By
Richard Humphreys |
Debuting in April 2023, Seabourn Pursuit will join the luxury cruise line’s fleet as a new purpose-built expedition ship that will offer passengers active and luxury experiences.
Seabourn Pursuit follows the June 2022 delivery of Seabourn Venture, with both designed to Polar Class 6 standards and constructed by T. Mariotti. Both vessels will have the capability to travel to a range of diverse environments, which guests can explore using two environmentally friendly, battery-powered submersibles, double sea kayaks, or one of the 24 Zodiacs – enough to accommodate all of their passengers at the same time.
A 26-person expedition team of wilderness experts, scientists, historians and naturalists will also be onboard each cruise to lead excursions and activities, as well as presenting natural history and cultural programmes in The Discovery Center.
Seabourn Pursuit will have 132 ocean-facing suites, including living quarters spanning two decks. These two-bedroom, two-bathroom Grand Wintergarden Suites will have double height windows and a telescope for wildlife spotting, and large living and dining areas.
“The onboard amenities and innovations – including two submarines – are redefining the future of travel, not just cruise,” said Josh Leibowitz, president of Seabourn. “These ships are designed to go anywhere in the world, with reinforced steel hulls to allow them to sail through ice 1.5 metres thick.”
Following her delivery, Seabourn Pursuit will sail an inaugural ‘Fire and Ice’ itinerary from Reykjavik, Iceland, exploring the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic. The voyage includes calling at the Icelandic town of Akureyri to visit waterfalls, hot springs and the lava fields of Dimmuborgir and Leirhnjukur.
The ship will then sail the waters around Greenland, Iceland and Norway in the spring and summer, including a ‘Northwest Passage’ itinerary that begins in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and ends in Nome, Alaska.
Departing in August 2023, Seabourn Pursuit’s 22-day journey across the Northwest Passage will take passengers to the Bellot Strait, the resting sites of the Franklin expedition on Beechey Island, small Inuit towns like Cambridge Bay, and marine wildlife habitats, as well as highlighting how the changing climate is affecting the regions that are visited.
“Our Northwest Passage is a truly epic itinerary that is perfect for travellers who want to explore a region less travelled, and take in the landscape, nature and wildlife they never thought they would ever see,” said Leibowitz.
Itineraries later in the year will see Seabourn Pursuit visit Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, Brazil, Argentina and Antarctica.
‘The Great White Continent’ is one of the cruise line’s most anticipated itineraries. Setting off from Buenos Aires, Argentina, passengers will fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, where the Antarctic adventure begins. Five full days will be spent kayaking amongst massive icebergs, trekking to penguin colonies, navigating the Drake Passage, and watching for whales while cruising in a Zodiac.
“The name Seabourn Pursuit is truly fitting for a ship envisioned and designed to take expedition travellers into those places where they can see vast landscapes, diverse wildlife and remote regions of the world that may have been on their bucket list for years,” said Leibowitz. “Seabourn Pursuit will navigate the most unexplored parts of the world in the highest level of comfort, safety and environmental protection available for the luxury traveller. We are defining an entirely new category of expedition travel with Seabourn Pursuit.”
This article was first published in the 2023 issue of Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe to Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning for FREE here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox or your door.