The expedition cruise market is heating up, particularly on the luxury end, with several new ships coming that offer a full array of James Bond-type toys to play with.
At least six new ships have been ordered this year or are the subjects of letters of intent to build. In addition, Celebrity Cruises has expanded its Xpedition brand for the first time since it was created in 2004, acquiring two new ships that will sail in the Galapagos.
The Scenic Eclipse will be equipped with helicopters and a submarine.
One agent said the orders amounted to an ?explosion? of interest in upscale expedition cruising, which until now has been a very small niche.
?To have this much new inventory coming in essentially all at once is just mind-blowing,? said Linda Allen, an adventure cruise specialist at Cruises by Linda in Harrison, Ark. The trend kicked off when river cruise operator Scenic announced it would build a 228-passenger vessel that it dubbed an ?ultraluxury, mega-discovery yacht.? The ship will be the first oceangoing vessel for Scenic, which since 2008 has been a river cruise line.
Called the Scenic Eclipse and scheduled for delivery in 2018, the ship will offer six dining venues, a 5,000-square-foot spa, a variety of hot tubs and pools and a 2,500-square-foot owner?s suite.
Vaulting Eclipse into another league, however, are items most often associated with private yachts owned by billionaires: two helicopters for excursions as well as a seven-seat submarine. A fleet of Zodiacs an...