Scenic Eclipse

The 2019-built Scenic Eclipse cruise ship is a top-luxury vessel with max passenger capacity of 228 (plus 192 staff and crew) and looks more like a tycoon-owned superyacht than a passenger ship. Her design features an ice-strengthened hull, a top-deck helipad (with two helicopters stored on deck in hangars), 12 Zodiacs (high-speed, large-capacity RIBs / rigid inflatable boats), one mini-sub (7-person submarine), and one ROV (camera-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicle). The aft-located Marina Platform is used for launching water sports equipment (aqua quad bikes, sea kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling, and scuba diving equipment).

The vessel (IMO number 9797371) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311000995) and registered in Nassau.

With the yacht Scenic Eclipse, the river cruisetour company Scenic Tours (travel brand) entered the ocean cruising market. The ship was initially scheduled for delivery in August 2018, but due to construction issues it was first rescheduled for January and then for April 2019. In February 2018, the shipowner Scenic Group (aka Scenic Tours Australia) signed a shipbuilding contract for the second (same-design) vessel — Scenic Eclipse II. The sistership was scheduled for delivery in 2020 but was eventually postponed to April 2023.

Scenic's new market strategy followed the moves of Viking River Cruises (entering the ocean cruising market in 2015 with Viking Star) and Crystal Cruises (entering the mega-yachting market in 2015 with Crystal Esprit/now Nat Geo Islander 2). Besides Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours, the shipowner Scenic Group also owns the subsidiary and travel brand Emerald Cruises.

Scenic's new ships are advertised as "discovery yachts". The hull has the highest passenger ship ice class (1A-Super), allowing the vessel to operate polar cruises (Arctic and Antarctica itineraries) for up to three months each year. On polar voyages, the ship's passenger capacity is limited to 200 in order to allow several Zodiac landings per day.

The ship's two Airbus H130 helicopters (single-engine aircraft, each with capacity for 7 passengers) can be booked at an additional charge. Helicopter tours allow passengers to get closer to wildlife compared to Zodiac landings. The ship's onboard submarine can also be booked for an additional fee. The 7-person submarine (1 pilot plus 6 guests) is named "Scenic Neptune" and is capable of submerging to depths of up to 1000 ft (305 m).

The ship has "zero-speed stabilizer fins" (50% larger than the standard on similar-sized vessels), allowing her to navigate rough seas with minimal movement. Voyages to Antarctica include passing the Drake Passage — a notoriously rough waterway between South America and Antarctica.

Decks and Cabins

Scenic Eclipse staterooms (114 total) are all double-occupancy suites in a total of 14 categories. Cabin sizes range from 345 ft2 / 32 m2 (Veranda Suite) to 2745 ft2 / 255 m2 (2-Bedroom Penthouse Suite, including a 645 ft2 / 60 m2 wraparound terrace). Owner's Penthouse Suites measure 1990 ft2 / 185 m2 (balcony included). Each cabin has a private step-out balcony. The vessel has an almost 1:1 passenger-to-crew ratio, and each stateroom is served by a dedicated butler.

The ship has 10 decks, of which 8 are passenger-accessible and 5 contain cabins.

Four lifts (midship-located elevators) interconnect all cabin decks.

Shipboard facilities

Other features and all-inclusive amenities include:

• 9 restaurants (including Asian fusion, steakhouse, seafood, contemporary French and Italian venues, poolside grill, and 24/7 room service)
• 5 bars and lounges
• Medical Centre / Infirmary
• Discovery Centre
• 240-seat theatre
• 2 swimming pools (indoor and outdoor)
• heated indoor swimming pool with retractable glass roof
• 5900 ft2 (550 m2) spa/wellness complex with heated indoor pool, outdoor Jacuzzis, two Vitality Pools / plunge pools, hair salon, and spa treatment/massage rooms
• Gym (with a separate Aerobics Studio for yoga and Pilates)
• Sun Terrace (Deck 11) is an outdoor sundeck with cabanas and seating (midship top-deck location), while aft is the helipad. Below (aft on Deck 10) are the two helicopter hangars.

