Seabourn’s Antarctica season starts next month, and on 30 September the line did something most cruise companies skip: it named the people who will be leading it. The release lists the five expedition leaders and the scientists sailing on Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit between November 2026 and March 2027, among them marine mammal scientist Dr Sean Todd and whale researchers Molly Gaughan and Emily Fosbery.
That matters more than it sounds. On an expedition ship, the team is the product: who drives the Zodiacs, who reads the whale behaviour, who decides where to land when the weather turns. Seabourn puts a 21-member expedition team on every one of its 19 Antarctic departures this season, round trip from Ushuaia.
Seabourn Antarctica 2026–27: Key Facts
- Announced: 30 September 2026
- Season: 19 departures, November 2026 to March 2027, round trip from Ushuaia
- Length: 10 to 12 days, plus select 20-day voyages adding South Georgia and the Falklands
- Included logistics: a pre-cruise charter hotel stay in Buenos Aires and round-trip charter flights to Ushuaia
- Expedition team: 21 per voyage, with specialists in marine biology, whale research, glaciology, geology and polar history
- Expedition leaders: Luciano Bernacchi, Ignacio Rojas, Juan Restrepo, Dom del Rosario and Fridrik Fridriksson
- Ships: Seabourn Venture (2022) and Seabourn Pursuit (2023) — PC6 Polar Class, 132 oceanfront veranda suites, just over 250 guests, 24 Zodiacs and kayaks each
The Ships
Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit are PC6 Polar Class expedition ships with 132 oceanfront veranda suites and space for just over 250 guests. Each carries 24 Zodiacs and a fleet of kayaks, and a Cineflex camera on the mast broadcasts wildlife sightings to the TVs in every suite. Kayaking is an optional paid excursion; Zodiac cruises and landings are included. There is no scuba diving.
Which Seabourn Antarctica Voyage to Choose
The season splits into two kinds of trip. Most departures run 10 to 12 days round trip from Ushuaia, which is enough for the Antarctic Peninsula itself. A select few run to 20 days and add South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, the voyages to pick if the sub-Antarctic islands matter as much as the ice itself. Every departure starts with a charter hotel night in Buenos Aires and a charter flight to Ushuaia, so the logistics are the same whichever length you choose. If you would rather not sail the Drake at all, Atlas’s Drake Fly & Sail and Silversea’s fly cruise via The Cormorant at 55 South are the alternatives.
Why It Matters
This is not new hardware or a new itinerary. It is Seabourn showing its hand on the one thing that separates good Antarctic voyages from forgettable ones. A whale-heavy science team is a strong signal for travellers who care about marine life, and it is the next luxury Antarctic season to sail, with departures from November still bookable.
The Lens I’m Reading This Through
Two of my own trips shape how I read this. In the Galapagos, on a week aboard Ecoventura’s Theory, I gave the trip 4.5/5 largely because of the guides: on a small expedition ship, the naturalists are what you remember. In Antarctica, on nine nights on Atlas’s World Voyager, rated 5/5, is my benchmark for what an Antarctic expedition should deliver. Seabourn naming its scientists in advance suggests it is competing on the same thing.
Prices and How to Book
Seabourn’s Antarctica page showed one fare when I checked on 19 October 2026: a 13-day Antarctica Exploration on Seabourn Venture from US$22,998 per person. The page did not show the departure date. Seabourn includes all dining, premium spirits and wines, Starlink Wi-Fi, Zodiac cruises and landings, the polar plunge, Caviar on the Ice and a Helly Hansen parka and day pack, and says no tipping is expected. The 2026–27 departures are bookable through Seabourn and polar specialists; for comparison, my Antarctica cruise price breakdown covers what other luxury lines charge.
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This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t sailed aboard Seabourn Venture or Seabourn Pursuit yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
