Licensed to Thrill | Scenic Eclipse II Super Yacht

Dream no more. Having just returned from an 11-day odyssey along the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Adriatic Sea aboard the new Scenic Eclipse II—a super yacht on steroids dubbed as one of the world’s first discovery yachts—I’m the one who is shaken and stirred.

Photo by Nacho Gutierrez Arribere

Viewed from the exterior, Scenic Eclipse II is sleek, athletically sloped and tiered like a finely crafted wedding cake, decorated as if clad in Bond’s timeless tuxedo and ready for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. It’s like a juiced up, futuristic Aston Martin super car on water, urging spectators to pull out their cameras to capture its beauty.

YOU MAKE ALSO LIKE: REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES TO LAUNCH SEVEN SEAS SPLENDOR, THE MOST LUXURIOUS SHIP ON THE SEAS

Photo by Fran Miller

But it was inside the Scenic Eclipse II that I felt like I was on the set of the latest Bond film. The ship truly is a destination unto itself. Highlights include:

• A central lounge anchored by the jaw-dropping whiskey bar and its display of 160 fine whiskeys from around the world, with bottles displayed like fine art in a museum. Thanks to Scenic Eclipse’s all-inclusive program, the whiskeys are freely available to enjoy.
• Nine different restaurants and bars catering to every taste, from the fine French-inspired Lumiere, to Asian-fusion and sushi-inspired Koko’s, to the intimate and theatrical Night Market, where renowned chefs create amazing eight course meals in front of guests, themed to rotating menus that include Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine.
• Suite-only accommodations for just 228 guests, meaning there’s nearly a one-to-one ratio of staff to guests.
• A private butler assigned to each suite, ready to meet every request.
• A full service Espa spa, complete with infrared sauna chairs, a steam room, salt relaxation room, massage therapists, beauty salon and more.
• An observation deck, complete with telescopes, library, board games, drinks and snacks.
• A helicopter and a submarine, ready to take guests above and below the yacht to explore the sights at ports of call.
• An open navigation deck, where guests can observe the inner workings of the ship, talk with the captain and marvel at the Scenic Eclipse’s Global Positioning System, which allows the ship via satellite technology to remain steady in place without dropping anchor.
• Cruise ship-sized stabilizers, which stabilize the ship in rough waters and are a must for anyone who, like me, is prone to sea-sickness.
• Expedition-worthy tenders that seamlessly transfer guests from ship to shore and back every 15 minutes while visiting ports of call.
• Top shelf entertainment, from singing and dancing to trivia contests to movie screenings (or, on my voyage, in a nod to the many passengers of the Commonwealth, a live showing of King Charles’ coronation).

Photo courtesy of Scenic Eclipse II

YOU MAKE ALSO LIKE: ADVENTURE LIKE ALISON LEVINE WITH SEABOURN CRUISES TO ANTARCTICA

With so much to experience on board, it’s easy to forget that what makes Scenic Eclipse especially unique is its ability to venture where most large cruise ships cannot: on our trip, we easily glided into the “fjords” of Kotor, Montenegro and through the Grand Canal in Venice. And once in port, the excursion possibilities were varied and plentiful (and like the whiskey, included), with options for those seeking easy walking or bus tours to more active hiking and e-biking. 

Had we docked in just one place for 11 days, the trip would have been amazing simply by experiencing all that Scenic Eclipse II had to offer. But couple the onboard luxury with the awe-inspiring beauty of the places we visited (Sorrento, Lipari, Taormina, Otranto, Kotor, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Rovinj and Venice) and you have the makings of a once in a lifetime adventure.

Or, as Bond would say, Double Oh Heaven.