Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

Is Scenic good for Antarctica?

Yes, if you want a small all-inclusive luxury ship and the option to fly over the ice by helicopter or dive under it in a submarine, both at extra cost. Scenic began in 1986 as Warrnambool Scenic Tours, running tours on Australia's Great Ocean Road, and moved into European river cruising in 2006.¹ IAATO's member profile traces it to Newcastle, Australia, and lists business centers in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the USA, Canada and the UK.² At sea it runs two near-identical "Discovery Yachts", Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II, each with two helicopters and a submarine.⁴⁵¹⁶

Scenic belongs to IAATO, the Antarctic operators' association that sets landing rules, and is a full member of AECO, its Arctic counterpart.²³ Each yacht carries up to 228 guests but no more than 200 in Antarctica, which keeps it in IAATO's 13 to 200 passenger category; ships of 201 to 500 work under "stringent restrictions on time and place of landing activities."⁴⁴¹²¹ Even at 200, IAATO allows only 100 people ashore at a site at once, so expect two groups taking turns.²¹

The catches: the flights and dives are not in the fare, Scenic does not publish what they cost today (the only prices we found are from 2023 press reports), and on most 2026-27 Antarctic dates the cheapest suites were already gone when we checked on October 15, 2026.⁸¹⁵²²

Which ships does Scenic sail to Antarctica and the Arctic?

Scenic sends both sister yachts to Antarctica in 2026-27, and only the older one, Scenic Eclipse, sails to the Arctic in 2027.⁷ A larger third yacht, Scenic Ikon, is due in April 2028 with 270 guests in 135 suites and two helicopters; its first season, April 2028 to March 2029, includes Antarctica, the Falklands and the Chilean fjords.⁶

Both yachts are 168 m (551 ft) long, measure 17,545 gross tons, cruise at 17 knots and carry close to one crew member per guest.⁴⁵ Every suite has a verandah and butler service.⁴ Scenic says Scenic Eclipse was purpose-built for Antarctica with oversized stabilizers and a strengthened hull; Eclipse II has the same dimensions and Polar Class 6 rating.⁴⁰⁵ The two differ in small ways: Eclipse II has a lap pool where Eclipse has two spa pools, eight bars instead of nine, and a different submarine.¹⁵

How much does a Scenic Antarctica cruise cost?

A 2026-27 Scenic Antarctic voyage costs from $18,973 per person for 13 days to $54,275 for 31 days, at the lowest fare open on each when we checked on October 15, 2026.⁸¹² Prices are per person with two sharing, in US dollars:

Scenic sells each suite at up to three prices.¹⁴ The Full Fare includes port charges and is paid off 120 days before departure. The Select Fare takes up to 15% off the cruise fare and is paid off 150 days out. The Preferred Fare adds an air credit of up to $5,000 for US residents, or up to $2,500 off the fare instead, but must be paid in full 10 months before sailing, or within 30 days of booking for nearer dates.¹⁴ On Antarctica in Depth, the Preferred Fare is the Select price minus $2,500.⁸

Most voyages start with a hotel night in Buenos Aires and a flight to Ushuaia, where the yacht sails across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula; those flights are in the fare.⁸ The 22-day voyage instead boards in Buenos Aires and sails out via the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and the 31-day voyage starts in Valparaíso, Chile.¹⁰¹² From January the Full Fare for each suite category is the same on both yachts, so the date matters more than the ship.⁸ The entry Verandah Suites C and D were not available on any Antarctica in Depth date we checked; the cheapest open Verandah Suite was an A on Eclipse II's Feb 14, 2027 sailing at $21,126.⁸ For a full budget, read what an Antarctica trip costs.

How much does a Scenic Arctic cruise cost in 2027?

