What an expedition yacht actually carries
Scenic Eclipse entered service in 2019. A hundred and sixty-eight metres, 114
suites, all with a balcony. Capacity drops to 200 guests in polar waters, against
228 elsewhere: that is not a commercial policy but a landing rule, limiting how
many people may set foot ashore in Antarctica.
The hull carries ice class 1A Super and Polar Class 6 notation. It embarks two
helicopters and a manned submersible. That equipment exists and it works, but its
use depends on weather, swell, local permits and the number of guests interested.
A helicopter flight in Antarctica is earned as much as bought, and a whole cruise
can pass without a single take-off being possible.
That is the difference between what a brochure shows and what a season gives.
We prefer to write it before departure rather than let the disappointment happen
aboard.
A calendar shared with the sister ship
An important point, and it is a defect in our inventory rather than
information about the ships: the two Eclipse vessels currently show the same
calendar on this site. A hundred and seventy-two identical dates, day for day,
measured on 26 August 2026 across both pages.
Two distinct ships, one list of departures. We have reported it to the site's
technical team and logged it in our tracking file. Until it is corrected, have
your advisor confirm which ship operates the date you are considering, before
booking rather than after.
Where it goes
The measured routes cover Antarctica from Buenos Aires and Valparaíso, South
America, Iceland and Greenland, with dates spread from 2026 to 2029. Expedition
days follow no fixed schedule: ice and swell decide, and tomorrow's programme is
given the evening before.
The other ships in the fleet
Scenic Eclipse II is its sister, delivered four years later. Scenic Spirit serves the Mekong, Scenic Azure the
Douro, and Scenic Aura returns to service in India.
What is included, and what is not
Included: gratuities aboard and ashore, meals, standard wines and spirits at
table, Wi-Fi, a butler for every suite, Freechoice excursions, Enrich events and
Sundowner receptions. The European ships also carry electrically assisted
bicycles, free to use during port calls.
Not included: rare vintages and champagnes outside the standard selection,
spa treatments, and gratuities given away from the official route, in a taxi or
a restaurant in town.
That leaves air travel, which varies with the package. The line builds
arrangements with flights and others without, depending on the market and the
period. Your advisor will tell you which applies to the date you are looking at,
and it is a question to ask early rather than at signature.
The clientele aboard
Adult, and the line does not hide it. No children's club, no nursery, no youth
activities. The practical threshold sits around twelve years. A teenager curious
about history and landscape will do well; a seven-year-old will be firmly bored,
and that is not a fault of the ship but a choice of the line.
On access, the lift links the main decks but stops short of the sun deck,
reached by stair. Suites fitted for reduced mobility exist on every ship, near
reception. Check the deck plan before choosing your category.
The Quebec framework
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. Your payments go into a trust account, and the Compensation Fund
for Customers of Travel Agents covers the situations set out in the Travel Agents
Act, including a supplier's failure. The cover has defined limits, best explained
to you before you pay a deposit.
The ship is the simple part of the file. The flight, the connection, the hotel
night before embarkation and the transfer to the pier make up the rest, and that
is where the real comfort of a departure is decided.