Scenic yacht cruise deals include butler service (regardless of cabin category), flights, all tips/gratuities, Discovery Team leaders (20+ professional guides on all cruise itineraries, including naturalists, glaciologists, geologists, and marine biologists), shore excursions (all land tours and organized events at ports of call and beaches along the itinerary route, expert-led Scenic Freechoice activities, and discovery excursions by Zodiacs / large-capacity inflatable boats), onboard dining (all dining venues are complimentary), onboard entertainment, e-biking, water sports (sea kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving), and premium beverages (at bars and in cabin mini-bars).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Scenic Eclipse offers all 9 dining venues plus 24-hour room service. The ship also features an impressive number of bars and lounges — 8 in total — which is an extraordinary variety considering the yacht's size. All these options are complimentary (included in the cruise fare).

Specialty dining venues highlight regional cuisine, intimate deck locations, and private dinner experiences at no additional cost. These venues range from the open-kitchen Teppanyaki grill dining (capacity 10 guests) to Azure Bar & Grill and Lumiere (French fine-dining restaurant), as well as the Chef's Table (private VIP dining for 8 guests). Professional cookery demonstrations are offered at the dedicated Epicure (cooking emporium).

The main dining room restaurant "Elements" offers Italian fare, seafood, and steaks. Other restaurants include Koko's (Asian cuisine with sake bar), Sushi at Koko's (authentic Japanese), and Lumiere (French cuisine with Champagne Bar). The Yacht Club features its own bar (beverages), buffet, and poolside grill. Azure Bar & Cafe offers relaxed all-day dining.

• During refurbishment in 2021, the Yacht Club was redesigned and reimagined as a casual dining venue. The area was expanded to include a multi-purpose "food island". House-made gelato (premium ice cream) is served from a new gelato cooler. Large sofas replaced the old tables and armchairs, and new wicker swinging egg chairs were added.
• Night Market at Koko's offers street food and traditional Asian dishes (Middle East, India, Southeast Asia).
• Sushi at Koko's offers authentic Japanese cuisine and was expanded to include window seating.

Bars and lounges include Lobby Lounge, Champagne Bar, Whisky Bar, and Azure Bar & Cafe. Fine wines, premium beverages, cocktails, specialty teas, and coffees are all included in Scenic Cruises' ticket prices.

A notable feature is the ship's selection of 110 whisky brands available at the Whisky Bar. The themed venue is complimentary and part of the main lounge. All 110 whisky bottles are displayed in a floor-to-ceiling cabinet with a crystal wall. The selection includes premium single malts (30-year-old Isle of Jura The Loch, 25-year-old Glendullan, 16-year-old Lagavulin), special reserve blends (Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Jameson Black Barrel, Crown Royal Deluxe), and various brands from Australia, Asia (Japan, Taiwan, India), South Africa, the USA, and Europe (UK, France, Sweden). All these premium whiskies are complimentary and included in the cruise fare.

The Malta-flagged luxury superyacht Scenic Eclipse (IMO number 9797371, MMSI 248526000) was built with the latest technological advancements to ensure the highest safety standards. She has custom-built stabilizers (50% larger than those on comparable vessels) and an ice-strengthened hull. The vessel's state-of-the-art fins (propulsion units) automatically adjust themselves, enabling the ship to handle strong water currents while remaining stable.

Unlike ships that use traditional anchors, the cruise ship is fitted with a dynamic positioning system. It uses GPS data to accurately maintain position, providing an eco-friendly way to control the vessel. Other environmentally sustainable systems include advanced, more efficient marine engines and an onboard water treatment system.

On November 22, 2016, the vessel's construction began with a steel-cutting ceremony held at Uljanik Shipyard JSC (Pula Croatia). The ship's integrated navigation and automation system was provided by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Maritime. This modern technology combines several systems - Navigation, Dynamic Positioning, Automation, Emergency Shutdown, Power Management, Safety Management, and Control. The system is integrated with online diagnostics and remote service facilities.

