Cruises to Antarctica: Silversea vs Seabourn compared

Silversea cruises Antarctica with three ships: Silver Endeavour, Silver Cloud, and Silver Wind. Silver Endeavour leads the fleet, carrying up to 200 guests in Antarctic waters with a PC6 ice-class rating and a crew-to-guest ratio close to 1:1. Every suite includes butler service, and the ship carries advanced exploration technology alongside its expedition credentials.

Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, both converted from earlier classic ships, carry slightly more guests but still deliver the same all-suite, butler-serviced standard Silversea is known for. Itineraries range from shorter fly-cruise options to grand 18- to 24-day voyages taking in South Georgia and the Falklands. Our guide to Silversea vs other luxury cruise lines covers how this expedition fleet fits into the wider Silversea offering, and if you’re ready to compare pricing, our roundup of the best Silversea cruise deals for 2027 is worth a look.

Seabourn takes a slightly different approach with just two purpose-built expedition ships, Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit, both carrying 264 guests. Each ship is PC6 ice-class rated and carries two custom-built submarines alongside a full fleet of Zodiacs, giving guests a genuinely different way to explore beneath the surface as well as above it.

A 24 to 26-person expedition team runs the onboard programme, and activities like kayaking, hikes and Zodiac landings are included as standard. Seabourn leans into its usual all-inclusive, intimate style even on expedition voyages, so caviar on the ice sits alongside the polar landings. Our guide to Seabourn vs other luxury cruise lines and our piece on life on a Seabourn cruise both give a good sense of what carries over to these expedition sailings.

Both lines include drinks, gratuities and most excursions in the fare, so the financial picture is broadly similar once you’re onboard. The real difference comes down to atmosphere. Silversea leans into culinary identity through its S.A.L.T. programme and offers a slightly more formal, dress-for-dinner feel even in Antarctica. Seabourn feels more relaxed and yacht-like throughout, with a stronger focus on submarines and hands-on exploration alongside the luxury.

Fleet size matters too. Silversea’s three-ship Antarctic deployment means more departure dates and itinerary variety, while Seabourn’s two ships keep things a little more exclusive. For current pricing and departure dates across both lines, our Antarctica cruises page shows live fares, and our wider best expedition cruise lines 2026 guide places both lines against the rest of the expedition market.

Nothing beats first-hand insight, and we’ve got two to share. One of our Voyage Consultants covered the essentials of 5 things to know before cruising to Antarctica, a useful, insightful read before you book either line. We’ve also sailed Seabourn’s expedition fleet ourselves, with Nikki’s account of sailing aboard Seabourn Venture to Antarctica, offering a real sense of what a Seabourn expedition day actually looks like, from Zodiac landings to life back onboard.