This Week in Cruise: New, Delayed Expedition Ships

It’s been a busy week for expedition cruises, with new updates on new ships and a number of new itineraries.

This week Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours announced that it is delaying the launch of its newest ship, the Scenic Eclipse. The new ship, the first of two new “discovery yachts” planned for the brand, will now launch in late January of 2019. A spokesperson for the line tells Travel Agent that they have "no information that leads us to believe" the launch of its sibling vessel, the Scenic Eclipse II, will be affected. That ship is scheduled to debut in 2020. In a written statement Scenic Founder and Chairman Glen Moroney cited construction issues within the shipyard as the cause for the delay.

In other new ship news this week, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises announced plans to add a third ship to its fleet: the Hanseatic Spirit. The new vessel, which is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2021, will be the first “adults-only” ship in the cruise line’s fleet. It will be structurally identical to the other two new ships on tap for the cruise line, Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration. The three new ships will have the highest polar ice rating, PC6, for cruises in the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as a number of environmentally friendly features. There will also be onboard Zodiacs and a water sports marina. The ships will also offer itineraries in the Amazon region.

In itinerary news, this week Zegrahm Expeditions announced a new 17-day small-ship cruise along the Bay of Bengal. Departing on January 20, 2019, the Silver Discoverer will take up to 120 guests along the coasts of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Also this week UnCruise Adventures announced its schedule of 2019 cruises, including new 10- and 12-night trips in Costa Rica and Panama, a wine and food cruise in Oregon and one new southeast Alaska sailing.

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