Scenic's 2027 Arctic voyages all sail on Scenic Eclipse and start at $16,781 per person for 12 days around East Greenland and Iceland.²⁸ Every fare below is a Preferred Fare that ends on December 31, 2026, taking 5% to 15% off the Full Fare plus $1,500 in lieu of an air credit.²⁵²⁷²⁸

On most of these the cheapest open suite was a Deluxe Verandah; only the Greenland to Hudson Bay voyage had an entry Verandah Suite C open, at $18,455, and the New York voyage a Verandah Suite A.³⁰³¹ Expect Zodiacs, kayaks and walks rather than flights: Scenic lists its helicopters as not operating in Svalbard, Greenland or Canada, and its submarine as not operating in Norway, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland or Canada.¹⁶ Stand-up paddleboards are not used in the Arctic.⁴ Compare other lines in our guides to Svalbard cruises and Greenland cruises.

What does a Scenic fare include?

Almost everything on board is included: meals in up to 10 restaurants, drinks except a small number of rare and vintage wines and spirits, all tips on board and ashore, Wi-Fi, a butler for every suite, and guided Zodiac, kayak, stand-up paddleboard and hiking excursions.⁸¹⁵ On polar voyages you keep an expedition parka and borrow polar boots.¹⁵ The Antarctic fares also cover the Buenos Aires hotel night, flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, and airport transfers.⁸

You pay extra for helicopter flights, submarine dives, spa treatments and wines from the Chairman's list; Scenic does not publish current prices for the flights or dives (see the next section).¹⁵ Scenic warns that Wi-Fi in remote regions is limited and "not suitable for downloading large amounts of data", and it allows one bag of up to about 50 lb (23 kg) per guest.¹⁵ On Expedition Voyages you must also send a full medical questionnaire, signed by your doctor, 90 days before departure; a doctor and nurse sail on board.¹⁵

How do Scenic's helicopters and submarines work in Antarctica?

Each yacht carries two Airbus H130 T2 helicopters and one submarine, used in Antarctica for scenic flights of about 30 minutes, landings near the Snow Hill Island emperor penguin colony in November and December, and dives of about 40 minutes.¹⁷ You book them with the Discovery Team once on board, at extra cost and subject to weather, weight limits and medical approval.¹⁵

• Flights over the Peninsula. Scenic's environmental filing to the Antarctic Treaty says flights start and end on the ship, stay within 25 statute miles (40 km) of it, and are run by Helicopter Services Malta, which hires the pilots; pilots make their own safety judgment on each flight.¹⁷ Each helicopter seats six guests and a pilot.¹⁶²²
• Snow Hill emperor penguins. On the voyages that cross into the Weddell Sea early in the season, Scenic offers a flight to Snow Hill Island, a landing and a walk of about a mile (1.5 km) with the guides to the colony; it says the emperor penguins are there only at the start of the season.⁹ The option appears on its South Georgia, Weddell Sea and 31-day Chile itineraries, and its environmental filing plans the landings for November and December.^910111217
• South Georgia. The helicopters do not fly there, and the island's government lists the use of aircraft, including helicopters, among activities it will not permit.¹⁰²⁰ The submarine can be booked at South Georgia, where the government says a submersible may need a Regulated Activity Permit.¹⁰²⁰
• East Antarctica and the Ross Sea. Scenic's filing says Eclipse II plans to fly guests to Mawson's Huts at Cape Denison and to the Taylor Dry Valley; its next Ross Sea voyages leave Christchurch in December 2028 and January 2029.¹⁷⁷ The submarine does not dive on the East Antarctica voyage to Mawson's Huts.⁴

The rules come from the Antarctic Treaty and IAATO. Scenic commits to Resolution 2 (2004): no flying over bird colonies below 2,000 ft (about 610 m), no landing within half a nautical mile (about 930 m) of a colony where possible, and no hovering or repeated passes over wildlife.¹⁷¹⁸ The treaty's environmental annex counts flying helicopters in a way that disturbs concentrations of birds and seals as harmful interference.¹⁸ For the submarine, IAATO's guidelines, adopted in 2017, rule out dives under fast ice, under large concentrations of ice or near a glacier front that could calve, and forbid chumming wildlife.¹⁹ Scenic's filing adds that its submarine dives only in open water, never under the ice, with a chase boat tracking it, and that guests transfer to it by Zodiac.¹⁷

How much do Scenic's helicopter flights and submarine dives cost?

