loriva

Not true while we were there earlier this month. Hotel and other restaurants open normal hours as were shops. Canal boats running as well.

The Scenic Jade we were on last month ended its upstream cruise from Amsterdam in Breisach and we boarded there for our trip to Amsterdam instead of boarding in Basel. The explanation from Scenic was a strike by the lock workers in or around Basel. (A communication we received in email two days after we boarded the Jade--luckily the tour director for our land package received word directly from operations.) Could that be the reason for the MS Edelweiss?

If I remember correctly from the Sky Princess, in February 2020 you could select a bottle up to U.S. $40 from the Princess list.

@Crystabel: Was there noise in this suite due to the elevators and stairwell outside? What about from the Lido deck above? Thanks!

@KKBAny chance you snapped a photo of the board with the ship's senior officers or have a copy of the Patter that lists them and could post, please? I volunteered to write the invitations for our M&G on our CB sailing departing on 15 August for a Canada-Greenland itinerary and trying to get a head start. (There is a photo of the officers posted on the Princess sticky, but it is a little hard to read the titles and names of the officers beyond the four senior-most ones. I'll wait to fill in the names until I'm on board and can confirm the latest information but wanted to fill in the titles beforehand.) Thank you for your thread on your experiences on the CB. Princess postponed our cruise twice from its original sailing date in 2020, so very much looking forward to our trip.

Yes, they do. At least the Jade did on the sides of the mirror and shelves over the desk/vanity area.

Could you clarify, please? Did Scenic substitute the Pearl for the Jade for your Rhine cruise? And they are putting the Jade on a Netherlands' itinerary? Or are you on the Pearl for a Netherlands' cruise instead of the Rhine? Many thanks.

Any idea why? Or for how long the Czechs will be doing this?

I only report what I have personally experienced with Scenic on our cruise in June or what was said to me by someone on the ship. Others' experience may vary. The excursion descriptions on Scenic website and in the final documentation sent to us consisted only of fragmentary information: "Explore Amsterdam on a guided walking tour." The sign-up sheet provided on board had additional information including the planned length of tours and timing; see attached. This information is known to Scenic--they have to contract with the tour providers--and they could publish it with a caveat that it could vary due to river conditions, etc. Viking River provides descriptions like the attached--including length of tours and timing--on its website for the background of clients in choosing. Not having the timing information makes booking other activities--visiting the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, or Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, for example, that all require prior bookings for a set time--difficult. (Or you must spend time on your own in the city before or after the cruise, which we did, but is not an option for all.) On our sailing, we found the butlers busy serving as waiters in Portobellos or filling in for waiters in the Crystal dining room. We called our butler once for coffee on our first morning. Then discovered the time we called was outside the listed hours for delivery, so then I fetched our coffee from the lounge the rest of the mornings. Both of these go again to my main conclusion after sailing Scenic--inconsistency on standards. Scenic has fuller information on its FreeChoice excursions and could choose to publish it. And I don't think you should "have to know it to ask"--being proactive is part of luxury service. After delivering our coffee the first morning on the Crystal Ravel (our only previous river cruise in October 2021), the butler asked if we wanted the same order every day at the same time. Only 8 days into sailing since its resumption after the breakdown earlier in the season, the Scenic Jade and its crew may not have a chance to jell yet. So, the jury is still out on whether we'd choose to sail with Scenic again. Scenic FreeChoices.jfif

We were scheduled on the same sailing. At least you were notified by Seabourn. I just saw a refund on my credit card and then went looking, could not find my booking anymore, and then called Seabourn who told me about the cancellation. We were not offered any alternatives, just that new itineraries would be posted in mid-August. The rationale from Seabourn does not make sense for the Artic/Svalbard sailings. I wonder if this has anything to do with the rumors that CCL is looking to sell Seabourn?

Looking forward to hearing your comparison of Scenic now versus before the pandemic. We did have a choice of excursions most days (on our 7-day Rhine cruise, not the land portion of our package with Scenic) but there was so little information provided on the tours it was difficult to plan other activities around them. An example was the walking tour in Amsterdam, which turned out to cover a tiny slice of the city and focused on food and some fairly obscure sites. The full tour description provided by Scenic--both online and in the final documents--was "Explore Amsterdam on a guided walking tour." Luckily after three emails I was able to get a response from the CD and found the tour times, so was able to book museum entries for after the tour. We had no off-ship dinners included on the cruise. Our Scenic Enrich experience of a concert in a castle near Rastatt in the evening had a reception beforehand with wines from the ship and breakfast pastries. The dining room menus also seemed different than your description--I think there were about five "always available" choices. Our minibar had no snack options--there was a glass canister on the desk with some commercially produced Palmiers (we saw one of the waiters refilling the canisters at the tea station in the lounge from the box) The steward--who was very good at keeping our cabin spotless--never did manage to stock our minibar to our requests, although the ship did have the items available in the lounge. None of these were major issues but contributed to our sense that things were just a bit out of step on Scenic. I do hope they are listening to passenger feedback and improving for incoming guests.

