Luxury cruise line SeaDream Yacht Club opened up reservations this week for its forthcoming mega-yacht, SeaDream Innovation, and one of the inaugural itineraries includes a three-month pole-to-pole expedition that will include visits to the penguin colonies of Antarctica and the polar bears of the Arctic.
The 220-passenger, all-suite SeaDream Innovation is scheduled to launch in September 2021, and it will allow passengers to sail to all seven continents in style. The majority of the suites onboard will range from 312 to 323 square feet, and most will feature balconies and bathrooms (complete with tubs). The vessel’s larger suites include the sprawling, 1,000-square-foot Heyerdahl suite and accommodate a separate master bedroom, sitting area, large balcony, and a spacious bathroom (or two).
For outdoor enthusiasts, there will be three marinas onboard from which guests can launch water sports equipment such as Zodiacs, kayaks, sailboats, and wave runners. The Innovation will also have an in-ocean swimming pool created by a floating dock, and the initial renderings depict a seaplane onboard.
A rendering of the “SeaDream Innovation”
Courtesy of SeaDream Yacht Club
The vessel’s first season will have a wide range of itineraries, in the polar regions as well as in more balmy locales, but the standout pole-to-pole itinerary is what the company calls a “grand voyage,” or a sailing that combines multiple itineraries to create one extended journey that doesn’t repeat ports. It also falls into the category of extensive around-the-world cruises that many cruise lines offer.
While such cruises are impressive in scope and length, this epic 88-day cruise is unique in that it combines Antarctica and the Arctic (typically cruises may include one or the other). The ship departs Ushuaia, Argentina, on February 8, 2022, and will end in Svalbard, Norway, on May 7, 2022. After sailing to Antarctica and Patagonia, the itinerary continues up the coast of South America to Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will then cross the Atlantic, stopping at the West African island-nation of Cape Verde before continuing up to Casablanca, Lisbon, Bordeaux, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen, among other ports. The cruise will then head north and make its way to the Arctic Circle.
Not surprisingly, this trip doesn’t come cheap. The pole-to-pole cruise starts at $58,000 per person (or $61,520 when you include government, port, document issuance, handling, and services fees).
Additional itineraries on the SeaDream Innovation include several Antarctica-focused voyages, multiple Arctic sailings, a 12-day Southeast Asia cruise from Hong Kong to Bangkok, and a 15-day New Zealand and Australia itinerary that includes ringing in the New Year in Sydney Harbour.
Ultimately, the SeaDream Innovation will sail to all seven continents during its first season and will visit more than 200 ports in 49 countries.
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