Prior to being welcomed aboard Swan Hellenic SH Minerva — which was the ship to Antarctica — I had never really been on a cruise. The closest I had come to cruising up to that point is being aboard overnight ferries or small vessels for cruises that lasted a few hours at most.
Welcome Aboard Swan Hellenic SH Minerva: The Vessel to Antarctica.
The buses from the airport dropped us off on the pier near where the ship was docked — and there was the Swan Hellenic SH Minerva.
The Swan Hellenic SH Minerva is not a large ship — but it sure seemed quite enormous up close. It can accommodate 152 guests and 122 members of the crew along nine decks. We found out later that our expedition had a total of 91 guests.
I did not know it at the time when I took this photograph; but the person ascending the gangway was to become one of the members of the group of friends that we formed. At the top of the gangway is the geologist of the voyage.
After we received our room keys — which doubled as badges — on lanyards that we wore around our necks, we were invited to attend the welcome reception in the Observation Lounge, where bottles of chilled champagne awaited us.
The guests were guided in to the Observation Lounge past the gift shop by members of the crew of the ship.
The excitement of going to Antarctica was intensifying as people gathered in the Observation Lounge to mingle prior to the formal welcome by members of the crew of the ship. This is it! We will actually be on our way to Antarctica! None of us could wait.
The first of many itineraries for the duration of the expedition was displayed on all of the monitors throughout the vessel — which almost always included evening entertainment with Lou playing the piano after dinner…
…and Lou was in the Observation Lounge playing the piano for the welcome reception — and his piano playing was quite good.
This is the bar in the Observation Lounge from where I wound up imbibing in many beverages.
But Brian! you might be thinking to yourself. I thought you didn’t drink!
Of course I drink! I cannot tell you how many ginger ales, grapefruit juices, hot chocolates, orange juices, virgin piña coladas, colas, pineapple juices, and even water that I drank at or from this very bar…
…and if I staggered around after all of that drinking, that would have been due to the current of the water underneath the vessel. Cheers!
The Stateroom.
The category of our stateroom was Balcony D6, which can rival many hotel rooms. At 269 square feet, the size of this room was perfect — and it was to be home for the next several days.
I opened the curtains to show the view outside through the sliding glass doors of the balcony.
The bed was very comfortable and especially relaxing when the seas were not completely calm and the boat gently rocked. The room was equipped with alarms and sprinklers in the ceiling in case of emergency. Curtains could be closed to separate the area with the bed from the area with the couch and the desk.
Waiting on the bed was a black bag and the parka, which were ours to keep. In the side pocket of the black bag was a metal container for beverages to discourage guests from bringing plastic bottles onto Antarctica.
Light switches on either side of the bed controlled the lighting. A European electric outlet was at the side of the bed; but the stateroom did have electric outlets that were compatible to those in North America. One of the closets — which were located adjacent to the entrance of the room and across the hallway from the bathroom — contained two plush robes, two pairs of slippers, and plenty of hangers. On the top shelf were two life jackets. The other closet immediately to the right of this closet had a safe and more space.
The room was equipped with an imitation fireplace — because hot logs and burning embers would be substantially inconvenient and obviously outright dangerous during rough seas.
In addition to activating and deactivating the fireplace, a remote control allowed for the “fire” to be adjusted — as well as the crackling sound — for the desired custom effect. The remote control is shown on the lower left shelf of a unit which contained a vast amount of storage space in the form of enclosed shelves and drawers.
Even though no heat was emitted — thankfully, as the room was nice and warm enough as it was — the fire looked quite realistic in the fireplace.
Also in the room were a desk and a couch with a table — as well as a large flat screen television, on which the itinerary was displayed. The television also included options for entertainment.
On the desk were an illuminated mirror which could be flipped back down into the desk, a telephone, a pen, and a notepad. Electric outlets that conform to both European and North American standards were available — as well as both Type A and Type C Universal Serial Bus ports.
A small cabinet above the desk contained glassware and mugs — as well as a pitcher and an ice bucket. Below the desk was a miniature refrigerator filled with beverages. Because we did not drink beer, champagne, or tonic water, we asked the cabin steward to instead fill it with water and soft drinks — which he did for the remainder of the journey.
A note from the cabin steward accompanied a container of candy and nuts.
An Illy espresso machine to brew coffee or boil water was on the left side of the desk — along with Illy coffee, assorted tea, and condiments — as well as a small bottle of water which was refilled twice per day; and two stemmed glasses.
The Bathroom.
The bathroom included a vanity with a sink, a large mirror on the wall, a mirror on the cabinet door, a smaller round illuminated magnifying mirror, a towel bar, drawers, and other items. A grab bar and toilet paper roll holder were located next to the door that was the entrance to the bathroom.
Bulk containers of LaJatica hand soap and body lotion were to the left of the sink.
Two frosted glasses were available to the right of the sink. Small packets — each of which contained a shower cap, sewing kit, vanity set, and a nail file — were on the vanity along with two wash cloths. Tissues were dispensed under the cabinet.
Towels were on the rack above the toilet…
…and to the right of those towels were yet another towel rack — as well as two hooks on the door to the bathroom.
The shower area was encased in a glass wall and a glass door. Both a rain shower head and a hand held sprayer were available — as well as a retractable clothesline, which came in handy.
Bulk containers of LaJatica body wash, shampoo, and conditioner were provided in the shower area.
Grab bars were available in key areas in the bathroom in case of rough seas — including in the shower area.
The water pressure was very good; and the temperature of the water can be quite hot. I wish that more bathrooms in hotel rooms had an extra area in the shower area in which toiletries — such as shaving cream and a razor, as two of numerous examples — could be stored while taking a shower.
One of the drawers contained an electric hair dryer. Even the garbage can was hidden behind the door of the lower cabinet.
The Balcony — and The Ever-Changing View.
Sliding glass doors were all that separated the stateroom from the balcony, which had a table and a couple of chairs…
…as well as what was to become an ever-changing view — starting with those of Ushuaia and its surroundings.
All of these photographs were of the views from the balcony and the stateroom prior to leaving Ushuaia.
The blue roofs on the right of the photograph are those of Ushuaia – Malvinas Argentinas International Airport.
This view is of the airport which once served Ushuaia for commercial flights.
Final Boarding Call
The ship quietly started moving away from the pier in Ushuaia a few minutes before 6:00 in the evening; so it departed early.
We were now actually on our way to the continent of Antarctica, which we still could not believe was happening…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
