‘Nice lines,’ a sailor might say. A sharp bow rises above the line of cabins on deck four with a neat blue and white trim.

Purchased recently by 66° Expeditions, I boarded the Seaventure for a 20-day trip with an operator that had chartered her for the season to the Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica. I joined 102 fellow passengers (her capacity was set at 139 on my voyage) on board the 112-metre-long ice-class vessel, which began life as the Frontier Spirit after being constructed in Japan in 1990. She later operated under the name Bremen before being renamed Seaventure in 2020.

From the outset in the wild Southern Ocean, she proved to be a smooth, stable vessel, with stabilising fins counteracting the sea’s roll as she maintained a purposeful cruising speed around 13.5 knots. I quickly settled into my twin-bed cabin on deck 4 - overjoyed at having real light switches rather than those hard-to-fathom highfalutin digital panels. Cabins are spread across five of the ship’s eight decks. The lower three of these deck cabins, from 3-to-5, have a fixed window or porthole; deck six features eighteen cabins with verandas, while the most spacious options are two ‘owners suites’ on seven.

There’s a maxim when travelling down here: ‘the more you pay, the more you sway’, but down on my deck four cabin, near the bow, and once in a 5.5 metres swell, the movement was minimal. My cabin was small but well-proportioned, with two twin beds, a small settee, a desk, a good cupboard for storage with hooks for outdoor clothing, and a surprisingly spacious bathroom with a powerful hot shower. Throughout, the Starlink-connected WIFI functioned flawlessly.

Of the 90s retro touches, I loved the old-fashioned analogue clocks along the corridors, which on deck four lead to the reception, where a refillable water bottle station is available, and free seasickness medication is available if needed. Down on deck three is a small clinic for more serious ailments, staffed by a medical doctor.

Guests spend much of their time in the main communal areas, especially the Oceanview restaurant on deck 4, which serves breakfast and lunch buffets, as well as a waiter-served four-course dinner in the evening. The central hub is Seabreeze Lounge on deck 5 at the stern. It has a bar and a stage where briefings are performed, along with evening music played by the onboard musician. There’s a tiny library tucked away in the corner of Seabreeze with three tables and shelves of polar-themed literature.

What I liked about Seabreeze is the broad row of twelve windows around the lounge, which is excellent for wildlife observation. It also has quick access to a wraparound deck circling the entire ship on deck 5. From the lounge, two doors led onto the stern floorspace, where much of the wildlife watching took place under heated lamps. Our daily seabird and whale watches yielded blue whales and orca, and many albatrosses, under the eye of expert naturalists. When calmer sea states prevailed, the stern deck was transformed into an outdoor dining area for an al-fresco BBQ.

Along the wraparound deck on both port and starboard are two further midship doors that take you back inside. Deck 5 is also the main access point to the bow observation point on deck seven, which runs outside of the huge windows of the Expedition Lounge. This lounge is a lecture theatre, although in rougher seas, talks and lectures are relocated down to the Seabreeze lounge. The deck 7 owners' suites are nearby. They are lovely spacious spaces, bathtubs and all, but if you’re prone to seasickness, they’re prone to more exaggerated movement.

The other outdoor area on Seaventure is a midship area on seven, which has a swimming pool, that was never filled - there’s too much ship movement during these voyages to do so. There’s also a small gym and sauna here, plus a gangway to Deck 8 to the ship’s radar dome. From there, we carried out cloud observations for a citizen science project and stargazed. Citizen science projects were further analysed in a small laboratory on deck 3, which contained microscopes, to examine the collected phytoplankton.

For all Antarctic and subantarctic travellers, the primary thrill is disembarking on zodiac cruises or landings, which is done by hard-wearing inflatable dinghies called zodiacs. Seaventure carries fourteen zodiacs, and the operation to get passengers out to sea was seamless. Passengers are offloaded out of Deck 3 hatches on both port and starboard, enabling the ship the flexibility to carry out operations in the leeward side if strong currents and winds prevail. 

I was on Seaventure’s last sailing of the Antarctic season, which was a spectacular invocation of wildlife and nature. Seaventure aids that feeling of adventure. I never once felt like I was in some floating hotel. Now, 66 Degrees Expeditions will reposition Seaventure this coming summer season to the Arctic region. Pole to pole, this is one well-rounded and stylish vessel.

When asked about their approach to expedition cruises moving forward, the new owners told us that ''At 66 Expeditions, we are committed to taking each of our Polar expeditions beyond the 66-degree latitude. This rare privilege sets us apart in the industry, offering our explorers the chance to experience the pristine wilderness and breathtaking beauty that lies beyond the circle. This commitment is made possible by our legendary vessel, Seaventure, which holds the highest ice class rating of 1a Super, ensuring safe navigation through challenging polar waters. "

And with a maximum capacity of up to 150 passengers, Seaventure certainly offers ample opportunities for excursions and complete immersion in the polar landscape.