Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours is delaying the launch of its newest cruise ship, the Scenic Eclipse. The new ship, the first of two new “discovery yachts” planned for the brand, will now launch in late January of 2019. A spokesperson for the line tells Luxury Travel Advisor that they have "no information that leads us to believe" the launch of its sibling vessel, the Scenic Eclipse II, will be affected. That ship is scheduled to debut in 2020.
In a written statement Scenic Founder and Chairman Glen Moroney cited construction issues within the shipyard as the cause for the delay.
“Despite the best efforts of our Scenic Eclipse Build Supervision Team to make up construction time, we are not prepared to compromise the quality of the vessel and potentially impact guest experiences to meet the original late August 2018 launch date,” said Moroney. “We have apologized to affected guests for the inconvenience caused and confirmed that Scenic will provide a full refund for the cost of their Scenic Eclipse cruise and consideration of any other reasonable associated costs incurred with their travel plans.”
Moroney also said that the Scenic team will work with guests to reschedule their trip to a suitable time for travel within the next two years. Additionally, guests who rebook a Scenic Eclipse cruise during this time will receive a future cruise credit to the value of 25 percent of the cost of their rebooked cruise.
Scenic said it is contacting all guests and their travel agents affected by the delay as a matter of priority.
The Scenic Eclipse and its sibling vessel, the Scenic Eclipse II, are two new “discovery yachts” under construction for the luxury line. Like many new expedition ships currently under construction, both are being built to a Polar Class 6 ice rating—the highest possible—for expedition itineraries in destinations including the Russian Arctic, the Northwest Passage, Southern Greenland, Alaska and more. Other features aimed at expedition cruising include large zero-speed stabilizer fins for improved stability, as well as “Safe Return to Port” capabilities that will allow essential systems to remain operational in case of an incident.
The two ships will have a capacity of 228 passengers in 114 suites, all of which will have a private verandah and lounge. Other amenities will include a near 1:1 guest to staff ratio, a theatre, spa, butler service for all guests, 10 dining experiences and eight bars and lounges.
This story originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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