Cultural cruising specialist saved

The much-loved cruise line Swan Hellenic, which specialises in cultural cruises, has been saved at the eleventh hour.

Owner Carnival plc, operator of Carnival Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard and P&O Cruises, has agreed to sell the brand to Lord Sterling, former chairman of The Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) and life president of P&O Cruises. Lord Sterling will buy the assets of Swan Hellenic including its trademarks and marketing database – although not its ship. Carnival will cease its operation of Swan Hellenic on April 7, 2007, when it will transfer the current Swan Hellenic ship to Princess Cruises which will operate it as Royal Princess.

Rumours have been flying around for a couple of years about the future of Swan Hellenic. The niche cruise line no longer fits in with Carnival’s mission; it’s difficult to make money on a highly specialised, one-ship product. Last year it became clear that the brand was destined to vanish into obscurity and passengers launched a protest campaign through Britain’s Daily Telegraph, Save our Swan.

The passengers

So who is the typical Swan Hellenic passenger? On the cruise I did a few years ago, there were more Lords and Ladies than I’d ever seen gathered in one place. Everybody was British, highly educated, well-travelled and usually over 65. Dinner times was a riot, with erudite conversation bouncing back and forth, and nightlife was non-existent. Swan Hellenic included all its shore excursions in the price so on port days, everybody went ashore. Everybody was passionate about the product, which was more a cultural odyssey than a cruise in the traditional sense. Many came back time and time again.

New cultural cruises

Competitors have, however, been quick to fill the void. Saga Cruises launched Spirit of Adventure, a single-ship operation aimed at the over-40s, with adventurous itineraries and an exciting on-board lecture programme. No glitzy casinos, no big production shows and definitely no shopping programmes. Needless to say, Swan Hellenic passengers were quick to snap these cruises up.

Then British cruise line Voyages of Discovery announced that it had taken a long-term lease on the ship Explorer II, which had previously sailed for Swan Hellenic as Minerva and caused great upset when the cruise line had upgraded to a bigger ship, Minerva II, which is now going to Princess. Explorer II will be as close as it gets to the original Swan product – and Voyages of Discovery already operates a larger ship for the thinking cruiser on a lower budget.

Then there’s Hebridean International, which operates two very small ships, Hebridean Princess and Hebridean Spirit, representing the top end of the scale, with adventure and exploration for the well-heeled in the setting of a small, luxurious country house at sea.

P&O Cruises last year launched Artemis, a much smaller, more intimate ship than its others, adults-only, roaming the globe on long, cultural expeditions with distinguished speakers on board.

Now, of course, Princess Cruises joins that cultural cruising club with Royal Princess, which will be much smaller than the other Princess ships and again, will specialise in culture and discovery with an American angle.

So ironically, Swan Hellenic lovers have more choice than ever! And all Lord Sterling has to do now is to find a ship to complete the picture.

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