Antarctica's Ross Sea: Majestic Ice & Wildlife

The crew will warmly greet you as you seamlessly board Scenic Eclipse. Settle into your luxurious suite and acquaint yourself with the world-class facilities of your Discovery Yacht. Toast the start of your voyage as you sail away from New Zealand. Please book your flight to arrive into Dunedin prior to 02:00 PM.

After a flute of champagne when embarking the luxurious Scenic Eclipse, you’ll have the chance to meet some of the experts who will bring the places you visit to life. The specialist Discovery Team will enrich your on board experience, with encyclopaedic knowledge in just about every field imaginable: geology, glaciology, photography, marine biology, history, ecology… They’ve been exploring the world’s most remote reaches for years and will fascinate you with little-known facts and stories about the destinations you’ll soon see. These insights – details beyond anything you can find in guidebooks or on websites – will be revealed as you cross the Southern Ocean, with the Discovery Team hosting regular daily lectures in the ship’s state-of-the-art theatre on topics ranging from ecology to exploration, photography to ornithology. Think of this as a voyage where the journey is just as thrilling as the destination.

Scenic Eclipse’s state-of-the-art technology allows for smooth navigation through Antarctica’s waters due to its Polar Class 6 rating, electronic Azipod propulsion system and oversized stabilisers. Prepare yourself for unparalleled ‘pinch-me’ moments and be exposed to the unpredictability of the region – your expert team will be deciding the course of action in coming days, based on weather conditions. The crew will make every attempt to have many landings and Discovery Excursions as possible, including Zodiac cruising, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and optional helicopter^ and submersible^ experiences.

Macquarie Island is a place that sparks every sense. First smell, then sound… then sight. From a distance, Macquarie’s earth appears to be moving. As Scenic Eclipse approaches you realise that the land is, in fact, heaving – under the weight of millions of penguins. Subject to permits, you will get to see this spectacle of epic proportions, an extraordinary landscape hosting one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Southern Ocean. You may witness countless tuxedoed, bushy eyebrowed and golden crowned penguins – king, rockhopper, gentoo and the endemic royal. Or they may you may greet guests who step ashore with squarks and squeaks. Occasionally one flops down for ice surfing, paddling on its belly like a torpedo-shaped toboggan. The youngsters, fluffy, impossibly cute, have the gleeful look of children allowed to stay up past their bedtime for a grown-up gathering. You’re likely to see leopard seals that patrol the waters, southern elephant seals that peek from tussocked dunes, and sooty albatrosses that circle overhead.

It’s time to ease back into your ultra-luxury suite and surrounds for a few days at sea. This might be the day you sleep in, conserving energy for the activities ahead, then spend lazy hours relaxing in your suite. Because there’s a lot to love about your accommodation. Each of Scenic Eclipse’s 114 suites cocoons you with the comforts of a 6-star hotel, the design throughout is elegant and spacious. Unpack and take a steam shower using your suite’s ultra-luxury amenities, perhaps. Curl up with a birding book in your reading alcove, getting acquainted with the creatures you’ll soon spot, followed by an enrichment lecture on glaciology. Join the ship’s sommelier for a wine tasting. Or simply open your suite door and feel the rush of nature as you make your way toward the world’s southernmost continent. Talk to your crew to enhance your Scenic Eclipse experience, with our range of immersive excursions such as soaring beyond the horizon in Scenic Eclipses fleet of helicopters^ or diving below by submersible^ for unrivalled water views.

Wake up reinvigorated after a good night’s sleep on your signature Scenic Slumber Bed, having made the most of the pillow menu at your disposal the previous night. Then, begin your day with a barista coffee brought by your butler, or perhaps with your choice of a buffet or an a la carte breakfast in the Yacht Club. Every day aboard Scenic Eclipse, a true culinary journey awaits, with up to 10 extraordinary all-inclusive dining experiences and nine bars and lounges. You may decide to return to the Yacht Club for lunch, or opt for Azure Bar & Café, where you can graze throughout the day. As dusk falls, the hardest decision you have to make is which direction to wander. Elements is the main dining experience, where the menu ranges from Italian to steak and seafood. Channel the spirit of Asia at Koko’s Asian Fusion, which also features a sushi bar and Night Market experience. Or journey to France at Lumiere, replete with a champagne bar. With a guest-to-crew ratio of close one-to-one, you will enjoy personalised service at sea, regardless of where you decide to dine.

