“It is an incredible honour”: Helen Mirren on Her Role as Scenic Eclipse’s Godmother and Her Verdict on the New Ship

Dame Helen Mirren has had a busy couple of weeks. As well as being spotted at Victoria Beckham’s S/S20 show at this year’s London Fashion Week, where she wowed in a snakeskin-print dress, just a week earlier the Oscar-winning actor was in New York causing quite the sensation as she christened Scenic’s new luxury expedition ship, Scenic Eclipse.

At the press conference, Helen Mirren – with her usual eloquence – discussed what it’s like playing the role of ship’s godmother, her thoughts on the new vessel and how she cannot wait for her first cruise aboard Scenic Eclipse.

Her first reaction on seeing the new ship…

I’m slightly vain about how articulate I can be. I’ve done Shakespeare after all. But coming off that ship all I could think was, ‘Wow. Oh wow. This is incredible’. And for those of you who’ve already experienced it will know and for those of you who are about to experience it, you’re in for a real treat.

How it feels playing the role of cruise ship godmother…

For much of my professional life, I’ve been fortunate enough to portray some of history’s most iconic women. Monarchs, femme fatales and so forth. But today I don’t have to play a role as I get to become the first godmother of the first discovery yacht and that is an incredible honour.

Her thoughts on the new ship…

I had the pleasure of touring this beautiful ship with the Scenic founders Glen and Karen, and their obvious passion and vision is just extraordinary. I saw the spa, I saw the theatre. I even stood in the middle of the theatre and made a speech because it has such fantastic acoustics! As we chatted, I begin to have a tiny sense of what sailing on this vessel might entail.

This wonderful, really incredible juxtaposition of luxury and comfort paired with the discovery of ports. I was so excited about my first trip and this will be my first cruise ever.

On Scenic Eclipse’s incredible design…

[Scenic founder] Glen Moroney was integral to the design of the ship and it is absolutely his vision, and he worked tirelessly to see it through. But it is Karen [Moroney], as you know, who is responsible for the incredible interiors on Scenic Eclipse and when you tour it, I really urge you to pay attention to all those amazing details – the light fittings, the position of the mirrors…

How Scenic Eclipse compares with luxury hotels…

It was explained to me that this ship is the first of its kind. It’s an expedition style of yacht, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and outfitted with a level of luxury usually found on a billionaire’s yacht.

I’ve had the great pleasure of staying in some of the most magnificent hotels in the world, usually for work I might add and not for holidays, and I’ve experienced that really high level of luxury, and this is up there with the most luxurious hotels I’ve ever stayed in.

On the amazing crew…

When I was walking around, I met many of the crew who were doing a big clean up to get ready for the new passengers boarding. And the guys working in the kitchen, the crew members, everywhere I went I saw a very happy smile.

And you just got a sense of a very happy, well-looked after crew and I heard from Karen that the crew on this ship are given amenities and comforts that are pretty rare on other ships, almost unheard of. So, I think you’ll really get a sense that this is a ship run by a happy crew. And nothing is more important than that.

Final words…

I look forward to experiencing the six-star, all-inclusive surrounds of this ground-breaking yacht. I can’t wait to see the impact of such innovative technology, what this means for the future of ocean cruising as she navigates our wonderful planet’s most spectacular coastlines, educates people, takes them to thriving wildlife habitats and seemingly untouched landscapes.

May God bless this ship and all who sail on her. Thank you.

For more information on Scenic Eclipse, visit cruiseline.co.uk/scenic-eclipse.