Scenic has announced a new ship in its ‘discovery yacht’ class to join soon-to-launch Scenic Eclipse.
Building will start on the 228-passenger capacity Scenic Eclipse II in 2019 in Pula, Croatia.
The vessel, which will be of similar design to its sister ship, will sail from Athens to Lisbon for its maiden voyage in May 2020.
Sailings for its debut season in the European and Russian Arctic regions will go on sale in April this year.
Scenic Eclipse II’s itineraries will include Russia’s White Sea, the Northwest Passage, Southern Greenland and Alaska to Russia across the Bering Sea.
Onboard there will be 114 all-veranda suites, nine restaurants, eight lounges and bars, a spa sanctuary, a marina deck, helicopters and a submarine.
The Scenic Eclipse fleet will be built to comply with the new International Maritime Organisation Polar Code requirements. The two ships are Scenic’s first foray into ocean cruising.
Announcing Scenic Eclipse II, Glen Moroney, Scenic founder and chairman, said the launch represented an opportunity to expand Scenic’s destinations and pioneer new ones.
He added: “It will also allow us to continue our passion for innovation in design and innovation in handcrafted itineraries, which we are confident will appeal to a wide variety of guests.”
Scenic Eclipse, set to debut on August 31, took to the water for the first time this week in Uljanik shipyard in Croatia. When it was announced, Scenic billed it as the world’s first discovery yacht.
Colin Downing, Scenic’s UK general manager, revealed the line had always planned to announce Scenic Eclipse II shortly after Scenic Eclipse I had successfully floated out.