Seabourn Venture, the first of Seabourn’s two new ultra-luxury expedition ships, has entered service and welcomed its first guests on board for on a 12-day Northern Isles expedition, departing Tromsø, Norway, bound for the Arctic.

During her inaugural season, Seabourn Venture will also sail the Svalbard Archipelago, one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas and home to wildlife from puffins to polar bears.

Seabourn Venture’s inaugural season features a series of 12- to 15-day voyages exploring the Arctic, Greenland and Iceland, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in Nunavut.

Seabourn Venture at sea

RELATED: Seabourn reveals unique Bow Lounge for Seabourn Venture

RELATED: Seabourn’s new expedition fleet to carry luxury submarines 

“Exploration has always been part of our brand legacy, but the launch of Seabourn Venture turns the page on a new chapter for us, offering our guests opportunities to explore remote destinations in every corner of the globe and truly be a part of the natural wonders, wildlife, history, and culture they’ll find there,” said Josh Leibowitz, President of Seabourn.

“Seabourn guests are as passionate about discovery as they are about traveling in ultra-luxury, and Seabourn Venture offers a new type of expedition experience allowing our guests to discover the magnificence from the Arctic to the Antarctic,” he added.

Seabourn Venture will carry submersibles for passengers to explore the depths

Destination highlights during this inaugural season include Scoresby Sound, Greenland, home to the largest and longest fjord system in the world; Sermilik Fjord, located in southeastern Greenland and renowned for the many icebergs that flow from multiple glaciers at its head into the Denmark Strait; Svalbard; and Pond Inlet, Nunavut, the eastern entry to the Northwest Passage.

The ship will make its way south in October 2022, stopping at various locales in the Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile on a series of 10- to 14-day voyages.

Seabourn says there will be opportunities to explore in Zodiacs under cliffs teeming with birds, kayak among tropical coral islands, visit ancient Incan sites, and snorkel unspoiled Caribbean coral gardens, as well as a transit of the magnificent Panama Canal.

Between November 2022 and February 2023, Seabourn Venture will cruise scenic fjords, channels and glaciers in Chile, sailing to Antarctica, and crossing back to explore South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.

The unique Bow Lounge aboard Seabourn Venture is designed to resemble the ship’s Bridge

The ship will sail on 11- to 22-day voyages to “The Great White Continent” that will include the “Antarctic Experience,” offering up-close encounters with untamed wilderness and wildlife including bobbing icebergs, waddling penguin colonies, and feisty fur seals, as well as visits to research stations that have footholds on the continent.

The voyages will include multiple daily operations using the Zodiacs for landings and cruising along the Antarctic Peninsula. Optional excursions will also be available, such as kayaking and the ship’s submarines, allowing guests to explore the vast frontier below sea level.

In March and April 2023, Seabourn Venture will embark on a series of 7- to 12-day expedition voyages in Brazil and the Amazon. The ship will visit former colonial cities on the coast of Brazil and sail into the heart of South America through one of the world’s greatest rivers, where guests can cruise in Zodiacs along the Amazon River and visit ancient sites and indigenous villages.