SH Diana

Is SH Diana a good ship for Antarctica?

Yes, if you want Swan Hellenic's lowest fares and the widest choice of cabins. SH Diana is the third and largest ship of the relaunched fleet, christened in 2023, and it carries 192 guests in 96 staterooms, 40 more guests than its sisters.¹² Its first Antarctic round trip from Ushuaia on November 12, 2026 costs $9,800 per person, the cheapest Antarctic fare Swan Hellenic shows for the season, with a Buenos Aires hotel night and charter flights included.³⁴

Two things set it apart from SH Vega and SH Minerva. It is the only one with Junior Suites, and its hull is Polar Class 6 rather than PC5, one step lower on the ice scale.³² It also runs the line's South Atlantic voyages between Cape Town and Ushuaia. We have not sailed on SH Diana; this page draws on Swan Hellenic's ship, voyage and FAQ pages read on October 15, 2026, and on IAATO records.

What are SH Diana's specifications?

SH Diana is a 124.9 m (409.7 ft), 12,255-gross-ton expedition ship built at Helsinki Shipyard, with hybrid diesel-electric propulsion and a PC6 ice class.²

Specifications come from the ship page's full spec panel unless marked.² Swan Hellenic's fleet overview still says each ship carries "no more than 152 guests," a figure that fits only the two older ships.⁶

PC6 is rated for summer and autumn operation in medium first-year ice, while PC5, the class of Diana's sisters, is rated for year-round operation in the same ice.⁷ The FAQ says the fleet has "extra-large stabilizers" for the Drake Passage.⁸

What are the staterooms like on SH Diana?

Staterooms range from a 215 sq ft (20 m²) Oceanview to suites of 441 sq ft (41 m²).³ Fares below are for the November 12, 2026 Antarctic Wonders departure, per person with two sharing.

Sizes, features and fares are from the voyage page.³ Oceanview, Balcony, Suite and Premium Suite rooms list a flame-effect fireplace, and suites add a separate living room and a separate bathtub and shower.³ The Junior Suite is the category the sisters lack, and on SH Vega the Premium Suite grows to 506 sq ft (47 m²), so Diana's top suites are no bigger than its standard Suites.⁹ Some staterooms take a third or fourth guest; the FAQ gives a third or fourth adult 50% off.²⁸

Public spaces include an observation lounge, a panoramic sauna, an open-deck hot tub, a heated infinity pool, a gym and a spa.²

Where does SH Diana sail in 2026-27?

All 13 of its listed Antarctic departures run between October 23, 2026 and March 29, 2027: a one-way voyage from Cape Town, 11 round trips from Ushuaia and a one-way voyage back to Cape Town.⁴ Fares are the lowest shown on October 15, 2026.

The price curve is steep: the same 9-night Antarctic Wonders route costs $9,800 in mid-November and $22,150 in mid-February.⁴ On Antarctic Wonders the ship spends four days on the Antarctic Peninsula between two-day Drake crossings.³ The February 24 voyage spends eight days on the Peninsula and aims to sail beyond the Antarctic Circle, from $14,850 in an Oceanview stateroom.¹⁰ On the January 17 Weddell Sea trip, Oceanview showed Price on request and the lowest bookable fare was a $15,725 Balcony.¹¹

IAATO expects 14 SH Diana voyages and 2,016 passengers in 2026-27, the most of the three ships.¹² In 2025-26 it counted 1,505 passengers on Diana's 10 Peninsula voyages, an average of about 150 a trip, roughly four of every five berths.¹² With IAATO's limit of 100 visitors ashore at a site, that means at least two landing groups.¹³

What is SH Diana's South Atlantic voyage?

It is a 20-night one-way crossing between Cape Town and Ushuaia that combines the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha, which Swan Hellenic describes as the most isolated inhabited archipelago in the world.¹⁴ Diana sails it twice a season, once in each direction.

The March 9, 2027 departure from Ushuaia plans three days on the Peninsula, three at South Georgia, home to the historic whaling station at Grytviken, and a day at Tristan da Cunha, with 12 sea days in between.¹⁵ Its Oceanview category showed Price on request, so the lowest fare was a $17,450 Balcony, and Junior Suites started at $23,775.¹⁵ The package includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and the charter to Ushuaia but no flight home from Cape Town.¹⁵

The October 23, 2026 sailing runs the other way, from $15,850 in an Oceanview stateroom with a Cape Town hotel night and the Ushuaia to Buenos Aires charter included; it plans two days at South Georgia and four on the Peninsula.¹⁴ At $793 to $873 a night, these long voyages cost less per night than any of Diana's Antarctic round trips.

Does SH Diana sail to the Arctic?

Yes. From June to early August 2027 it sails around Svalbard, starting with a one-way trip from Tromsø.¹⁶

The Tromsø trip stops at Skarsvåg, with an included guided transfer to the North Cape, and at Bear Island before about a week around Svalbard; its fare includes a Tromsø hotel night and the charter flight from Longyearbyen to Copenhagen.¹⁷ Ultimate Svalbard spends nine days around the archipelago and includes a Copenhagen hotel night and charter flights to Longyearbyen and back, with kayaking offered as a 2-hour optional outing.¹⁸ Both cheapest fares are for an Oceanview stateroom. The FAQ sets a minimum distance of 656 ft (200 m) from polar bears.⁸

How does SH Diana compare with SH Vega and SH Minerva?

Diana is the bigger, cheaper and slightly less ice-capable ship; Vega and Minerva are identical 152-guest PC5 sisters.¹⁹

Figures are from each ship page and the departure listing.²⁴ Vega has the longer Arctic season, and Minerva the 18-night South Georgia trip and the Ross Sea crossing to New Zealand.¹⁶⁴ Outside the fleet, compare Atlas's World Navigator, whose 11-night March 8, 2027 trip starts at $12,150 with a Buenos Aires hotel night and charters included.²⁰ Our guide to choosing an Antarctica cruise sets out the other trade-offs.

Who should choose SH Diana?

Choose it for the lowest Swan Hellenic fare to Antarctica, for a Junior Suite, or for a long South Atlantic crossing with South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha.⁴ Skip it if you want the stronger PC5 hull or a smaller guest count, in which case look at SH Vega's Antarctic Circle dates, or if you want the cheapest Svalbard trip, which is a 7-night SH Vega sailing.¹⁶ Kayaking and snowshoeing are paid extras on every ship.³