Scenic aims to Eclipse rivals


Dame Helen Mirren christens the world’s first ‘discovery yacht’ Scenic Eclipse. Amie Keeley reports from New York


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ailings on Scenic Eclipse have sold out for the next year following an overwhelming “appetite


and demand” from guests and agents for the six-star mega-yacht. Scenic UK managing director


Colin Downing said bookings beyond the next 12 months until 2022, which have recently gone on sale, were also strong. Te 228-passenger “discovery


yacht” was named by Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren at a ceremony in New York last week, before seting sail on a christening cruise to Canada. Downing said: “We’ve had


Nobody else has the


helicopters, submarine and 10 Zodiacs. We’ve created a billionaire’s yacht experience


tremendous support from guests and agents, despite the challenges with the shipyard. We recently released sailings up until 2022 and the appetite and demand has been fantastic.” Delivery of Eclipse was delayed


three times due to issues with the shipyard in Croatia where it was


being built, including strikes and the shipyard going bankrupt. Te ship is Scenic’s first foray


into ocean cruising and the first to feature two helicopters and a submarine on board for guests. Downing said: “Eclipse is


a completely new category of cruising. Glen Moroney [founder and owner] is good at spoting an opportunity and going into that space. “Other lines do six-star luxury


cruising really well, others do discovery itineraries and some do small-ship discovery, but nobody brings all of these elements together into a six-star luxury vessel. Nobody


else has the helicopters, submarine, 10 Zodiacs and a full array of experts. “We’ve created a billionaire’s


yacht experience.” Downing said the ship’s modern,


minimalist design would appeal to a younger “40-something entrepreneur”. A sister ship to Eclipse is due to


launch in 2022. “We made a mistake three years


ago when we announced details of Eclipse because others have copied us,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of years to


ourselves, but we have ambitious plans, so watch this space.”


Scenic Eclipse lounge, helicopter and Koko’s restaurant


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19 SEPTEMBER 2019


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURES: Nils Schlebusch


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