I embarked in San Juan for a 4-night sailing to Barbados, which gave me plenty of time to get to know the ship. Like the rest of the Seabourn fleet, I find these ships easy to navigate your way around. Seabourn Square is the hub with all your help in one place, from guest check-in to booking expedition experiences, the friendly team will answer and help with any questions/queries you may have, during your time on board. It's also an area where you can sit with a coffee and a snack, whilst watching the world go by.
The guest capacity on Venture is 264, consisting of all balcony suites that have everything you need. The lead in Veranda Suite is 355 sq ft. including the private veranda, also well worth knowing that in your spacious bathroom, you have a bathtub and separate shower. The bed was supremely comfortable and the pillows are like sleeping on clouds, perfect for relaxing after an energetic day. Another feature that stood out to me, was the drying cupboard for your expedition gear, such a great idea and extremely useful, regardless of where you are cruising in the world.
The food was very good, with open seating dining in both the Restaurant and Colonnade restaurants. In the Colonnade, you can have the choice of indoor or outdoor dining, buffet style during the day and table service in the evening. On selected evenings, the Colonnade offers an Earth and Ocean menu (which has proven to be very popular on Seabourn's Classic fleet) with fresh inventive dishes, celebrating traditional flavours from around the world, definitely worth trying!
A great place to start your evening is in The Club, here you can have your pre-dinner drinks, listen to music and enjoy sushi, which is freshly made to order. Like most of the Seabourn ships, there are places you find hidden away, undiscovered until half-way through your stay; The Club has a lovely area outside with about 10 loungers, two lovely hot tubs and a bar.
The Bow Lounge, located on Deck 6 is another enhancement from Seabourn, here you can grab a coffee and snack, whilst you feel like part of the whole operation, with maps and charts on interactive screens, as well as outside access to the front of the ship for fabulous views. With an expedition team of 26 on board, you can always catch someone to speak to and I loved hearing their stories. I was chatting to one guide on the tender who was originally from the UK, but now lives in Longyearbyen and is a specialist in marine life. It's always interesting to hear how passionate they are about what they do, how they respect the environment and to hear that Seabourn Venture has the best crew areas he has experienced.
On Venture you also have TV screens placed around the ship, that will pick-up live footage of any activity caught on their outside cameras, including a 4K Cineflex camera and a drone, weather permitting. These shots are also sent to the interactive TV in your suite, so you never miss anything!
Excursions are included and will vary depending on where you are in the world. When we arrived in Jos Van Dyke, I took the tour to Virgin Gorda's The Baths; here you can walk through the caves of giant boulders and snorkel in the beautiful clear waters. You'll also have optional shore excursions available to buy. The ship carries 24 Zodiacs, 2 six-seater submarines, as well as a number of double sea kayaks. You can be as busy or relaxed as you like; make use of the gym and relax in the spa, either way you will have a lovely time on board this excellent new expedition ship.
