As the popularity of expedition cruising to Antarctica continues to gain momentum, Scenic introduces new itineraries that allow guests to avoid the nearly two-day Drake Passage journey.
The new itineraries allow guests to fly from Punta Arenas, Chile, to meet the line’s ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht, Scenic Eclipse, at Antarctica’s King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands. Utilizing the two-hour flight allows guests on the new nine- and 10-day offerings to be able to enjoy a fully-focused Antarctica adventure. Scenic is also introducing a 16-day bucket list dream cruise for expedition lovers – the opportunity to explore south of the Antarctica Circle – latitude 66° 33’ south – a rarely visited region of the world.
The new nine-day Antarctica Insights: Fly & Cruise voyage will be Scenic Eclipse’s first-ever fly-cruise, allowing guests to travel over the Drake Passage one way by air – flying from Punta Arenas, Chile to King George Island to embark the luxury yacht, and returning by yacht to Ushuaia, Argentina for a flight to Buenos Aires and then home. The flight option to Antarctica provides a shorter overall voyage and allows for even greater exploration of Antarctica.
For guests looking to avoid the Drake Passage crossing completely, Scenic is also offering the nine-day Wild Antarctica: Fly the Drake fly-cruise itinerary, with flights both ways between Punta Arenas and King George Island. Guests will spend one night at each end of the cruise in Punta Arenas and the rest of the time exploring the White Continent.
Finally – for those travelers who are really looking to explore the farthest and experience a rare opportunity, Scenic is introducing the new 16-day Beyond the Antarctic Circle voyage, which explores the Antarctic Circle in greater depth in more remote locales. Heading south of latitude 66° 33’ south (Antarctic Circle) brings with it a change in scenery, more sea ice, and wildlife living off the krill-rich waters. This once-in-a-lifetime voyage offers a chance to explore more places and make more landings and to spend more time taking in Antarctica’s incredible wildlife-filled landscapes.
Visiting Antarctica on board Scenic Eclipse provides guests with the opportunity to cruise on Zodiacs or kayak and paddleboard around towering ice formations, step onto islands uninhabited by humans and walk among vast penguin rookeries and seal colonies and, conditions permitting, visit a working scientific base and meet the staff located there. They can explore below the horizon aboard Scenic Neptune, the ship’s six-guest submarine, taking in the wildlife and scenery beneath the continent’s icy surface, or explore above the horizon on one of the ships two state-of-the-art helicopters with a bird’s eye view of the truly breath-taking landscape far removed from the touch of humans.
Onboard, the 20-strong Specialist Polar Discovery Team will host an engaging and educational series of lectures about Antarctic history, geography, and its ecosystem. The mix of expertise in the landscape, flora, and fauna of the Antarctic allow them to design the perfect itinerary for the expedition, making the most of the 18-20 hours of daylight.
All Scenic Eclipse voyages are truly all-inclusive, including itinerary-required flights, transfers, up to 10 fine dining experiences, premium branded beverages, once-in-a-lifetime immersive excursions, butlers, use of the spa (services are extra), and more. All new bookings are covered by Scenic’s Flexible Booking Policy, enabling guests to defer their cruise to another travel date or itinerary up to 60 days prior to departure and come with Scenic’s Deposit Protection Plan included.
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