Scenic does not publish current prices for either; its FAQ says only that they cost extra and are booked with the Discovery Team once you are on board.¹⁵ The only figures we could find are three years old and come from press reports, not from Scenic's price list, so do not budget on them as current fares:

Scenic may charge more or less in 2026-27, so ask Scenic or your travel advisor for the current price before you book, and expect the final figure on board. By contrast, Quark includes one helicopter flight of 10 to 15 minutes on Ultramarine's Antarctic Explorer.³⁹

What are Scenic's booking and cancellation terms?

Every fare needs a deposit within 7 days of booking; the final payment falls 120 days before departure on a Full Fare, 150 days on a Select Fare and 10 months on a Preferred Fare.¹⁴ The published fares apply to residents of the 50 US states, Washington DC and Latin America.¹⁴ Solo travelers can book Verandah and Deluxe Verandah suites on Solo Program fares: the Select version carries a 75% single supplement and the Preferred version halves the supplement.¹⁴

Two optional programs soften cancellation charges; the Penalty Relief Program must be bought when you book and cannot be added later.²⁴

• Penalty Relief Program, $495 per person on Scenic Eclipse voyages. If you cancel for an eligible reason, such as an illness or injury a doctor certifies stops you traveling, you get back what you paid minus the program cost, airline fees and agent fees when you cancel 31 or more days out, and 70% between 15 and 30 days. For other reasons you get the same amounts as a Future Travel Credit.²⁴
• Flexible Booking Plan, $250 for Scenic Eclipse. You can defer or cancel up to 90 days before departure and receive a Future Travel Credit, valid 24 months, minus third-party fees.²⁴

Scenic's standard cancellation charges are in a downloadable booking terms document that we could not read online, so ask for them before you pay.

Is Scenic safe, and what does its record show?

We have not sailed with Scenic and do not publish guest reviews; this is what the public record shows. Scenic Eclipse has run Antarctic trips since 2019, according to IAATO's vessel directory.⁴¹ In January 2026, Scenic Eclipse II became beset in pack ice about eight nautical miles (15 km) from McMurdo Sound in the Ross Sea; the US Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star made two close passes to free it and escorted it about four nautical miles (7 km) to open water.³² Scenic said its captain had asked for help because the ice was slowing progress, that the ice opened again the next day, and that the yacht "was never in need of rescue services."³³

On board there is a medical center with a doctor and nurse, and in an emergency the yacht heads for the nearest port or arranges a helicopter transfer where possible.¹⁵ A Scenic helicopter pilot told the Arizona Republic in 2023 that the second helicopter is there mainly for safety, to pick up passengers if the first has to land.²²

How does Scenic compare with Seabourn and Quark?

Scenic's cheapest Antarctic fare is about $3,000 to $3,400 higher than Seabourn's or Quark's, for a trip one or two days longer.⁸³⁴³⁷

Seabourn's fares include a Buenos Aires hotel night and charter flights to Ushuaia, as Scenic's do, but Venture's 264 guests put it above IAATO's 200-guest line.³⁴³⁵²¹ Quark's lowest Ultramarine fare is for a triple suite, and its helicopters also run the Snow Hill trips.³⁷³⁸ For other luxury options, see Silversea, Ponant and our guide to luxury Antarctica cruises.

Who should book Scenic, and who should skip it?

Book Scenic if you want an all-inclusive verandah suite, a ship that stays within IAATO's 200-guest category, and the chance to add a helicopter flight or submarine dive, or if you want an early-season shot at the Snow Hill emperors.⁴²¹⁹ Its 2027 Arctic program, from Svalbard to Hudson Bay, is the other strong reason.⁷

Skip it if price matters most, because Seabourn and Quark start lower for a classic trip, and remember the flights and dives add an unpublished amount to the bill.³⁴³⁷¹⁵ Skip it too if you are picking a South Georgia or Svalbard voyage for the helicopters, because they do not fly there.¹⁶ Our guide on how to choose an Antarctica cruise covers the other trade-offs.