Seabourn’s 94-Day Cruise Will Take You From the Arctic to Antarctica
Seabourn wants to help you travel from pole to pole in style.
The luxury cruise line just unveiled a new one-of-a-kind voyage from the Arctic to Antarctica. Aptly titled the Grand Expedition, the 94-day itinerary charts more than 20,500 nautical miles and traverses 147 degrees of latitude. Set to depart on August 18, 2027, the cruise will start in the Arctic’s icy wilderness and end amid the surreal landscape of Antarctica.
Seabourn’s Venture will be the liner of choice. The 564-footer will cross the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, and Tropic of Capricorn, offering 60 days of landings and excursions across 14 countries and territories, from Canada and the Falklands to South Georgia and Antarctica.
“To our knowledge, no other ultra-luxury cruise line has ever offered a continuous pole to pole expedition of this scale and sophistication,” Robin West, Seabourn’s vice president of expedition operations and planning, said. “Guests are probably going to go from about 82 degrees north, all the way down to about 66 degrees south over a 94-day period.”
Part of the ship’s onboard spa.
The itinerary includes 33 sea days, plus polar bear and beluga spotting under the Northern Lights, Zodiac boat excursions in Arctic waters, and submarine dives in both hemispheres. Guests can also partake in a “Polar Plunge,” kayaking, and guided hikes led by a 23-member expedition team of scientists, historians, and naturalists.
Seabourn has long been a pioneer in high-end cruising, but its expansion into the expedition space truly materialized with the launch of Venture and Pursuit in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The go-anywhere liners blend strength and utility with upscale design, each featuring ice-class exteriors and elegant interiors with 132 oceanfront suites.
Those aboard Venture for the Grand Expedition will receive custom Helly Hansen parkas and up to $10,000 in shipboard credit, as well as 24/7 dining, Michelin-level cuisine, and Starlink Wi-Fi. Seafarers can also enjoy the spa, eight lounges and bars, and the infinity pool.
“The perfect guest for this kind of experience is the global traveler seeking to explore remote areas, but then of course come back onboard to luxury and comfort,” West said. “They don’t want any compromise in terms of that experience.”
Striking a balance between those two extremes is crucial to Seabourn’s ethos. “The whole design of the vessel is to marry that onboard and off-ship experience with our guests,” adds West. “It’s a fantastic balance in terms of guests being able to experience these remote destinations, go for a guided hike, see the Northern Lights, but come back on board, go to the spa, and have an incredible dining experience before heading to bed.”
While West expects that this won’t be an annual offering from Seabourn, it shows that the line is starting to cater to the growing desire for transformational travel. “I think today’s luxury travelers are prioritizing experience over access and seeking deeper, meaningful journeys over fleeting indulgences.”
Tickets for the Grand Expedition open on August 13 and start at $104,999 per person.
