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July 13, 2023

Another important change at the helm of a prestigious luxury cruise brand has once again put a woman in the driver’s seat, and we are very excited about it. The appointment is very recent and we have already met the new President in Fort Lauderdale where she will have the opportunity to represent Seabourn on an exciting panel dedicated to luxury cruising. Natalya Leahy’s experience and depth will ensure effective and decisive leadership for Seabourn Cruise Line, a company that is renewing its fleet and introducing many innovations in expedition and luxury cruising.

Natalya took over the company after various experiences in the cruise industry and for different brands, a key element in having the awareness and breadth to better direct one’s marketing and communications efforts. The new president sat down with Cruising Journal to talk about her experience, the company’s current plans and what to expect from the Seabourn brand in the coming months.

Natalya, first of all, good luck with your important assignment and congratulations on your position. We are always happy to see a change in management, as we believe it can bring new ideas and different impulses, even when some projects are already underway, as is the case with Seabourn. But let’s take a step back: where did your expertise in the cruise industry come from and what have been the milestones in your career?

Thank you. I am, indeed, honored to take this role. Seabourn is a true jewel of cruise industry. One guest was telling me a story how from the second she was approaching the ship, her interactions with our crew member were so special that she said, “You’ve had us ever since. The important part of this story is how the small things make a big difference and capture customer loyalty. Seabourn has panache. It’s more than a bottle of wine in a bucket or a clean suite.”  So, I am truly excited to take a leadership of the brand that was able to build such a special truly authentic luxury experience at sea for the most extraordinary guests.

I spent the past seven years supporting Seabourn in various capacities, including Chief Financial Officer for Holland America Group and Chief Operating Officer for Holland America Group. Years ago, I remember working on the Venture proposition with a few of our team members on a small excel spreadsheet, and I am so proud to see this ship taking our guests to the most remote and untouched destinations that only few can experience in a lifetime. I was also leading the restart of cruise operations. I’m very excited to take the Seabourn brand to the next level.

Before I joined the cruise industry, I gained a wide diversity of leadership experiences working in large global organizations and iconic consumer-centric brands in companies and organizations, such as Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola and United Nations.

Thank you Natalya, certainly a background that validates your new position. Seabourn, like all cruise lines, is coming out of a difficult period of stagnation caused by the pandemic. As of the beginning of 2023, there is a mood of recovery, and even during this Seatrade, the buzzwords are “optimism” and “enthusiasm”. You took over the company when the cruise business had already started to recover. What was the situation you had to deal with? Can we say that the effects of the pandemic have been overcome, or is your work still partly linked to the problems of the past?

Like many other brands in the industry, with the restart of operations, Seabourn is managing through the world of global supply chain challenges, geopolitical changes and labor shortages. Yet, we are very committed to delivering ultra-luxury, one-of-a-kind experiences to guests. We are making number of changes to proactively manage these challenges and deliver amazing life-expanding unexpected moments to our guests. As an example, we do a lot more local sourcing and have developed a number of new relationships with local providers that allow us to provide freshest and best local produce for our guests that also support local communities and business. My team and I invested in re-launching Seabourn Academy, our signature training program to prepare our team to deliver true “Seabourn style” service. And I already see fast results of helping our new team members integrate into our family.

Several years ago, Seabourn Cruise Line made a pivotal decision to enter the expedition business. In fact, Seabourn ships offered Antarctic and Arctic itineraries long before the two new expedition ships were ordered. But with the arrival of Seabourn Venture, the game has definitely changed. Now it is up to you to follow the launch of the second of the two expedition ships, Seabourn Pursuit. What is the relationship between the luxury and expedition-luxury units in the fleet? Do your guests frequent both types of ships, or do you have “industry” cruise passengers? What are the prospects for future growth and itinerary expansion with the addition of the second Venture-class ship?

I am so glad you asked this question because I am so excited about the future of Seabourn with the addition of the expedition ships. These ships are really state of the art! They are unique because they are truly purpose-built luxury expedition ships. They are best of both worlds: they allow guests to experience some of the world’s most unique locations in the most immersive way and in true Seabourn luxury style. Guests will be amazed! These ships have eight dining venues, unbelievable elegant design, spacious suites, exceptional onboard team, amazing observation lounge and much more.  On top of it all, these experiences are curated by 24 expedition team members who are world experts, each with unique and inspiring experiences and backgrounds and has dedicated their lives to the exploration of this world. We are creating a unique Seabourn experience that follows in the traditions of expedition travel, with a highly luxurious, social, inquisitive environment where the guests feel like they become one in a shared experience of a lifetime.

With our new expedition ships, Seabourn will offer a true ultra-luxury expedition product with no compromise. True luxury is authentic and extends throughout everything a ship does. I truly believe that no one else does it better than Seabourn. Many of our guests sailed on Seabourn Venture last year and in fact, the majority of them were repeat guests. Seabourn Venture scored the highest NPS any brand can dream of.

I have personally sailed on Seabourn Venture and must say that she is truly an exceptional ship, offering the comforts of a luxury ship with the features of a true explorer, starting with the onboard amenities and Polar Class (PC-6). I look forward to getting to know the sister ship, which is scheduled to arrive next summer. However, the addition of a new ship to the fleet is accompanied by the sale of a ship, Seabourn Odyssey. Is this part of fleet renewal and rejuvenation, or a trend in your clientele towards expedition cruising?

While we are grateful to Seabourn Odyssey for all the years she served our guests, we are happy to see her go to another great company. She is the oldest ship in our fleet, and this sale makes our fleet one of the youngest and most modern ultra luxury fleets in the industry. This is always good for both guests and shareholders. We will still have slightly higher guest capacity compared to 2019 even after Seabourn Odyssey’s departure.

I really feel Seabourn strives to provide unmatched highest end ultra luxury experience at sea in the most authentic innovative way possible. We take extraordinary people who are looking for truly out of ordinary experiences. The great balance between our ocean and expedition ships allows us to achieve that objective, as well as offer an exciting and diverse range of itineraries to more than 400 ports and destinations on seven continents.  The sale continues to position Seabourn as the leader in ultra-luxury travel.

As we await the launch of Seabourn Pursuit, what other news can we expect about the new ship and the fleet in general? What will be your first milestone at the helm of the company?

I am very excited to welcome Seabourn Pursuit to the family this summer, this is a major milestone as president of Seabourn. There are a couple of major points I would like to share about Seabourn Pursuit and our expedition business.

First of all, we recently announced a partnership with Starlink. Both of our expedition ships will have connectivity everywhere Starlink is. This is a major gamechanger in expedition business as it allows our guests to make a choice on how connected they want to stay with external world as they connect with the most remote destinations. This partnership will truly provide a differentiated connectivity performance on our expedition voyages.

Secondly, following its inaugural Antarctic season, Seabourn Pursuit will head to the South Pacific and Australia, which will include the line’s first exploration of the Kimberley region in northern Australia between June and August 2024. The iconic Kimberley, with its red sandstone gorges, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, and aboriginal stories, is the ideal setting for a truly, world-class expedition experience. In addition to the Kimberley, Seabourn Pursuit will visit Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and sail to the South Pacific from Chile to Melanesia between March and October 2024.

Thank you for your time, Natalya. Definitely a lot of news and a lot of expectations, not only for Seabourn Pursuit, but for the itineraries that will be offered and the continued implementation of services onboard. We will just have to wait until next fall to get to know some of them up close!

Don’t miss more updates, news and reviews on Cruising Journal.

Gabriele Bassi

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