From On Board Swan Hellenic Diana in the Indian Ocean: Sea Day

#expeditioncruising .

A sea day is always a perfect opportunity to explore any ship, so we strolled some of the public spaces of the glamorous SH Diana as we sailed between the islands of the Seychelles.

Diana is no garish floosie. She is the type of girl you'd be happy to take home to mother. Her colour schemes are natural and restrained with generous use of wood and fabrics. Tillberg Design of Sweden, who have more than 60 years experience in this sector, can take much of the credit for the crisp and airy Scandi-design interiors created to “reflect the ship’s natural surrounds.”

Tillberg Cruise Newbuild Director Iina Forsblom explained: “The keynotes of the Scandi-design interiors we have created are sophisticated elegance and comfort, while never forgetting that with Swan Hellenic the focus is always on the extraordinary views outside. So we have conceived all the interiors to create a seamless connection with the outside world.”

Below are some of these spaces, plus a 20sqm Oceanview Stateroom  

Club Lounge

The Club Lounge on Deck 7 is a casual space for light meals and refreshments. If you don't feel like a slap-up feed in the swank Swan Restaurant on Deck 4, you can sit and relax with a hot beverage and snack or light meal here in the Club Lounge.

Observation Lounge

The Observation Lounge is effectively the community hub of the vessel, where the bar and projector screen are located. Daily briefings and lectures will take place here. I particularly like the placement of retractable screens around the space so you don't have to scrum it up the front to see or hear the information. A new feature of this Vega-class vessel is the card room adjacent to the Observation Lounge.

Card Room

Oceanview Stateroom 20sqm. Balcony Staterooms are 25sqm. Suites are up to 41sqm.

In every cabin you'll find a bottle of Champagne and while the WiFi is free it's limited to text unless you upgrade at extra cost. There's a personal safe and a pair of Nikon Prostaff 3S 10x42 binoculars too. Amenities include a smart HDTV, individually controlled air conditioning, a stocked minibar with snacks, soft drinks and beer, an Illy Espresso coffee machine with pods, a kettle and Kusmi tea bags, towels for the cabin, pool, and gym, a bathrobe, bedroom slippers, and toiletries by Lajatica.

Swan Restaurant

The 152-seat main dining restaurant serves international and regional cuisine with an open seating policy and focuses on quality local ingredients from the destinations visited.

Every sailing has a doctor and nurse and a fully equipped medical clinic. Don't get sick, as consultations are charged at US$130 plus meds. 

Speaking of destinations, tomorrow promises more snorkelling and Zodiac cruising, so come back for that report.

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