Cruise lines · Expedition

Scenic Eclipse

Book it for the ship, not the helicopter. The ship is what's actually guaranteed.

Who Scenic Eclipse genuinely suits

Guests who want top-end luxury in remote destinations: Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II carry 228 guests in 114 all-suite, all-butler accommodation (capacity is reduced to around 200 specifically for Antarctic sailings, a regulatory and lifeboat-related restriction, not a fleet-wide figure), with up to ten dining venues aboard. The onboard helicopter and submarine are genuinely rare, purpose-built capability, not a marketing add-on.

When you'd be better off elsewhere

Anyone booking specifically to guarantee a helicopter flight or a submarine dive in Antarctica. Antarctic Treaty and IAATO rules restrict helicopter operations there (no flying below 750 metres over wildlife, a 1,500-metre minimum distance from wildlife concentrations) in a way that simply doesn't apply on a Norwegian fjords or tropical sailing, and each aircraft carries only 5 to 6 guests, the submarine 6 to 8, against roughly 200 guests aboard. Even in perfect conditions, most of a sailing's guests won't get a turn on any single excursion.

What the ships are actually like

All-suite, all-butler, up to ten dining venues and a large spa, and the comfort holds regardless of whether the helicopter or submarine fly on a given day.

Scenic Ikon will launch in Q2 2028 as the cruise line's third purpose-built ultra-luxury expedition ocean vessel, joining Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II. All three are expedition-built, so everything below applies to Ikon as much as to its sisters. Its specification is not settled this far ahead, so we have left the figures out rather than quote numbers that may move.

The helicopter and submarine are real. In Antarctica, expect them to be grounded as often as not

The helicopter and the submarine are real, purpose-built and genuinely rare. In Antarctica, they are also grounded a great deal of the time, and that is not bad luck.

Antarctic Treaty and IAATO rules restrict where helicopters may fly, and Scenic makes a go or no-go call the night before on the forecast. The submarine is more weather-dependent still: it does not operate in rough seas or heavy ice. In November 2022 Scenic's own submersible was caught in pack ice during a katabatic wind event, damaged, and three cruises' worth of dives were cancelled while it was repaired.

The arithmetic matters as much as the weather. Each helicopter flight carries five or six guests and the submarine six to eight, against roughly 200 people aboard. Even on a flawless week, most guests will not get a turn on any given excursion. Disappointment about this is a recurring theme in real reviews, almost always because nobody said so beforehand.

None of which applies in Norway or the tropics, where the same equipment flies far more freely. So book this ship for the ship: 228 guests, all-suite, all-butler, up to ten places to eat, and a standard that holds whatever the weather does. In Antarctica, treat anything that flies or dives as a bonus you would be delighted to get, not the reason you booked.

What the fare covers

Usually in the fare

All drinks on board, apart from a very small number of rare, fine and vintage wines, champagnes and spirits
Shore excursions, including the Zodiac and kayak programme
Starlink Wi-Fi
Tipping, transfers and taxes

Costs extra

Helicopter and submarine activities, which depend on weather and may cost extra
Spa treatments

Read from the line's own website, October 2026. What a fare covers varies by sailing and by fare, so check your booking.

Tips and gratuities

Gratuities are included in the fare, so nothing for tips is added to your onboard account.

Checked against the line's own website, October 2026.

Where Scenic Eclipse sits

Class

Expedition, on our ladder from Mainstream through Ultra-Luxury.

A sample sailing

Scenic Eclipse II, 10 nights: High Arctic, Svalbard from Tromsø, guide price from £14,500pp.

Where Scenic Eclipse boards in the UK

In the UK, Scenic Eclipse sails from Greenwich and Edinburgh. Each guide covers who the port suits, what actually sails and how to reach it.

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See what Scenic Eclipse actually has available

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