Recently The Sovereign Cruise Club’s, Reservation’s Manager Charlotte and our Luxury Sales Consultant Iona, were extremely privileged to be able to sail onboard Seabourn Venture as she made her way from Scotland to Iceland. Below is their encounter and review of this amazing experience.
Day one – Lerwick
We joined the ship in Lerwick and we were warmly welcomed onboard by the friendly staff from Seabourn Square, they promptly checked us in and showed us to our suite.
The suite was beautifully designed using Earthy colours to reflect true expedition style. The suite was very spacious and very well-appointed. The suite featured a spacious living area, private veranda, walk-in closet, desk area, makeup area, separate bathroom and more importantly…… fully stocked. The walk-in wardrobe was fantastic and meant that we had more space in the actual suite itself. The heated cupboard for our parkas was a really nice touch and really useful for those rainy expedition days. The bathroom had a large sink with plenty of space for the two of us. The bathroom was very stylishly done with white marble and a walk-in shower and separate bath. We had a wide array of Molton Brown products to try. The balcony was very spacious with room for two loungers. The beds were incredibly comfy and we even had a pillow menu.
We encountered some very rough seas on our first night but the friendly bar staff recommend a ginger cocktail to help and Seabourn Square offered us some sea sickness tablets.
After time to explore the ship, it was time to head to the expedition lounge for the daily recap with expedition leader Seb. This is something that takes place every evening and it is an opportunity for us to hear what passengers experienced on that day in port and it has an overview of what we could expect for the following day. The talks her informative and Seb was very interactive with the guests. It all felt very relaxed and friendly. He also talked us through sea conditions and what we could expect from the weather the following day. Luckily he advised us that the seas were due to calm down.
We joined everyone for pre-dinner drinks in the constellation lounge where we were greeted with cocktails and a warm welcome from the staff. There was a lovely atmosphere in here with some piano music and a singer. There are fantastic views out to see from this venue.
Our first dinner was in the main Restaurant and it didn’t disappoint. We had the chef’s five-course tasting menu and it was fantastic. I highly recommend the halibut! The service in the restaurant was really good.
Day two – Day at Sea
Our first full day onboard was a day at sea and we started our day with breakfast In the Colonnade. There was a great choice of Cooked and continual breakfast. We were spoilt for choice. We would highly recommend the cinnamon swirls.
After breakfast, we headed to the expedition lounge where we had our expedition briefing. The talk was led by one of Seabourn’s head expedition staff. He has over 30 years of experience in the industry and was able to give us an overview of how they operate onboard and the various expedition itineraries that Seabourn offers. We then headed down to the mud room to be fitted for our boots. These were required as we had a wet landing on day four. They also fitted us for our parka jackets at the same time. They have an array of sizes onboard so there is no need to worry if you ordered the wrong size.
We then had the opportunity to look at a penthouse suite and a Panorama suite. The panorama suite was our favourite, we especially liked the bathtub looking out to sea. Both suites were very spacious and we particularly liked the way that the bed looked out to see in the Panorama suite.
We then went to work off our breakfast with a trip to the gym. If you do visit the gym and spa area, be sure not to miss the sauna in the ladies’ changing rooms. The views are incredible! We then made our way down to the sub garage for a tour, never at this point did we think we’d get to experience going in one. This was then followed by a tour of the bridge….they didn’t let us have a go.
As we worked so hard in the gym we decided to treat ourselves to afternoon tea in the constellation lounge. This was a very light and delicate afternoon tea so don’t worry about it filling you up too much for dinner.
Each evening we would head off to the Expedition lounge before pre-dinner drinks and dinner for the daily briefing.
Dinner was in the main restaurant and we chose from the inspirations menu this time so that we could experience escargot! We would highly recommend it!
Guest singer Daniel Boys was singing songs from the musicals that evening which made for some great entertainment.
Day Three- Seydisfjordur
The word fjord originates from the old Norse, simply meaning inlet. Fjords also have another unique feature: inlets created from a receding glacier and filled in by seawater. Fjords can be found all around the world but have become synonymous with the European Arctic.
Today we set out on our included excision to Skalanes Nature Reserve. Blessed with the sunshine, we took a short walk through the beautiful reserve to a bird cliff. It was here that we spotted our first Puffin. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, teaching us a lot about the landscape and plants. His dog Frank also accompanied us for the walk.
After returning to the ship, we enjoyed lunch in the Colonnade. The buffet lunch selection varies each day, and there is also the choice to order a burger or hotdog if you wish. After lunch, we headed ashore again to explore the town of Seydisfjordur. It was a lovely, small town, surrounded by incredible scenery.
To make the most of the sunshine, we decided to relax in one of the hot tubs on deck 9, of course, accompanied by a few glasses of Prosecco.
