Boston & Vancouver, May 8, 2019 – Scenic announced the appointment of Captain James Griffiths as the captain of Scenic Eclipse, the world’s first Discovery Yacht, launching August 15, 2019. “Scenic Eclipse is setting an entirely new standard in the Cruise and Expedition industry,” stated Captain Griffiths, “and she is the first cruise ship to truly combine ‘go anywhere/see everything’ ability.”
Captain Griffiths comes to Scenic with an extensive background in expedition cruising, having served as expedition captain with Windstar and captain of Lindblad’s National Geographic Explorer, as well as spending 11 years with Cunard Lines. He was appointed Chief Officer at age 25 on board the RMS Queen Mary 2. In a career that has spanned nearly 20 years, Griffiths has worked on 12 different ships, commanding six of them, and visited more than 105 countries.
Griffiths was educated in the U.K. and holds multiple degrees and designations from the Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton, Middlesex University and the Nautical Institute in London, and Lloyds Maritime Academy in Kent.
Asked what he believes will be a voyage highlight for the guests and the crew, Captain Griffiths pointed out the array of possibilities. “I am genuinely excited to see how guests will react to Scenic Eclipse. She is designed to exceed expectations. Everyone will take away something different; perhaps a journey to a shipwreck in our submarine, a flight over a glacier with one of our highly trained pilots in a helicopter, maybe watching the sunrise on the bridge with one of our Deck Officers, or memories of the excellent dining venues. For my crew, I have been delighted how quick the very best people in the industry have been to join me on board Scenic Eclipse. Scenic is not your average multi-national faceless company, it really does feel like a family, so serving our guests on board a ship like Scenic Eclipse will be a career highlight for many.”
The first sailing of Scenic Eclipse will be August 15, 2019 – an Iceland & Atlantic Canada sailing from Reykjavik to Quebec, followed by sailings down the eastern seaboard of North America.
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has grown over its 33-year history to include award-winning, all-inclusive escorted tours that take participants to many of the world’s most fascinating destinations and since 2008, its 15 Space-Ships offer truly all-inclusive, five-star river cruises in Europe, SE Asia, Russia and Egypt. In 2019, Scenic is introducing the world’s first Discovery Yacht, the 228-guest Scenic Eclipse. Sister brand Emerald Waterways has eight Star-Ships offering European river sailings with an eighth (Emerald Harmony) launching in 2019 for SE Asia’s Mekong River. Exclusive charters are offered on SE Asia’s Irrawaddy River; the Volga River in Russia; yacht cruises out of Croatia; and Egypt’s Nile River.
Additional information on these and other cruises, brochures and reservations can be obtained via travel agents; or in the US: www.scenicusa.com; phone 844-788-7985; or email: info@scenicusa.com: and in Canada: www.scenic.ca; phone (866) 689-8611; or email: info@scenic.ca. Brochures can also be downloaded directly from the website.