A timely reminder that travel and more importantly cruising does indeed (as the famous quote says) enrich one’s soul. 

Around 5 years ago I left travel and I started working as a senior designer within the property industry. I worked on all forms of property, residential, office and industrial but despite the big budgets and collaborations with incredible agencies I wanted something more. In early 2023 I decided to get back into travel and rejoin the cruise industry with Panache Cruises. Their ethos and vision perfectly aligned with my own and I have quickly rediscovered my passion for the world around me and that’s where my trip begins.

I was offered the opportunity to experience an expedition voyage aboard Seabourn Venture, a 23,000 tonne purpose-built expedition ship. Looking more like an oversized yacht, this ship exudes sophistication and from the moment I saw her I knew we were going to get along.

Boarding the ship

I boarded in Leith, Edinburgh having travelled up by train the day before. Shamefully I’d never been to Edinburgh before, what a beautiful city! I could write a blog solely on Scotland’s capital, but we’re here to talk about ultra-luxury cruising.

Boarding was surprisingly enjoyable. We were met by friendly port staff who took our luggage on arrival, meaning we didn’t have to drag our cases through the cruise terminal. We sailed through security checks and walked out onto the dockside to meet our floating home for the next five days. We were greeted by cruise director John and shown through to the theatre to be checked in.

With that out of the way we made our way to our suites - Veranda Suites with the most amazing bathroom! I know I shouldn’t be getting too excited about a bathroom on board an expedition cruise, however they really are something special. They’d give any land-based hotel bathroom a run for its money. Housing a full-sized bath and a separate shower unit, his and hers sinks along with a full width, well lit mirror. The entire room is finished in stone and marble making the space very light and airy, despite having no windows.

The suite itself was incredibly roomy. Complete with a couch, desk, walk in wardrobe, heated cupboard to dry your expedition gear, Champagne on ice and most importantly a veranda balcony allowing guests to take in the incredible views of scenery and wildlife they’re likely to encounter on an expedition cruise, aided of course by the Swarovski binoculars found in each suite.

This was the moment I discovered Seabourn fries… Wow, if you’ve never tried them you really need to! 

Once settled, I decided to explore the ship and have a little lunch in the Colonnade Restaurant, providing both table service and buffet style dining options to onboard guests. This was the moment I discovered Seabourn fries… wow, if you’ve never tried them you really need to! 

Sufficiently stuffed I continued on my exploration of the ship discovering the Sky Bar, Seabourn Square, Patio Bar and pool area. There are four guest hot tubs onboard Seabourn Venture as well as a larger infinity pool at the rear of the ship. I took full advantage of the pool during my stay onboard and had a swim almost every day. Due to the limited number of guests on board, I pretty much had the pool to myself. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Swimming in a heated infinity pool looking out over the beautiful scenery surrounding the ship was without a doubt something special; a series of moments I won’t forget.

The ship is beautiful from bow to stern. Every space is modern and spacious but also, due to the decor, cosy. It’s the perfect home to retreat to after a busy expedition day. Having a 23,000 tonne ultra-luxury base camp parked in a bay almost on top of the place you’re visiting is a novelty that won’t get old. It's exquisite and is the epitome of how far human technology has come.

Seabourn Venture also has the ability to deploy two state-of-the-art submarines to explore beneath the waves, providing six lucky guests the chance to see things that very few others ever have. Unfortunately due to the itinerary and conditions, we weren’t able to try these out. However we did take a tour of the submarine garages and we got to see these incredible machines up close. Impressive would be an understatement, whoever gets to take the plunge in one of these is surely in for a treat!

I could talk more about the ship ad infinitum. The crew, the food, our interactions and perhaps I could write another blog about all the wonderful things that happened onboard Seaboard Venture but for now let me tell you about the places we visited.

Excursions

The reason people take an expedition cruise is of course the expeditions. I did almost everything I could whilst onboard, from wandering around the sleepy town of Stromness in the Orkney islands to sea kayaking beneath puffin-clad cliffs. I loved it all.

Our first outing was more of the ocean cruise-type rather than expedition. Nevertheless, I was very much looking forward to it.

