One of America’s most beautiful, intelligent and respected actors will do the honors as godmother to the intimate, all-suite Seabourn Quest when it is named at the port of Barcelona on June 20, 2011. Blythe Danner will preside over a glittering sunset ceremony in the Spanish Mediterranean city’s harbor, attended by the ship’s guests and crew, prior to its departure on a 14-day Maiden Voyage to Athens, Greece.
“Blythe Danner perfectly embodies the blend of style and sophistication, of emotional depth with a unique sense of fun that sparks the social atmosphere on board a Seabourn ship,” says Richard Meadows, Seabourn’s President. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her officially name our newest ship.”
Blythe Danner earned a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in Butterflies Are Free (which originated at Westport Country Playhouse) and has received nominations for her roles in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, A Streetcar Named Desire and Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. On television she won two Emmy Awards for her role on Showtime’s “Huff” and was nominated twice for “Will and Grace” and for Joyce Carol Oates’ “We Were the Mulvaneys.” She received a Golden Globe nomination for Anne Tyler’s “Back When We Were Grownups.” Her film roles include Woody Allen’s Alice, The Great Santini, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge with Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, and Sylvia with her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow. She holds honorary doctorates from Williams College, Hobart/William Smith College and her alma mater, Bard College. She has been involved with environmental issues for more than 35 years and serves on the advisory board of Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Media Association in L.A., Environmental Advocates in Albany, and Energy Visions in NYC. She also serves on Planned Parenthood’s board of advocates and is a member of the advisory board of the Bruce Paltrow Fund at the Oral Cancer Foundation, named after her husband.
Seabourn Quest is the third iteration of the sleek and widely admired design that first appeared as Seabourn Odyssey in June 2009, and has been hailed as “a game-changer for the luxury segment.” The second sister ship, Seabourn Sojourn, entered service in June of 2010.
Seabourn Quest’s maiden season includes seven-day Eastern Mediterranean cruises, operating alternately between Athens and Istanbul, and Venice and Athens, as well as a seven-day Black Sea voyage. On January 5, 2012, Seabourn Quest begins a 109-day World Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice on a unique eastbound course via South America, South Africa, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.
