Plenty of Pleasant Surprises in Antarctica Aboard the SH Vega | Travel Research Online

Here’s the biggest surprise from my trip to Antarctica last week: A sedentary senior citizen from New York can have a lot of fun in the icy wilderness.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I signed up for the Swan Hellenic fam trip on the brand-new SH Vega expedition ship, headed to Antarctica. As the departure date drew nearer, I did consider that it might be a crazy idea. I’ve never climbed a mountain. I’ve rarely hiked. The ultimate goal of my daily exercise is 4,000 steps, mainly achieved by walking around my house.

So when Amazon delivered the gear I had ordered for Antarctica—ski goggles, waterproof gloves and liners, insulated pants and shirt, thick wool socks—I thought about just letting this “opportunity of a lifetime” pass me by.

But then the spirit of adventure took hold. At worst, I figured, I could just stay on the Vega. I sailed her last month and know her to be a beautiful place to chill. There’s a heated pool and a sauna, and a fireplace in every room. I’d meet some travel advisors and come home with a tale to tell.

That’s not what happened at all. Instead, I was amazed and spellbound by the bounty of nature, the beauty of ice and snow, the maternal instincts of thousands of penguins building their nests and the curiosity of more than 100 whales, who surrounded our ship to check us out and talk among themselves for more than an hour.

I learned from Jan, one of the naturalists onboard who also spends a lot of time in the Galapagos, that life flourishes at the equator; there are hundreds of species of animals, but just a few members of each. As you move farther and farther from the world’s middle, there are fewer and fewer species, but more members of each. By the time you get to the bottom of the globe, there are only penguins, seals and whales. Apparently, hundreds of them.

Indeed, watching penguins was the mainstay of our days in Antarctica. Each morning we had breakfast and then set off on the zodiacs for shore, where scores of penguins ate and slept and carried home rocks for their nests. The climbers in our group headed uphill on the snowy paths, the kayakers took to the water—and many of us just stayed on the beach and watched the penguins, who seemed to have no fear of us whatsoever. While we were permitted to stay ashore for two or three hours, the zodiacs ran continuously, so we could go back any time we felt wet or tired or cold.

Next came lunch, and then the afternoon excursion. Repeat the paragraph above.

The Vega itself is a new build from a new company that bought an old name. There are two sister ships in the fleet now, Vega and Minerva; the slightly larger Diana will join in the spring. Itineraries span the globe, including Australia and New Zealand, Japan and New Guinea, the Arctic and Northern Europe, the Med and Africa. All are focused on expeditions in places large ships cannot reach.

Personally, I’m hooked on Antarctica, and so are the travel advisors and regular guests with whom I’m traveling.

“Everything on this ship is definitely first class, from the service to the captain, to the expedition guides,” said guest Aileen Mayer, who was drawn to the voyage because Swan Hellenic waived the single supplement.

“I like it so much that I’d do it again,” said travel advisor Beverly Morabito of Expedia Cruises in Carrollwood, FL, who brought three clients along to check it out. “I’m loving it. It’s a great hybrid product. If you’re a hardcore expedition explorer, you probably should go on a different ship. But I really like the luxury on this ship, the service is very good and the storage is absolutely amazing. And after seeing the clientele here, I’d have no problem recommending it, even if you are 50 and out of shape.”

Just launched during covid, Swan Hellenic is “building our footprint in the North American market” through fam trips like ours, says VP Gordon Dirker. “Once you have touched the product, you can do a much better job of explaining it.” With no NCFs and an average booking price of about $25,000 for a couple, Antarctica is a promising product for travel advisors to sell.

In addition to fams and coop marketing, Swan Hellenic is offering a free cabin for every five double occupancies sold, or an incentive of $250 per person per night. And, “if you want to do a group, let’s talk.”

The company also is reaching out to partner with travel agency consortia; it already has agreements with TPI and Travelsavers. Valerie Wilson of the eponymous agency in New York will be the godmother of the SH Diana when it launches.

Growing the Market

Onboard, meanwhile, many of the guests agreed that Antarctica is an ethereal destination that pulls on the heartstrings.

Paul Cathcart, owner of Never Travel Solo, was amazed at how many of his customers, mostly singles accustomed to spending in the $2,000-$2,500 range, signed up for his Antarctica trip next year. “I loved the cruise, it’s been absolutely amazing,” he said. “One of my customers texted me, ‘I was in, but after seeing your pictures, I’m definitely, definitely in.’”

Scott Schneider of Newport Beach, CA, also was drawn in by the single supplement waiver—and liked it so much he’s not getting off. “This is a five-star experience, absolutely,” he says. “I’ve been on 20 or 25 cruises and this is the most special. So last night I was thinking, I’m already down here, I have all my equipment, why fly home?” He signed on to the next trip and will spend another 16 days on board, for a total of 27 straight days.

“I believe everyone should see Antarctica at least once in their lifetime,” said hotel director Philipp Reutener. “It is absolutely hands-down my favorite place. There’s no noise pollution, no light pollution, it’s as close to another planet as you possibly can get. Even without the perfect weather we had, it’s a magical place.”

For our trip, the weather was indeed perfect. Every morning we awoke to a sunny 32 degrees or so; by afternoon people were shedding layers. We did not miss a single excursion, and it never rained on us. Even the Drake was relatively calm except for a few hours each way, when seasick prevention patches were definitely the way to go. At one calm point more than 100 whales came out to greet us, snorting and cavorting under and around the ship, playing with us in the afternoon sun.

Yet, there is of course some element of risk in a destination so far from civilization. When something goes wrong, help is far, far away. People who cannot follow the directions of the tour guides endanger all those traveling with them.

“You don’t have to be a marathon runner to come on a trip like this, but you have to be willing to take a few steps in the snow,” Dirker said.

As Diana joins the fleet and the ships sail toward Africa, Asia and Australia, “certainly we’ll do more fams,” he said. “We’re very friendly to travel advisors. You need to experience a product like this in order to explain it. It’s not a low price point. Customers need real experts advising them, and the best way to do that is to get travel advisors onboard.”

Julie Bartz, owner of First Class Travel, already is thinking of ways to bring Swan Hellenic and Antarctica to her customer base. “Who thought mountains of snow could be so incredibly spellbinding?” she said. “This trip exceeded all of my expectations. Everything was perfect: the weather, the whales, and the ultimate beauty of Antarctica. Just by having people follow me on social media, I know I’ll get a group signed up.”

Meanwhile, Leslie Ryan of Three Seas Travel is adding Antarctica to the destinations on which she focuses. Putting together groups to Africa and Bali in 2023 has proven to her that customers are willing to go farther than ever before. “My clients’ focus has changed for the next four or five years,” she says. “They are hitting the top of their bucket list first, and then working their way down.”

Until now she has been focused on Africa and Asia—but “this trip has opened my eyes,” she says. “It’s been great. Even people with mobility issues can go on the landing and stay on the beach. I started posting about it, and it just blew up.”

Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.