Scenic Eclipse was the first ocean-going ship built by a river cruise company, and it is in the Library because of what that transition cost and proved.
Position
The Scenic Group had run river cruises for years when Scenic Eclipse debuted in 2019 as its first oceangoing vessel — marketed as a discovery yacht, with submersibles and helicopters aboard.
Why it is in the Library
A river operator crossing to the ocean is a harder move than it looks: different regulation, different hulls, different crew, and a customer who has to be persuaded that the company knows the sea. Scenic did it first among the river lines and its sister brand Emerald followed three years later, which makes the pair the clearest case in the register of a company changing element.
What this model does not solve
⚑ This entry is thinner than its neighbours. The founding of the group, the exact fleet and the current ownership were not established to the standard applied to Ponant or Seabourn, and the entry says so rather than filling the gaps.