Scenic Eclipse mega-yacht will have its own helicopters and submarine -- and luxury too

If you’ve ever wondered how the other half sail, here’s a way to travel like the fat cats without having to buy a yacht.

Scenic Cruises is building an ultra-luxury, all-suite yacht called the Eclipse with its own submarine and helicopter on board. The ship will sail to destinations from Antarctica to the Mediterranean -- in style.

“The inspiration came from the mega-yachts owned by the billionaires,” Scenic founder and Chairman Glen Moroney says. “How can others enjoy a level of luxury and fun and discovery like billionaires enjoy?

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“We took the luxury of those ships -- the helicopters, submarine, etc. -- to make it accessible to our guests. And then we took it up another notch with five restaurants, a 5,000-square-foot spa and other items not even seen on those mega-yachts.”

The Eclipse will have eight passenger decks, five restaurants and 114 suites that accommodate 228 guests (220 on polar sailings). Every suite has a veranda, and cruises will be priced as all-inclusive, except for shopping, spa treatments and helicopter and mini-submarine excursions.

The yacht will have a highly reinforced double hull so it can withstand icy conditions for arctic exploration as well as two helicopters with seating for seven guests and a seven-seat mini-submarine. Kayaking, Zodiac tours, scuba diving and submarine adventures are all part of a new way of exploring destinations.

Dynamic positioning technology will allow the Eclipse to stop in fragile environments without dropping anchor, and larger stabilizers will reduce the motion of the ocean, even when the ship is stationary.

The ship is being built in Croatia by the Uljanik Group. Its maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice is scheduled to depart on Aug. 31, 2018.

Scenic began taking bookings for the Eclipse in February and nearly 20% of capacity for its 2018-19 sailings have been booked.

The 12-day Ultimate Antarctica cruise starts at $13,895 per person for a veranda suite, and the 10-day Eastern Mediterranean Treasures cruise is priced from $5,895 per person.

Info: Scenic Cruises, (855) 517-1200 or contact a travel agent

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