Loch Ness

We docked in Invergordon after a very beautiful sail down the Comarty Firth and boarded coaches which took us to the famed Loch Ness, somewhere I had always wanted to visit. Our trip took us to Urquhart Castle on the banks of the loch itself, dating back to the 1300s. The remaining ramparts provided incredible views of the water and surrounding countryside, made even more picturesque by the incredible weather. I had promised my son that I would do my best to spot the Loch Ness Monster and despite him not being there, photographing and filming the loch made him feel somewhat closer as I knew I’d be sharing this with him when I got home. Unfortunately I didn’t get a pic of Nessy so he had to settle for a cuddly toy version instead. 

Orkney Islands

Next stop, the Orkney Islands. I was up early, 5:30am to be exact so I spent my time wandering round Venture, filming and photographing pretty much everything on board whilst everyone else gained a couple of extra hours sleep in their suites. I grabbed a tea and sugared donut in Seabourn Square while I waited for my real breakfast.

... which sums up what an expedition cruise is all about; experiences, learning and growing.

I knew little about the Orkney Islands prior to my visit but I learned so much in the day I was here, which sums up what an expedition cruise is all about; experiences, learning and growing. We took a trip out to the Ring of Brodgar, a neolithic circular henge of huge stones estimated to have been created around 2,500 - 2,000BC. The site stands out on the treeless landscape; the islands are too windy and rocky to support trees in the open. The area surrounding the ring was once a place filled with ritual as there are a number of other sites and tombs in close proximity.

After a look round, taking some pictures and learning about the history of the site, we moved on to the sleepy town of Stromness. The second most populous place on the island, this quaint town is essentially a small fishing community with narrow streets and locally-owned shops. After a pleasant stroll through, we headed onward to our next destination, but not before learning about the naval history associated with the islands. If you’re at all interested in the first and second world wars, I’d suggest reading up on Orkney. It played a key role in the British naval defences during those periods. 

We spent our afternoon hiking along the cliff-lined coast to a former Viking settlement. We enjoyed truly stunning views on the walk which was a bit of a novelty for me. Despite living fairly close to the coast myself, the scenery here is vastly different. The coastline is taken up by beaches and sand dunes; standing atop huge cliffs was something entirely new for me. The coastline was truly unique with inlets, caves and caverns all proving points of interest on our afternoon hike. Slightly tired, we returned to our vessel and with drinks in hand awaited our next adventure.

Fair Isle

A remote, windswept puffin paradise: Welcome to Fair Isle. This isolated speck of land in the middle of the North Sea became the spark that made me realise I didn’t want this trip to end. It allowed me to see why the expedition crew do what they do, and how special an expedition cruise truly is.

We were up early as we were scheduled for sea kayaking at 08:30, we made our way to the mud room where we slowly and carefully donned our dry suits, life vests and boots. We received our instructions and were taken out in the safety Zodiac. Seabourn Venture had moored herself in a cliff lined bay and as we approached the shore I realised that we were surrounded by wildlife. Thousands of seabirds flew overhead and rested on the cliffs whilst seals splashed in the water, curiously watching us from a distance, likely wondering what these brightly-coloured creatures were.

Our guide Brandon thoroughly briefed us on how to use a kayak so if you’ve never done it before, you need not worry. The team will tell you everything you need to know. The crew then helped us get into each kayak from the Zodiac, Brandon took the lead and like ducklings following their mother we all set off paddling round the rocky bay. Being so close to the water made the experience far more immersive than I had imagined. It also protected us from the wind, but every now and again a gust would push us off course.

I never thought I’d get that close to a wild seal with puffins, Arctic terns and cormorants flying overhead.

Navigating round rocks and even paddling through a hole in a cliff face we made our way round the bay to an area littered with seals. I never thought I’d get that close to a wild seal with puffins, Arctic terns and cormorants flying overhead. It was an experience I will never forget. Every person in the group felt how special and unique it was and fortunately John Sedgwick, the ship’s photographer, was on hand in the safety Zodiac taking incredible pictures to prove it wasn’t a dream.

