Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to cruise to Antarctica nearly a dozen times. I’ve sailed on old-style expedition cruise ships, boutique ships with modern X-Bow designs and skipped the Drake Passage altogether on a Fly & Cruise trip to the Antarctic Peninsula.
On my most recent trip, I joined the Scenic Eclipse for a taste of luxury cruising on our Luxury Antarctica In-Depth trip, eager to try out their novel ways of exploring Antarctica – both from the air from their helicopters and beneath the waves in its exclusive submersible.
Table of contents
- Scenic Eclipse is designed for luxury Antarctica cruise trips
- What are suites like on Scenic Eclipse ?
- Facilities on board Scenic Eclipse
- What is life on board Scenic Eclipse like?
- Exploring Antarctica by helicopter and submarine on Scenic Eclipse
- What type of Antarctic traveller should sail on Scenic Eclipse?
Scenic Eclipse is designed for luxury Antarctica cruise trips
Scenic Eclipse was launched in 2018 for luxury expedition cruising, followed soon after by its identical twin Scenic Eclipse II. After flying down from Buenos Aires (a connection included as part of the trip) to join the ship in Ushuaia, I was immediately struck by the ship’s appearance. It looks quite unlike any other expedition cruise ship I’d been on, and carried more than a hint of superyacht styling.
Scenic Eclipse seemed to dwarf the other Antarctica-bound ships that were in port in Ushuaia. And yet, the number of guests it carries is capped at the magic number of 200 – great for getting off the ship when we were in Antarctica. As soon as I got on board I understood why. The ship has more space per passenger than any other polar vessel I’ve been on, with elegantly generous common areas, a selection of nine dining options to choose from, and for every guest, an incredibly spacious suite with private balcony. And somewhere on board, waiting for their appearances like the stars of a James Bond movie, were Scenic Eclipse’s signature helicopters and submersible.
With space, some sexy design and plenty of onboard choice, it was immediately clear that Scenic Eclipse knows how to speak to its luxury traveller market.
What are suites like on Scenic Eclipse ?
My home for the next 11 nights was Suite 627, a deluxe veranda suite on Deck 6. No sooner had I arrived than my butler knocked on the door offering to give me a tour of its amenities and ask me if there was anything I needed. I decided to wait until I settled in, though his suggestion that he could make reservations for me at the restaurants instead of having to go in person was very welcome.
The suite was a generous 344 sq ft (32 m2), with a generous lounge area and private balcony large enough for a table and two chairs without feeling cramped – I instantly knew that I’d enjoy taking breakfast here as soon as we arrived in Antarctica. The king-sized bed came with the expected pillow menu at this level of cruising, though I hadn’t expected the bed to have controls to raise or lower each end for extra comfort. As someone who sometimes has trouble with a bad back, I was delighted with this extra touch.
During my time on board I was able to sneak a peek into some of the top level suites. These offered even more space – some feeling like boutique apartments. Different suites offered additional touches, such as spa baths and mist showers or a dining table ready to host a private party, perfect to celebrate special occasions. But the real benefits for the top suites are priority reservations for some of the more exclusive dining options, as well as for the helicopter and submersible activities.
Facilities on board Scenic Eclipse
Scenic Eclipse sets out its stall early on with its Whisky Bar, with over 100 whiskies and a towering display of bottles reaching up the ceiling, en route to the lecture theatre. This was a great piece of scene setting, reminding us that while exploring and learning about Antarctica is at the heart of every expedition cruise, we weren’t going to sacrifice any style while doing it.
This approach was carried through in the wide choice of options for dining. to dine in (Scenic Eclipse technically has 10, but one isn’t open in Antarctica). This was where the butler’s advice on making reservations was definitely helpful. Yacht Club was perfect for casual breakfasts and lunches, especially when I wasn’t taking breakfast in my suite. I regularly felt myself drawn to its constantly changing selection of gelato, and its patisserie shop dessert display.
The Azure Bar and Cafe was another great place to grab a simple lunch or something easy in the evening that I could just drop into without making a reservation. Talking to other guests, it was clear that the room service was popular with pretty much everyone, whether they wanted to stay in their suite during the Drake Passage crossing, or were just tired after a long day and preferred to eat in. My insider tip? If you just fancy a little treat, they’ll even deliver that gelato from the Yacht Club!
For more formal dining there was the seven-course French tasting menu at Lumiere, along with Night Market @ Koko’s and Sushi @ Koko’s. These all required advance reservations, and have a very limited number of covers every night to add to their exclusivity. Even more of a thrill was the Chef’s Table @ Elements, with its by-invitation degustation experience.
