Itinerary: Reykjavik, Iceland - At Sea - Greenland -Bear Islands & Sydkap - Storefjord & Norreflord - Segelsällskapet Fjord - Blomsterbugt - At Sea - Isafjöður & Vigur Island - Dynjandi - Disembark

Daily Cruise Blog

We spent 10 nights aboard Swan Hellenic’s SH Vega sailing from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Northeast Greenland and returning to Reykjavik. Swan Hellenic invited us on this sailing as journalists; however, we are not being paid for our review or our video. As is always the case, we will tell you exactly what we liked about this cruise, and anything we did not like. This was our 149th cruise and we have sailed on 41 different cruise lines.

PRE-CRUISE

*Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport*

Swan Hellenic offered all guests a one night pre-cruise hotel stay in Reykjavik before embarkation. More accurately, it was a hotel in Keflavik, which is where the international airport for Reykjavik is located. Our hotel for this cruise was the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport (see above). Keflavik is located about 45 minutes from Reykjavik, so the pre-cruise stay is really nothing more than spending time at the hotel, since there is little to see or do in Keflavik. A better option would have been a hotel in Reykjavik so that the day could be spent sightseeing, dining, etc. That said, the Courtyard was very nice, spotlessly clean, modern and had two restaurants on site.

Another perk for cruise travelers is that there is a very nice pharmacy located in the parking lot of the hotel. So, if you need to stock up on any toiletries or over-the-counter meds, here is your chance. Of course, there is no guarantee that this will be your pre-cruise hotel with Swan Hellenic.

“Travel Tip - When looking for a pharmacy in a foreign country, look for Apotek, Pharmacia, or usually a green cross.”

— CruiseReport

After an overnight flight, we were only interested in catching up on sleep and the beds and bedding at the Courtyard were some of the best we have found in any hotel.

The one-night stay also included complimentary breakfast the following morning before the 11am departure for Reykjavik. Motor coaches are used to provide guests with a complimentary transfer to Reykjavik. Guests were advised to have their luggage tagged and in the hotel lobby by 9:45am. Luggage is loaded into a separate truck to be transferred directly to the ship.

*Guest luggage waiting to be loaded into the truck*

Since the ship does not begin embarkation until 2pm, the coaches drop guests off in front of the Reykjavik Opera House. It is an easy walk from the Opera House to the port where the ship was docked and there are also shops, restaurants and museums nearby to occupy the four hours prior to embarkation.

*Two motor coaches wait to transfer guests to the ship*

We walked to the iconic Luthern Church, a landmark in Reykjavik, to get some photos. The pedestrian street leading to the church is lined with souvenir shops, cafes, clothing shops and restaurants. We learned very quickly that Iceland is expensive. We stopped at a cafe for a cup of coffee and hot chocolate and the tab was $9. A souvenir refrigerator magnet that we often pay $2 to $3 for in Europe was $10!

*Evangelical-Lutheran church Hallgrimskirkja*

Rickee was interested in purchasing a small backpack for the trip because she forgot to bring her backpack. She found one she really liked at a shop in town, but the price was $240! And, it wasn’t even leather.

EMBARKATION

Even though embarkation was scheduled for 2pm, we were able to embark at 1:30. After a brief passport check in the terminal, we walked to the gangway to board SH Vega. As soon as we reached the top of the gangway, we are welcomed aboard by Hotel Director Ferdinand Fernandes and Captain Lyubo Garciyanov. We are instructed to go to the Observation Lounge on Deck 7 to complete check-in.

When we arrive at the Observation Lounge, we are greeted with welcome-aboard glasses of champagne, a luxury touch that you won’t find on many cruise lines. Check-in was as simple as showing our passport, getting a photo taken, and receiving our stateroom key cards. At check-in, we were informed that we had been upgraded to a suite on Deck 5 midship, most likely because the ship was only about 50% capacity. We were assigned to Suite 515.

