In two weeks aboard Scenic Eclipse II, I never see a tablecloth. Nor a waiter in white gloves. Nor pretentious gold leaf, or a tiny bite of seafood sitting lonesome on a giant plate.

I don’t have to wear a jacket or fumble with too many forks. The waiters are relaxed and so am I. At last, dining on a luxury cruise ship that isn’t uptight.

Scenic Eclipse II is an Australian ship, and provides what Australians want. It’s suave and luxurious yet unpretentious, and its restaurants go far beyond cruising’s standard American-Mediterranean food.

Scenic’s dishes are wide-ranging and, although only 228 guests are on board, they have a choice of nine fare-included dining options, or 10 if you count room service.

You only have to look at the CV of German-born chef Tom Goetter, who manages the menus and dining experiences on Scenic’s two ships, to see where the breadth of food knowledge comes from.

Goetter has worked in Michelin-starred and other lauded restaurants in Germany, Britain, Austria, Spain, Indonesia, Canada and Australia, and declares himself open to new ideas from sailing destinations.

“We update menus quite frequently based on what we see in port, or on the flavours of the regions we sail in,” he says.

One of Goetter’s innovations is Night Market @ Koko’s, a teppanyaki-inspired experience themed on street food either from India, the Philippines or Middle East.

Interacting with the chef is enjoyable, and my slow-cooked beef and baklava-inspired dessert are magnificent. Other courses clashed in flavours and rely too much on sauces, but that’s the price of ambition.

I’d rather have innovative and delicious food rather than bland, repetitive meals that are always right but never spark interest or conversation.

Very few dishes anywhere else on Scenic Eclipse II are less than exemplary. Of the three reservation-required venues – Night Market, Sushi @ Koko’s and Lumiere – the latter French fine-diner restaurant is the best. Its seven-course menu is a masterclass in dishes such as caramelised onion soup, Black Angus chateaubriand, and Normandy tart with cinnamon gelato. The inclusive French wines are superior.

Simple table dressings and remarkably friendly staff create an entirely different atmosphere to that in French restaurants on other luxury ships. And, unlike in them, the menu changes every few days.

Two other evening dining venues, which require no reservations, are just as impressive. “When I first joined Scenic, I hated the idea of special dining venues,” says Goetter. “What does that mean? That there’s nothing special about the others? I wanted all our guests to have a great dining experience every single night.”

He delivers. Elements is one of the best restaurants at sea. It doesn’t try to be complicated but produces excellent upmarket dishes such as spiced duck harissa soup, camembert tart with honey and fig, and Kurobuta pork medallion with gorgonzola cream.

Meanwhile, Koko’s Asian Fusion has dishes such as Filipino pork-and-egg sisig, and Lahori beef karahi is big on flavour too, although pan-Asian restaurants can be a lottery. Avoid the Chinese dishes and go for Indian and South-East Asian – which is where the chefs come from – and you’ll enjoy one of cruising’s best and most kick-back Asian restaurants.

Scenic Eclipse II has two other options: Azure Cafe for light meals, and lunchtime buffet venue Yacht Club, where the fish is always cooked perfectly, the soup is delicious, the salads varied, and the mains another showcase of quality international food such as butter chicken and lamb tagine.

This is quality, sophisticated, flavoursome and varied dining with no starched tablecloths or stiff upper lip required. Relax, have a laugh with the waiter and enjoy yourself. More upmarket cruise dining should be like this.

The details

Cruise
Scenic Eclipse II is sailing the Pacific, New Zealand and Antarctica, then heading for summer 2026 in Europe. An eight-day Mediterranean Wonders cruise from Nice to Rome departs May 31, 2026, and costs from $12,810 a person including all dining, beverages, Wi-Fi, gratuities and shore excursions. See scenic.com.au

More
scenic.com.au

The writer travelled as a guest of Scenic.