Scenic Group has confirmed the deployment of its ultra-luxury yacht Scenic Eclipse to the Red Sea for a five-month season sailing the waters of Saudi Arabia.
The ‘six-star’ vessel is currently en-route to Port Said, Egypt. It will be based in the Red Sea, between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, from 17 July to 9 December 2021.
Select sailings from October to December this year will also be open to international guests.
Scenic Eclipse departed the port of Rijeka, Croatia, on Wednesday where it had been stationed for 14 months due to the pandemic. A month ago, the vessel fired up its engines and underwent sea trials in the Adriatic, testing some of its new additions, including the reimagined Yacht Club (now without an indoor pool) and top-deck bar with private cabanas.
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LATTE understands that the 228-passenger Discovery Yacht has been chartered to an unspecified client.
The rate to charter Scenic Eclipse is listed on numerous third-party websites at €250,000 per day (approximately AU$400,000). At that rate, and based on a full 145-day charter excluding any long-term discounts, Scenic Group would potentially net around AU$58 million for the five month Red Sea operation.
“Saudi Arabia will be one of the hottest tourist destinations in coming years and we’re very glad our guests will get to experience it in six-star comfort on board Scenic Eclipse,” said Glen Moroney, Founder and Chairman of Scenic Group.
“As a business, we continue to raise the bar in ultra-luxury cruising and we are confident that this new season will mark the start of a long relationship with the destination, and hope to be able to offer more sailings in the region in the coming years,” Moroney said.
Scenic Eclipse will homeport in Jeddah Port on the Red Sea coast. It will offer tailor-made itineraries, as well as pre-planned itineraries. Ports will include Yanbu, a beach destination and the diving capital of Saudi Arabia.
Internationally, Scenic Eclipse will also have the possibility of visiting Aqaba in Jordan and Port Ghalib Marina, just a short distance from Luxor in Egypt.
Following its Red Sea deployment, the polar-class ship is scheduled to resume its Antarctica program on 7 January 2022.
Scenic Group had planned to operate its 114-suite super yacht in Australia’s Kimberley region on a series of one-way departures between Broome and Darwin from mid-June to August this year. That plan was, however, foiled due to Australian regulatory approval uncertainty for vessels carrying more than 100 guests. It’s understood many of those six departures were near capacity.
Scenic Eclipse is equipped with helicopters, a six-guest submarine, and – now in warm waters – offer guests the option of Tiwal sailboats, stand-up paddle boards, inflatable kayaks, large inflatable trampolines, wake boarding and water skiing.
Last month Scenic Group held a keel-laying ceremony at the Maj 3 shipyard in Croatia for its second oceangoing ship, Scenic Eclipse II. That vessel is slated to launch in Q1 2023. Another potential five Eclipse sister-ships are also envisioned.
Lead image: Red Sea, Egypt | Credit: Shutterstock