*The check-in line at Observation Lounge*

After check-in, we were invited to enjoy a light snack in the Club Lounge located aft on Deck 7 where Afternoon Tea was being offered. We will talk more about Afternoon Tea in the section on Food and Dining. Rickee has some prescription eyedrops that have to remain frozen, so she asked Hotel Director, Ferdie, if they would be able to keep the eyedrops somewhere in the galley where they would remain frozen. There is a refrigerator/mini-bar in each stateroom, but it simply is not cold enough to keep things frozen. Ferdie was happy to accommodate Rickee’s request and summoned Restaurant Manager, Fhilbert, to assist. Fhilbert actually remembered Rickee and the eyedrops from when we sailed with him on SH Diana and knew exactly what to do. This is great service and not every cruise line will accommodate such requests.

It only took about 30 minutes for our luggage to arrive in our suite and we had enough time to unpack most everything before the mandatory muster drill at 5pm. After the muster drill in the Observation Lounge, guests were invited to the Pool Deck (Deck 7 aft) for a Sail Away party.

Waiters and waitresses are greeting guests with complimentary glasses of champagne and other cocktails. Of course, wine, beer and spirits are complimentary on Swan Hellenic.

The weather is unseasonably nice and sunny, although a little cool, as we sail away from Reykjavik. We were docked right next to a NATO warship and, as we sail away, the sun is perfectly positioned to get good views of the top of the iconic Lutheran church.

One unique feature of a Swan Hellenic cruise is that dinner is served buffet-style on the day of embarkation. Tonight they have a very extensive buffet set up in the Swan Restaurant on Deck 4. I will go into much more detail about the food and dining later in the review.

After dinner, we return to our suite to finish unpacking. The embarkation process on Swan Hellenic is buttery smooth.

THE SHIP

SH Vega is one of two identical sister ships in the Swan Hellenic fleet, with SH Minerva being the first ship in the fleet. SH Diana is the third ship in the fleet and is slightly larger, but looks nearly identical to the other two ships, both inside and out. She is just a bit longer and has a few more staterooms and a larger spa. We sailed on SH Diana through the Panama Canal in 2024.

SH Vega has a tonnage of 10,617 with 9 decks, can accommodate 158 guests and up to 122 crew members. She is powered by four diesel generators which power two shaft-driven propellers. SH Vega is a Polar Class 5 rated vessel with ice breaking capabilities. The ship has 2 rudders, forward and aft thrusters and oversized stabilizers.

The ship is outfitted with 10 MK5 Zodiacs and 2 MK6 Zodiacs. These are used for excursions in remote locations where wet landings are often required.

There are two elevators midship along with a very wide staircase, which is more than adequate for this size vessel. The elevators are large and very fast. Elevators can carry guests from Deck 3 to Deck 8. Deck 9 Is only accessible by stairs; however, Deck 9 was not used at all on our cruise.

The main hub of activity on the ship is the Observation Lounge on Deck 7 forward. This lounge features comfortable seating, views of the ocean on both port and starboard sides, and a full bar. There is a small gift shop located near the entrance to the Observation Lounge selling Swan Hellenic logo items.

The Observation Lounge is where the Expedition Team conducts the Daily Briefing and Recap (usually at 6:30pm). This is also the location for all of the lectures conducted onboard. There is a large screen at the front of the lounge to display slide shows, videos, and when lectures are not underway, displays the view from the bow camera.

There is a small heated infinity swimming pool located aft on Deck 7, but no sun loungers were present on our Arctic journey. When in warmer climates, the crew will set up the sun loungers around the pool. There is an open-deck Jacuzzi hot tub located on Deck 8 starboard. There is also a gym on Deck 8 along with a sauna with an ocean view window.

There is a small, and I mean small, beauty salon and spa on Deck 3. Also on Deck 3 are a library, an expedition lab and Basecamp, the ship’s mudroom and Zodiac embarkation area. Additionally, the ship’s Medical Center is located on Deck 3.

As I previously mentioned, for those wanting to stay in shape, there is a small gym located on Deck 8 with modern stationary bicycle, treadmills, rowing machine, free weights and other weight machines.

There is a launderette on Deck 4 that is available to all guests on a complimentary basis. There are three commercial-grade washers and three dryers and they are almost completely automated. There is no charge for detergent. In addition to the washers and dryers, the launderette has a sink, a clothing steamer and an ironing board with iron. They also provide distilled water for the steamer and steam iron.

