sbjornda

All Diamond Deck passengers get an invitation to the "Table La Rive" degustation meal. If you're not excited about a fancy meal with wine pairings - or if you find the price difference between similar cabins on those two decks is more than you would pay for a fancy meal in a restaurant - it's probably not worth it. That being said, we had 14 nights in a Royal Suite on the Diamond Deck and only heard noise above us a couple of times. So we're going to do it again! 

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

so now they say that the mosquitoes will be greater in numbers this year.

Do Rhine mosquitoes carry any diseases to worry about? Here in Saskatchewan we have a growing concern with West Nile Virus; in neighbouring Manitoba there is also long established Western Equine Encephalitis. Just wondering if we should be bringing insect repellent with us. The last cruse, Amsterdam to Budapest, we barely ever laid eyes on a flying insect, and no mosquitoes. The upcoming cruise is Amsterdam to Basel with side trips down the Maas and Mosel, departing July 31st.

Thanks,

Sterling

On our first Scenic cruise when the Cruise Director did the straw poll, the guests were 75% Aussies, followed by Kiwis, Brits, Canadians, then a few US couples. 

On Scenic's "Romantic Rhine and Moselle" there's one day when the ship leaves Cochem early in the morning and arrives at Bernkastel about 7 pm, sailing slowly up the Moselle. I've been tracking the Scenic Jade on this voyage right now (we'll be sailing the same on July 31st) and it looks like she made a 1.5 hour stop in Traben-Trarbach in the middle of the afternoon, which is not documented in the itinerary, but my guess is for a wine tasting opportunity or maybe a quick tour of this small town's highlights. So maybe it doesn't really count as a true "sea day", but it's advertised as one at any rate. I think it sounds lovely and I can hardly wait!

Sterling

I've read that it's not a particularly pretty route, lots of communist-era buildings and industrial operations. I can't confirm since I haven't done it myself.

Sterling

Scenic offered a choice in Nuremburg. We chose the one that had a quick bus tour of the WW II highlights, then a walking tour of the castle, and lunch and free time in the city square - including some amazing sausages. 

Regarding the uncertain sailing times: The key to enjoying a river cruise is to be able to "go with the flow". The river does what it will, the locks do what they will. Having one to two day's notice is about all you can count on, except for the ports that you stay in for more than one day (e.g. Vienna).

Sterling

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

If one wants to sail the Meuse one can best to this with one itinerary of Scenic 

We're scheduled on that one in July-Aug (Amsterdam to Basel). One curious thing about the itinerary, though, is that it is Amsterdam -> Antwerp -> Veere -> Arnhem -> Maastricht …. Watching the ships on line last year, they have to do a very quick back-and-forth up and down the Maas. I wonder why they don't do Veere (or Antwerp) -> Maastricht -> Arnhem, using the Albert Canal to get to Maastricht and then simply down the Maas to the Waal/Rhine to get to Arnhem? It would seem to me to be more efficient. Anyone have any ideas as to why the Albert Canal might not be suitable?

Thanks,

Sterling

4 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Well, there is Maria Laach and its lake...

We have (unfelt by humans) earthquakes on a regular basis and the lake bubbles: Volcano in Germany recharging with new magma

I don't suppose this vulcanism is related at all to the Andernach Geyser? Looks like Andernach is quite the busy place, geographically speaking.

Best regards,

Sterling

Scenic, Amsterdam to Basel with Moselle, sailing July 31st, followed with their 4 day coach tour of Switzerland.

Men rarely wear a jacket or coat to the normal dinners. If they do it's usually just functional, to provide layers. A cardigan would do as well. It's very much as described in the literature. There are a few occasions where one may wish to dress up a bit more. But ties are rare as hen's teeth even in the more formal settings, in my experience. Jeans and shorts at dinner are also rare, though not entirely unheard of. And no one makes a fuss about any of it.

Regards,
Sterling

6 minutes ago, 3urop32014 said:

Scenic is all-inclusive.   Tips, meals, chose of exclusions and drinks (unless otherwise stated). 

Agreed. On our Scenic 2 week cruise we literally could have left our wallets at home once the plane landed in Amsterdam. But we chose an upper level cabin with unlimited laundry service, otherwise we would have either done sink laundry or paid for the laundry service. Tips were most definitely covered.

We paid for souvenirs, and meals at the airport waiting for flights pre- and post-trip. That was it. 

