Luxury line Seabourn’s brand-new Seabourn Encore is inching steadily closer to her maiden voyage. The 600-guest ship, which departed on her sea trials on November 4, will be christened in a lavish ceremony in the port of Singapore on January 7, 2017, followed by a 10-day gala maiden voyage around Indonesia.
Now, Seabourn has announced that acclaimed singer Sarah Brightman will serve as Seabourn Encore’s Godmother.
“Sarah Brightman embodies the style and sophistication, the talent and innovation, the playfulness and inviting warmth that create the unique atmosphere guests enjoy onboard every Seabourn vessel,” said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn. “We’re so grateful to have her officially name Seabourn Encore.”
Brightman launched her career with the British dance troupe Hot Gossip in the late 1970s. In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in Cats, and went on to star in several West End and Broadway musicals, including originating the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Brightman furthered her musical career as a classical crossover artist, a genre she is often credited with creating and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Her 1996 duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on “Time to Say Goodbye” became an international sensation and one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Brightman seems like the ideal choice for Godmother of Seabourn Encore, which is Seabourn’s first newbuild since the debut of Seabourn Quest in 2011. Designed by Adam D. Tihany, the 40,350-GRT Seabourn Encore will be similar to her fleetmates, but will feature one additional deck along with newly-expanded and reconfigured public spaces. The all-suite, all-veranda ship will make her debut in Southeast Asia before heading across the Middle East for a summer season in the Mediterranean.
It’s an exciting time for Seabourn, which now features one of the newest fleets of any luxury cruise line.
Seabourn Encore will officially be delivered on November 30 of this year, and she will sail a series of preview cruises throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East before her official christening ceremonies in Singapore in January. While her maiden voyage from Singapore is long sold out, there are still some spaces available on Seabourn Encore’s first sailings in the Med and Southeast Asia.
Her sister, Seabourn Ovation, sets sail in 2018.
Happy cruising.
