The Australian company's second megayacht for exploration chose the Andalusian city and a NASA astronaut for its christening.
Last June 3rd, Málaga experienced another special moment with the christening of the Scenic Eclipse II at the Palmeral de las Sorpresas (Palm Grove of Surprises). Scenic Group owners Glen and Karen Moroney acted as hosts, along with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, the ship's godmother, and the President of the Port Authority of Málaga, Carlos Rubio, at an event that brought together VIPs, passengers, tourism industry professionals, and media from around the world.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 65 – June 2023
From the boarding gangway of the Palmeral de las Sorpresas cruise terminal, Dr. Sullivan threw, with unusual force, the champagne bottle against the hull of the Scenic Eclipse II, breaking it into a thousand pieces while guests and passersby celebrated the moment.
Glen Moroney, founder and president of Scenic Group, praised the godmother: “It’s difficult to find someone with such an unprecedented list of accomplishments. The depth of her experiences on our planet and beneath the seas, and her incredible passion for exploration, is truly inspiring and makes us feel she is the perfect embodiment of our new exploration yacht. While we can’t replicate many of her most extreme adventures – yet – we believe the Scenic Eclipse II offers our guests unique exploration opportunities.”.
Undoubtedly, Moroney was referring to two of the features that make his exploration yachts unique: they have two state-of-the-art helicopters and an electric submarine with a capacity for eight guests, in addition to Zodiacs for landing in remote locations, kayaks, and paddleboards, among many other "toys." In light of the terrible Titan submersible accident in recent weeks, it's worth clarifying that both the Scenic Eclipse's and the Scenic Eclipse II's submarines are designed to descend to a depth of about 200 meters, far from the 3,500 meters the Titan reached.
It has 10 dining options, something really difficult for a ship of this size.
The Scenic Eclipse II is a 17,592 gross registered tonnage Polar Class 6 ship, with capacity to accommodate 228 passengers (200 when the destination is Antarctica), with butler service and almost one crew member for each passenger (176 crew members).
Built at the MAJ shipyards in Rijeka, Croatia, the Scenic Eclipse II features oversized stabilizing fins, a dynamic GPS positioning system to avoid anchoring in sensitive locations, redundancy in propulsion, navigation, safety and food refrigeration systems, and has several improvements over its predecessor for the passenger.
Deck 10 has been redesigned and now features an oval pool at the bow, where there were previously only two jacuzzis. The bar in this area has also been moved indoors, making it usable in colder weather. The spa has been expanded to 550 square meters and now includes aromatherapy, ice fountains, rain showers, and a KLAFS salt therapy room with heated loungers. The infrared room with color therapy, designed to energize and invigorate skin cells while enjoying ocean views, has also been enlarged. In addition to the spa, there is a gym and a dedicated Pilates and Yoga studio.
Upon entering the Scenic Eclipse II, we are greeted by a grand lounge, the Scenic Lounge, quite unlike anything typically seen on cruise ships, conveying a powerful sense of luxury and sophistication. This is largely due to the very dark, almost black, tones used on the walls, ceiling, and some of the furniture, broken only by the floral arrangements of magenta orchids and Carrara marble pieces such as the tables and the impressive backlit bar with its bottle rack.
From here, if we walk towards the bow, we pass a boutique that offers everything from Louis Vuitton bags to small luxury treats, and we arrive at the theater, a modest semicircular space with individual seats that can be reclined to the passenger's liking.
Despite its small size, the Scenic Eclipse II offers up to 10 dining options, ranging from Asian fusion to French cuisine and 24-hour room service.
Towards the stern of the Scenic Lounge are two large restaurants, Elements and Koko's Asian Fusion, which in turn house three more themed dining options: Chef's Table, Sushi at Koko's, and Night Market at Koko's. It's worth noting that all the restaurants on the Scenic Eclipse II are included in the cruise fare.
Elements is the main restaurant, seating 104 guests, serving Italian and international classics, meats, and fish. Inside, there's a more exclusive room, the Chef's Table, overlooking the kitchen, where an 11-course tasting menu is served, paired with carefully selected beverages. However, access to this exclusive chef's table is by invitation only.
Koko's Asian Fusion occupies the other half of the aft section and has only 26 seats, which can be at regular tables or tables with sunken seating. If your Asian cravings are specifically focused on sushi, Sushi at Koko's is the sushi bar located at the entrance to this area, with space for 18 diners between the bar and the window tables. Finally, at the back, in a separate room, is Night Market at Koko's, featuring Teppanyaki grills where acrobatic dishes from India, the Middle East, and Asia are prepared.
