A rising tide raises all ships, the old saying goes. Scenic Group’s Managing Director Ken Muskat certainly sees the rapidly expanding luxury expedition cruising market that way.
While the increase in high-end small-ship tonnage injects competition into the sector, it also amplifies what Scenic does better than any other, Muskat told Cruise Industry News.
“I think there’s just huge demand for this category. We’re seeing a lot of cruisers that are experienced that want to graduate to more of a luxury, smaller-ship experience and more expedition or off the beaten path bucket-list kind of destinations,” he said.
Muskat said the boutique cruise line is breaking its booking and travel agency-penetration records.
“We get very targeted and provide outstanding service for people that want to sail with us or work with us,” he said. “And it is definitely paying off. Obviously, it takes time to grow within a market and then build the repeat referral business. But we’re definitely seeing it, and the reaction has been tremendous. And we expect it to just continue to grow.”
The debut of the Scenic Eclipse in 2019, with two helicopters and a submersible, changed the game, Muskat said.
“And it did so well that we built another one with Scenic Eclipse II that came out in 2023, and clearly Scenic Ikon, which is coming out in 2028, is taking it to the next level,” he said.
In a way, would-be passengers and the luxury expedition cruise market as a whole are slowly waking up to the new landscape Scenic created, Muskat said.
Well-known luxury land-based hotel brands entering the market increases its overall visibility and actually helps Scenic shine brighter. The same is true for sister-brand Emerald Cruise’s luxury yacht experience, where the private mega-yacht experience meets the ease and curation of cruising. The growth of this market is catching eyes, he said.
Luxury expedition cruisers are high-repeat, high-referral, high-commission customers for travel agents, creating a new category for people that are cruisers or non-cruisers to wake up to.
The 393-foot Emerald Kaia joined the yachting fleet in spring 2026, stretching the feels-like-a-private-yacht concept to 128 guests. Sister ships follow in 2027 and 2028.
The Scenic Ikon, debuting in April 2028, is the natural progression for the brand, according to Muskat. It builds on what works well on the Eclipse and Eclipse II in a larger, 270-guest setting, he said. The focus on efficiency, environmental awareness, and adventure-based luxury continues aboard the new Polar Class 6 ship.
Aside from its size, the new Ikon will be built for both warm and cold weather, unlike the Eclipse ships that are built with polar temperatures in mind.
“She will do Antarctica, but she’s really being built for a much longer and in-depth Mediterranean season with the larger pools and open decks,” he said.
The ship will also have 15 restaurants.
“It will have new options that we haven’t had before, whether it’s a Spanish fusion tapas, a gourmet pizza reimagined type restaurant or a plant-based open kitchen type restaurant. We’re taking that to the next level,” Muskat said.
Excerpted from the Spring 2026 Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine.
