About the vessel
Marina Svetaeva |  |
Marina Svetaeva was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989 as an ice-strengthened passenger vessel equipped with internal stabilisers. In 2005 she was refurbished to provide comfortable accommodation for 100 passengers.
Marina Svetaeva is not a luxury ship; she is homely and strong. The accommodation is simple yet comfortable and meals are wholesome and uncomplicated. The mood on board is definitely casual. A small fleet of Zodiacs (rubber inflatable boats) with outboard motors and two onboard helicopters enable us to travel from ship to shore.
Cabins – Quad, triple and twin cabins with shared shower and toilet facilities, twin cabins with private facilities, mini suites and suites with private facilities.
Length – 89.98 metres, Beam – 17.20 metres, Draft – 5.25 metres, Displacement - 4575 tonnes, Cruise speed – 12 - 13 knots, Powered by 4352 HP diesel engine.
Chef - European or Australasian, Captain & Crew – Russian.
General Facilities - Bar, lounge and library areas, Sauna and Gym, Laundry service, Medical clinic staffed by a doctor, Dining areas, Lecture room with auto visual equipment
Shipboard & Cabin Information
Deck 7 Bridge, radio room
Deck 6 Captains Cabin, Library and Lifeboats
Deck 5 Passenger cabins 509 to 535
Deck 4 Passenger cabins 428 to 455, medical clinic, office, dining rooms 1 & 2
Deck 3 Passenger cabins 327 to 344, dining room 3, galley, Bar Lounge / Lecture room
Deck 2 Entrance to engine room, crew cabins and laundry
Deck 1 Sauna and Gymnasium
Cabins – will be cleaned and straightened every day. Sheets will be changed throughout the voyage (about every 5 days). If you need a clean towel, please put the used one on the cabin floor near the washbasin.
Laundry service - laundry bags and chits are provided in the desk drawers of your cabin. Fill in a chit, making sure name and cabin number are included, and place in the pocket of the bag with dirty clothes. Leave the laundry bag outside your cabin door for collection just before going to breakfast.
Bar chits – We use a chit system for purchases made on board the ship, including drinks at the bar and international telecommunications. Chits are written up every day, recording name, cabin number and items purchased.
Meals – All meals are served in the dining rooms on deck 3 and 4. You can sit wherever and with whom you please. Meal times may vary when we are going ashore so that we can make the most of every opportunity that presents itself. When we are at sea, meal times will be approximately as follows:
• Breakfast: 0800 – 0900
• Lunch: 1300 – 1400
• Afternoon tea: 1630 (when we are not out and about)
• Dinner: 1930 – 2030
Drinks before dinner – There is no drink service in the dining rooms. If you wish to take a bottle of wine to dinner, please purchase the wine at the bar and take the bottle/glasses to the dining room.
Shop – Sundry items such as batteries, film, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors etc. are available from the Hotel Manager.
Shipboard accounts – These are paid on the second last day of each voyage. On the last day at sea we have cash only purchases from the bar. We accept VISA, Master Card, American Express, USD travellers cheques and USD or AUD cash. If you wish to use your credit card for final payment of your shipboard account, please present your credit card to the hotel manager for imprinting during the first couple of days at sea. Payments made by credit card will be converted into Australian dollars at the rate of exchange advertised in the bar. The Australian Dollar amount will be debited from your card.
Nametags – It helps us to get to know one another if you wear your name tag the first few days.
No keys policy – No keys are provided for cabin doors because we have never experienced problems with theft. If you are concerned about particular valuables, you should take them to the Assistant Expedition Leader for storage in the ship’s safe.
Bathrooms – Prior to showering, check to see where handles are located. Do NOT hang on to pipes, as they will be very hot and can burn. Toilets can only cope with human waste and toilet paper provided. All other rubbish should be placed in the bin. Toilets can be blocked easily and if one blocks, the whole system may need repairing, so take special care.
Port holes – Make sure they are fastened tightly before going to bed during sea crossings or if there is any chance of encountering rough seas. Stow all valuable possessions carefully prior to sea crossings, particularly cameras and other breakables.
No smoking policy – If you wish to smoke you may do so outside but well away from fuel containers. No butts are to be thrown overboard – empty film canisters make good disposal units. Definitely no smoking on shore please.
Suitcases – If you can’t find a place to store empty cases in your cabin, leave them outside the cabin door and our ship staff will stow them until the end of the voyage.
Daily program – Will be distributed to each cabin in the evening. It will recap the day’s activities and put forward the planned activities for the next day. Note: the plan is always subject to change, due to weather and ice conditions. We will make the most of each day.
Passengers’ voyage log – Separate from the daily program, we will compile a keepsake log by inviting passengers to ‘write up a day’ during the course of the voyage. Aurora Expeditions will publish a colour, electronic version of the log, which will be emailed to you several months after the voyage. We invite you to type your submission directly onto the office computer (ask the Assistant Expedition Leader), or if you prefer, in longhand. Poems, illustrations and a few of your best digital images make a wonderful addition to the log.
Water – It is safe to drink water from the taps on board. Bottled water can also be purchased from the bar. Please be careful not to waste water or take overly long showers.
Communication Costs: Iridium email: approx. US $3 per minute sending time
Iridium phone: approx US $6 per minute
If you wish to use shipboard communications, please see the Radio Officer
Bridge – While we are almost always welcome on the bridge, please remember that the crew are working. Don’t talk too loudly, remove any cups or glasses that you take to the bridge and never, ever block the helmsman’s view. He gets grumpy if he can’t see where he is going.
