toseaornottosea

Please do post as much as you can on your 1/4 cruise.

phil09, Thanks for the compliment on the user name and the encouragement. We plan to go unless there is some major change or bad news. It's a once in a lifetime trip and life is short and getting shorter. And I'm sure you're correct that Seabourn will do everything possible to make the crossings and the entire cruise as safe and as comfortable as possible.

And here they are. And I would love to hear from someone currently on the Venture as we have a decision to make. And soon. Q&A Q: What exactly is wrong? What equipment is involved? A: The issue is with a non-essential ship feature called the stabilizers. The stabilizers are normally retracted into the hull and not used during the vessel’s voyage, as they are not needed. They can be extended to help further reduce the ship’s movement due to excess wind or waves in times of inclement weather. The feature is not currently operational. Q: Can the ship operate without stabilizers? Is there any impact to safety? A: These are comfort features and are not required for the safe operation of the ship. In an abundance of caution, we have consulted with vessel’s class authorities and the system’s manufacturers, who confirmed the vessel is cleared to safely sail. Rest assured, the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside employees is our top priority. Our teams are highly focused on ensuring comfort and safety. Q: Is there a plan to fix the equipment? A: Yes. We are working with the stabilizers’ manufacturers to determine the best opportunity for repairs, likely after the Antarctica season. Q: What if guests would prefer to cancel their booking? A: If guests would prefer not to sail on Seabourn Venture at this time, we will work with you to move their booking to an alternate future voyage. Please reach out to us at the appropriate office: Seattle Office (USD/CAD Currency): Contact us at 800-929-9391 or 206-626-9190 (local) We are available Monday – Friday: 6:00am to 5:00pm PT Saturday: 6:00am to 3:30pm PT Sunday: 7:00am to 3:30pm PT Southampton Office (GBP Currency): Contact us at 0344 338 8610 We are available Monday – Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm Saturday 8:00am to 4:00pm Rotterdam Office (EUR Currency): Contact us at 00800 1872 1872 We are available Monday – Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm Sydney Office (AUD Currency): Contact us at 1 300 987 323 We are available Monday – Friday 8:30am to 7:00pm

Just got some info in the following email from Seabourn to our TA. Would you go on one of those cruises? December 27, 2022 Dear Travel Partner: We look forward to welcoming booked guests on board Seabourn Venture for our upcoming expeditions to Antarctica. We are writing regarding guests booked through your agency (listed at the end of this letter) on voyages sailing from January 4 through February 7, 2023 (voyages V310 through V315). On a recent voyage, our teams determined a comfort feature called the stabilizers that help further reduce the ship’s movement during inclement weather are not operational. The ship is designed to safely sail with or without the stabilizers, and as always, our Fleet Operations Center is hard at work planning our route for the smoothest possible sailing. We will manage the timing of crossing through the Drake Passage to take advantage of the most optimal weather windows. We applied this approach during our recent Antarctica sailing with positive results. On guests' voyages, this may result in changes to their itinerary, including earlier or later timing for the crossings to and from Antarctica. Once we reach Antarctica, we are in more sheltered waters. Here at Seabourn, the safety and comfort of our guests and team members is always our highest priority. The Captain will make announcements to keep guests informed while on board, and please see below for a Q&A to address some questions guests booked through your agency may have. On behalf of all of us at Seabourn and the team on Seabourn Venture, we look forward to sharing these expeditions with our guests. Thank you for your partnership and we remain, as always, at your service. Kind regards, Seabourn

Would love an update on the status of the stabilizers. For those currently onboard, how was the Drake crossing? Has the fact that the stabilizers are not functioning at 100% affected the ride? Have you had any further communication from the captain or from Seabourn regarding the stabilizers?

Thanks for your input and info. Happy and Healthy Holidays

On our cruise in mid-January we go straight to Antarctica from Ushuaia so how long would you guess it takes before we get to the possibility of rough seas? Trying to figure out when to take motion sickness medication.

How soon after leaving Ushuaia do you get in to the Drake Passage and the potential for rough seas?

Is there anyone on board Venture who can bring us up to date? What is the current status of the stabilizers? From what I can see on cruisemapper.com Venture has crossed the Drake Passage and is now in the Antarctic islands. How was the crossing?

Thanks for your input chengkp75.

@chengkp75 A slight turn in this thread. As you may have seen Heidi13 recently posted the following: "Just read Seabourn's newest tonnage, the Seabourn Venture, has stabaliser issues, with the stabalisers operating at reduced capacity. Not a safety issue, but definitely a pax comfort issue. Will be interesting to see how Seabourn, who are owned by Carnival, deal with this issue and whether pax are notified in advance. Haven't checked the Seabourn Board, but might be worth checking out." We are due to board the Venture in mid-January for an Antartica cruise. From your experience do you think they can rectify the stabilizers issues (operating at reduced capacity) while at sea or while docked between cruises or must they go into dry dock to do so? Would you make 2 Drake Passage crossings with stabilizers that are not fully functional?

Yes but what happens when they get into rough waters? The Drake anyone with less then fully functional stabilizers?

Does anyone know the current situation with respect to the Venture's stabilizers?

I'm guessing you are currently on Venture. If I'm correct please elaborate on the status of the stabilizers. Are they fully functioning and if not how does it affect the ship in rough waters?

Amen to that. Even if that means our 1/16/23 sailing is cancelled or delayed.

Don't like the sound of this as we are booked on the 1/16/23 Antarctica sailing. Not keen on 2 Drake Passage crossings with stabilizers that are not fully functioning.

Ditto

I sure hope what you heard will turn out to be true. We sail on the Venture next month.

Will soon board the Venture for an Antarctic expedition and I have more than a few questions for those of you who have made this trip on the Venture. Please bear with me and don’t beat me up. My guess is that many who will be going on the same expedition cruise have many of the same questions, perhaps more and better questions. Thanks in advance for your input and guidance. So here goes: First and foremost, given recent zodiac events on Antarctic cruises have you been made aware of any enhancements in safety protocols? An extra guide/crew member in the zodiac? Fewer pax in zodiacs? More assistance with zodiac boardings and landings? Was your Drake passage crossing rough and if so how did Venture handle the rough/high seas? How do people dress at night in the MDR and the Colonnade? Country Club expedition I hope. How many pax in the zodiacs in addition to expedition guide(s)? Is a walking stick helpful/necessary? Does Seabourn provide them? Did you find the need for ski goggles while riding in the zodiacs? Is there any internet service while in Antarctica?

Take a look at this and eventually you will get to the fitness center.

I would imagine a top notch travel agent who has extensive experience with SS could help get you the suite you want as a port port booking.

Do you happen to have any photos showing the view and the veranda with the partially obscured view?

chengkp75 how would you compare the Viking Polaris to the Seabourn Venture with respect to their sea and safety worthiness for cruising in Antarctica? From what I can find online Viking Polaris length is 666'; beam is 79'; 30,150GT. Seabourn Venture length is 558'; beam is 85'; 23,000GT.

Four of us are on the same 8/21 cruise. Hoping there are no further delays.

We have always used a private transfer from airport to hotel but taxi to ship. Never a problem with a taxi.