Canal archive

Are the strip, streaky, back, Canadian smoked or plain?

Yup very useful if you’ve traveled across the pond or the world but not quite so much for us from the U.K. unless we are doing a back to back or pre/post cruise tour. Although 50€ won’t go far. Maybe there’s something in the melting pot as they have hinted at other changes especially with the loyalty programme.

Have you tried donuts filled with chocolate? CPT or Sandwich itself!

It’s one bag per cabin of what is supposed to be 1kg but I’m pretty sure they’re not weighed, well ours certainly wasn’t it must have been well over during our last cruise. It’s one bag per cabin per cruise.

Working on that idea - Spain could be fruit i.e. Seville(ire) Portugal is already sorted with Port and France with Champagne, Holland = Edam and quite a few more, now I just need one for the U.K. Any ideas?

Was it under a Russian logo or a cover?

Luckily I have a daughter and son in law who help train youngsters for the expedition part of the D of E awards so quite a few backpacks can be seen in the remoter parts of our islands. I’m also someone who really doesn’t want advertising logo’s everywhere. So will I have more laundry, debatable we are only a hop skip and jump from home, I could have my nails done as no hairdressers on board evidently, but don’t worry I’ve never been in a quandary as how to spend what’s on offer.

Ours is 75 miles to begin with and we get 100 miles as Diamond members our country is so much smaller than yours so your mileage allowance could be more.

According to the U.K. Scenic office yes the laundry allowance is as it was so no change and we have the transfer and as we’re Diamond members we get a little extra mileage. Thats all sorted hopefully the same applies in Canada I expect so because we all chat on board and swap experiences on CC.

We’ve got the information so will try to get it correct for you - no more luggage or other bits & pieces, no more hard copies, print yourself. Now on board credit for all of 50 whatever unit of currency is used locally to be used on either Spa treatment, Laundry, or towards really up market alcohol. I asked and it cannot be used in the ships shop, or carry it forward to another cruise. They are also intending to do something with the loyalty scheme. There trying to minimise the use of plastic on board so everyone gets there own personal drinking vessel. This is all supposedly towards their sustainability it will be interesting to see if it works. Evidently it’s on the FAQ but I haven’t found it and when I asked I discovered the office staff haven’t been very well trained about the new system. Ive traveled with Scenic enough to have gone through 1 change of the loyalty system.

CPT if you look at the live map on Marine Traffic of Rouen there looks like 3 or 4 basins. I’m with you I’d love to see it all, been to a see a couple in the U.K. Maybe this vessel will be there, picture in Bordeaux just through the raised bridge.

Glassishalffull hopefully our Host Jazzbeau sees your question as I cannot remember how to access his report on his Scenic Seine cruise last year it will give you a superb insight in what is available. I did it 9 years ago and will be doing it again this July both times with Scenic. Giverney the home of Claude Monet a must, get there early, Rouen for Joan of Arc beautiful city. The history is mind blowing from the Vikings - Rolo the Walker to WW1 & 11, the foods pretty good, well it is France and the Cider is excellent nearly up to Somerset standard.

We did a similar cruise with Scenic but in April so freezing in Amsterdam getting warmer as we approached Budapest. Maybe not shorts but yes Capris so pleased someone else uses that word. Walking shoes a must maybe a few shawls it can get chilly with air-con in the dinning room, also useful for those evenings on the sun deck. Mix and match and not to OTT is the way to go. Enjoy there’s loads to see and do.

Maybe Viking are the only owners because Torstein Hagen founded the company in St Petersburg Russia, hummmmmmmmm. Ohhhhhh this is wide open for a conspiracy theory! 😂

As far as I understand non of the river cruise companies owned the vessels they used they were leased. I may be wrong. Russia had some strict regulations about what could be or could not be done. It’s such a pity and I will say horrific what has happened apart from anything else Russia is depriving itself of much needed foreign good will and currency and I really wanted to go but I will never get there now, still ite there lose!

Notamermaid if you ever get the chance try to get to the carnival of lights in the West Country it’s fantastic huge floats covered with lights that go through many of the West Country towns.

Notamermaid fantastich now I have some idea of what my man got up to on his many trips to Germany. I’ve heard about the buxom German wenches carrying their many large beer steins (spelling). I know he enjoyed himself maybe sometimes a bit over the top but he reciprocated by showing his German colleagues a special time in London.

My DH was in Berlin two days after as some of his German colleagues insisted he went, he’s so glad he did. Later when things were getting sorted and you could as it were go over to the other side he took a group of customers. After an evening in an East German restaurant as they are getting ready to return one customer realises he’s not got his passport (you didn’t need it to get in but did to get out) he’d just forgotten his (I won’t tell you what nationality he was) they actually smuggled him out in the coach toilet, he sat in there covered with all of their coats.

I’ve only river cruised with one company Scenic and only one ocean if can call overnight out of Southampton around the Channel Islands and back on ocean cruise. As you rightfully say age is a state of mind and river cruise vessels carry way less than 200 passengers and myself and husband are way past 10 years of marriage add 42 and your nearer the total, I know you get less for murder. On board there is a music usually man - piano, guitar and maybe other instruments in nearly ten cruises we’ve only had one who was iffy! We’ve had - cow bell ringers (we nearly walked out but they were fantastic) - traditional dancers, dance with them if you dare - the most wonderful violinist - chamber quartet - music of the Camargue, my favourite, Manitas de Plata reborn, and many many more. There is also the odd quiz don’t knock age in that one, the crew show not every cruise but you could see your butler in a completely different light or your room attendant who has the most amazing voice. You of course also get the odd daytime offering, napkin folding or maybe towels dexterity needed for these I remember several making things. Culinary delights, presentations on the local area, river, country etc, these usually happen during a cruising part of the river and you don’t have to take part but remember the adage ‘time is not wasted watching others enjoy themselves. Enjoy your cruise whoever you choose to go with but remember it’s your choice you can do your own thing.

My husband is reliving his times at this time of year through you, when he was (just accidentally) in Germany for ‘work’.

Pancakes successfully constructed tossed and eaten. My daughters and my senior Guides ’Rangers’ used to take over my kitchen for the evening and we would definitely get over pancaked.

My DHs favourite is Dom Perignon okay very very nice but he only gets to drink it a couple of times a year, they keep putting the price up.

Low water situation a few years ago the captain at our port talk explained about the low water situation and as the the previous vessel in the fleet had done a ship swap they didn’t have another vessel for us to do one he said that with care he was sure he and his crew could get us through and did we mind a few hull scraping sounds on the way. Not one voice of dissent and none of the passengers realised we were successful until breakfast the next morning. It has a lot to do with the draught of the vessel (the shallower the better) getting rid of a lot of weight - water for instance, it weighs a lot, but in this instance following a heavily laiden cargo barge at the right distance, in our case we were followed by a lighter laiden barge at the right distance. So the three of us got through with an excellent Captain and crew. We passed the first barge later in the day with lots of horn and whistle blowing. And I thought Germans were reserved! Whoops forgot to say this was a Scenic vessel.

Ohhhhh very interesting DH will have that link forwarded to him toutsuite.

We’ve recently had one in Great Yarmouth that went off unexpectedly but all well no one hurt luckily as it was very close to a couple of gas pipe lines.