FAQ

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express.

As some card providers may charge a foreign transaction fee for cards issued outside the EU, UK, and US when processing the payment, please check with your bank regarding these fees, as Swan Hellenic is not responsible for this fee and does not benefit from these fees.

We offer a flexible pricing policy, similar to an airline if you are booking a flight. This means the price indicates the lowest price you could expect to pay for a cabin. Prices are capacity-controlled and subject to availability. Prices may change at any time before the departure date, the applicable price will be quoted at the time of booking.

To honor our guests who decide quite early in advance, we promote “Early booking Fares” from the beginning of the booking start of each season. Please ask for it.

Upon completion of your booking, you will receive a confirmation email to your email address, which you supplied to us. This also includes your booking reference number which you will need paying the deposit and the final payment.

• The Arctic The average Arctic summer hovers around 0°-10 C in June through September. In general, Arctic summers are short and cool.

• Antarctic The Antarctic Peninsula is the warmest part of the continent (summer 2019 saw one of the warmest on record, with one research station recording 17.5°C), in general temperatures between 0-+15 C are to be expected. Prepare for at least -5°C and for temperatures to feel much colder than that if there’s a wind chill. January is the warmest month to visit.

At each destination, a preselected shore excursion will be included in your travel fare free of charge. In destinations outside of polar regions, we offer additional shore excursions. Also, please note that some of these complimentary shore excursions may have limited places available and advance booking requirements We recommend booking ahead of your voyage to make sure you don’t miss out., More information is provided in your personal pre-trip documentation packs. Zodiac excursions do not need to be pre-booked.

Yes, our ships are wheelchair accessible, with some operational requirements and prior notice requirements. Guests who use wheelchairs must bring their own, as we have only a small number of wheelchairs stored onboard for emergencies. To ensure ease of movement on the ship, wheelchairs and mobility aids must be no wider than 65cm. All mobility or medical equipment brought on board must be capable of being carried safely and must be declared before sailing. To ensure that all guests can safely evacuate during an emergency, guests requiring a wheelchair can only be accommodated in our ADA-accessible cabins.

We offer an Oceanview stateroom on Vega and an Oceanview and a Balcony stateroom on Diana. These staterooms are specifically designed to be completely ADA compliant and have a fully operable wheelchair-access wet unit.

Our ships have two lifts, serving every passenger deck apart from the Stargazing top deck, which is, therefore, more difficult to access, as are the Aft Marina and Swan’s Nest forward observation platform. Also, we don’t have special equipment to access the swimming pool, jacuzzi, or sauna. Otherwise, the ship is entirely at your disposal.

Many of the expeditions ashore in remote places are by Zodiac. Boarding these boats and returning aboard can present challenges for wheelchair users, as can navigating uneven terrain. These challenges are by no means always insurmountable, though, and our highly experienced crew is trained to provide reliable advice and assistance. They will make every effort to ensure wheelchair-using guests enjoy a memorable experience at each destination. Our general guidance, however, is to recommend wheelchair users travel with a companion for their ease and enjoyment.

If you prefer to remain aboard, our panoramic interiors and ample open decks ensure an immersive, intimate experience of your inspiring surroundings.

If you enjoy immersing yourself in pristine, off-grid wilderness and seeing extraordinary wildlife in its natural habitat, then there’s no reason you won’t enjoy both the Arctic and Antarctica. The two destinations share several characteristics and our itineraries to these places emphasize scientific appreciation and historical understanding. The wildlife is surprisingly different in both places – you’ll only see penguins in the Antarctic, not the Arctic.

However, extreme temperatures aren’t for everyone, and the journey to Antarctica (around two days in total, passing the well-known Drake passage each way) needs to be considered. Also, life on board will follow similar patterns, combining informative and engaging talks, expert-led excursions, fine dining, and relaxation time.

Avian Flu is currently present in South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. It is an ever-changing disease and highly monitored by IAATO.

Our expedition staff work closely with IAATO and government/industry associations to monitor the remote wilderness areas visited by expedition cruises. Our staff reports any indication of the disease to these agencies.

Prior to expedition activities, our team scouts an area. If there are signs of the disease, it is reported and an alternate location is scouted for expedition activities. To prevent the spread of the disease, in certain areas, guests may need to adhere to certain distance and viewing regulations (i.e. no sitting on the ground to view wildlife, stay 5 meters from wildlife, etc.)

In the worst case, if avian flu is present in an expedition activity area, guests may be restricted to zodiac cruising rather than landing in an affected area. 

If you enjoy immersing yourself in pristine, off-grid wilderness and seeing extraordinary wildlife in its natural habitat, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy both the Arctic and Antarctica. The two destinations share several characteristics, and our itineraries to these places emphasize scientific appreciation and historical understanding. The wildlife is surprisingly different in both places – you’ll only see polar bears in the Arctic, not Antarctica.

Life on board will follow similar patterns, combining informative and engaging talks, expert-led excursions, fine dining, and relaxation time.

Flights to the Arctic are usually shorter. Remember that long nights of midnight sun will affect your body clock.

Depending on your cruise itinerary, we will inform you with your booking about legally required visas based on your nationality or residency. As visa requirements may change on short notice, you will be asked to crosscheck with your embassy in the related countries in the short term. For some ports of call, special entry visas for cruise ship passengers are issued under different rules than for air passengers. If we can accommodate you with an ad-hoc Visa for a short-term visit, we will also let you know with your booking confirmation. The cost for all visas will be at your own expense. You must apply in due time to arrange your visa for a smooth travel according to all entry requirements. You will be responsible for showing up with all visas to embark for your cruise (exempt: ad hoc visa organized by the vessel during your cruise).

