English Tim

I always travel with an open mind, but all the marketing information suggests that it is all inclusive apart from the very few premium, spirits and champagnes. Reports that I have read in social media suggests that many more drinks are extra than would’ve been expected. If there is false marketing, it would seem unwise as the line will be looking for repeat business. I recall when Azamara promoted their all-inclusive product and when we got on board, most of the bar menu was for premium drinks, and there was a small list of included products. there was a good deal of this quiet on social media, but the rest of the product was so good that the dissent was masked.

So do we!

If I hadn’t read about this on cruise critic, I would’ve been none the wiser, Nor would my travel agent, and as a result, I will have to do something about my amended itinerary.

In recent times we have found spa prices to be exorbitant, so we stick to the included stuff and if we feel the need we book ashore.

Would I stop at two cocktails, probably not!

It should work for us, as we like champagne or wine with our dinner, but probably not lunch, and it will encourage us to drink less, due to the high prices of the cocktails. We might upgrade our drinks package for the last two sea days. What they give with one hand, they take with the other!

Wow, I haven’t cruised with O for quite some time and I thought I’d just look at a few threads and having seen similar judgemental posts on other cruise line forums, I shouldn’t be surprised. The original question was how much gratuities are and there are six pages all about the ins and outs of gratuities. I think that cruise lines are now trying to make things as confusing as possible in order to make maximum revenue from innocent customers. We originally booked cruise only with $300 per person OBC. We thought we would try having a cruise without a drinks package and only drinking alcohol in our suite, and at the various included cocktail parties. We would no doubt drink a few cocktails ashore when the prices were more reasonable. We have now been given the opportunity to change our booking to the simply more promotion, losing the $300 credit and gaining a basic drinks promotion and $400 per person excursion credit. The whole business is extremely confusing, but being fortunate enough to travel on many cruise lines. We have got used to this situation or one like it. I look forward to many replies, giving good advice from many seasoned O customers. We are from the UK.

That would appear to be the arrangement.

When I paid for my upcoming Explora cruise, I was surprised that the gross payment was going direct to the cruise line, and was told that my commission would be returned by the TA after the end of the cruise, rather than paying the net amount now.

It is a way to go before we will need these services, but it’s useful to know how it works. We will be leaving a hotel near to Miami airport and going to the cruise port, so that should be an easier transaction. It would seem that you set up an Uber account in your own country and use that anywhere in the world?

We are from the UK, and have never used either of these services and have no experience of them. Is it easy to set up an account and indeed is it worth doing so or should we just take a cab?

On our second day in Vienna, we took an ebike tour, which was excellent, using quieter areas of the Danube island and the amusement park. We spotted a red squirrel and they were many attractive sights. On the day of arrival in Vienna, most passengers went to a concert at the Schonbrunn Palace. This is one of Scenic’s signature events and is excellent, with a good look around prior to the concert. We had heavy rain, so don’t forget your coats and umbrellas. as we had been before, I didn’t take any photographs, but found one from three years ago on our previous visit. In the afternoon, we used the E bikes on our own and cycled into the city, where we enjoyed apple strudel and coffee. It was very good and was great to enjoy one of our favourite dishes. One thing to be aware of when in Vienna, is that currently it is mandatory to wear masks when using public transport. After returning to the ship, we enjoyed some social time with our new Canadian friends around the pool, with plentiful supplies of sangria. Next day we were at our final destination of Budapest, where we enjoyed a morning visit to some famous spa pools, with thermal healing quality. There were about 15 different pools of varying sizes and temperatures, including a large pool with swimming lanes, which Rosy enjoyed. I spent most of my time in the warmer waters of the thermal pools and in a couple of saunas. In the afternoon, we were able to use our 24 hour transport ticket on some of the trams. This was very good value at around €4. However, with all the place names on the map in Hungarian, it was very difficult to work out any sort of plan and we soon gave up and returned to another sangria session on the pool deck, before packing and the farewell dinner. The final day, which was for disembarkation, was a bit sad but the process was very efficient and we were soon at the airport and checked in. We travelled to the airport with a lady who uses a walking frame and she said that the cruise was very unsuitable for people with physical disabilities. It was also very challenging for her when she got to the airport and we wondered how she thought she could manage a large heavy suitcase as well as her walking frame, so we accompanied her and handled her luggage. I arranged with an airport employee for her to be assisted and they kindly allowed her to the front of the line, where we said goodbye and walk to the adjacent terminal to check in our luggage. We tried to use fast track security, but were told that British Airways don’t pay for this facility, so no problem we went through the normal channels and when we went to the lounge, we were told that as it was a Plaza lounge, we needed to use an American Express card for access unless we wanted to pay. Apparently the traditional airline lounge was hidden around the corner and whilst we were there we noticed lots of people get turned away. We had an excellent flight home and fortunately the driver was waiting for us and we also had a good journey on the motorway. In conclusion, we feel that Scenic are cutting back on their offering. Reduced wine pairings at the Table La Rive dinner were a good example. It was a much changed experience from our June cruise on the river Rhône. There was no printed drinks menu, so unless you knew what you wanted, it was quite challenging, especially if you like to look through the cocktails list before ordering. Whilst the cruise director was excellent, the entertainment staff were somewhat lacking and there were very few exercise classes, or evening events. this is the first time we have returned from a scenic cruise, wondering if we will take another one.

