| IMO | 9850460 |
|---|---|
| Gross tonnage | 17,545 GT |
| Length | 168 m |
| Beam | 21.5 m |
| Passenger capacity (max) | 228 |
| Crew | 176 |
| Service speed | 17.0 knots |
| Builder | 3. Maj |
| Yard | Rijeka |
| Launched | 2023 |
| Maiden voyage | 2023-04-13 |
| Operator | Scenic Yacht Cruises |
| Status | Active |
Overview
Scenic Eclipse II is the second of Scenic's "Discovery Yachts" — ultra-luxury expedition ships that pair a Polar Class 6 hull, helicopters and a submersible with an all-suite, butler-served hotel for just 228 guests, and only 200 in Antarctic operations. She entered service on 13 April 2023, the maiden-voyage date recorded in the dataset, as sister to the pioneering Scenic Eclipse of 2019.
Her importance is confirmatory. The first Eclipse proved that a river-cruise and touring company could field a credible ocean expedition ship at the very top of the market; Eclipse II proved the concept could be repeated, improved and operated as a class — with a next-generation submersible, a new top-deck Sky Bar and vitality pool, and systems refinements drawn from four years of operating the original.
The dataset credits the builder as 3. Maj at Rijeka, Croatia. That reflects the restructuring of Croatian shipbuilding during the programme: the Eclipse project began at Uljanik in Pula, whose difficulties delayed the first ship and reshaped how the second was completed, with Rijeka's 3. Maj central to the follow-on build.
Key specifications
Dataset: 17,545 GT, 168 m by 21.5 m, 228 guests maximum, 176 crew, 17 knots. Scenic's published specification matches: Polar Class 6, 114 suites, guest-to-crew ratio close to 1:1 in marketing terms (228 to 176 is about 1.3:1 on the dataset figures — still expedition-ship territory, not large-ship territory).
Propulsion is by Azipod units with bow thrusters and oversized stabilisers, specified for both ice navigation and passenger comfort. A GPS dynamic positioning system lets her hold station without anchoring on sensitive seabeds — a defining technical feature of the type, since expedition ships routinely operate off uncharted or environmentally fragile coasts with no port infrastructure. She carries Zodiacs, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, two helicopters and a submersible in Scenic's standard Discovery Yacht specification, with a Discovery Team of up to about 20 on expedition voyages in the operator's descriptions.
In Antarctica her legal and practical ceiling is 200 guests, reflecting IAATO landing rules that put no more than 100 passengers ashore at once; the ship rotates groups between landings and Zodiac cruising.
Design and construction
The design brief was a yacht, not a small liner: a sleek, ice-strengthened hull, all-veranda suite accommodation across decks 5 to 9, and public spaces that include a theatre used as much for expedition lectures as for entertainment, a roughly 550-square-metre spa in the operator's specification, and extensive observation areas. Comfort Class 1 notation — the lowest noise and vibration category — and a strengthened Polar Class 6 hull are the technical headlines Scenic itself emphasises.
Construction history needs care. Scenic announced the second ship in 2018, when Uljanik at Pula was still the intended builder with a 2020 debut. Uljanik's collapse into restructuring forced a new build arrangement; the ship that finally emerged in 2023 came from Rijeka under the dataset's builder of record, 3. Maj. The delay — roughly three years against the original announcement — is the ship's main construction story, and a reminder that the Discovery Yacht programme survived its builder, not just its design phase.
Naming, launch and maiden voyage
One name only, Scenic Eclipse II, the Roman numeral marking her as second of the type. The dataset records launched 2023 and maiden voyage 13 April 2023; contemporary pre-launch planning had expected Athens-to-Lisbon as a maiden routing for the original 2020 debut, which did not survive the build delays and should not be stated as her actual maiden itinerary. No naming ceremony or godmother is recorded in the sources used.
Career by operator
| Period | Name | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | Scenic Eclipse II | Scenic Yacht Cruises (Scenic) |
Single name, single operator. Her career to date is a fleet career: paired with Scenic Eclipse, she gives Scenic two-ship coverage of the polar seasons at both ends of the Earth while also operating warm-water discovery voyages between them — the operating pattern the type was designed for.
Onboard character
Onboard character is the Discovery Yacht formula: up to ten dining experiences and eight bars and lounges for 228 guests in operator descriptions, all-suite accommodation with butler service for every suite, a large spa with yoga and Pilates studio, vitality pools and cabanas, and a marina-style expedition capability built into the ship rather than chartered in. The ship is as much a base for helicopters, a submersible and Zodiac operations as it is a hotel — flight-seeing and below-water excursions are part of the designed experience, not add-on theatre.
The interior register is contemporary hotel luxury, quiet rather than grand: suites from about 32 square metres upward, in the operator's figures, with verandahs throughout — a standard the first Eclipse set and the second ship maintains.
Major refits and incidents
No major refit or casualty is recorded for Scenic Eclipse II in the sources used. Her significant "event" predates service: the builder restructuring and three-year programme delay described above. In service she is a young ship maintained on an expedition calendar; equipment upgrades reported for the class — notably the next-generation submersible embarked for the second ship — were specification choices at completion rather than refits.
Sister ships and class
Her sister is Scenic Eclipse (2019), the first Discovery Yacht; the dataset's class field is blank and Scenic markets the type by name rather than by a formal class designation. A larger follow-on, Scenic Ikon, has been announced by the group for 2027 in trade reporting — a development of the concept rather than a third sister.
Note on crewing figures: the near 1:1 ratio the operator advertises counts expedition and hotel staff together in some publications; the dataset's 176 crew against 228 guests is the sober version.
Fate and where she is now
Active with Scenic, per the dataset. Trade reporting in 2026 indicates the group intends to base her in Australia and the Asia-Pacific from 2028 once Scenic Ikon joins — an announced deployment intention, not a fate, and exactly the sort of forward itinerary detail this directory records only as fleet context. Her substantive fate is continuity: a young, purpose-built expedition yacht in the first half of an expected long career, with her sister.
Sources: https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Scenic-Eclipse-2-1278; https://eclipsetravel.com/ship/scenic-eclipse-ii/