I don't remember seeing any on the Jade. There MIGHT have been one--a shaver outlet--in the bath, but I always carry battery-powered tea lights to use as a nightlight so was not looking for one. In addition to the two round-pin European outlets by the desk/shelving area, there was one three-pin outlet--not sure if it was UK or Australian (or if they are the same). We brought a power strip (no surge protector) with a European plug that had space for three U.S. grounded plugs plus two USB ports that worked really well to charge cameras and phones plus power the laptop. We also brought an adaptor plug to use by one of the nightstands for DH's dual-voltage CPAP machine. (The steward provided distilled water for the latter on request--it came in a sealed 5-liter jug, which was more than enough for a one-week voyage.)

Hope to hear about your experience, We are booked on the Viking Astrild for a Christmas on the Elbe cruise in December. Weather and water levels will, presumably, be a little different then. 😉

I’m sure @notamermaidtalked about these in previous discussions about the Rhine, but they are so interesting. Faux castles along rail lines built during WWII in Germany as the Allies had a pact not to bomb cultural sites.

Looks like only one uploaded. Here’s the second to make “a couple.”

Here’s a couple from our sailing between Rudesheim and Koblenz on the Scenic Jade on 26 June.

Just filled out the post-cruise survey sent one week after disembarking by Scenic. It consisted of one question: "Based on your most recent cruise experience with us, on a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend Scenic to a friend or colleague?" plus a free-text box to explain the main reason you selected the rating you did. I gave Scenic a "5," reflecting an average--perhaps a generous one--of the abysmal pre-cruise experience (a "0," up to and including not picking us up at the airport in Vienna as promised); the hard product (two wonderful hotels in our land package, two average, and one below average) plus the Jade itself; and the soft product of service during the land and cruise portions of our trip. Overall, I think the two Canadian couples we met on the cruise--both of whom had traveled multiple times previously with Scenic--nailed our experience: it was inconsistent. And a company that bills itself as luxury should have consistently high standards and deliver its product to clients in a consistent manner. As our Canadian friends said, Scenic was special before but now it's not. Maybe it can be again once the world works through the current staffing and supply issues--who knows? Part of me--the pathological optimist--wants to think this was just a blip. A bad combination of the hack on Scenic's IT system (which, honestly, should be more resilient and not be out for almost two months), issues coming out of the pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine that took experienced staff out of the picture. I kept thinking "it will all be wonderful" once we're traveling with Scenic, but it was so stressful and nerve-wracking getting there--we wondered if our trip would be cancelled up to the moment we met the Tour Director in Vienna (compounded when we couldn't reach him because the Scenic office gave me the wrong telephone number). And once we were traveling with Scenic, some of it was wonderful--and some was not. It was clear on boarding the Jade--seven days into resumed service--that they were woefully understaffed and many of the staff they had did not have the needed training. Scenic brought on additional staff halfway through our cruise and wait times improved noticeably in both the lounge and dining room. And everyone seemed to have been trying very hard--even our poor Belarusian waiter who looked like a deer caught in the headlights every time we asked for something, even as simple as sparkling instead of still water. Would we sail with Scenic again? Honestly, I don't know. We had never traveled with them or any river cruise company prior to the pandemic, so we don't have that warm glow of nostalgia. We were probably spoiled as our one and only river cruise was in October 2021--with the pandemic issues at play, but not yet the war in Ukraine--on Crystal and they were truly wonderful. At every turn someone was asking if they could do something to help you. The sommelier let us try all the wines the first night to find favorites and constantly sought out interesting pairings. The suites were well equipped and designed. And the ship had a self-service laundry room, which was very helpful on a longer trip as we had--no washing lingerie in the bathroom sink and trying to find a place to hang it to dry. The luxury of choice and consistency (the butler always seemed to spot me while I was heading to the laundry room and insisted on carrying the laundry bag.) Alas, Crystal is no more as a river cruise company thanks to the sins of its parent company. We are next slated to sail with Viking in December for a Christmas markets cruise on the Elbe, so that will give us another point of comparison. We may end up on river cruising the same that we are for ocean cruising--we pick a trip based on itinerary and other factors not loyalty to one line. And we'll continue to try to help others on CC.com by providing information on current conditions--the good and the not-so-good.

A quick wrap-up on disembarkation. The CD on Jade, Tadej, was really on top of this aspect of our cruise. He sent out a preliminary schedule for cabins based on flights, hotel booked through Scenic, and independent arrangements two days prior to the end of the cruise. Passengers were asked to visit him to confirm their arrangements by the next day. He held a disembarkation briefing on our final night and then issued a final schedule. The only bobble was that passengers with independent arrangements somehow did not receive their luggage tags. We had to ask for ours twice as did our travel companions. The tags were with Reception--somehow they had not been distributed to our stewards to bring to us. An easily solved issue all around. Breakfast started early on disembarkation day--0600 instead of 0730 hours. I ran into some passengers with transfers before breakfast who noted Scenic had not provided a breakfast box for them--they said they had received one from Viking when they had similar early departures. We did run into a couple at breakfast who had just been transferred from the airport in Amsterdam to the ship, so Scenic is flexible on boarding. We saw them again while we were in the lounge and the crew came to advise them their cabin was ready about 0900 hours. Everyone had to leave their cabins by 0830, but you could wait in the lounge until your transfer--you could even stay for lunch according to the CD. Scenic arranged for taxis to those of us at local hotels not arranged through Scenic; the latter had a small bus. Taxis appeared to be a flat rate 40 Euros for hotels in central Amsterdam. Our travel companions were at a different hotel than us and the CD arranged a van for them and another couple--so they were able to split the 40-Euro fare. Many (all?) taxis in Amsterdam appear to accept credit cards for payment of fares. The CD came around the lounge to advise passengers when their taxis arrived. He and the assistant CD accompanied passengers to the pier, had us identify our luggage, and then helped with getting the luggage to the taxi if needed. Then they wished us a pleasant farewell. Overall, a smooth and cordial experience.

