Guests have been enchanted by Swan Hellenic's unique, multi-award-winning cruise experience for more than 60 years. Boasting all the refinements of an intimate country house hotel, Minerva will take you in style and comfort as she leads the way to some of the world's most fascinating destinations.
Joining you on your voyage will be a maximum of 350 like-minded passengers who share your thirst for knowledge, along with carefully selected, renowned Guest Speakers. Engaging and approachable, informed and passionate, they will deliver lively talks that bring to life the fascinating history and remarkable stories that lie at the heart of each destination.
Setting us even further apart is our handpicked shore excursion program worth up to $1,500 and included in your fare. As you discover the world's most iconic sites along with an array of lesser-known gems, these carefully designed excursions will ensure you experience the true essence of each port of call. When you return home, you will be as fulfilled and rewarded as you are relaxed.
Minerva's accommodations are elegant and understated with spacious lounges and comfortable bars. Friendly staff cater to your every need and ensure your cruise meets or surpasses every expectation. All our cruises offer unrivaled, inclusive value which means that, aside from airfare & transfers, bar & personal expenses, selected visas and any optional excursions you choose to add, there are no other costs.
Day #
Date
Port
Arrive
Depart
1
Sunday, 4/5/26
About Honiara (Guadalcanal)
The town is on the northern coastline and incorporates a small picturesque sea port at Point Cruz. Visitors will enjoy the hustle and bustle of Honiara and there are many things to do and see.
Honiara (Guadalcanal) Attractions
The National Parliament building, opened in 1993, is a distinctive conical building overlooking the main town centre. A tour of the entire building can be arranged with the Sergeant at Arms. The National Museum also located in the town centre is open daily with displays of dance and body ornamentation, traditional currencies, weaponry, and archaeology. The Central Bank is a large modern building containing some interesting displays of red feather money and other local currencies and very fine wood carvings. The Botanical Gardens and herbarium with a display of local orchids, and a selection of bush plants and trees mostly typical of rainforests in the country. The Honiara Central, Rove and Kukum markets are the country's food markets where produce comes in from outlying villages, and is worth visiting for the atmosphere alone. Here you will find an interesting array of local goods and produce, from fresh fish and vegetables, fruit, peanuts and betel nuts, to carvings, basketware, calico laplaps and shells. Both the US Memorial, atop Skyline Ridge, bearing a detailed description of the battles fought during the Guadalcanal Campaign, and the Japanese Peace Memorial, with it's four white monoliths on Mt Austin offer panoramic views of the capital, Iron Bottom Sound and the Florida Islands.
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the subsequent rain of ash caused 80% of the buildings in Rabaul to collapsed. After the eruption the capital was moved to Kokopo, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. Rabaul is continually threatened by volcanic activity due to being built on the edge of Rabaul caldera, a flooded caldera of a large volcano.
Rabaul was the headquarters of German New Guinea until captured by the British Commonwealth during World War I, when it became the capital of the Australian mandated Territory of New Guinea until 1937. During World War II it was captured by the Japanese in 1942, and it became the main base of Japanese military and naval activity in the South Pacific. Settlements and military installations around the edge of the caldera are often collectively referred to as Rabaul despite the old town of Rabaul itself being reduced to practical insignificance by the volcanic eruption in 1994.
As a tourist destination, Rabaul is popular for scuba diving and for snorkelling sites and a spectacular harbour; it had been the premier commercial and travel destination in Papua New Guinea and indeed in the wider South Pacific during much of the 20th century until the 1994 volcanic eruptions. There are still several diving operators based there.
Rabaul Attractions
Arguably one of the most spectacularly beautiful countries on earth PNG is situated to the near north of Australia and comprises the eastern half of the worldfs largest island. Within is geographical boundaries lay several hundred offshore islands large and small, some with unique flora, fauna and many diverse primitive village cultures. Separated from The Indonesian state of West Papua, along the 141st meridian this young nation stretches into the Pacific Ocean and is bordered by the Coral Sea in the South and Micronesia to the North. Contained entirely within the hot tropics and surrounded by oceans, heavy rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year have combined to create one of the largest rainforest areas outside of the Amazon. Geologically it is relatively young and is undergoing continuous change as the earths movement and the many active volcanos sculpt the terrain with powerful tremors, ash and lava all along an east west, line of instability forming part of the gring of fireh that reaches from Asia right across the Pacific Ocean
Rabaul Activities
Voted as number 1 diving spot in the world, Papua New Guinea has many breathtakingly beautiful diving sites with rich coral reefs, marine life, and underwater wrecks of ships and aeroplanes from the war.
The most popular location in Papua New Guinea for divers, Madang Province consists of reef-fringed lowlands backed by some of the most rugged mountains in Papua New Guinea and offshore volcanic islands. Colourful Madang township has been called the "prettiest town in the South Pacific". Its peninsula setting is a show-place of parks, waterways, luxuriant shade trees and sparkling tropical islands. Although small, the town has modern urban facilities, including hotels, department stores, markets and artefacts shops.