This evening the onboard team hosted a Caviar sail away party. Can you imagine a better way to sail out of this beautiful port?
For dinner tonight, we went to the Colonnade. Each evening the Colonnade will have a different theme, and tonight was Italian. As always, the food was delicious.
Day Four- Siglufjörður
This morning we went to the colonnade for the buffet breakfast, before getting ready for our first zodiac experience.
On the Zodiacs, everyone must wear a lightweight grey life jacket, which can be found in your suite. These life jackets are used for all water activities, as well as being there in case of an emergency. The Zodiacs are a fun way to travel to more remote ports, however, it can be very windy so definitely wear your bright orange parka… and hold on tight.
Siglufjörður is a town with a robust pride in its fishing and maritime heritage. If you have an hour to spare, visit the Herring Museum. We hiked some distance out of town to admire the scenery, before returning to the ship on a Zodiac.
Since we crossed the Arctic Circle at approximately 3 am this morning, before recrossing shortly after, we were invited to take part in the Blue Nose Ceremony. Hosted by cruise director John, aka Neptune, this ceremony involved taking part in a series of events to mark the momentous occasion. First of all, we had to take a shot, followed by walking through iced water, kissing a fish and finally applying a blob of blue substance to our noses.
After getting ready for dinner and removing the blue blob from our noses, we headed for a pre-dinner cocktail on the club. Whilst having this cocktail we ate a variety of incredible sushi. This is not something to be missed. Surprisingly we still had room for dinner, so we ate in the restaurant.
To end the lovely day, we listened to the cellist in the discovery lounge.
Day Five – Dynjandi and Patreksfjörður, Iceland
This morning was Seabourn Venture’s first stop in the Westfjords region of Iceland, and whilst sailing into this area we couldn’t help but notice the sheer number of waterfalls. Dynjandi is the largest waterfall in Westfjords, with a height of 100 metres and a width of 60 metres. The expedition team were taking guests on zodiacs to shore to explore this waterfall. This was a wet landing, so boots were required.
As amazing as it would have been to see this waterfall close by, instead we had something rather special planned. We were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to go in one of Seabourn Venture’s two submarines. The submarine can accommodate 6 guests and the pilot. The submarines are small, but we were surprised by how spacious they felt inside. The expedition team assisted in embarking on the submarine, however, you do need to be agile enough to climb independently into the submarine. After all the safety checks were made, we began to submerge under the water. Within 5 minutes, we reached the ocean floor where we were surrounded by a few starfish and other tiny fish. To manage expectations, you will NOT see a whale whilst in the submarine. However, it is still an incredible experience. We are now able to say that we have dived where no other person has dived before, reaching the record depth of 77.5 metres…. A real pinch-me moment.
After spending the morning at Dynjandi, the captain made the short journey to Patreksfjörður. On the short journey over, we took part in the Trivia in the Club. Rather incredibly we managed to win, meaning we are now proud owners of Seabourn caps.
With only around 700 inhabitants, Patreksfjörður is a small community found on the northern shores of a fjord. Here we took part in the included excursion to visit to the spectacular bird cliffs at Látrabjarg, Europe’s largest bird cliff. We again were lucky enough to see more puffins here. If you enjoy photography, this excursion will be perfect for you… however, take your nose clip!
After having an action-filled day, once onboard we spent the evening in our suite and ordered in-suite dining.
Day Six – Gruderfjorder
Today we had an early start as we headed out to the Snaefellsnes National Park. Here we stopped at various locations giving us an insight into the vast and varied landscapes Iceland has. The highlight of this trip was Scared Mountain, where we made three wishes at the top. Let’s hope these come true. This excursion also included a 2-course lunch in a hotel, in which the food match the high quality offered onboard the ship.
After spending the whole day on the excursion, we refreshed ourselves ready for the Epicurean Event in the constellation lounge. Here the onboard team served cocktails, champagne and canapés. It was a special event and many of the expedition crew were present. We then made our way to the expedition lounge where the Captain said his farewell and we thanked all of the onboard team that made this expedition so incredible.
A rather special touch is that a professionally filmed video of the full voyage was shown to us. This video is one that we can cherish for life, showing our unique expedition on the Seabourn Venture. This brought this once-in-a-lifetime experience to an end.
Day Seven – Reykjavik
Today it was time to say a very sad goodbye to what had been our home for the past week. We do hope that one day we will have the opportunity to enjoy sailing on the Venture again. It truly is an incredible ship, and we would highly recommend an expedition voyage.
For more information on Seabourn Expedition cruises please see our website www.sovereigncruise.co.uk or for a quotation at the guaranteed lowest fares, please call us on 03331 224466.