One deck higher, on deck five, is the Lumiere restaurant, offering sophisticated contemporary French cuisine for dinner only. With seating for 35, it also features a champagne bar. Next door is the Azure Bar & Coffee, the more casual spot to enjoy a drink at any time of day—be it a coffee, a pizza, or a salad—either indoors or on the terrace.
On this deck we can also attend a chef's master class, using hydroponically grown sprouts in Chef Garden at Scenic Epicure, while at the stern of deck seven is the Yacht Club, a fully glazed space connected to the outside where we can eat or have a drink in a casual atmosphere, with sofas, tables, and food islands.
Two helicopters, a submarine, zodiacs, kayaks, paddleboards and all kinds of equipment to make the most of every stop.
The dining options are complemented by 24-hour room service, where the butler can set up breakfast, lunch or dinner on the suite's terrace for our total privacy and comfort.
At the bow of deck five, passing through the entire corridor of suites, we arrive at the Observation Lounge, a small library lounge with views and access to the foredeck. On deck six is the aforementioned spa aft, with another elliptical pool outside.
Aft of deck six is the Senses spa, whose facilities have been expanded and improved as mentioned earlier. Outside, there is another elliptical pool with views of the ship's wake.
The two custom-designed Airbus H130-T2 helicopters, featuring luxurious leather seats and maximum visibility for their six passengers, are housed in two hangars on deck eight, where the helipad is also located. These helicopters, used for private aerial excursions to remote areas, are equipped with BOSE noise-canceling headphones, ensuring the ultimate in comfort when flying over a glacier, a fjord, or a volcanic peak.
In addition, the yacht is equipped with a state-of-the-art Triton 660/9 AVA submersible with capacity for 8 passengers plus the pilot, consisting of a single elliptical acrylic glass capsule that provides unprecedented visibility and space.
The suites
The 114 suites of the Scenic Eclipse II, all with balconies, range from 35 m2 to 245 m2.
The most basic category, Verandah Suites, starts at 35 m2, increasing to 40 m2 for the Deluxe Verandah. Both feature a spacious marble-tiled bathroom with a Dyson hairdryer and all accessories, as well as an Illy espresso machine.
The Grand Deluxe Verandah rooms reach 38-40 m2, so they already have a dressing room.
The Spa Suites, ranging from 46 to 50 m2, have a large bathroom running parallel to the entire room, designed by Philippe Starck, with a jacuzzi next to the window and a chromotherapy shower.
There are two Panorama suites and two Grand Panorama suites, measuring 105 and 110 m2 respectively, located aft, with a large outdoor terrace, much more room space and a whole range of services and priorities included in the price.
Finally, the Scenic Eclipse II has two Owner's Penthouse Suites of 195 m2, which can be combined with the adjacent Spa Suites to form a mega suite of 245 m2. These suites feature an indoor living and dining room, an outdoor lounge, an outdoor jacuzzi, 70 and 60-inch televisions, and a long list of other services, privileges, and luxuries.
The routes: from Antarctica to the Kimberley.
The Scenic Eclipse II will be sailing through Greenland, Iceland, and Norway during July 2023, venturing deep into the Arctic. On August 12, it offers a 14-day cruise that, although it "begins" in Copenhagen, is actually a route through Greenland and the Canadian Arctic (Baffin Island), accessed via a flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, where passengers board the ship. On August 24, it returns to Iceland via Greenland, then sails from Reykjavik to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Lisbon, and in October, it makes the transatlantic crossing from Lisbon to Portland, Canada, before heading south along the entire east coast of the Americas and settling in Ushuaia in December to spend the winter cruising in Antarctica.
In February 2024, it will begin its transition from Antarctica to the northern coast of Australia, also known by the name of its capital: Kimberley, where it will remain at least until August 2024. This is one of the regions with the most exotic and breathtaking landscapes in the world, and possibly one of the most desired by explorers from all over the world.
The godmother: Dr. Kathryn Sullivan.
Dr. Kathryn Sullivan is an American geologist and oceanographer, NASA astronaut, and US Navy officer. She was the first American woman to perform a spacewalk in 1984 and participated in three space shuttle missions.
She also has the honor of being the first woman to visit the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean, called Challenger Deep, almost 11 km deep in the Mariana Trench, aboard the Limiting Factor submersible, the only one in the world capable of such a feat. She is therefore the first human being to reach both the highest and lowest points.
She was chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where she became the main person in charge between March 2014 and January 2017.
He has received numerous distinctions and awards throughout his career, and his achievements have been recognized with three Guinness World Records and the title of "World's Most Upright Person".
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