On board

The on-board currency is the USD. Onboard spending will be added to your final bill. It is worth taking a debit/credit card in case of any problems paying your bill. Remember to tell your bank before traveling to avoid having your card refused.

Antarctica

There is no official currency as Antarctica does not belong to one country. It is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) signed by various nations. The Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands are British Overseas Territories and, as such, use GBP.

Arctic

Destinations on our Arctic cruises include Norway, Greenland (Denmark), Canada, and Alaska. Check your itinerary for which destinations are covered. In most cases, you will only need currency at the beginning and end of your journey, as well as souvenirs, as most other expenses will be covered on your voyage.

For maritime security reasons, you will be issued a cruise card upon arrival on board as part of the check-in procedure in accordance with ISPS regulations. The card is a control system on the gangway for leaving and re-entering the ship. Your cruise card will also function as the key card for your stateroom and is your personal payment method on board our ships. Your cruise card will be activated during the embarkation routine. You must have a Visa, American Express, or MasterCard to secure a deposit.

Debit cards can only be used to pay for the final invoice, but not to activate the onboard account.

As there are no money exchange services or facilities for cash withdrawals on board, please organize yourself for cash before embarkation or during your stay at the applicable port of call.

You will find our "SWAN SPA" on board our expedition ships. This includes a hairdressing salon and a barber. Please refer to our daily program for opening hours.

Additionally, we offer a hot sauna and a relaxing outdoor jacuzzi.

The use of the sauna and large outdoor jacuzzi on our luxury ships is free of charge. You will find your personal bathrobe in your stateroom/suite.

Reservations can be made only on board. Please come by for a consultation on the first day of your cruise to arrange an appointment.

On our ships, the primary “official” language spoken on board is English. Due to our international staff, many crew members speak Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, or Russian. Lectures are generally held in English language. Depending on the actual nationality split of each cruise, we provide technical support for online streamed translation for guests of other native languages. Please ask our Expedition team for support.

Please bring suitable earplugs for your mobile phone, as translated lectures are undertaken using a dedicated application on your mobile phone.

Also, our Expedition team is international and multilingual. Therefore, we try to organize “foreign languages zodiacs” – but we cannot guarantee that.

Normal-sized suitcases can easily be stored below the bedframe.

Our all-new ships have a laundry, dry-cleaning, and ironing service for a small fee.

For your convenience, we also have a “self-service” area on deck 4 with a Laundromat and dryer and an ironing station at no charge.

For the sake of simplicity, we have opted for cashless payment transactions on board our ships. The currency on board is the USD. We accept MasterCard, American Express, and Visa credit cards.

Invoices for drinks and tobacco products in the lounges and bars, as well as for laundry, boutique, shore excursions, photo service, telecommunications, Spa, and hospital, can simply be signed off during the voyage and debited to your onboard account.

You can check your current account balance at any time via the guest portal or at reception. Settle the total bill at the guest reception at the end of your trip. You can also pay in cash using USD. Private cheques cannot be accepted.

Your travel fare already includes the tip and daily service fees.

Therefore, it's not common practice or expected to tip for services rendered onboard our Ships. Many of our guests wish to give special thanks to different parts of our service crew on board. It is always at your sole discretion to honor the service provided by the crew in the bars, restaurants, and staterooms, as well as for the expedition team members. Tipping can be handled, therefore, very individually. But for our guests' convenience, you may contact our guest reception and debit the amount to your onboard account. Monies collected from onboard accounts will be divided equally among all crew members after the cruise. Officers and the Expedition Team are not included in this breakdown.

Aside of the fact, that a basic supply of medication is available on board, we kindly ask our guests to carry sufficient quantities of the necessary medication with them as the storage is predominantly for acute illness in ordination hours.

If you require and are carrying a particular medication, you will need proof in English from your doctor that you need this medication. Some countries have import restrictions for certain medications and do not allow you to take medicines that are not approved in the country if you do not have such a form with you. Your family doctor will be happy to advise you. As a shipping company, we must strictly prohibit any cannabis- and cannabis-containing medication, even if it is medically indicated and prescripted. In many countries, the import of cannabis is still prosecuted, so that import, possession and use can not only lead to penalties for the guest concerned, but the entire ship can also be placed under arrest.

Treatment on the ship is equivalent to a visit to a doctor abroad (flag state regulations apply). National residents' health fee guidelines and health insurance do not apply on board. We recommend that you take out private travel health insurance. Payment is made to your onboard account; billing by EU or international insurance card is not possible at all.

Yes, that's correct. The Arctic and Antarctica are two of the world’s most pristine natural environments, so we follow strict industry guidelines created to protect them. Seeds, microorganisms, and insects can hitchhike on footwear, so decontaminating our boots before and after each landing helps minimize the risk of non-native species being introduced.

According to official safety guidelines, our passengers will always be briefed on minimum distances.

Official guidelines require we keep a minimum of five meters away from wildlife. However, penguins (in Antarctica) are curious creatures unafraid of humans, so this may not always go to plan!

5 meters is the general minimum rule whilst on land but varies for some species, especially if breeding. If wildlife approaches you, this is fine if you remain quiet, but in this climate of HPAI, it is best to back away. There are also other rules for whales/zodiacs/ships (see link for the detail).

iaato.org

For the Arctic:

The rules vary depending on the country. Minimum standard for Polar bears is 200 metres and Walrus 300 metres. Again it is about minimum disturbance and monitoring the behaviour.

aeco.no

Outside polar regions, it will all come down to environmental legislation for each country, but the essence is the same – no more than minor or transitory impact on wildlife.

While among wildlife, we recommend you walk slowly and keep noise to a minimum. If wildlife changes its behavior, stop moving or slowly put more distance between you. Animals are particularly sensitive to disturbance when they are breeding (including nesting) or molting. Your guides will keep a watchful eye at all times, but do keep your own distance.