What is the SH Diana like?
The SH Diana is Swan Hellenic's expedition ship, and she does not look or feel like the others. You come aboard into a hotel-style foyer where the wood panelling hides the boot and jacket storage, the lounge is arranged for conversation rather than lectures, and most cabins have a gas fireplace.
Ship at a glance
Specifications, as published by the operator
- Operator
- Swan Hellenic
- Guests
- 192
- Crew
- 141
- Cabins
- 96 staterooms
- Ice class
- Ice-resistant PC6 hull
- Length
- 124.9 m (409.7 ft)
- Gross tonnage
- 12,255
What we observed on our visit
- Where we toured her
- Svalbard, July 2025
- Mudroom
- No locker-room mudroom; boot and jacket storage sits behind the wood panelling of an open, hotel-style foyer
- Bow space
- The Nest, an outdoor area at the bow for scenery and wildlife
- Lounge style
- Conversational — small seating groups with a screen that rises, rather than everything facing one lecture focal point
- Pool and hot tubs
- Pool aft overlooking the ocean, with a large jacuzzi off to the side
- Stands out for
- Gas fireplaces in most cabins, and a small awning-covered tender of her own
We have toured this ship but not sailed her. A full review will follow when we do.
What is it like coming aboard?
You come in to a sleek modern foyer that looks like a high-end hotel. Look closer at the wood panelling and that is where the jackets and boots are kept — the SH Diana has no locker-room mudroom at all. It is open, light and airy, with a lot of space to get ready.
We Zodiaced over from another ship, so we came in the way guests do after a landing.
What are the public spaces like?
From the foyer you walk straight into the lounge, which is beautiful and spacious. It feels like a gathering place rather than a lecture hall: there is a screen that can come up and monitors around the room, but the seating is arranged conversationally in small groups rather than all facing one focal point the way most expedition ships do.
The ceilings are noticeably higher than on the other ships. The restaurants are well laid out and do not feel like anyone else’s. There is a pool aft overlooking the ocean and a large jacuzzi off to the side.
Up forward they have what they call the Nest — an outdoor area at the bow for watching scenery and looking for wildlife.
What sets the cabins apart?
Most cabins have a gas fireplace, which no other expedition ship we have been aboard offers. It looks like a lodge retreat, and it gives you instant warmth when you have come in from outside and need to thaw out.
We toured several suites with a separate sitting area off the bedroom, and the bathrooms are all nicely done.
How do landings work?
She carries Zodiacs, and also a small tender of her own, which nobody else does. It is not a big-ship tender — it is a small boat with bench seating and an awning overhead, almost Willy Wonka-looking. Where a landing involves a dock or a walkway they can come alongside, which is a more comfortable ride and moves more people at once.
Related reading
Written by your expedition advisor
Erika Commisso · Travel Experience Architect
CLIA Elite Cruise Counselor · ASTA Verified Travel Advisor · Signature Travel Expert
Chris and Erika have sailed ten expedition voyages and toured seven more expedition ships. Favorite explorations so far: Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Alaska, the Galápagos, the Scottish Hebrides, Churchill and French Polynesia.
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