Before our cruise, guests were required to submit a medical release from their doctor. This is because, on a sailing to Greenland, the locations are so remote and uninhabited, there are no medical facilities within hundreds of miles or more. That said, the ship is equipped with a medical clinic that has the capability to treat many conditions or injuries should they arise. The Medical Clinic is staffed by a doctor and a nurse.

I was on a three-day media sailing of SH Vega shortly after her launch in 2022. I was very pleased to see that the ship is showing very little, if any, signs of wear. All of the public spaces, carpeting, furnishings, and hardware look fresh and new. I saw no visible rust on the exterior of the ship or on our balcony, an indication that the ship is being very well maintained.

For 9 out of the 10 days, the ride on SH Vega was rock solid with no noticeable motion when underway. On the sailing from Greenland back to Iceland, we did get a fair amount of pitching motion, on which the ship’s stabilizers have no impact. Even so, for a small ship, the motion was tolerable. Seasickness medication is provided at no charge and could be obtained from the Reception Desk on Deck 4.

ACCOMMODATIONS

As I mentioned earlier, we were upgraded upon embarkation to a suite on Deck 5. The size of the suite is 40 square meters (430 square feet). On my previous sailing aboard Vega, I was in a Balcony D5 stateroom which, by most cruise ship standards, would be marketed as a suite. Balcony staterooms are 25 square meters (269 square feet), however, 53 square feet of that is taken up by the balcony.

We had the opportunity to tour the Oceanview, Balcony, and Premium Suite categories. The standout feature of all categories is a massive amount of storage. Even the Oceanview and Balcony staterooms have large wardrobes for hanging clothes and an entire wall of storage cabinets across from the bed.

Bathrooms are spacious and include rain shower heads and lighted magnifying makeup mirrors. Our suite also had a separate bathtub. There are two very large drawers under the sink as well as a large medicine cabinet for your personal items. Bathroom amenities include hand soap, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash. All of these amenities are provided in full-size pump bottles. There is no bar soap provided. Robes and slippers are also provided. Our only critique of the bathroom is that the lighting is a bit dim.

Oceanview and Balcony staterooms have a nice desk/vanity with flip up lighted mirrors built into the desk, a feature not found in the suites.

*Oceanview/Balcony stateroom living room*

It should be noted that the Oceanview staterooms are identical in size and design to the Balcony stateroom, the only difference being the lack of a balcony. If you don’t need a balcony, the Oceanview staterooms are a real value proposition. The ship is small enough that, if you want to be outdoors, you are never more than a few steps from an outer deck.

All staterooms are equipped with comfortable beds and quality bedding. There is a large flat screen television with tons of programming (suites have two televisions). On our sailing, the television channels were almost never available, possibly due to a lack of satellite connection in that remote part of the world. However, we really enjoyed watching the view from the Bow Cam and appreciated the replays of the briefings and lectures available on the closed-circuit TV. There is also a nice selection of movies available at no charge.

There are electrical outlets placed throughout the stateroom/suite and USB-A ports are available just under the bedside LED reading lamps and on the desk/vanity. Many of the lights are on dimmer switches and there is a subtle nightlight feature that illuminates the floor for late night bathroom visits.

*Bedside switches for lights and a US-style 110 outlet.*

The most distinguishing feature of Swan Hellenic staterooms/suites is the fireplace. That’s right. When you return from your polar adventure, you can relax in front of a crackling fire. Well, it’s not a real fire, but a simulated one. We have not seen this on any other cruise line. Of course, you can turn this off if you like using the remote control. We really enjoyed having a fireplace.

Balcony staterooms and suites have nice-sized balconies equipped with a metal table and two metal chairs. Suites get a sun lounger as well. Access to the balcony is provided through a heavy, sliding glass door, which we much prefer over the hinged balcony doors present on some ships. Suites have the sliding door access to the balcony from the living room and also from the bedroom. Opening the balcony door will automatically shut off the stateroom air conditioning, so make sure you close and lock the balcony door when you come back into the stateroom from the balcony.

There is no lack of storage space in any category stateroom or suite. I don’t think we have ever seen such efficient design when it comes to storage. In our suite, there were three large double-door wardrobe closets in the entry hall. Two of these can accommodate hanging clothes, while the center one has shelves and drawers from floor to ceiling.