In Jayapura, a picture-postcard harbor with a backdrop of eternally green hills greets the trickle of travelers who visit this Indonesian part of New Guinea. Indeed, the only access is by sea, and aside from a few roads around the town, the only means of travel to the interior is on foot or by light aircraft.
Guests have been enchanted by Swan Hellenic's unique, multi-award-winning cruise experience for more than 60 years. Boasting all the refinements of an intimate country house hotel, Minerva will take you in style and comfort as she leads the way to some of the world's most fascinating destinations.
Joining you on your voyage will be a maximum of 350 like-minded passengers who share your thirst for knowledge, along with carefully selected, renowned Guest Speakers. Engaging and approachable, informed and passionate, they will deliver lively talks that bring to life the fascinating history and remarkable stories that lie at the heart of each destination.
Setting us even further apart is our handpicked shore excursion program worth up to $1,500 and included in your fare. As you discover the world's most iconic sites along with an array of lesser-known gems, these carefully designed excursions will ensure you experience the true essence of each port of call. When you return home, you will be as fulfilled and rewarded as you are relaxed.
Minerva's accommodations are elegant and understated with spacious lounges and comfortable bars. Friendly staff cater to your every need and ensure your cruise meets or surpasses every expectation. All our cruises offer unrivaled, inclusive value which means that, aside from airfare & transfers, bar & personal expenses, selected visas and any optional excursions you choose to add, there are no other costs.
Year Built
1996
Capacity
350
Meeting Rooms
No
Year Refurbished
N/A
Elevators
1
Casino
No
Registry
N/A
Restaurants
2
Disco
No
Tonnage
12,500
Bars
2
Fitness Center
Yes
Cabins
175
Pools
1
Children's Program
No
Handicap Cabins
1
Theaters
Y
Internet Cafe
Yes
Shops
Yes
Library
Yes
Spa
Yes
Cabin Categories | Decks
Balcony
Balcony Suite
Deluxe Balcony Suite
Inside Aft
Inside Forward
Oceanview
Outside Aft Porthole
Outside Forward Porthole
Outside Forward Window
Owners Suite
Premier Suite
Premium Suite
Suite
Superior Balcony Suite
Cabin Details
Features 2 single beds, bedroom and living room, a luxurious ensuite bathroom and your own private 6 sq.m. balcony.
Features 2 single beds, bedroom and living room, a luxurious ensuite bathroom and your own private 6 sq.m. balcony.
Features 2 single beds, bedroom and living room, a luxurious ensuite bathroom and your own private 6 sq.m. balcony.
Features 2 single beds, bedroom and living room, a luxurious ensuite bathroom and your own private 6 sq.m. balcony.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed. All Deluxe cabins have bath and toilet. Deluxe cabins have large picture windows, mirrored for privacy and have a separate sitting area with sofa, chair, table and refrigerator.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All Suites have a bath and a toilet.All Suites have a balcony with floor-to-ceiling patio doors and separate sitting area with sofa, chair, table and refrigerator.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
Oceanview cabins features 2 single beds, bedroom and living room and a luxurious ensuite bathroom.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All Suites have a bath and a toilet.All Suites have a balcony with floor-to-ceiling patio doors and separate sitting area with sofa, chair, table and refrigerator.
Our grandest suites features a superking bed and separate living room with and a soothing flame-effect fireplace a luxurious ensuite bathroom, spacious walk in wardrobe and a 12 sq.m private balcony.
Located on Deck 6 at the aft, our Premium Suites with a 12 sq.m. private balconies are the most luxurious accommodation on board. A favorite for those who want nothing but the best.
Our Suites features a superking bed and separate living room with and a soothing flame-effect fireplace a luxurious ensuite bathroom and a 12 sq.m. private balcony.
All cabins have private facilities, air-conditioning (centrally controlled), TV and radio, vanity table/writing desk and chair, direct-dial telephone, hair dryer, binoculars and safe. All twin cabins have twin beds, which when booked can, if requested, be made up into a Queen bed. All Superior cabins have bath and toilet. Superior cabins have large picture windows, mirrored for privacy.
Promenade Deck
Sun Deck
Bridge Deck
Main Deck
Aegean Deck
Baltic Deck
Deck 3
Deck 4
Deck 5
Deck 6
Deck 7
Deck 8
Deck 9
Request Additional Information
Departure Port:
Honiara (Guadalcanal)
Sailing Date:
Sunday, 04/05/26
Return Date:
Saturday, 04/18/26
Nights:
13
Ship:
SH Minerva
Cruise Line:
Swan Hellenic Cruises
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Prices are per person, double occupancy, cruise only and on select sailings. Prices shown are for stateroom categories as noted and are shown in US Dollars. Government taxes and fees are additional. Airfare is not included. Prices and itineraries are based on availability and are subject to change without notice.
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