Almost completely mantled by ice, Young Island is the northernmost island in the Balleny archipelago, a 160-kilometre-long chain of volcanic islands (some of them still active) that is a delightful surprise and completely different to the rest of the Antarctic landscape. The Balleny Islands are remote and ravishing, their location straddling the Antarctic Circle leaving them heavily glaciated. Landings aren’t permitted, but in favourable weather conditions you may have the chance to explore by Zodiac for a front-row seat to one of the greatest convergences of wildlife in the world. Humpbacks, fin and minke whales may put on a show while we are nearby, breaching and blowing and slapping their tails. Crabeater, Weddell, elephant and leopard seals loll about, sunbaking between swims. And Adélie and chinstrap penguins march and squark, creating a cacophony that is strangely melodic. Make sure you head to the Observation Deck for an unbroken view or enjoy the comforts of your private verandah to take in every moment navigating this incredible region.

At the other end of the chain, Sturge is the southernmost island in the Balleny archipelago. Pull out your binoculars or head for the telescopes in the Observation Lounge, because this particular slip of land has been declared and Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. Twitchers will rejoice at spotting the enormous breeding colonies of southern fulmers and snow petrels, which set up base on the ice-free cliffs along the western and northern coasts. Trust your expert Discovery Team for insights about the region and its rich birdlife.

Be sure to stay close to your verandah as you enter the Ross Sea, as wandering albatross are a common sight – icebergs will begin to pop up around you as well. The pristine, nutrient-rich ocean Scenic Eclipse now navigates is also popular among orcas, seals, penguins and whales. By now, your Discovery Team will likely have hosted an enrichment lecture on the Ross Sea, revealing how rugged and remarkable this body of water is, surrounded by sky-scraping mountains and carved by glacial ice tongues, vast ice shelves and drifting sea ice. Some of the most famous Antarctic explorers – Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen and Borchgrevink among them – used it as a gateway on their quest to the South Pole. Because of the unpredictable ice and weather patterns, your days here unfold as the Captain and your Discovery Team receive condition reports. There will be Zodiacs, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, submersible^ and helicopters^ on standby for whichever destination beckons first.

It’s hard to imagine a place more remote than Antarctica. But the region’s Possession Island may well be it. If your Captain gives the go-ahead, you could be kayaking and paddling around one of the least-visited islands in Antarctica. Least-visited by humans, that is – it’s home to thousands of penguins, backdropped by the Admiralty Mountains. If you’re an avid photographer, make sure your camera battery is fully charged. Later in the evening, flute of champagne in hand, your Discovery Team will regale you with stories of the birds you’ve come in contact with in this designated Important Bird Area (IBA).

Throughout your voyage you will have the opportunity to add flightseeing experience in one your Discovery Yacht’s two helicopters^, offering an unrivalled perspective of icebergs and glaciers over the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, including Coulman Island, where overlapping shield volcanoes are completely covered in ice. Throughout your voyage you can also choose an optional excursion to take a deep dive into Antarctic waters in your Discovery Yacht’s custom-built submersible, Scenic Neptune^. The undersea and even under-ice landscape of Antarctica can be a technicolour contrast to the monochrome landscape above the water, thanks to a rich fauna of marine invertebrates.