Two days before we were due to cruise, we received notification from Scenic that we would have to change ships twice, due to problems with low water levels. We stayed at Amsterdam for the first two nights, then Düsseldorf instead of Cologne for the 3rd night. Rhine gorge wasn’t passable, so we were bussed to Frankfurt to our new ship, then luckily didn’t have to change again. It’s touch and go around Regensburg and will continue to be so until there is a lot of rain.

We have just returned from Budapest and we had a Mercedes on both legs and both drivers were on time and excellent.

Today was our first of two days in Vienna, when we had a tour this morning and unfortunately it poured with rain, so I left the group to it and bought a local transport ticket and travelled around on the trams. This afternoon we had a long walk through the park and then returned to the ship by tram and the ships shuttle.

Today, we docked at Melk, where most passengers visited the Abbey. I stayed on board and at noon we left for a cycle ride to Durnstein, about 35km. Last night we had violent thunderstorms, so some much needed rain. Tomorrow we visit Vienna. The images show a caterpillar on Rosy’s helmet and a Weissbier the ship paid for at a refreshment stop.

We’re already at Linz having done the previous section earlier and expect to carry on to Budapest as arranged.

We’ve just arrived in Linz having cruised from Frankfurt and we expect to be able to complete our cruise to Budapest without changing ships.

Today, most of the passengers went to Salzburg by bus, but we decided to take the train from Passat to Linz, then explore Linz, using our train ticket. We paid €23 each. The journey took about 60 minutes and was very comfortable. The crew would like to be able to cruise from Passau to Linz, as it has been two months since the river has been high enough to do so. When we arrived, we did a 20 minute walk up a pretty steep hill, to the botanical gardens, where we also enjoyed refreshment, including plum strudel. We paid just under €3 each for entry.We paid just under €3 each for entry. Next we took the bus to the station, then the tram to Postlingberg, about 500metres up. With wonderful views and a deer park. Then we headed to the newly arrived ship for refreshment.

Today, August 24, there were two tours the first going to the town for sightseeing and the second visiting World War II visiting Zeppelin fields, Nuremberg war trial courts and exploring propaganda. I chose to take one of the ships bikes to the tram stop, but when I reach there I realised masks were required so I cycled into attempting to add to my lederhosen collection, but I was unsuccessful on this occasion. I spent about three hours cycling around the city.

Yesterday, 23 August, we visited Bamberg for what should have been a black beer tasting, preceded by a short walk. It turned out to be a long walk followed by a short beer tasting, which was a shame. We did see some nice buildings, a lovely rose garden and some views, but I just wanted a cool beer as it was very hot.

We had an early start at this book and so I decided to stay on the ship and then use one of the electric bikes to explore on my own. Rosy and most of our new friends, from Canada, went on a tour of a Palace (masks had to be worn) and then a wine-tasting, returning at lunchtime, for an impromptu deck party, on the section we could access. I don’t think I have ever seen so many bicycles, as on this cruise and clearly many people cycle to the station leaving their bikes in the big mess. Some of us watched a very nice good violinist, playing a variety of tunes before departing at the next lock. it has been a real pleasure to get to know this Canadian family, but sadly only 10 of them could come. That evening they invited us to join them for dinner and we had a great time. B93458F7-C1FA-438C-B7C2-37A4781B718F.MOV

When the ship goes under low bridges the sundeck is out of bounds and the wheelhouse has to collapse like a concertina. this morning, we did our first stretch/exercise class, but we are a bit concerned about some of the exercises, which we don’t normally do until our bodies are warmed up.

My wife and I were just discussing that very question and one of the reasons that we are not nearly as keen on this cruise as we have been on previous cruises is that the Sun deck has been closed most of the time, along with the vitality pool. There have also been no fitness or stretch classes in the mornings.

Yesterday, we visited Miltenberg, a very pretty town, very popular with locals and tourists. My main purpose of going was for a schnapps tasting , which didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed various flavours and had about 12 or 13 examples in a nice warm room with meat and cheese to soften the blow. Previously we had walked around various cellars and very cold temperatures and had an explanation of the production process. We met a lovely family of 10 from Canada, and one father and daughter Lionel and Maddie, joined our tour. Maddie managed to taste about 11 of the examples, which was a sterling effort. Afterwards they went to a beer garden, but I decided I probably needed a rest, So I sat on a fountain and listen to a rally, in German of course, protesting about coronavirus lockdown, Russia’s action in Ukraine and other things. Maddie has a fantastic wardrobe of beautiful dresses. She also seems to be an expert on technology, which could be very useful. Later, We returned to the ship by bus and almost immediately had a port briefing followed by dinner at Table La Rive, a wine pairing meal, which was extremely disappointing. The food was very good, but we were a bit rushed, but there were only three wines, compared with the five, which we enjoyed on a previous occasion, on Scenic Sapphire, in June. In particular there was no desert wine, when we previously had enjoyed a fine Sauternes. After dinner there was a performance by a Zither player, which was very good but for some strange reason no drinks were served during the performance and there was no warning so a lot of people didn’t have a drink.