May and June are great months to see expedition ships in British waters as more and more expedition cruising companies choose British Isles as an expedition cruise destination en route to the Arctic. Last week, I went to Portsmouth where a group of us joined SH Vega for a ship visit, the second ship built by new Swan Hellenic owners in a quick succession since the brand’s rebirth in 2020.
Swan Hellenic is an iconic British brand with a long history of offering cultural trips to its loyal
clientele. Originally family-owned, the brand at some point was owned by P&O, Lord Stirling, and G Adventures. Its current fleet has been completely rebuilt and the company promises to take its clients on global cultural expeditions.
And that they do: SH Vega, before arriving to Portsmouth, UK has successfully completed the first couple of voyages for the brand following the West Coast of Africa. Now three ship fleet strong, the company takes its clientele to all seven continents and itineraries include South America, Indian Ocean, and more.
Positioning itself in the 5* range, the ships are elegantly appointed. But perhaps even bigger appeal of the ships in comparison to the other companies offering similar standard onboard is the relatively small size of them: SH Minerva and SH Vega can accommodate 152 passengers each, and SH Diana, the newest addition to the fleet, 192 guests in total.
SH Vega report
I have a confession to make: having worked in the industry for over ten years and travelled extensively onboard expedition ships, I am always in two minds about seeing the expedition ships while they are idle in the port that resembles nothing like a remote location somewhere in the Antarctica where you get to experience what really expedition ships -and the experience of travelling on one- are about. This is mostly because expedition ships, in contrast to larger leisure cruise vessels, are built to spend the time outside rather than onboard and everything- the size, the venues onboard, the layout, the number of zodiacs the ship carries-are dictated by this important choice. Ship visits in the port paint only half of the picture.
Luckily, we have Mario Bounas, general manager for UK and Ireland and expedition leader Anthony to give us the necessary context to where she goes to and what adventures await its clients. From the fascinating personal story about being rescued from the Antarctic peninsula by SH Minerva and falling in love with the ship and the company, to the video footage of SH Vega’s recent adventures travelling along the coast of West Africa, Anthony does what expedition teams onboard the ships do so well: makes me want to travel to these far-flung lands and experience the adventures of the lifetime.
Once the presentation is over, we get a chance to walk around the ship – and here are my 5 key takeaways about SH Vega.
1. The size of the ship. In the industry dominated by 200+ guest capacity expedition ships, carrying only 152 passengers sets SH Vega apart from most vessels, especially in the luxury segment of the sector. And the size in the context of expedition cruising really matters, in the places such as Antarctica, where the smaller the ship, the more time and choice your clients will have when it comes to exploring the 7th continent because of the regulations imposed by IAATO, to being compact enough to get into narrow fjords or difficult to access places, allowing more flexibility and opening places that would otherwise be unreachable for the larger ships.
2. The size of the staterooms and suites. Where Swan Hellenic decided to stay small in terms of guest capacity and the size of the ship, they didn’t apply the same approach to the guest staterooms – they are spacious and elegantly appointed. A distinctive feature in some higher stateroom categories: electric fireplaces. Growing up in a country where winter temperatures would plumet to minus 20s, I am partial to them and can only imagine how cosy it must be coming back onboard after day’s exploration in the Arctic or Antarctica, sit down on the comfy sofa, with a glass of wine and contemplate on the magnificent things experienced.
3. The Swan’s Nest. Right at the bow of the ship, there is the Swan’s Nest, a very cool observation platform that extends well above the water and must be a fantastic outside spot to come look at the landscape or wildlife while the ship is on the move. Emma, who has travelled onboard SH Minerva, the sister ship to SH Vega, tells me that this is where occasionally hotel staff brings out hot chocolate for guests to enjoy while staying out in the elements taking in the surrounding scenery.
4. Basecamp and adventure equipment. You know the ship is an expedition ship when it has a dedicated venue for guests to prepare for the outside adventures. SH Vega’s basecamp goes beyond the traditional mudroom- a changing room of sorts where guests can store their outer wear and bulky boots necessary for the wet landings in the frigid polar waters. It is a spacious venue, where each stateroom has its locker for the equipment, and which is conveniently located next to the zodiac disembarkation points on both sides of the ship.
This is also the place where you can find the Lab- like many expedition cruise companies, Swan Hellenic engages with multiple citizen science organizations and guests can get involved in sample collection and learn about various research projects happening in the places the ship visits. In addition to zodiac cruises and landings, Swan Hellenic guests can also enjoy kayaking on select itineraries and destinations.
There are some other details too signalling this is an expedition ship: binoculars in each stateroom available for guests to use during their trip, a complimentary parka for those travelling in polar regions, a complimentary backpack and a reusable water bottle upon arrival and water refilling stations onboard are some of the other things noticeable onboard.
5. SH Vega is a luxury boutique ship.
SH Vega is everything you want it to be with two dining venues onboard, a sauna, a jacuzzi, a spa, a small outdoors swimming pool, beautifully furnished and spacious staterooms, and public areas. The team onboard is attentive yet not overbearing and one does feel like being in a boutique hotel. It is perfect for the clients who want to explore these remote destinations on a small expedition ship but do it with more comfort and luxury than one would expect from a purely adventure focused expedition cruise. Swan Hellenic, speaking to one of their guests who joined the ship visit, seems to deliver exactly that.
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