Scenic Eclipse II

Is Scenic Eclipse II a good ship for Antarctica?

Yes, if you want the newer of the two Scenic yachts and the bigger of their two submarines. Scenic Eclipse II made its first voyage in April 2023, from Barcelona to Lisbon, and was christened that June in Málaga by Dr. Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space.³ It takes 200 guests to Antarctica (228 elsewhere) in 114 suites and carries two helicopters plus Scenic Neptune II, a Triton submarine that seats eight guests and a pilot.¹⁴

What sets it apart from Scenic Eclipse is mostly where it goes. In 2026-27 it runs the season's only voyage that boards in Buenos Aires and reaches Antarctica by sea via the Falklands and South Georgia, plus the late-February Antarctica in Depth dates; it does not go to the Arctic in 2027.⁷⁹ It was the yacht in the Ross Sea in January 2026, when a US Coast Guard icebreaker helped it out of pack ice.⁵

What happened to Scenic Eclipse II in the Ross Sea in 2026?

It got stuck in pack ice and asked a US icebreaker for help. According to the US Coast Guard, Scenic Eclipse II contacted the cutter Polar Star at about 11 p.m. local time after becoming beset in pack ice roughly eight nautical miles (15 km) from McMurdo Sound; Polar Star made two close passes to break it free and escorted it about four nautical miles (7 km) to open water.⁵ Scenic's statement dates the event to January 17, 2026, and says the ice had slowed the ship, the captain requested Polar Star's help to avoid a long passage at reduced speed, and conditions had returned to normal by the next day.⁶ Its general manager of ocean operations, Captain James Griffiths, said the yacht "was never in need of rescue services."⁶

For context, the yacht's Polar Class 6 rating covers summer and autumn operation in medium first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions.²⁰¹

How is Scenic Eclipse II different from Scenic Eclipse?

The hull, size and suite plan match, and Scenic calls the differences slight; these are the ones it lists.⁴

Both submarines dive to 328 ft (100 m).⁴ The SEABOBs are only used in warm-water destinations, so they play no part in a polar trip.¹ IAATO's directory lists Eclipse II under the code SET, built 2023, with capacity for 237 passengers and 177 crew in its 13 to 200 passenger category.² Scenic gives the same headline figures for both yachts: 168 m (551 ft), 17,545 gross tons, 17 knots and close to one crew member per guest.¹

Where does Scenic Eclipse II sail in 2026-27 and beyond?

Scenic Eclipse II spends November 2026 to early March 2027 in Antarctica, then heads north through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean and spends the 2027 northern summer in Europe.⁷

• Nov 10, 2026: the 22-day Antarctica, South Georgia & Falkland Islands voyage boards in Buenos Aires, spends two days in the Falklands, four at South Georgia and five in Antarctica, and ends in Ushuaia with an included flight back to Buenos Aires.⁹
• Nov 30, 2026 to Feb 25, 2027: five 13-day Antarctica in Depth departures across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula; the first was waitlisted when we checked.⁷⁸
• Dec 22, 2026: 16 days in Antarctica and the Weddell Sea over Christmas and New Year, back on Jan 6, 2027.¹⁰
• Jan 27, 2027: a 20-day South Georgia and Falklands voyage, waitlisted.⁷¹¹
• Feb 25, 2027: besides the last Antarctica in Depth, a 67-night Grand Voyage that continues from Antarctica to Palma de Mallorca.⁷

In 2027 its European season runs from the Mediterranean to the Baltic and the Norwegian fjords, with no Svalbard or Greenland voyages; for the Arctic you need its sister.⁷ Later, Eclipse II is scheduled for 23-night Ross Sea voyages from Christchurch, New Zealand, on Dec 13, 2028 and Jan 5, 2029.⁷ Scenic describes East Antarctica as a region open to a limited number of guests a year, with the largest Adélie penguin rookeries and a Dry Valley reached only by helicopter.¹⁴

Can you fly and dive from Scenic Eclipse II?

