Delivery delayed for new ultra-luxury expedition cruise ship Seabourn Venture

Seabourn has announced the cancellation of additional cruises, as well as a delay to the delivery of its new ultra-luxury, purpose-built expedition cruise ship Seabourn Venture.

The cancelled voyages apply to three cruise ships in the line’s fleet, Seabourn Ovation, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Quest, the operational pause of which has been extended to January 3rd, January 6th and May 10th, 2021 respectively.

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“Our utmost priority is the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the people in destinations. We recognize the long lead time for planning an ultra-luxury Seabourn experience and with that in mind, we proactively announce the cancellation of these additional voyages,” said Josh Leibowitz, president of Seabourn.

“We are working very closely with science and medical advisors as well as our source and destination markets to develop protocols for the ultimate return to operations,” he added.

In addition to the extended suspension of cruises, Seabourn also announced that its new expedition ship Seabourn Venture would not be delivered until December 1st, 2021, instead of June next year as initially planned.

Seabourn said the delay is due to shipyard closures at T. Mariotti earlier this year as part of responses to COVID-19, which resulted in disruptions to the overall construction and finishing process for the ship.

Seabourn Quest will now operate the line’s 2021-2022 Antarctica experience, while Seabourn Venture will debut in December, 2021 with a series of first-ever “Norwegian Winter” voyages where guests may be able to see the Northern Lights.

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Due to the redeployment of Seabourn Quest to Antarctica, the line is cancelling Seabourn Quest’s Panama Canal voyages scheduled for November 7 – December 19, 2021.

Seabourn is continuing to assess the timing to resume operations on Seabourn Odyssey in the Caribbean.

Guests will be able to place a future cruise deposit on the new Northern Lights itineraries aboard Seabourn Venture.

Additional details about the revised inaugural season for Seabourn Venture are currently being finalized and will be announced in October, according to the cruise line.

A wait list has been opened for guests interested in the voyages from December, 2021 to April, 2022.

Guests currently booked on the inaugural voyage for Seabourn Venture will be offered the opportunity to sail on the new inaugural itinerary on a priority basis before it is open for sale to the general public.

Additional details on rebooking for other affected Seabourn Venture voyages will be shared with booked guests and travel advisors in mid-October.