On April 28, 2017, the vessel's keel-laying (coin ceremony) was held at Uljanik Shipyard. The event was attended by Glen Moroney (Scenic Tours' founder and chairman), who placed an Australian coin beneath the ship's keel - a traditional ceremony for every newbuild meant to bring good fortune to its passengers and crew.

On January 31, 2018, the ship was launched (float-out ceremony) at Uljanik Shipyard. Delivery was originally scheduled for August 31, 2018, but due to the shipyard's financial issues it was rescheduled for April 13, 2019. Sea trials were successfully completed on June 13, 2019.

Both Scenic Cruises yachts were built in Croatia - Eclipse 1 in Pula (Uljanik Shipyard) and Eclipse 2 in Rijeka (3 Maj Shipyard). The following YouTube video is a timelapse of the Scenic yachts' construction process.

The ship's Captain is James Griffiths - a British officer and former Captain of the superyacht Wind Star (Windstar) and National Geographic Explorer (NatGeo-Lindblad Expeditions). He has also served on 10 other ships (as Captain on four of them) and worked for Cunard Line for 11 years as Chief Officer of RMS Queen Mary 2.

In late July 2019 it was announced that the ship's godmother would be Helen Mirren (Dame Helen Lydia Mirren) - the 1945-born English actress who won the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress (1984, 1985, 2006, 2012), the British Academy TV Award for Best Actress (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2003), the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress (1983, 2001, 2004, 2013), and the Tony Award for Best Actress (1995, 2002, 2005), among others.

The vessel's official christening ceremony was held on September 10, 2019, in Port NYC (New York USA).

Since August 19, 2020, the vessel's crew management company has been Viking Crew (part of the Dover UK-based Viking Maritime Group Ltd). Viking Crew is responsible for Scenic Eclipse's crew recruitment, management, deployment, and placement, including officers and staff from the Engine, Hotel, and Deck departments. Viking Crew was also contracted for crew management of the superyachts Scenic Eclipse 2 (2022) and Emerald Azzurra (2021).

Scenic Eclipse refurbishments review

Drydock 2025

The drydock refurbishment in 2025 (April-May) was conducted in France at Damen Shiprepair Brest.

The project featured the addition of 10 new inside cabins on decks 6, 9, 12, and 15. The new cabins occupy the spaces of the former Internet Cafe, Tech Shop (operated in partnership with Apple), Card Room, and Video Arcade.

All public areas and passenger staterooms were renovated with new furniture, carpets, and upholstery.

The Retreat (Deck 5) received the new Retreat Lounge.

A new Solarium (exclusive sundeck) was added on Deck 16.

Drydock 2024

The ship's last drydocking took place from October 28 through November 27, 2024, in Galveston TX at Gulf Copper Dry Dock & Rig Repair. The unscheduled project addressed urgent propulsion system repairs (one of the ABB Azipods malfunctioned) and required the cancellation of three voyages in 2024 - Oct 24 (12-day cruise from Nassau Bahamas to Bridgetown Barbados), Nov 5 (11-day cruise from Bridgetown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil), and Nov 16 (11-day cruise from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires Argentina).

Curiously, the replacement machinery was flown to Texas via an Antonov An-124 Ruslan (one of the world's largest cargo aircraft).

Solar Eclipse Cruise 2021

For December 2021, Scenic planned a unique itinerary for the luxury yacht Eclipse, providing passengers with the opportunity to view the total solar eclipse in Antarctica's archipelago South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on December 4, 2021. This once-in-a-lifetime event could only be viewed within a 50-mile land radius during the eclipse.

The 20-day "Antarctica, South Georgia and Falkland Islands with Solar Eclipse" itinerary (November 21 through December 10, 2021, Argentina roundtrip from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia) included numerous onboard events and enrichment activities led by the ship's Discovery Team of 14 experts, plus two former NASA scientists (Arizona State University's astrologers Karen Knierman and Patrick Young) and Rachel Frances Gordon (astrological consultant and speaker).

