As the parent company of two river and ocean cruise lines — Scenic Luxury Cruises and Emerald Cruises — Scenic Group has recently had the benefit of expanding in multiple markets. Hallmarks of both brands include advanced technology and sustainability initiatives and, as both continue to grow, the company is taking the opportunity to improve on each line’s offerings. Specifically, Scenic and Emerald Cruises will be enhancing their river fleets with fresh design updates, new furniture and art to more closely resemble their seagoing yacht equivalents.
Speaking of which, the ocean-bound Scenic Eclipse is currently being retooled to mirror its Scenic Eclipse II sister ship, and a new Scenic Neptune II submersible has been added to Eclipse II, with the ability to take up to eight guests below the water’s surface. Emerald, meanwhile, will welcome a third superyacht in the 128-guest Emerald Kaia in 2026. Clients can expect a 50% larger wellness area, a bigger gym with open-air workout opportunities and a reimagined Sky Deck with an indoor/outdoor bar and lounge.
Scenic and Emerald both offer ocean cruising onboard luxury yachts.
Credit: 2024 Scenic Group
Trending Destinations and Noteworthy Itineraries
The company is currently seeing the greatest demand for European river cruising. That said, smaller Caribbean ports and the polar regions of Antarctica and the Arctic are gaining steam among travelers.
A special Scenic offering, in particular, is the line’s extended, 59-day Ultimate European Journey. The itinerary offers a unique opportunity for clients to mix sailing on a Scenic river cruise and the Scenic Eclipse ocean yacht with a land and rail tour. The immersive cultural experience will begin in Bordeaux, France; visit Cannes (also in France); and then head to Portugal before ending with a land and train experience.
Brand Differentiators
From a brand perspective, Scenic and Emerald Cruises represent comfort and innovation by way of sleek, eco-friendly designs. They also give customers the ability to personalize their bucket-list experience. That means enjoying wellness and dining opportunities, not to mention culinary cruises, and visiting out-of-the-ordinary places that provide those sought-after, Instagram-able moments.
The group aims to offer a diverse port-folio for a wide range of clients. Its dedicated sales, marketing and contact center teams and professionals are available to provide any necessary assistance. And exciting incentives and bonus commissions sweeten the deal along the way. In order to continuously improve their relationship with trade partners, Scenic and Emerald Cruises continue to work with travel advisors by providing resources, education, programs and opportunities to help advisors grow their knowledge base, as well as their overall business.
