Scenic Eclipse: Ships, suites and 2026–2027 sailings

Scenic calls these Discovery Yachts rather than expedition ships, and the distinction is fair. Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II are Polar Class 6 hulls of 17,545 gross tonnes and 168 metres, carrying up to 228 guests in 114 suites, and 200 when they sail Antarctica, with a crew ratio Scenic puts at close to one to one. Each yacht carries two Airbus H130-T2 helicopters and a custom submersible, Scenic Neptune I and II, seating up to eight guests alongside a pilot.

The fare is where the line separates itself. Scenic includes butler service in every suite, up to ten culinary experiences with no surcharges, premium beverages, a choice of shore excursions, Scenic Enrich events, access to the Senses Spa facilities, all gratuities, Wi-Fi and airport transfers. At this level of the market that list is the product as much as the hull is.

One thing to be clear about, because the photography obscures it: the helicopters and the submersible are at additional cost. Scenic says so in its own fine print, and adds that neither operates in every region, with regulatory approval, weight and medical limits, weather and ice all governing whether a flight or a dive happens at all. Choose the voyage for the ship and the itinerary, and treat the aviation and the sub as an upside.

That makes Scenic Eclipse the answer for a specific traveller: someone who wants real polar capability, an ice-classed hull, a Discovery Team, Zodiacs and kayaks, without the converted-research-vessel austerity that usually comes with it. The hotel brands now at sea are doing something else, in warmer water and on shorter runs. When Antarctica or Greenland is the reason for the trip rather than the backdrop, this is a much shorter list.