One thing to keep in mind with Scenic is that if you upgrade to a Junior Suite or one of the Royal suites you get extra amenities. The most useful for us is room service. Depending on how gregarious you are, you might want to take some quiet evening meals away from your shipmates once in a while. For us, this is more likely to be the case on longer trips (such as yours at about 23 days). Or if one of you is under the weather, it's handy to have your meal brought to you. 

I've seen a few news reports about heavy snowfall in parts of Europe, but do we know whether any of that has fallen in the headwaters of the Rhine? Would that help replenish some of what was lost in 2018?

Sterling

Scenic Tours, and probably some others, provide a free GPS/Guide unit that you can use either on guided tours (receives broadcasts from the shore guide's microphone into your headset) or use the built-in guidebook for self-guided tours. When cruising along the river it can narrate a couple of minutes on each town and castle you're passing by. 

15 hours ago, mvjcruise said:

Hi. My husband, another couple and I are considering a a Scenic River Cruise. What is the dress code on these ship, and do most people follow it? Thanks.

Yes, most people follow it, but not all. There's going to be at least one person who wants to make some sort of statement by wearing a T-shirt and well-worn jeans to meals; no one makes an issue of it. There will be a few events where a gentleman may wish to wear a coat or even a tie (special meals and concerts) but no one enforces it. Most people go with "smart casual" most of the time, but the whole range is represented. For port excursions jeans and shorts are fine. 

On ‎2018‎-‎12‎-‎04 at 2:00 AM, djh1959 said:

Well please post a review Balloon Man.  This will be our first cruise, and I only know what to expect from reading on here and my parent's trips.
Some people have commented that their butler was fantastic, but others have said that they never saw him/her, which would be disappointing.

The impression I get is that the butlers are more solicitous and take more initiative with the higher end cabins. With the lower end cabins you need to make a point of reaching out to them if you want something (e.g., drinks, laundry pickup). 

53 minutes ago, Philandher said:

Just wondering if anybody has got an accurate position for the Scenic Opal, Marinetraffic has it in Frankfurt while Cruisemapper has it in Dettelbach on the Main?

Looks like it's been in Frankfurt all day today. http://www.anyoverip.de/scenic/index.php?ship=Opal

4 hours ago, Balloon Man said:

Scenic has butler service and in-suite dinning for all cabins.

Not according to their web site and my one cruise with them in 2015. Butler service for all cabins, yes, but full in-suite dining only for the high end cabins. Other cabins have a "beverage service". If you have other information I would be happy to know of it.

Scenic offers full room service only to it's high-end suites (Royal and Junior). Other suites have beverage service (coffee/tea/alcoholic drinks are all-inclusive). All suites have access to butler service, but the high-end suites get more perks (e.g. daily canapés and fruit skewers) so tend to see the butlers more often. I've read comments that some people in the cheapest staterooms never saw their butler, but then it also looked like they never picked up the phone to ask for him/her. 

On Scenic, if you pay for the high-end cabins (Royal or Junior suites) you can get room service from your butler. It's nice to socialize, but it's nice to get away from the crowds and be pampered once in a while too. 

We were on a Scenic Amsterdam to Budapest 14 day cruise on the top floor, and only a couple of times were bothered by noise above us. Smelled a whiff of diesel once or twice, but not bad over all. Engine noise and vibration is more common when the engine is working hard, and that's more common when sailing against the current. Sailing down stream is smoother, and sometimes almost too fast when trying to take in the scenery (though they do slow down for the most scenic sections). Our cabin was mid-ship; I've heard there are more complaints in the aft section. 

And I thought apps were the main way forward

 

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The trend is starting to reverse. Companies are finding it too expensive to have to re-test apps every time Android and iOS are updated, as well as having to re-test their web sites each time Chrome, Firefox, and maybe IE and Edge are updated. With near-ubiquitous high speed wireless, the vast majority of users no longer need an app to trickle down the information. I'm not saying I like it, but that's the new trend.

For our first cruise and our upcoming 2nd cruise we were looking for luxury and perks, and were willing to spend Scenic's price. For the full deal get a Royal or a Junior suite (e.g. unlimited laundry; room service meals). Especially for the longer cruises.

After that we would certainly consider Emerald to save a few bucks. We don't need all the perks all the time, and they are less impactful on a shorter cruise.

Scenic are really not covering themselves with glory, I just called them again about our lack of documentation to be put on hold for 5 minutes as "I couldn't find your details on the spreadsheet for that cruise" only to be told she had no idea why our tickets hadn't been issued with everyone else's !!

You'd fit into Scenic. You might be a bit younger than the median, but there will be plenty of folk in their 50's too, and a few folk younger than that.