Your Discovery Team are also on call to lead more active exploration, words don’t do justice to the emotions you’ll feel gliding across the water while watching a whale breach in the distance. Or perhaps it’s time to brave the Polar Plunge. Pull on your swimsuit, throw off your robe and jump into the near-freezing Southern Ocean with flair – the more dramatic, the better. You’re going to feel invigorated at the end of this split second, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The cold plunge is exhilarating, and the shared experience with your fellow Antarctica ‘plungers’ immensely bonding. That hot drink as you emerge is restorative and reviving. This is an unmissable opportunity, whether enjoyed today or throughout your voyage in Antarctic waters. If the chance arises to venture to land in a Zodiac, you’re also in the privileged position to observe a large community of Adélie penguins and other nesting seabirds in their daily competition to see who has the loudest voice. The Weddell seals, resting on the shore, barely seem to notice.

Before you venture toward Ross Island – weather plays an important role in deciding if and when you land – sit down with your expert Discovery Team in the ship’s theatre to learn why Sir James Clark Ross and Sir Ernest Shackleton came here on their polar expeditions, and how they built their huts. Both huts are still here today and are classified as an Antarctica historical monument. Even from the suite’s verandah or the Observation Deck, the island exudes natural drama, dominated by Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth and the second-highest volcano in Antarctica. Being here, dwarfed by the vastness of the landscape, puts life into perspective. Continue your contemplation in one of Scenic Eclipse’s nine bars and lounges, comparing photos and stories from your day.

A row of largely snow-free valleys, the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Ross Island comprise one of the worlds most extreme deserts, replete with saline Lake Vida and the Onyx River, a meltwater stream and Antarcticas longest river. Nothing lives here, but it’s a dramatic sight, and the only way to glimpse it is by adding an optional excursion on one of Scenic Eclipse’s helicopters^ – weather permitting, your pilot may even land on this end-of-the-Earth landscape. Its an experience you’ll want to write home about. When you’re back on your Discovery Yacht, do just that, perhaps with a dram in hand in the Whiskey Bar before dinner in one of the yacht’s all-inclusive restaurants.

All jagged cliffs and ink-black escarpments backed by the towering Admiralty Mountains, the Adare Peninsula is a postcard of natural drama. Much of the spectacle comes courtesy of the 250,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins – the largest colony in Antarctica – that call the region home, making it one of the most jaw-dropping sights of your journey. Which is saying something. Prepare yourself for the Adélie orchestra that you’ll hear as Scenic Eclipse edges close to shore – raucous neighbourhood disputes, high-pitched laughter, impatient hungry youngsters, confident courtship. This is a place that has drawn avid expeditioners for centuries. It was the site of the first documented Antarctic landing on the continent in 1895, and Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink’s two 1899 huts remain on land. You may have the chance to explore the remains with your Discovery Team, who will take you to shore in Zodiacs for an adventure that hits you in waves and lingers long after you return home. Back on your Discovery Yacht, ease into the evening with your new friends and share today’s discoveries over dinner in one of the restaurants. Perhaps opt for a degustation at Lumière, the ship’s fine-dining establishment, where the food on your plate is as elegant as the décor. Champagne, oysters and caviar at the bar are followed by an impeccable selection of food and wine that will transport you straight to France.

It’s hard to comprehend the scale of the glaciers you’ll see over the course of your voyage. Like the Mertz Glacier, an enormous hunk of crystalised ice that gleams like a turquoise jewel from a rumpled apron of sea in every shade of blue imaginable. Sunlight cascades over its waves like liquid silver; in the troughs between are shadows of azure. Back in 2010, a massive iceberg with enough freshwater in it to fill Sydney Harbour 135 times over calved from the Mertz Glacial Tongue – it’s now known as Iceberg C-28 because it is the 28th substantial iceberg to have broken off the Antarctic ice shelf, in the quadrant that faces Australia, since 1976. You may also see the Suvorov Glacier, your outlook across bright, silent stillness, stretches of snow and ice tipping away into fathomless distances without the interruption of a single alien feature. There are no trees or shrubs; flora is just a sprinkling of occasional lichen, moss and algae. This is what infinity looks like, and you may have the chance to come near the Glacier with your Discovery Team by Zodiac.