Across from the closets you will find four hooks on the wall. We wish every cruise line would add hooks like this. They are great for hanging up jackets, backpacks, caps, etc.

Our bedside lamps were missing the round glass globes to cover the bulbs. The head of housekeeping said that a previous guest broke one of them and they were waiting on a replacement globe to arrive.

Every stateroom receives complimentary Basic WiFi service, which we found to be quite slow. We upgraded to the Platinum Plan, but even that service is slower than premium plans on other cruise lines. As far as I know, Swan Hellenic is not using Starlink, the use of which would probably provide an upgraded experience. Nevertheless, with the Platinum Plan service, I was able to upload a couple of small videos to YouTube and keep my Instagram updated throughout the day, so it was definitely useable.

Swan Hellenic has some of the most spacious and comfortable staterooms we have experienced. And, the staterooms have more storage than we have ever seen. Although, they do not have dedicated butler service, our stateroom attendant, Kadek, did an amazing job of keeping our suite spotlessly clean and was there whenever we needed anything. Staterooms and suites are serviced twice each day. This includes refilling the water carafes that replace bottled water on this environmentally-focused voyage.

We had one small challenge in our suite which involved the air vents in the bedroom. They are located at the top of the wall where it joins the ceiling and are aimed directly at the bed. At night, the air was hitting Rickee right in the head and was uncomfortable. I had a similar issue a few years ago on an MSC ship. On SH Vega, I came up with a hack for blocking the air coming from the vents on her side of the room. I tucked and secured a couple of sheets of paper into the top of the vent. This forced the airflow downward and solved the problem. We did not notify Kadek about this, nor did we call Guest Services and ask for someone to come and change the direction of the vents. We have no doubt that this would have been immediately addressed if we had let someone know. Instead, we just fixed it so it worked for us. Some people like having air blowing on them at night. Rickee just doesn’t happen to be one of those people.

FOOD AND DINING

There are three dining venues on SH Vega. The main dining venue is the Swan Restaurant on Deck 4, offering tables for two, four or more as tables can be combined to accommodate larger groups. During the daytime, Swan Restaurant is a casual buffet venue serving breakfast and lunch. In the evenings, it is transformed into a more “formal” restaurant with full table service. I put “formal” in quotes because, while the dining room and service is formal, the dress code on Swan Hellenic is always casual and relaxed.

There are also several comfortable booths that can each hold four guests. We really liked the booths.

All of the food and dining onboard Swan Hellenic is supervised by Restaurant Manager, Fhilbert, and Head Waiter, Kadek (yes, there are two Kadeks onboard). When it comes to food preparation, a team of 11 chefs prepare dishes fresh each day under the watchful eye of Executive Chef, Amit Rao. Preparing delicious food on an expedition cruise such as this is quite challenging since the ship can only provision on embarkation day in Reykjavik for the entire 10 days. In spite of this challenge, we felt like Chef Rao and his team were able to deliver very good food throughout the cruise.

Breakfast buffet items are pretty much the same each day, with a few variations. Always available are scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, tomatoes and some sort of breakfast sausage. There are also pancakes, cereals, freshly-baked breads and pastries, yogurt, a variety of fruit, oatmeal, sliced meats, cheeses and more. There is an egg station where you can order Eggs Benedict, or eggs prepared any way you want them.

Lunch entrees change every day and are usually ethnically themed (Greek, Mexican, Asian, Caribbean, etc.). Every day you will find sliced meats, cheeses, a variety of salads, olives, fresh breads and tempting desserts.

Evening menus change daily, with four main course offerings, a soup course, a couple of salad choices and a couple of starter choices. There is always a vegetarian dish available. A bread basket is placed on the table each evening and the breads are very good. They also offer a different specialty dip each evening along with the butter. You can order from the “Always Available” menu which features items such as chicken breast, steak, Caesar Salad, spaghetti, and more.

Complimentary red and white wines are offered with lunch and dinner and the choices change each day. However, if you have a special wine you prefer, and they have it available, they will pour that for you. We found that they had a Selbach Riesling that we really liked and, Cherry, one of the wine stewardesses, would bring a bottle to our table each day at lunch and dinner.

We found all of the soups at lunch and dinner to be very good. For some reason, many cruise lines really struggle to get soups right. Not so on SH Vega. Every soup I had was exceptional, and well seasoned.

Salads were also very good. I cannot recall having a better Caesar salad on any of my previous 148 cruises. Not even on the Italian cruise lines.

The meat dishes ranged from good to very good. My Chicken Karagge was really nice, while the “always available” steak was just so-so. The Prime Rib served one night was delicious and perfectly cooked.

Portion sizes were generous at dinner time, and while we never asked, I am sure second helpings would be provided if you asked. Table service was very attentive without being overly so.

We did feel like the food on SH Vega was a slight step up from what we enjoyed on SH Diana last year.

When weather permits, lunch buffets may be moved upstairs to the Pool Deck for al fresco dining. We had such great weather on our cruise, that we enjoyed an outdoor buffet on three days. And, they even served a dinner buffet on the Pool Deck on the last night of the cruise.

Guests who do not want to eat outdoors can always take their food into the Club Lounge where tables are set for meals.

And, that is the perfect segue into talking about Club Lounge, the second dining venue on SH Vega, located on Deck 7 aft. Club Lounge is a very casual area with a small buffet serving light breakfast items (pastries, yogurt, fruit, sliced meats, cheese, donuts, muffins and cookies), lighter lunch fare (salads, breads, pizza, and sandwiches) and an informal Afternoon Tea which included scones with the trimmings and is served from 3:30 to 5:30 each day.

There is a self-serve coffee machine located in Club Lounge that can make all of your favorite coffee drinks or provide hot water for tea. A juice machine offers a variety of fruit juices. A nice selection of tea bags is available. There is honey should you want to sweeten your tea.

Club Lounge was my early morning go-to spot for coffee and to work on my daily cruise blog. I love the booth seating there.

The third venue for dining is the Pool Grill which is open for lunch. Here you can order burgers, sandwiches, kabobs and a few items that will change daily. If you do not want to sit outdoors, you can always sit inside at Club Lounge. And, waiters in Club Lounge will take and deliver your orders from the Pool Grill.

There is one more venue for dining on SH Vega and that is your stateroom or suite. The ship offers 24-hour complimentary room service with a nice menu. During dinner time, you can order from the Swan Restaurant menu. I had room service one evening and ordered my favorite Caesar Salad along with a Chicken Teriyaki skewer from Swan’s evening menu.

I was pleasantly surprised when the food arrived in under 10 minutes. The Caesar salad was delicious, as always, and the chicken skewers were hot and also delicious.

All of the dining on Swan Hellenic is included in your cruise fare.

EXCURSIONS and ACTIVITIES

On an expedition ship there are really only two types of activities: excursions, which take place off of the ship, and lectures, which are held on board. Rather than a Cruise Director like you find on a typical cruise ship, expedition ships instead have an Expedition Leader. Our Expedition Leader for this sailing was Nicki D’Souza. We have been fortunate to sail with Nicki on at least three other cruises (on different cruise lines) over the past 20 years. So, we were very excited to see her again on this sailing.

There are 11 members of the Expedition Team, many with a background in one or more sciences. The Expedition Team members are responsible for transporting guests safely from the ship to shore using one of the ship’s 12 Zodiacs. The Zodiacs are inflatable watercraft, two of which can carry up to 14 guests. The other ten are most comfortable with a limit of 10 guests.

Before guests can board the Zodiacs, they must be properly outfitted with waterproof pants, Muck boots (provided), a portable life vest (provided in each stateroom) and a parka (also provided). Guests submit their parka size to Swan Hellenic in advance of the cruise and, the parka, along with a waterproof backpack with refillable water bottle, are on the stateroom bed when you arrive onboard.

Guests are also provided waterproof Muck boots, which are tall, rubber, and have very thick rubber soles which are good for staying sure- footed on slippery rocks. Each stateroom is assigned a locker in Basecamp to store the boots. Each guest must provide their own waterproof pants to go over your jeans or other pants. The boots and waterproof pants are required since many of the destinations require a “wet landing” where you step off of the zodiac into 6 to 12 inches of water. In addition, Zodiac rides often involve a lot of splashing so being covered by waterproof clothing items is always a good idea.

Crew members are on hand to make sure you safely board and exit the Zodiac both from the ship and ashore.

