Next-level CRUISING
Elegance meets adventure on the world’s first luxury discovery yacht
I’d imagined knocking back shots at the whisky bar with Dame Helen Mirren. But that, of course, didn’t happen. Newly appointed as godmother to the elegant mega-yacht Scenic Eclipse — godmothers are a thing with ships — Mirren christened the ship before it departed from New York City. But, alas, she wasn’t on board.
Nabbing such a legendary godmother speaks for itself. This is a big-deal ship, the world’s first luxury discovery yacht, a supermodel that glides around the waters of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Americas.
But it’s also got a wild side, muscling into Arctic and Antarctica for five months of the year with the highest passenger ship ice-class rating available.
It’s equipped for adventure with a submarine (a first on a cruise ship), two helicopters (unique), Zodiac boats, kayaks, snowshoes, e-bikes and snorkelling gear for guests to savour their bucket list sojourns. “It would seem that no expense was spared to take ocean exploration to the next level,” the Robb Report, a luxury-lifestyle magazine, declared.
I was aboard the Scenic Eclipse on a leg of the New York to Halifax trip — my maiden cruise.
My itinerary included stops at Martha’s Vineyard, Boston and Lunenburg, N.S., where I disembarked.
Our cabin was a 34-square-metre deluxe veranda suite with lots of storage, a king-sized bed, mini-bar, sitting area and large flat-screen satellite TV. As posh as it was, our cabin was pretty standard on the Eclipse, where accommodations ranged upward to a two-bedroom penthouse suite.
Upon boarding, we joined other guests in one of the lounges for a champagne welcome. An Australian regaled us with tales of his travels, like when he found himself in Afghanistan just as the Russians invaded.
Scenic is Australian-owned, and we would run into many passengers from Down Under during our voyage.
As we left New York harbour, past Hudson Yards, Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, I wondered when, not if, I’d be seasick. But Scenic Eclipse has technology called zero-speed stabilizer fins, which are said to increase stability by up to 85 per cent. A dynamic GPS further stabilizes the ship, eliminating the need for anchoring. Well, all that and an anti-nausea patch behind my ear did the trick. I occasionally felt like I’d had one too many cocktails but that’s not a bad thing, right?
If not for all the windows out to sea, the Eclipse is like a luxury hotel. Actually, it’s even better — I had an on-call butler but missing the aristocrat gene, I felt bad asking for anything.
We loved the premium whisky bar, champagne bar, tea bar (with high-end Kusmi teas) and well-curated library. Seven soigné restaurants plus room service, exclusive 10-seat Chef’s Table dinners and a cooking school keep guests well fed.
For wellness, there are indoor-outdoor plunge pools, a yoga and Pilates studio, a spa and a gym. The food, drinks, shore excursions, amenities and tips are all included. Only the submarine and helicopter excursions cost extra.
The service was exceptional. There were 110 guests and 180
staff, eager to help and with an uncanny ability to remember our names. The friendly vibe extends to the ship’s captain, who maintains an open-bridge. It was worth checking out the ship’s high-tech nerve centre. As the captain joked, “There’s usually someone there.”
Staff included interesting experts such as Natalie, a kayak guide, archeologist and anthropologist from Toronto with experience in Antarctica and Greenland. I attended a lecture by a photographer who had been published in National Geographic.
On the first port of call, Martha’s Vineyard, we chose a bus tour of the island, one of four possible excursions. Our guide, a sixth-generation islander, shared the history and tales of the famous names who frequented Martha’s Vineyard, past and present — the Clintons, the Obamas, Princess Diana, the Kennedys, John Kerry, James Taylor, John Belushi, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen to name but a few. “They hide out in the woods here,” he said. We also had time to wander on our own around the pretty town of Oak Bluffs with its gingerbread houses.
On the second stop, Boston, we had five tour excursion options — the Freedom Trail, Harvard University, duck boat, cycling or a taste of Boston. We chose the latter and wound through the Italian North End eating pasta, salumi, chocolate, pizza, coffee and cannoli. The guide was a history buff so we also stopped at Paul Revere’s house and the Old North Church. That evening, we attended a Boston string quartet concert on board and before retiring, stopped for a nightcap at the bar where my husband traded notes on Japanese whiskies with a fellow passenger.
The next day, at sea, I relaxed in the Observation library and terrace overlooking the bow. We attended a wine tasting comparing New World and Old World wines, then retired to our veranda to enjoy the sensual sun and sea as the ship sailed north.
Since I was a newbie cruiser, I sought opinions from the more seasoned travellers. “I am pinching myself,” said Donna Marie Downie, from Scotland. “I’ll never want to travel on any other. Nothing will live up to it.”
Peter and Lynn Ryan from Australia had been on four other Scenic cruises, including river cruises in Europe and had booked a cruise to Norway in 2021. “I’m a marine engineer and this ship blows my mind,” said Peter. “It’s in a league of its own. Nothing I know of compares and I’ve worked on ships from 42 to 150 metres and been involved in building some.”
I am pinching myself. I’ll never want to travel on any other. Nothing will live up to it.
“Once you’re on board, everything is taken care of and the staff are so happy you’re there,” said Lynn. “I’m a Scotch drinker and the whisky bar, I think, is amazing.”
When we reached Lunenburg, a UNESCO heritage site, I hopped aboard a helicopter. The Nova Scotia coastline was very pretty from the sky but the best view was of the Scenic Eclipse, sitting magnificently in the harbour — something I couldn’t appreciate on board. The pilot circled the ship twice because once was not enough.
The writer travelled as a guest of Scenic Canada. It did not review or approve this article.