Review Time
An Unforgettable Swan Hellenic Cruise to AntarcticaMy experience with Swan Hellenic was absolutely amazing! I booked the cruise through Swoop Antarctica, and despite a slight delay due to a propeller issue, we were gifted with an unexpected extra day in Ushuaia—which turned out to be magical.Incredible Landings & Zodiac ExcursionsThroughout the journey, we completed five landings, including an unforgettable landing on an iceberg! We also had around 5-6 Zodiac excursions, each offering breathtaking views of the untouched Antarctic wilderness.The sites we visited included:📍 Petermann Island📍 Pléneau Island📍 Lemaire Channel📍 Paradise Harbour📍 Cuverville📍 Portal Point📍 Harry Davis Island📍 Hope Bay📍 Paulet IslandOur landings took place on both islands and the Antarctic continent, providing a truly immersive experience.Seamless Embarkation ProcessI arrived in Buenos Aires a day early and stayed at the luxurious Sofitel, a fantastic 5-star hotel. The pre-cruise process was smooth:✔ Check-in at the hotel, where I received a $30 dining credit✔ Registration at a designated Swan Hellenic table✔ Free time for the rest of the dayThe next morning, after breakfast, we were handed our boarding passes and transferred to Ezeiza Airport (EZE). Impressively, a Swan Hellenic representative even flew with us, ensuring everything was perfectly organized!Upon landing in Ushuaia, the Swan Hellenic team was waiting to escort us to the buses and straight to the ship. After a warm welcome onboard, we enjoyed lunch and received our luggage.We also had some free time in Ushuaia before being taken on an excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park and the famous End of the World Train, which was an absolute delight!Life at Sea & The Drake PassageThe Drake Passage was manageable—I took seasickness pills, which helped a lot! Throughout the voyage, I felt completely safe, and I absolutely loved the food and the incredible crew who made the journey unforgettable.Smooth & Fair Landing SystemSince landings in Antarctica are limited to 100 people at a time, passengers were divided into color-coded groups. The crew rotated the order fairly, ensuring everyone got equal opportunities to experience the disembarkations and Zodiac excursions.Overall, this was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, filled with breathtaking landscapes, seamless organization, and memories that will last forever! 🚢❄️🐧
I can’t speak highly enough about the experience I had on board the SH Vega for an Antarctic Peninsula expedition cruise commencing 13 Feb 25.The staff were genuinely warm and friendly and went out of their way to deliver on the experience I had hoped it would be. From the Captain down, the SH Vega crew did everything with a smile which made it easy to feel comfortable on this cruise.This was a bucket list item for me and I am really glad I chose Swan Hellenic to help make it a reality.
Sea Hellenic cruise line were outstanding. We cruised on the SH Vega to Antarctica. We cannot fault the service we received from beginning to end. We have cruised on a number of different cruise lines however swan Hellenic is very different. Small ship's, more personalised service and more targeted at expedition type cruising rather than entertainment. The experience was a once in a lifetime voyage.
We took an Antarctic expedition trip with Swan Hellenic and it was nothing short of brilliant. From the moment we were met by the representative from the company in the hotel in Buenos Aires, to when we left the trip, there was not one aspect of this experience that we could fault. A beautifully appointed ship, five star meals, spacious staterooms, friendly, informative expedition team members and ship's officers, helpful staff, great experiences, etc.
Cruise to Antarctica with Swan Hellenic SH Vega is exceptional. Everything from the Cabins, staff, food, expeditions on the zodiacs and lectures are 10 out of 10. Alway felt safe on the expeditions. Staff always go out of their way to serve you at restaurants and bars. My husband and I loved every minute of this cruise. Even the polar plunge.
There's many ads on the internet now grabbing your attention to visit Antarctica. For sure you should but what you should do, is be incredibly careful who your agent is and what cruise line you decide.I made absolutley the right choice with both! I travelled with the advice/super support/experience of Polar Routes and my Antarctica Expedition was made so memorable with Swan Hellenic!It's not just a 'boat or a ship'....it's a travelling dream!You are cared for from the very moment you arrive in Ushuaia, the bottom of the world....almost!Then, when boarding you notice immediately the calm, beautiful, friendly and professional service you are about to experience for 10 whole days!I travelled on SV Vega and fell in love with her, instantly. It's unavoidable!!My cabin was, oustanding. A large double bed with an amazing artificial fireplace (I'll let you find out) at the end of the bed. A seating area and the most important aspect for me, a balcony.Every day you were kept up to date with the activites and extra sights. Mine were different penguins, humpback whales, fur seals and mind blowing experience of an Orca Pod of 7, cruising under our Zodiac!It's also not about the marine/wild life. It's the impact of the scenery. Every morning I woke up, I took a photo from my balcony. An every changing movie!! Over my time with SV Vega, I made so many friends, ate so much incredible food, drank, yep I admit, quite alot and being a champagne lover, I almost said no to my last glass before departing.The sights I saw and experienced with the aide of the crew and Expedition Teams leaves me breathless.There is a highly skilled photographer on board who is unobtrusive and you are presented about a week lated with a link to a video record of your time on board.If you truly want to feel special both in terms of being blessed to make this trip and with the correct operators, speak with Polar Routes and ask for Swan Hellenic. Mind blowing.