Yes, in Antarctica, for an extra charge booked once you are on board; the helicopters do not fly at South Georgia.⁴⁹²³ Scenic's filing to the Antarctic Treaty describes what the two Airbus H130 T2 helicopters and the submarine do on this ship:¹²

• Peninsula and Weddell Sea: sightseeing flights of about 30 minutes, and a helicopter trip to the Snow Hill Island emperor colony with a walk of about a mile (1.5 km), listed on its South Georgia and Weddell Sea itineraries, though Scenic says the emperors are only there early in the season.¹²⁹¹⁰
• East Antarctica: planned flights taking guests to Mawson's Huts at Cape Denison and to the Taylor Dry Valley.¹² The submarine is not used on the East Antarctica voyage to Mawson's Huts.¹
• Flight limits: sightseeing flights stay within 25 statute miles (40 km) of the ship, inside a routine operating radius of 25 nautical miles; the chief pilot can approve up to 60 nautical miles only with a cloud ceiling of at least 1,500 ft and 5 miles' visibility, among other conditions, and landing operations need a 2,000 ft ceiling and 3 miles' visibility, observed and forecast for the next four hours.¹²
• Wildlife rules: no flying over bird colonies below 2,000 ft (about 610 m) and no landings within half a nautical mile (about 930 m) of them where possible, under the treaty's 2004 aircraft guidelines.¹⁶¹²
• Dives: about 40 minutes, in open water only and never under the ice, with guests ferried to the submarine by Zodiac.¹² IAATO's guidelines also bar dives near unstable sea ice or a calving glacier front.¹⁷

Scenic does not publish current prices for flights or dives; you book and pay once on board.⁴ The last figures we found come from a September 2023 newspaper report of an Eclipse II voyage to Greenland, and they are not current fares: $795 per person for a 30-minute flight and $350 to $795 for a dive, depending on region and length.¹⁵ Treat them as a three-year-old benchmark and ask Scenic for today's price before you budget; Greenland itself is now on Scenic's list of places its helicopters do not fly.¹³ The same report quoted the pilot saying about 80% of guests on Antarctic sailings usually fly, and that the two helicopters can carry up to 96 people on a good day.¹⁵

How much does Scenic Eclipse II cost, and which suite is best value?

Eclipse II's 2026-27 Antarctic fares start at $18,973 per person, sharing, for 13 days on Feb 25, 2027, in a Deluxe Verandah Suite.⁸ Its departures, read October 15, 2026:

The cheapest suite is the Deluxe Verandah on Feb 25; the Feb 14 Verandah Suite A, at $21,126, was the only entry-grade Verandah Suite open on any Antarctica in Depth date.⁸ Scenic lists Eclipse II's suites in square meters: the three verandah grades share one range, 32 to 40 m² (about 345 to 430 sq ft), Spa Suites on Deck 9 are 46 to 50 m² (about 495 to 540 sq ft), the Panorama Suites 105 to 110 m² (about 1,130 to 1,185 sq ft) and the Owner's Penthouse 195 m² (about 2,100 sq ft).¹ On both February dates the Preferred Fare sits exactly $2,500 under the Select Fare; the catch is that every Antarctic sailing is now less than 10 months away, so a Preferred booking must be paid in full within 30 days of booking, where a Select Fare can wait until 150 days before departure.⁸¹⁸ Antarctica in Depth fares include a Buenos Aires hotel night and flights to and from Ushuaia; the Nov 10 voyage has no flight out because it sails from Buenos Aires.⁸⁹

Two cheaper rivals for a classic trip: Seabourn Pursuit sells 11 days from $15,998 on Mar 13, 2027, and Quark's Ultramarine 12 days from $15,590 in a triple.²¹²²

Who should choose Scenic Eclipse II?

Choose Scenic Eclipse II if you want the larger submarine, the Nov 10 voyage that reaches Antarctica by sea from Buenos Aires, or a late-February Antarctica in Depth date.⁴⁹⁸ Its 200-guest cap keeps it inside IAATO's 13 to 200 passenger category, where landings are less restricted than on ships of 201 to 500, though only 100 people can be ashore at a site at once.¹⁹ It is also the Scenic ship for the Ross Sea in 2028-29.⁷

Choose its sister instead for the Arctic, the Weddell Sea in early December or the long voyages that link Antarctica with Chile.⁷ For the wider choice of luxury ships, read our guide to luxury Antarctica cruises and how to choose an Antarctica cruise.