The Bay of Whales, a former indentation in the Ross Ice Shelf, deserves the name that Shackleton gave it – the waters here are a magnet for migrating whales. Imagine being on a kayak and Zodiac, gliding across mirror-like water when an enormous tail crashing down at a distance. Just try and hold back your awe. Today you may wish to take in the spectacle while soaking up a few rays and incredible vistas from the comfort of your private verandah. Or choose to add an optional excursion on Scenic Eclipse’s helicopters^ and submersible^, revealing the stark beauty of the southern continent from the air and below the surface of the sea.

The past weeks have delivered an abundance of emotions and active explorations – today could be the day for some downtime in the expansive 550m² Senses Spa. There, be rejuvenated with yoga and Pilates included classes or choose to indulge in a range of high-quality treatments+ and wellness experiences, from dreamy massages and facials to body wraps and scrubs, manicures and pedicures. Then take time out on one of the thermal lounges; your limbs will thank you later.

Today is your chance to indulge a little more in your Discovery Yacht’s facilities. Begin the day with a yoga class, followed by a soak in the heated vitality pool, the endless horizon your outlook. Your active start to the day means you can reward yourself by calling on your butler to bring breakfast to your room. You could enjoy lunch here as well. Or, make a date with your new friends to re-live Antarctica memories over a meal in the Yacht Club. D On-board chefs prepare fresh and inspired dishes that you’ll want to linger over well into the afternoon. The only thing you need to do now is decide which bar or lounge to move to, making the most of the all-inclusive beverage menu, including premium top-shelf wines and spirits. For a dose of sunshine, retire to the Scenic Bar & Lounge to order a cocktail or flute of French champagne, and let your cares drift away.

When you’re visiting some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems, you have a commitment to protect them for future generations. At least, that’s Scenic’s mantra. Take advantage of our open bridge policy to meet with the Captain and his team to find out all about Scenic Eclipse’s state of the art technology and environmentally sustainable systems that aim to leave as small a footprint as possible. Learn about Scenic Eclipse’s GPS Dynamic Positioning and how it allows her to maintain location without dropping anchors onto sensitive seabeds; how the Azipod propulsion system delivers the lowest noise and vibration levels to ensure minimal disturbance to marine life. Visiting Antarctica positively breeds environmental ambassadors, and you’ll be keen to learn more over an enrichment lecture in the state-of-the-art theatre.

Millions of penguins. Countless seals and whales. Antarctica-only birdlife. Endless expanses of ice. The remarkable sights of the world’s southernmost continent take a while to digest. Sometimes, quiet contemplation is the best way to do that – perhaps editing images, writing in your journal, marking highlights on a map. At other times, being with others who appreciate your emotions is ideal. Join your fellow guests in one of the up to ten restaurants, nine bars and lounges, or while relaxing in the Observatory Lounge & Library. Relive every moment that sparked joy over the last three weeks, looking forward to sharing these once-in-a-lifetime memories with your loved ones at home.

End your journey in the same way you began it – by indulging in Scenic’s truly all-inclusive philosophy. Enjoy an unrivalled selection of premium beverages available on board all day, every day, across nine bars and lounges and including premium gin, saké and more than 100 varieties of whiskey. And then try the yachts up to 10 dining experience. Visit Night Market @ Koko’s where chefs prepare unique dishes inspired by the markets of Asia while you watch on, from behind the hot and cold grill. Knowing that you share this night only with your chef and seven other guests makes it all the more memorable.

If you have any last questions before you depart your ship, this is the time to ask them of your Discovery Team. Join a final lecture, perhaps, to put the mind-bending sights you’ve seen on your voyage into perspective. Or find that photography expert for tips on editing your images, the historian for extra details on the explorers you’ve been following, and the Captain, to learn where your next Scenic voyage might take you. Because believe us, you will want to return.

Your voyage ends in Dunedin – knowing there’s still nothing between you and Antarctica but swathes of icy ocean. After breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell to your intrepid new friends and your incredible Scenic Eclipse crew, who have made your voyage so remarkable.   Please book your flight to depart out of Dunedin after 12:00 PM. Please note, the itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons and weather conditions. As such, Scenic cannot guarantee the cruise will operate unaltered from the itinerary stated above.