However, Antarctic cruises don’t run on food alone, even when the choice is as good as this. There is the choice of burning the calories off in Scenic Eclipse’s gym, or relaxing into the vibe with sessions in its yoga and pilates studio. Out on the deck, there was a spa pool and two jacuzzis. I sailed at the end of the season when the humpback whales are out in large numbers, and there were often people sitting in the jacuzzi drinking champagne and listening to the whales blowing. Bubbles all round!
What is life on board Scenic Eclipse like?
We were blessed with a smooth Drake Passage on my cruise (the larger size of the ship no doubt also helped), which meant that it was easy to enjoy the onboard lectures from the expedition team to get us prepared and excited for Antarctica. Scenic Eclipse never felt crowded because of its space, and I often felt like I had the deck to myself when I was out with my binoculars looking out for albatrosses and petrels.
Once in Antarctica, we enjoyed two excursions, which comprised a mixture of time on shore and zodiac cruising. Those who had signed up to optional activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, the helicopter and submersible received invitations the night before, after the all-important Antarctic weather forecast, to let them know that their activity would be going ahead.
One thing worth noting is that with Scenic Eclipse being an attraction almost as much as the destination, the expedition team were always balancing the interests of those passengers who wanted to be outside with those who wanted to relax on the ship. It’s worth bearing in mind which one of these travellers you might be if you’re thinking of sailing. On some expedition ships, I’ve experienced whole dinner services for the entire ship being put on hold to enjoy an unusual wildlife encounter; on Scenic Eclipse, fine dining waits for no whale and those with dinner reservations will always sit down to service on time. Though of course, if you want to abandon your meal to head out on deck, you are very welcome to!
Exploring Antarctica by helicopter and submarine on Scenic Eclipse
While the luxury was an attraction in itself, what got me really excited about Scenic Eclipse was the chance to get a new perspective on Antarctica, from the air and beneath the sea, with its helicopters and submersible.
The helicopter flightseeing was extraordinary, and a complete revelation for even an experienced Antarctic hand like me. For safety we were all discreetly weighed before boarding and assigned a seat to ensure the helicopter was perfectly balanced. And then we were away. I’m a fanatic for ice, so getting to look down on mile upon mile of glaciers dotted with electric blue meltwater was magic. I’ve had no other experience that’s given me such a sense of scale of Antarctica. A later flight got an aerial view of humpback whales bubble-net feeding that made me rather jealous, but after the glacier show it felt churlish to complain. The takeaway was that whenever and wherever you flew the helicopters offered something extraordinary to see.
The submersible gave a rather different perspective. I tried to go in with zero expectations, though I knew that it wasn’t going to be like diving on a tropical reef. When we got a good weather window (for safety reasons they don’t operate in rough seas or where there’s a lot of ice) near Brown Base, we descended next to a cliff. As a non-diver, it was a slightly odd feeling watching the water close over the clear dome of the submarine, but once we were in the quiet of the deep I loved it. The cliff wall was thick with sea sponges and starfish as far as 80 metres below the surface. The operator insisted that every dive was different and that you never knew quite what to expect (one of my colleagues once went through a swarm of krill, other times you might see very little), but as long you’re prepared to take the submersible as an experience in its own right and not expect to see any large scale marine life then it’s well worth taking the plunge.
As well as these headline attractions, Scenic Eclipse offered other ways to see Antarctica like kayaking and paddleboarding. I did both, and it was my first time doing the latter, sitting on my board rather than standing up to skim my way with a group across a sheltered bay ringed by glaciers. We were treated to a visit by several humpback whales, who swam close and blew loudly as we sat in rapt silence, then went on their way: a beautiful polar moment.
What type of Antarctic traveller should sail on Scenic Eclipse?
Reflecting on the cruise on my way home, it felt like the Scenic Eclipse is the perfect luxury ship for anyone who wants to have the best of all worlds. The amount of variety on offer is phenomenal for a 200 passenger ship. For true polar nuts like myself, there were a host of different ways to experience Antarctica. For those after a relaxed cruise experience, there was always something new to enjoy in the evenings. When I wanted to be sociable I could relax in the lounge, and when I wanted a bit of private time I could have a quiet evening in my suite with room service.
An added luxury was that everything to enjoy on board was included apart from some of the premium wines and spirits and the spa treatments – this includes the premium dining options. In Antarctica, the kayaking and paddleboarding are also included, though the helicopter and submersible options are at additional cost and paid for on board.
For those looking for a little bit extra where comfort meets expedition with a touch of the polar superyacht, Scenic Eclipse could be the ship for you.
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