Seabourn, Multi-Destination

Itinerary: 14 Day Greenland/Iceland; 11 Day Great White Continent; 14 Day Micronesia & Isles of PNG
Sailing: Date: 4 June 2023 ; 9 February 2024; 15 May 2024
Ship: Seabourn Venture & Seabourn Pursuit
Author: Jennifer Compton, Key Account Manager – Seabourn Luxury Voyages & Expedition                                                                              

Get ready to dive into the incredible world of expedition cruising with Jennifer Compton as she shares her unforgettable experiences across three breathtaking voyages. From the icy wonders of Antarctica to the tropical beauty of Micronesia, her journey with Seabourn’s expedition ships is filled with thrilling adventures, close encounters with nature, and moments of pure awe. Here’s her insider’s look at what makes these expeditions truly extraordinary:

1. The entire Expedition experience – I have been lucky enough to sail on three Expedition voyages and cannot pick my favourite so I’m going to indulge in talking about all three. Cold weather and warm weather both have their equal share of WOW factor.

2. The Hardware – Seabourn’s identical Expedition sister ships are in a class of their own. No expense has been spared on these PC6 class, state of the art vessels. Walking on to Venture last year for the first time in Reykjavik was such an emotional experience having been there from the drawing board through to the final product. All of our ships have a similar layout so you really do have a sense of “home” from the moment you walk on.

3. The Zodiacs – The rush of being so close to the waterline makes the daily outings on the Zodiacs a highpoint on these expeditions. One stand out was an afternoon tour through the Iceberg Graveyard around Pleneau Island in Antarctica. The scale and beauty of the icebergs that were literally lined up together was jaw dropping. It was a really overcast day with low cloud so the lighting was just spectacular. As we stopped to take in the view a leopard seal appeared and took a very keen interest in us.

Our Expedition guide advised us to keep all limbs in the zodiac as the leopard seals are predators and can eat anything. Sure enough the seal tried to get a taste of the zodiac next to us Incredible!

4. The Zodiacs – Part 2. We were only two days into the voyage from Iceland to Greenland going across the Denmark Strait when the Captain found a massive piece of floating sea ice. They decided we’d have a pit stop on our sea day. With only half hour notice all guests jumped in the zodiacs and they literally parked up onto the sea ice. It was moving quickly and the weather was closing in so we only had about 10s minute for photo ops though it was unforgettable. We were all screaming like little kids – 99% excited 1% terrified!

5. Kayak Tour – I loved both the ice kayak tours in Greenland and the Antarctica though the standout for me was the tour off Ifalik Island in Micronesia last May. After spending the morning on the island as their first ever tourists we had a post lunch kayak around this small island. It looked like an aquarium screen saver was playing under the kayaks. The marine life was incredible. So many turtles ! The local kids came out in their homemade outriggers and followed us until we got back into the zodiac. They were so taken with the zodiac we let a few of them jump on while we jumped in for a swim. They were so gorgeous. These little island community’s around the South Pacific must be the happiest people on Earth. They were so generous to us, so excited to show us their piece of paradise. Seabourn also left parting gifts to the village chief’s in the way of medical supplies and on one island our engineers also helped one community fix their desalination tank.

6. The Polar Plunge – I can say I’ve survived two. Both felt like an electric shock but the post plunge adrenalin lasted for hours. Fuelled along by the Grey Goose shot in the mud room and a few glasses of Montaudon Champagne in the hot tub on Deck 5, it was a bucket list experience – both times.

7. The sushi/sashimi – I love our restaurants onboard though for me, our sashimi chef on Deck 9 in The Club has my heart. Coming up to this bar after an exhausting day on shore, ticks every box for me. Champagne, fresh made to order sushi and sashimi and live music from our resident duo who play everything from Fleetwood Mac to Jack Johnson – the best!

8. The Heated Jacket Closets – in every suite. Obviously these are lifesavers in the arctic regions though we used them daily in the Pacific for our swimmers and the clothes we wore in the zodiacs. The sea spray is definitely welcomed in these hot regions.

9. Infinity Pool – some of my most memorable days in the pool was in Greenland. The pool is toasty warm in the colder regions and on our voyage here we were blessed with some spectacularly sunny days. We felt like we were in a summer resort with icebergs floating past.

10. The Expedition Team – these guys just love every single day on the job and you can tell. They never lose their enthusiasm or excitement coming into these destinations. I particularly love their 10 minute “micro” lectures each night in the Discovery Lounge. They keep them funny and upbeat but make sure we all walk away wiser and in full appreciation of the region we are in.