Incentive options for top-tier groups are expanding at Scenic Group, with a growing fleet of ocean and river ships and a dedicated charter department.
With a growing fleet of ultra-luxe small ships, the Australian-founded Scenic Group is well suited for incentive charters. “Incentive groups are extremely important to our business, ” said Scenic Group’s Robert Castro, Senior Director, Marketing, in an interview with Prevue.  “For us, it is a natural partnership. We have great charter options due to the size of our ships—our largest is 228 passengers, ideal for full-group charters.” For smaller groups, up to 50 percent of the ships’ staterooms can be chartered.
For ocean incentives, the 228-passenger Scenic Eclipse wraps passengers in bespoke comfort that feels like a private super-yacht. The elegant design is the outside layer of an incredibly strong and technologically advanced vessel. Equipped with a submarine and two helicopters, the ship is well outfitted for adventures in remote destinations such as Antarctica. A sister ship, Scenic Eclipse 2, is scheduled to set sail in 2023. “For incentive charters, it’s an advantage to have two ocean ships,” said Castro, noting that the two vessels will be nearly identical. One change is that Scenic Eclipse 2 will have a larger submarine, accommodating 8 passengers, that can be easily used in US waters. By 2023, design modifications on deck four of both ships will allow an entire full-ship group to gather for dinner at one time.
For river-cruise incentives, Scenic has 14 luxury ships sailing Europe and Asia, with balcony suites and personal butlers. A dedicated charters department “will work with incentive planners to deliver every detail and bring the experience to life onboard,” said Castro.
The Scenic umbrella also encompasses Emerald River Cruises, a fleet of nine “contemporary premium” river ships and the new super yacht Emerald Azzurra, with a second super yacht, Emerald Sakara, due to launch next year.
Inventive, delicious cuisine, with all menus overseen by corporate executive chef Tom Goetter and his team of chefs, is an important differentiator on all Scenic and Emerald ships, said Castro.
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