Our 18 day cruise "In Shackleton's Footsteps" to Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica was incredible! The crew of SH Diana was stellar in making our experience absolutely epic. Everyone was so attentive from the room stewards, to bartenders, to the restaurant team and chef. The Expedition team was incredible at maximizing our adventures through education, safety, and their energy! We saw EIGHT penguin species, elephant seals, Antarctic fur seals, humpback whales, dolphins, and many birds! It was a trip of a lifetime. The ship was beautiful and our room was so comfortable. Thank you, Swan Hellenic!
We were very fortunate to join the Swan Hellenic expedition to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, and the Antarctic peninsula aboard the SH Diana. This was our second expedition with Swan Hellenic, having previously explored Greenland and the Northwest passage aboard the SH Vega. Both Diana and Vega are only about two years old and are in beautiful condition. Both are equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communications systems, as well as efficient propulsion systems including thrusters for maneuvering, and stabilizers. SH Diana is slightly larger with room for 192 guests while SH Vega tops out at 152. Our suites on both ships were extremely well appointed and we had our own balcony on SH Diana. Both ships offer plenty of amenities including a spa, salon, exercise room, pool, hot tub, and guest laundry which was very much appreciated during our seventeen-day voyage.SH Diana’s crew and staff are skilled, friendly and very experienced. Our captain had over 30 years’ experience at sea commanding all manner of vessels. Our Expedition Team, led by Nicki and Assistant Expedition Leader Richard, was absolutely brilliant and brought tremendous skills and talents to the voyage. Additionally, the team, together with a few guest speakers, provided many interesting lectures in areas such as geology, volcanology, marine biology and animal behavior and shared fascinating personal stories about their background, training and experiences. Our itinerary necessarily included a number of sea days but with the talent pool aboard, there were plenty of learning opportunities and we never had any dull moments.I would be remiss if I failed to mention the hospitality side of the crew. The hotel staff, restaurant staff and bar staff are absolutely professional and the service is top notch and very one on one. The Executive Chef and his staff prepared simply wonderful meals including a marvelous selection of beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegan/vegetarian entrees, along with a wide variety of side dishes, soups, salads, and of course, desserts. In the evening, entertainment was provided by an on-board pianist, and on this voyage, we had a small tango troupe who performed a couple different acts on different evenings. There were two Karaoke nights and a “Two Truths and a Lie” game performed by members of the Expedition Team that was great fun.While visiting Antarctica was our primary objective and a “Bucket List” item, our visit to the Falkland Islands (or Islas Malvinas if you are from Argentina) was an unexpected delight, as was South Georgia Island. Both offer magnificent scenery, peaceful natural harbors and inlets teaming with wildlife, and occasionally dramatic ice sculptures created by Mother Nature. Both the Falklands and South Georgia are sparsely populated with about 3600 and 1000 people respectively, although South Georgia’s diminishes during their winter month. We were able to visit a couple whaling and sealing stations, fortunately abandoned about 60-70 years ago, and it was quite eye opening to see the magnitude of these operations. If I recall correctly, one of the whaling stations “processed” on the order of 177,000 whales. We were very glad that we were able to visit both the Falklands and South Georgia. Few ships go there but they are fascinating destinations in their own right and certainly worth your time.Antarctica itself almost defies description with its jagged mountains, glaciers, mammoth icebergs, and rugged coastline. It is an absolutely magnificent place to visit and one of those places that you must see to believe. We were fortunate to see whales, seals, penguins and other sea birds in their natural environment, along with more natural ice sculptures. It should be noted that all of the places we visited on our voyage have strict protocols in place with regard to the maximum number of people permitted on shore, together with environmental procedures to preclude contamination. Swan Hellenic has the necessary procedures, training and equipment in place to adhere to these requirements and allow their expedition members to visit.In closing, we would certainly recommend a Swan Hellenic expedition to anyone who is interested in really experiencing these regions. Swan Hellenic’s tag line is “See What Others Don’t” and they are absolutely correct. This is not a cruise where you sail by and wave, it is truly an unforgettable boots on the ground experience.
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