Swan Hellenic Avis 146

This was an Expedition cruise in SVALBARD NORWAY only 1300 km from the North Pole. Amazing to be able to get to this location on a luxurious Swan Hellenic Vega expedition ship. The number of massive glaciers right down to the ocean is stunning. Everything about the ship, the staff, the service, the food, the Expedition Guides & presentations, the safe handling of passengers, was 100%. Unfortunately the weather was not co-operative and we had 7 days of dark low cloud, and wind (very little rain). This caused rescheduling of Zodiac Expeditions and Hikes and hard work for Captain Sven + Expedition Leader Brandon Kleyn as they endeavored to manoever the SH VEGA to safely protect loading/unloading of passengers on/off the zodiacs, and/or change locations to allow zodiac trips to continue. Lots of birds, arctic fox, large walrus colony from a distance (we couldn't land rough water ), one polar bear from the ship (there were 7 other polar bears which unfortunately we couldn't get to because of rough water). I have taken many Expedition cruises around the world - the weather is always in Mother Nature's hands.

Definitely loved it, staffs were so nice made us felt at home; food were amazing; we were not lucky with the weather so many activities were cancelled but we still loved all the remaining activities and saw many wildlifes and nice landscapes. Can't wait to be on another cuise with SH!

Absolutely loved our cruise on the SH Vega. The staff were wonderful. Everyone was friendly, warm, and welcoming. The food was excellent. The food was the highlight for our fussy teenage eater. I have gluten problems and had no issues at all the entire 2 weeks. For every meal, the staff walked me through the menu/buffet to point out which items were safe, and everything could be made without gluten upon request. When we weren’t feeling well they brought food to the room. The excursions were excellent - the expedition team were experts and so caring and cautious with the guests and with being environmentally responsible on land and on the water. The glaciers and wildlife were magical.
There were lots of informative lectures, game nights, an art class, movie night with popcorn, board games, a library, and evening entertainment with the pianist. The cabin was very comfortable and the housekeeping staff were efficient and kept the room in excellent condition. We were very well taken care of. There weren’t specific activities for children, although there were only 3 on our cruise. They had fun at game nights, and our teen enjoyed the wide range of in-room movies, and enjoyed all the excursions too. We were provided with an arctic jacket which was fabulous, and a waterproof backpack and water bottle. The basic wifi isn’t great, and it’s not cheap to upgrade, but we weren’t there to sit on social media, so it was a good incentive to break from that. But we had sufficient wifi to take work video calls etc when needed.
Highly recommend taking a good camera (not just phone), do the optional kayaking trip (expensive add-on but worth it), have a massage in the spa (totally worth it), and take your swimsuit because the swimming pool, jacuzzi, and sauna are wonderful. It’s particularly nice to be cruising through freezing temperatures and watching for whales from the hot tub. I saw whales while on the treadmill in the gym. I didn’t think I was a “cruise person” and wasn’t sure what it was going to be like but it far exceeded my expectations. It was the best vacation I ever had. Highly recommend. I rate it 10/10.

Great and unique experience!

This ship is such a nice place to stay while exploring exciting destinations. Incredible service aboard where you really get it your way. Would recommend to everyone!

Everything went well

I wish there were more extra things to do that did not cost so much money. This was my 7 cruise and I never had to pay for any of the outings Only thing I had to pay was to Kayak

Prices were $$$$$$ for things not included and if you paid for one of the extra you may of missed out on the free

I will be very careful when booking another trip.

One other thing that would of been nice if there was a map showing where we went and the stops

How about a polar plunge Or an Iceland plunge.

Ship was great. food was great

I wish there a hock in the cabin room to hang your jacket where you came back from an outing

Dan

I had an amazing time on my trip to Antarctica with Swan Hellenic on the gorgeous SH Vega. The crew, expedition staff on board and the whole ground team were so helpful and the location of course speaks for itself. I met a lot of other Solo travellers and everyone was very excited to be on this beautiful boat. Thanks again Swan Hellenic!