Ours also landed in the Spam folder. We had the double whammy that Scenic somehow had us in their booking system as a travel agent. So they kept sending us links to their TA portal--which, of course, we could not access to retrieve our documents. Had to do the 1.5-hour wait on hold (we considered ourselves lucky to get through in that time given what others here reported) to reach a Scenic agent who could send us our documents.

Regent also does this for its ocean cruises. It's something for Scenic to consider. I need to finish up my thread with our disembarkation experience. Will try to wrap up later today.

Armin moved from the Pearl to the Jade on 15 June to serve as the Enrichment Director to Tadej, who also moved from the Pearl as CD. They were to get the Jade up and running after its season was interrupted by engine troubles (a battery issue per the captain) during its tulip and windmill sailing in the Netherlands. Armin was very personable and ran one trivia game and some disco nights during our sailing on Jade 22-29 June. He would also accompany some of the tours--a combination of helping to keep the groups together (some variances in how quickly we could move versus what the guides could do) and gauging how well the guides (many new to Scenic) were doing.

Reflecting on the cruise so far, I think our new Canadian friends nailed it—inconsistent. The CD Tadej Peric—who has been with Scenic since they launched river cruises in Europe in 2008–has been great. It’s obvious, he is working hard to get the Jade up to Scenic’s standards. His assistant, called the Enrichment Director, has also been cheerful and helpful. Our cabin steward has been very good overall, although there are some maintenance issues he should have reported for repair. We have seen our butler mostly while he is supplementing the wait staff in the dining room or Portobello’s because we are pretty low maintenance and have only called him once. But he went over and above setting up a small cocktail party in our traveling companions’ suite. At dinner last night, however, our new table mates said they hadn’t seen their butler since he introduced himself the first day. As noted previously, it’s the wait staff where the lack of staffing and training are most evident. Some waiters have been wonderful and others are really struggling. I hope they receive the training they need as they look miserable—I feel for them. For a luxury line, there needs to be greater consistency. Our experience on the Jade has been good overall, just not as good as our previous river cruise with Crystal. I hope this is a temporary issue as the line comes back from COVID. Off to fill out the cruise survey. It is online and only available from dinner time yesterday to midnight today.

Tuesday, 28 June — Amsterdam Scenic Jade has reached the final stop of our cruise. We are docked by the Chamber of Commerce a little ways from the Central Station. We were initially rafted with the Scenic Jewel, but it left before we returned to the ship about 1630 hours. Four tours are offered by Scenic here: a one-hour canal cruise, a bike tour in the suburbs (central city too dangerous), a 1 1/2-hour walking tour, or a visit to Edam and Vollerdam by coach. We opted for the walking tour that took us along Prinsengracht to Begijnhof and then back to the ship. We tasted waffee cookies, licorice, and herring along the way. We opted out at the far point from the ship and missed the cheese tasting as we had booked tickets (all timed entry) to the Rijksmuseum for the afternoon. Then walked the 3.1 km back to the ship.

Monday, 27 June — Cologne The walking tour option was 1.5 hours, finishing in front of the cathedral. As Scenic docks on the opposite side of the river, they had a bus to take us over the bridge and let us off by the Music Dome. After the tour, we had free time (including coffee at Cafe Reichard thanks to @notamermaid) before walking over the bridge or catching the bus at 1230 or 1300 hours. Back on board, we paid a short visit to the wheelhouse (which is open to visitors when the ship is not sailing) and Captain Lagos Szilagyi pointed out the various controls. He has been the captain of the Jade since its launch in 2014. He said the breakdown of the Jade in May was due to a failure of the batteries. They had to wait in Duisburg until new ones were obtained and then were installed in Cologne. The weather held out for corn hole on the sun deck after lunch and then there was trivia later; it had a decent attendance and was good spirited. The winner received a small box of Celebrations chocolates, which is also what Scenic gives passengers celebrating a birthday on board. The CD did a short presentation on Scenic, focusing on the Eclipse. Then the Captain introduced his staff, then Hotel Manager Djordje Pereula introduced his, and then the Restaurant manager Catalin and Chef Ario introduced their staff. Finally a toast and then off to the Gala dinner—a cold appetizer, then a hot one, sorbet, the main, dessert, and then petit fours. Entertainment after dinner was a disco party by the enrichment director Armin.