Swan Hellenic to celebrate its diamond anniversary

Discovery-led cruise line Swan Hellenic is gearing up to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee year in 2014 by asking all passengers – past and present- to send in their Swan Hellenic cruising memorabilia from the past six decades. From ticket stubs of the ship’s first journey in 1954, photographs of the early days aboard ‘Ankara’ or even memorable tales from the 70’s when Swan Hellenic passengers sailed aboard ‘Orpheus’ – all anecdotes and memorabilia are most welcome. Marking 60 years of small ship discovery cruising, Swan Hellenic is aiming to compile a story from each year of the cruise line’s history. To coincide with the launch of Swan Hellenic’s Diamond Anniversary project, the cruise line has announced details of an epic 84-day grand voyage of South America to commence celebrations for this historic year. Swan Hellenic’s recently refurbished ship, mv Minerva, will circumnavigate South America – emulating a popular itinerary last undertaken by the cruise line in 2007. Minerva will also make maiden calls at Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Casilda in Cuba, Cartagena in Colombia and the San Blas islands. The 84-day Grand Faces of South America cruise on board Minerva costs from £11,765 per person and departs from Bridgetown (Barbados) on 5 January 2014.Passengers on this spectacular voyage will travel from the Atacama Desert, through the Panama Canal and Chilean Fjords, around Cape Horn to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon River. Highlights of the epic journey include a visit to Coro - one of the earliest Spanish colonial towns in South America, a flight over the mysterious Nazca Lines where images of a spider, monkey and hummingbird are etched into the desert as well as sailing through the Chilean Fjords past glaciers and rocky peaks and cruising the Amazon River to visit remote riverside communities.