Despite Scenic Cruises being a well-established brand, its immersion into the expedition market is a relatively new venture. The Scenic Eclipse was delivered in 2019 and christened by actress Dame Helen Mirren, with “great fanfare,” Scenic Group’s Vice President of Sales, Ann Chamberlin, said, according to 2021 Expedition Market Report by Cruise Industry News.

“When you talk about expedition, we felt we have the world’s first ultra-luxury discovery yacht with the Scenic Eclipse. The Eclipse is our world explorer. The submarine onboard, the exploration under the sea, seeing incredible places … Even just the experience of getting out to that submersible, getting in there, being briefed by the submarine pilot and then taking that down. Those things are just once-in-a-lifetime type of experiences,” Chamberlin said.

According to her, the itineraries on the 228-passenger Eclipse are all-inclusive, just like the cruise line’s river cruises.

“The only thing we charge for is some amenities in the spa, services, helicopter and the submersible,” Chamberlin noted.

One of the latest unique offerings on the Eclipse is the sold-out opportunity to see the total solar eclipse from Antarctica’s South Sandwich Island in December 2021.

Other popular destinations, according to Expedition Operations Manager for Scenic Discovery Yachts, Jason Flesher, include the polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic, and – “because the Eclipse sails year-round – warm waters in the Mediterranean, as well as the Caribbean.”

“I almost want to say all (itineraries) are popular,” Flesher told Cruise Industry News. “Obviously, not for this moment, but I know people have been rebooking for mid-2021 to 2022 season and beyond, where 2022-2023 is pretty much getting close to capacity.”

Future itineraries, Flesher said, include the Russian Far East and Asia.

“Those are really gaining good traction right now, filling up as well,” he said.