to competing head-on in the cutthroat market of luxury European river cruising. But Glen Moroney, the founder and owner of Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours – and still the only Australian to build a cruise line at scale internationally – is from Newcastle.
Eclipse II is tethered in port at Malaga, the ancient Andalusian town on Spain’s dreamy Costa del Sol. It’s early June, the mercury staying firmly around 31 degrees even as the sun settles low on the horizon, and the ship is virtually fully booked with a solid mix of Australian, British, American and European passengers.
Stationed on board are two six-seater black helicopters that look like extras from a James Bond film. There are also Zodiacs, Tiwal inflatable sailing boats, wakeboards and water-skiing equipment, not to mention custom-built swim platforms, stand-up paddleboards and kayaks . Soon to be added to this arsenal is an American-made electric submarine for eight guests that’s submersible to a depth of 300 metres.
Watching Moroney take a seat in one of the yacht’s swish custom-made chairs, next to some expensive mounted nautical binoculars, it’s a little tricky initially to figure out how he ended up here, having started out in the travel industry by selling coach tours to pensioners in Australia in the 1980s.
Coach tours into congested cities had become passé, the manager said, what with the impossibly early 6am starts to beat the morning rush hour, and the fraught logistics of securing heavily booked hotels in high season. Travellers constantly had to pack and unpack every other day, unlike the “unpack once before you head home again” model of cruising.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s a form of travel well suited to retirees. With the youngest Baby Boomers just entering their 60s, there are plenty more passengers to come. Nevertheless, it’s not an industry for the fainthearted given three major companies dominate the waves; each operating multiple cruise brands positioned at all price points, covering both the river and ocean categories.
Goetter and his team went through more than 3000 recipes. All of that preparation was worth it – trade publications, including Cruise Critic, rate Eclipse and Eclipse II as offering among if not the best food at sea. The ship is also small enough to manoeuvre “back road” waterways off the main Atlantic Ocean drag. We’re urged by the captain to rise early the morning we glide up the Guadalquivir River to dock on the banks of Seville.The water turns the colour of golden syrup under the rising sun; local kids run alongside the ship on their way to school, their eyes wide as saucers as they take in the gleaming black choppers on board.