests Sooner, Offers 'the Luxury of Choice'


SEATTLE, May 15, 2012 - The luxury small-ship cruise line Seabourn has announced a major expansion of the benefits it offers to loyal guests returning to its award-winning ships. Seabourn Club benefits, which already included a milestone award of a complimentary cruise after sailing 140 days, have always been the most valuable in the cruise industry. Now the line has added new benefits to the mix that start rewarding guests after their first cruise, and increase in value as guests sail more. In a nod to the personalization that is a hallmark of Seabourn's service, Seabourn Club members are free to choose the rewards they prefer from a generous menu of onboard amenities and discounts. The new onboard benefits will be implemented on all Seabourn ships on voyages departing on or after June 1, 2012.


"Our loyal guests have always been an important part of Seabourn's success," said Richard Meadows, the company's president. "We wanted to start thanking returning guests sooner, and we wanted to offer them rewards in a different, uniquely Seabourn style," he said. "With our new Seabourn Club, the difference is choice, and choice is luxury."


Membership Levels, Seabourn Club Points

Club members can redeem benefits based on five different membership levels, achieved by accruing one Seabourn Club Point for each day sailed on a Seabourn ship. Additional Seabourn Club Points are awarded for days sailed in premium category suites, for onboard spending and for days traveled on Seabourn Journey overland excursions.


Menu of Benefits

Depending on the level they have achieved, Club members select the benefits they prefer from a menu that includes such amenities as laundry and pressing, internet and telephone service, daily newspaper delivery, a Signature Seabourn Club massage in the spa and savings on shore excursions, luggage shipping and premium wine and spirits purchases. Certain levels also receive signature luggage tags and subscriptions to leading travel magazines. Club members can select the benefits they prefer and arrange for redemption through Seabourn's website for their future cruises. Upper level members also enjoy the services of a dedicated Seabourn Club Concierge to assist with their onboard arrangements. This ability to choose which benefits they prefer mirrors the quality of personalization that is the hallmark of Seabourn's ship-board experience, helping to create the Seabourn Moments that bring guests back to Seabourn again and again.



Complimentary Cruises

The popular award of a complimentary seven-day cruise after sailing 140 days, or a 14-day cruise after 250 days remains the richest element of the program, and far exceeds anything offered by any other line. These complimentary cruise awards are based strictly on days actually sailed on board. In addition to the awards, Seabourn Club members receive exclusive offers, additional savings for onboard booking, invitations to events on board, as well as Tiffany & Co. recognition gifts as they achieve loyalty milestones. Complete details of Seabourn Club membership benefits are available on Seabourn's website at www.seabourn.com .

Here's a breakdown of some of the new benefits by tier level.



I like the free internet time package (although 2 hours isn't very long, it's better than nothing!)!

I sure like the idea of a free 14 night cruise after 250 nights. I wish Regent did that.

That is a wonderful perk!

Silversea has a program like this too, free cruise after certain nights. I would think Regent would have to get on the band wagon at some point.

OHHH well....I have decided to nix my build up of Delta pts and concentrate on AA and United - Delta for international is a joke - told T to stop using Delta card and use the others -

Its True, article came out today saying Delta was worst airline for redeeming miles and now they are cutting transatlantic flights another 8 percent after Labor day..

I gave up trying to use my delta points for flights to Europe. I used most of what I had left for a round trip in 1st class to Maui from SFO on Alaska (lots of availability). Chester still has 200k that we've had for years that I have to figure out a way to use. I wish I could swap them for a different airline :)
It's nice Seabourn has new benefits. Since we haven't hit the 140 days yet we've never received any "frequent cruiser" benefit from them. The new benefits are similar to Cunard's benefits. We always get 2 hours free internet on Cunard (not much on a transatlantic) and will move to the next level soon where we get four hours each.

Joanna, I agree with you.. I am done with Delta for now have a ton of points and will burn through them very easily, switched back to my SPG Amex ,which really is the best card because of being able to transfer points to any airline and get the bonus as well.

SPG does give the bonus (5K per 20K transferred), but it takes 2 SPG points to get 1 United mile per the redemption chart. Must build up AA miles, I guess.

Cheers, Anne

Anne but 1:1 for AA?

Yes, AA is 1:1 with the 20 percent bonus..

Thanks Frank

Just transferred SPG points and it took a little over a week for the points to get from SPG to miles at AA, so keep that in mind if you need miles to get an award ticket.

Good to know about the SPG transfer time frame. I had BA hold our return from Mumbai, which they normally won't do, unless you tell them that you are transferring SPG points and then they will hold for at least two weeks. I ended up transferring membership award points that go over immediately, but the hold gave me two weeks to look for alternates.

Joanna

As Frank said, AA gets the 1:1 transfer ratio. It's just United that does 2:1 (tho Air NZ requires 65 spg : 1 mile). Living near Newark means best option is usually United.

Cheers, Anne

It still is really is the best card to have because when you have built up a ton of miles like I have on Delta and find that only high mileage awards are usually available then maybe getting a united CC and then maybe having to top it off with some extra SPG points can get you where you need to be..

Thanks Anne we have United pts and would need to top off AA with Starwood

Read this thread for the Seabourn loyalty program, and, yes, they and Oceania have the best programs. In fact, Seabourn is the only line that offers a 60 minute internet package for $9.99, usable over many days.

As for Delta mileage, they are the absolute PITS!! My wife and I both used 125,000 miles for a NY/So. America flight in 2009, full boat, and, even after booking, never noticed reduced mileage requirements.

They also do not have one-way usage.

So, to wipe out our accounts, we transferred Amex miles, about 5000 each, to book JFK/SJU with return several months later MIA/EWR at the cost of 45,000 miles each. The actual cost of both flights was under $500 each. PITIFUL, but, we're done with Delta!