There are typically two excursions each day involving the Zodiacs, at least on this itinerary. One excursion is in the morning and the other in the afternoon (except on days at sea). Guests are not required to participate in all, or any, of the Zodiac excursions. However, the Zodiac exploration of remote areas is really the whole point behind an expedition cruise.

Sometimes guests are invited to simply do a sailing aboard a Zodiac to view icebergs, glaciers or wildlife. Usually, optional tours are available (purchase required). On this cruise, we chose an optional Whale Watching tour in Iceland during which we did see several whales. But, the next day, we experienced so many whale sightings from the ship! It was amazing!

The Expedition Guides will explain the various wildlife viewed from the Zodiacs and are there to answer any questions. We found all of the Expedition Guides to be exceptional. All were very professional and put the guests’ safety first and foremost.

The only way you will ever get memories like the one below is on an expedition cruise. The mountains in the background are over 900 million years old.

*Rickee and I at Segelsällskapet Fjord, Greenland*

In addition to the excellent excursions, we enjoyed a series of informative and inspiring lectures on a variety of topics. Expedition Guide, Anya, is a Marine Biologist and gave an excellent lecture on Polar Bears. Dr. Becca Robinson, who works with the SETI Institute, was a guest Lecturer who enlightened us about the Northern Lights and also space exploration.

There were additional lectures on volcanos, plankton and a variety of other environmental topics. All were very well presented and interesting. All lectures are recorded and available for viewing later on the stateroom televisions.

Guests could also utilize the onboard Spa. Available services include manicures, pedicures, massage, facials, and hair styling. Both Rickee and I had an opportunity to visit the Spa on board SH Vega. The space allocated for the Spa is very small, but the area is efficiently used. The Spa is staffed by three women, two of whom specialize in massages and facials, while the other specializes in hair and nails. I chose to have a pedicure and Rickee chose a facial which, afterwards, she described as “heavenly”. My pedicure took place in the small Spa room on Deck 3. Rickee’s facial took place in a room on Deck 8 where there was a comfortable massage table. Rickee said products used in her facial were by La Mer, a highly-respected luxury brand. We both enjoyed our Spa visit.

STAFF AND CREW

In 149 cruises, this was perhaps the most warm and engaging crew with which we have ever sailed. Everyone went out of their way to make sure the trip was special. We recognized a few of the crew members from our previous cruise aboard SH Diana in 2024. Jona, at the Guest Services Desk, was always available when we had questions or any special request.

One the third day of the cruise, Rickee had to visit the Medical Clinic for fear that she may have contracted Covid. She had developed a cough and a sore throat. Dr. Mila Delgado tested her for Covid and Influenza A and B and all tests came back negative. She prescribed some antibiotics and cough medicine (which were provided). Of course, we have travel insurance to cover the medical expenses. From that moment on, every time Dr. Mila saw Rickee, on the ship or on shore, she would give her a big hug and ask her how she was feeling. I don’t recall any cruise ship doctor taking this level of interest in the guests’ well-being. Dr. Mila Delgado is a real treasure and SH Vega is lucky to have her.

A great crew comes from the top down and Captain Garciyanov, or Captain Lyubo as he prefers to be called, is one of the most personable Captains with which we have ever sailed. You can see him around the ship talking with guests and he is very accessible, as was the entire Senior Staff. Captain Lyubo made it a point to always have guests notified when wildlife had been spotted from the bridge and he always positioned the ship for the best viewing.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

Our voyage to Iceland and Greenland on SH Vega was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As I said previously, we have sailed on several other expedition cruises with Cruise West (now out of business), Uncruise, Viking, Silversea, and Abercrombie & Kent. What distinguishes Swan Hellenic is that the company does only expedition cruising. The ships are purpose-built for harsh Arctic and Antarctic environments.

Service levels are near the top of what you will experience in expedition cruising. Is Swan Hellenic “luxury”? While I would not consider it to be the same level of luxury as Silversea or Abercrombie and Kent, it certainly comes close. It is about as close to all-inclusive as you can get.

We can highly recommend Swan Hellenic. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise aboard SH Diana in 2024 and enjoyed this one on SH Vega even more. This would be the perfect ship on which to book a cruise to Antarctica.

Swan Hellenic’s SH Vega