Following our epic kayaking quest was going to be a tough ask, but in the afternoon we hopped on another Zodiac and zoomed ashore. We landed on a turquoise-lined sandy beach which looked like it had been stolen from a Caribbean paradise on the other side of the world.

I was told Fair Isle has 48 permanent human occupants, but many more sheep who seemed quite happy to share the landscape with us. We fought against the strong winds and walked across the hills snapping pictures of puffins, sheep and of course Seabourn Venture which sat beneath us in the bay. We eventually retreated to the beach and returned to our luxury base camp via Zodiac where hot showers, food and drinks awaited.

Shetland Islands

Shetland was our next stop, more specifically the islands of Mousa and Noss just off the eastern coast of the Shetland mainland. The crew carefully moored the ship in front of the nearest coastal town so as to not disturb the local birdlife at night with the ship’s lights, cleverly using the town as camouflage. 

The next day we once again boarded the fleet of Zodiacs and made our way ashore for a walk over to a fairly large stone tower which I later discovered is called a Broch. This tower can be seen from the Shetland mainland and is over 2300 years old. Remarkably it’s still structurally sound, so much so that you can climb the tiny stairs up to the top for 360 degree views of the surrounding area. 

The tower was essentially used as a defensive structure where locals could go if under attack, similarly to that of a medical castle but constructed thousands of years earlier. The design of the tower is quite ingenious, the builders formed two towers one within the other, both supporting each other, this feature is probably the reason it is still standing today, having withstood both human attack and the elements for millennia. Once our visit to the island was complete we took a pleasant tour of the Mousa coast in a Zodiac boat whilst we waited for Seabourn Venture to reposition closer to the landing parties. 

This little zodiac adventure was both calming and fulfilling, presenting us with sounds, smells, unforgettable scenes.

Back onto the ship we went for some lunch before journeying to the island of Noss, where we took a mesmerising tour of the bird-filled cliffs. This was where some of my favourite photography of the trip happened, the weather conditions were perfect, resulting in us being able to see a huge array of birdlife both flying overhead and nesting in the cliffs themselves. All the while seals popped their heads out of the water to take a look at the tourists invading their coastal hideout.

This little zodiac adventure was both calming and fulfilling, presenting us with sounds, smells, unforgettable scenes. It ended with our Zodiac pilot taking us on an external tour of the ship letting each of us get some great snaps of our floating home. This was to be my last outing before journeying home the following day, so I managed to get in one last swim before getting ready for our farewell evening which was a tale of two dinners. 

The tale of two dinners

Now I’m unsure if I’m boasting or admitting some form of guilt here but that evening I did in fact have two dinners - the food was that good. This meant that despite my daily 1 km - 1.5 km swim, around 60 laps of the pool. Even with that and my one trip to the gym and all the daily activities like hiking and kayaking, I gained half a stone in the five days I was onboard. Oops!

Let me explain… We had a farewell meal arranged in the main restaurant by our lovely hosts but it was also Indian market night in the Colonnade Restaurant and I needed to try it. I indulged in a fabulous curry, then shortly afterwards eating a superb three course meal. This isn’t something I have ever done before but I’m happy to say it was a roaring success; a great way for my stomach to say goodbye to the ship and the outrageously good cuisine on offer. Did I mention the fries? We gathered in The Club bar after dinner and eventually said our goodbyes. I was leaving first thing to make my way home.

I left the ship feeling full, not just from the food but from the experiences, I realised on the way home I had filled my soul. This brings me back to where I started this year, before rejoining the travel industry.

This expedition cruise has reminded me that there’s so much to see and countless things to experience on our “pale blue dot” of a world. It’s those experiences, feelings and moments that make you feel alive, they become a part of you, reinvigorate you and provide you with new motivation, most importantly they allow you to grow. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt as enriched as I do right now, Seabourn, Seabourn Venture and her incredible expedition crew have given me that. Thank you from both me and my soul. 

Call Panache Cruises on 0161 513 8200 if you want to learn more about Seabourn Expedition cruising.