After being hit with seemingly endless problems at the shipyard, Scenic Cruises can at last breathe a deep sigh of relief. Yesterday, the Scenic Eclipse, what the company calls the world’s first Discovery Yacht, completed its ever important sea trails with flying colors. This news comes amidst a year of setbacks, as construction delays and strikes at the Croatian shipyard where the Eclipse was being built forced Scenic to delay the ships launch date. Now, it appears the August 15, 2019 official launch date will become reality, which should please some disgruntled Scenic patrons.
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With sea trials complete, Scenic Eclipse will now undergo the final touches to its interior and exterior and the final training of the onboard teams before the official launch and commencement of schedule of sailings. This ship will have 114 all-verandah suites; 10 dining options, from Asian Fusion to French fine dining to a chef’s table to a poolside buffet; a 5,920-square-foot spa with a well-equipped gym and separate yoga and Pilates studio.
The ship will have two six-guest helicopters and one six-guest submarine capable of depths of nearly 1,000 feet to allow for explorations far beyond any done on expedition ships to date; indoor and outdoor plunge pools; butler service for all guests and an almost 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio; innovative zero-speed stabilizer fins, 50 percent larger than standard to provide greater stability; the highest passenger ship ice class rating (Polar Class 6); redundancies in propulsion, navigation, safety systems and food refrigeration; state-of-the-art bridge systems; GPS dynamic positioning system allowing for stationary positioning without an anchor, reducing any environmental affect in sensitive regions.
This will be the Scenic’s first oceangoing vessel for Scenic in its 33-year history. The company began by offering escorted tours before starting river cruises in 2008 with 15 Space-Ships offering five-star river cruises in Europe, Southeast Asia, Russia and Egypt. Sister brand Emerald Waterways has eight Star-Ships offering European river sailings with an eighth (Emerald Harmony) launching in 2019 for Southeast Asia’s Mekong River. Exclusive charters are offered on the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, the Volga River in Russia, yacht cruises out of Croatia, and Egypt’s Nile River.
