Happy New Year to you, too
I am looking forward to hearing about your experience. We are booked on the Venture starting Feb 11, and like you looked at both Viking and Seabourn. We recently had an excellent experience with Seabourn's expedition staff on a trip to Iceland and Greenland, and that was probably the tipping point for us. We are also staying on the ship as it heads to the Falklands, South Georgia and on up the Atlantic to Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha, etc., and that just was also too good to pass up.
Like you, we are planning on being in B.A. a couple of days ahead - we didn't want to miss the boat (literally) with potential winter weather. We were there about a year ago, and it's a fun city to explore.
I will be checking in with your travels regularly. It's fun to see what other travelers' experiences are, and I have learned a lot reading several other blogs about such things as expedition jackets, excursions, etc. I will also look forward to seeing if there are any things that you bring you find you didn't need, or vice versa. I always wind up with stuff I needn't have brought!
Deb