Scenic Eclipse's Super Earlybird bookings received up to 20% discounts. Prices started from approximately USD 1000 per day per passenger (double occupancy). The itinerary schedule by day is listed below.

• Day 1 (Buenos Aires hotel overnight)
• Day 2 (domestic flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia), boarding the cruise ship on November 23
• Day 3 (at sea)
• Days 4-5 (Falkland Islands)
• Day 6 (at sea)
• Days 7-8-9-10-11 (South Georgia Island)
• Day 12 (at sea)
• Days 13-14-15-16-17 (Antarctic Peninsula)
• Days 18-19 (at sea)
• Day 20 (Ushuaia) debarkation and domestic flight to Buenos Aires

An optional 6-night/7-day "Land Tour" package extension (Dec 10 through 17) was also offered.

• Day 20 (flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, hotel overnight)
• Day 21 (flight from Buenos Aires to Foz do Iguazu/Cataratas Airport, Brazil) to access Iguazu Falls
• Days 22-23-24 (Iguazu Falls), optional helicopter tour
• Day 24 (flight from Iguazu to Rio de Janeiro)
• Days 25-26 (Rio de Janeiro)
• Day 27 (transfer from the hotel to Rio de Janeiro Airport)

Antarctica 2020-2022 Itineraries

In December 2019, Scenic Cruises announced the Eclipse ship's inaugural Antarctica program, titled "Antarctica and The Americas 2020-2022", which also introduced new escorted land tours (each with a maximum capacity of 20 tourists).

Listed below are the program's Antarctica itineraries with prices per person (Verandah Suite double-occupancy rates).

• 8-day (March 5, 2020, themed "Taste of Argentina and Brazil") with fares from GBP 14,930 pp
• 9-day (November 8, 2020, themed "Patagonian Adventure") with fares from GBP 16,565 pp
• 7-day (October 4, 2020, themed "Costa Rica Nature and Wildlife") with fares from GBP 9,905 pp
• 11-day (October 9, 2020, themed "Highlights of Peru") with fares from GBP 10,905 pp
• 18-22-day (January 30, 2021, themed "Highlights of Peru with Galapagos and Amazon Cruising") with fares from GBP 23,245 pp
• 16-day (February 15, 2022, Antarctica) with fares from GBP 10,780 pp
• 11-day (February 18, 2022, themed "Highlights of Peru") with fares from GBP 14,640 pp

Early bookings received complimentary upgrades and bonuses:

• Free Flight (business-class) - select itineraries
• Free Door-to-Door car transfers (all itineraries)
• 10% Earlybird Discount
• GBP 500 Early Payment Discount (bookings paid in full by December 31, 2019).

Inaugural itineraries 2018-2019

The following tables show the ship's inaugural cruise itineraries by destination, with indicative prices per person (lowest-category cabin rates in USD). Unfortunately, the megayacht's planned delivery dates (August 2018, January 2019, April 2019) were repeatedly rescheduled (the final date being August 15, 2019).

All bookings received full refunds. Rebooked deals received a 25% future booking discount (based on the rebooked cruise cost).

(2018) 13-day Inaugural Transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami (prices from USD 7340 pp)

(2018) 13-day Inaugural Caribbean cruise to Cuba roundtrip from Miami (prices from USD 11800 pp)

(2018) 13-day Inaugural South American cruise from Valparaiso to Ushuaia (prices from USD 9800 pp)

(2018) 20-day Inaugural Antarctica cruise to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands (prices from USD 24800 pp)

(2019) 14-day Inaugural Mediterranean cruise from Istanbul to Venice (prices from USD 9850 pp)

(2019) 10-day Inaugural British Isles cruise from Dublin to Bergen (prices from USD 6600 pp)

The next table shows the inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) from Iceland to Canada, with prices starting from approximately USD 8650 pp.

12 days, one-way from Reykjavik to Quebec City

Godspeed!