Swan Hellenic released a virtual tour of what its first newbuild ship will look like when it debuts next year.
The reborn cruise brand is building three expedition ships at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, with its first, the Minerva, set to arrive in November 2021.
The video takes viewers through the ship as if they were returning from an expedition by Zodiac, passing through the Basecamp changing room; the reception area and main staircase; the Swan Restaurant, where lighting and table furnishings transform from day to night; the Observation Lounge, with indoor and outdoor seating areas and a large LED screen for lectures; and the ship’s pool deck, spa and cabins.
Notable design elements in both the ship’s Club Lounge and in the cabins are holographic fireplace features.
Rendering of the Swan Hellenic Minerva’s Club Lounge, which features a holographic fireplace.
Iina Forsblom, the newbuild director of design firm Tillberg Cruise, said that the “Scandi-design interiors 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.”
Swan launched service 70 years ago but ceased operations in 2017 when its parent company, U.K.-based All Leisure Holidays, collapsed. Swan’s new CEO, the former Silversea Cruises technical operations executive Andrea Zito, led a team of cruise industry veterans who purchased the brand. He said in a statement this summer that Swan’s mission is “to be the leader in cultural expedition cruising” when it returns to service’