loriva

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.

More miscellaneous: Scenic no longer uses L’Occitane products as in their website. Now there are bottles of ESPA hand wash and lotion attached to the wall by the sinks and body wash, shampoo, and conditioner attached to the wall in the shower. Afternoon snacks started appearing in the cabin a couple of days into the cruise. So far, they have alternated between sweet (truffles—which Scenic calls petit fours based on the menu for the Gala Dinner last night—and macaroons (wonderful!) and savory (a soft cheese wrapped in a cucumber slice one time and another on a small bread round.) I’m not sure If everyone gets these or just the Junior Balcony suites and above.

A few quick notes about tour options. People who have taken wine tours found the areas interesting, but did not think the wines at the places visited were very good. The CD either did not know or forgot to tell passengers that masks were required to visit the castles in Germany, so some were almost left sitting on the bus for the first one visited (in Koblenz for Reischburg). He did make a note for those visiting Drachensburg from Cologne); people enjoyed that tour, particularly the cog railway to reach it. Finally, at the departure briefing after the Cologne visit the CD noted Scenic had to source new guides as well as bus companies as so many of the former left the travel industry during COVID and many of the latter went out of business. We had noted the same—one guide told us it was the first time she’d been to a location, while others were very experienced. Guides always run the gamut, but COVID has added a new wrinkle.

Here is today’s program:

Busy schedule the last couple of days and Wi-Fi spotty. Interestingly, at breakfast before the Rhine Gorge sailing two Canadian couples who were on the Oberammergau pre-cruise trip started comparing notes—on their own, without any prompting by me—about their experience with Scenic cruises prior to the pandemic and now. Both have done multiple river cruises with Scenic, with one couple having over ten sailings. One couple are booked on a follow-on cruise with Scenic when they will be joined by four couples to whom they have recommended Scenic. She is now worried about whether her friends will have a good time. She said she could no longer recommend Scenic as they are not up to the same standards of service and professional as before the pandemic. Scenic was something special, but no longer. The other couple noted issues of inconsistency of service. The cabin stewards have been great, the butlers okay (although they now had to ask for delivery of the daily news summary), and the wait staff not so great. There was another example of the latter at dinner yesterday and lunch today in the main dining room. Two at our table last night ordered salads as starters, one ordered soup, and one ordered the hot appetizer of the day. The salads were delivered quickly, but the other two did not arrive until the two diners had finished their salads. At lunch, one person ordered a Caesar salad and grilled chicken breast with fries. After about 15 minutes he had to ask for them again, this time when our server and the assistant restaurant manager were walking by. Over the next 15 minutes a Caesar salad arrived, followed by a Caesar salad with chicken on top, another Caesar salad, and finally his chicken with fries. In the interim the rest of the tables received their orders and were largely finished. We know we need to be patient and kind at this time, but it really seems like some of the waiters have had no to little training.

Here’s the program for today. Weather looks iffy for corn hole, but we planned to pack during that time to maximize our time tomorrow in Amsterdam.

Wi-Fi a bit spotty the past couple of days, making posting problematic. Very understandable in the Rhine Gorge. Yesterday afternoon, the CD sent around forms for those who did not have pre-planned transfers via Scenic-booked flights or post-cruise hotel (Doubletree Amsterdam). Here it is:

Sunday, 25 June — Koblenz A great sail through the Rhine Gorge. Conditions before reaching Koblenz were amazing. The Tailormade app would not work on the sundeck for commentary but the ship had recorded commentary they played as we passed key sights. After we passed the Lorelei Rock, a waitress brought out trays of Rudesheimer coffee. Scenic coordinates lunch times with tours—late when morning tours and early for afternoon ones. Today’s buffet featured traditional German cuisine including sausages, pork roast, dumplings, and pretzels.

Yep, here we are along the Deutsches Eck. We were initially rafted on the outside of the Emerald ship, but it left while we were out on our walking tour. Also had a local beer (albeit not in the Alde Brauhaus since we didn’t have the details on time and one needs to book ahead) and took the cable car over for a walk around the Ehrenbreitstein fortress. The rain was much less than it looked on the camera.

A lovely dinner at La Table de Rive last night accompanied by a French Champagne, white, and red.

25 June, Mannheim for Heidelberg: We tried making an order for breakfast this morning in the dining room instead of off the buffet. Order did not arrive correctly, despite trying twice. Likely a rough morning for the wait staff. We estimate between the late dinner service (an hour later than usual due to the concert) and set-up for breakfast, the waiters got four hours of sleep at best. Also, many of the waiters are brand new. Many of the new staff are from Belorussia and are not strong English speakers. One told us Scenic could not bring back its experienced waiters from Russia and Ukraine due to the war. A 0900-hours start for Heidelberg, which is a 40-minute drive from Mannheim. We opted for the castle tour followed by time in town. The tour guide was interesting, but Scenic’s program gave us 25 minutes of free time after the castle tour at the castle, which was probably too much. Scenic should consider cutting it to 10 minutes and give more tour and free time in town. Currently, the “tour” is only the walk from the bus to the point you meet after the 45 minutes of free time. It was enough to walk to the Old Bridge and poke into a couple of shops. Back onboard at 1330 for lunch, then we sailed at 1400 hours. We opted to eat on the sundeck as it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Surprisingly we were the only ones although people appeared after lunch. It was easy to bring a plate of food up from the Crystal (main) dining room buffet or the River Cafe portion of the bar in the lounge. Once they figured out passengers were on the sundeck, waiters started coming through about once every 30 minutes to take drink orders and bus tables. A lovely afternoon sailing down the Rhine. The CD gave a 30-minute talk on the Rhine and navigation on it. Tadej will do the daily port talks at 1845 hours followed by dinner at 1900. The Internet on the Jade has been largely good. Like all ships, it can be spotty. I’ve had issues uploading the photos on this thread, sometimes having to try several times over time. Posts have also failed to post. (Learning to compose offline and then try to paste into a post. Should have known to do this from the start.)

Daily program: