Canal archive

Look in depth at the different providers, excursions are fine but you may get offered an on board exercise not always napkin or towel folding although some of those can be quite good over a cocktail or two. On board exercise Scenic ask that the walking track not be used before 8am it but I’ve taken an early morning stroll with my coffee to find at least 10 individuals practicing their Tai Chi on the top deck. On our two last cruises the on board instructor took early morning yoga and Pilates one morning loads went off with their walking poles, I didn’t realise you needed instructions on how to use them!

With Scenic certainly hairdryers are supplied. I do remember some time ago seeing something about curling/straighteners not being allowed on at least one cruise line something to do with them being an exposed heating surface.

My DH and I have during our longggggggg married life have traveled the U.K. and World extensively in earlier years even when travelling for his company I planned minutely trying to cover ever aspect. What I realise now is this is not really necessarily needed as the travel world has evolved amazingly. We have only done one very short ocean cruise, just enough to put his lordship off for life (it was a business do) so to comment on those would be, well not right. Now river cruising I can comment on and I know we’ve only been with one company and to my mind reading these boards it’s one of the best. Your right in a certain respect it is somewhat regimented. Remember hear I’m an ex Guide Guider and one who took Guides camping. Meals at set times - look at the galley facilities- how do they do it? Excursions herding various nationalities into transport to arrive at a booked destination on time, obvious. Following a tour guide lose the guide they lose their job! Getting back to the vessel on time - the next lock is booked you being late, backs up all the vessels following yours! Now I travel with an all inclusive company if you consider enjoying arranged excursions do the same but you don’t have to go on their excursions, otherwise buy into excursions if and when. BUT and this is a big one if you don’t want what some call regimented be it on all inclusive or not go with your flow don’t forget to be back on board before departure time and enjoy the friendships made with your fellow cruisers. I travel with a company that will even make up a picnic for you to go off into the wide blue yonder with.

Don’t worry with science we only take in what we consider important at the time but look at it this way - and of course I’ve most probably got it completely wrong. Adapter = to adapt something so that it works or fits with something else so it actually could be seen to be a converter as well. Converter is supposed to convert something to to work with something else so it could be an adapter as well. Oh what a wonderfully diverse language we use especially considering that it all comes from a supposedly dead language! Now someone can explain the reason why!

Sometimes a better name would be the ‘star deck’ rather than the ‘sun deck’ that late evening drink in the summer is something special!

Plimsoll - looked up the correct reason it’s the reference to the line on a ships hull showing the safe depth the ship can be loaded to so, - load, - line lowers to water level, -safe, line goes below water level, - unsafe. Now we can all look for the line named after Samual Plimsoll a merchant and an internationally agreed reference. It’s also colloquially a name for a type of gym shoe. Tah-dah 🥱

Would that be the plymsole line?

Oh the language difference, in Europe a couch is anything from a 35 to 50 odd seater, if you go up steps in the middle of the vehicle it will have loo (facilities) and space for luggage. In the U.K. a bus is a double decker, I.e. one row of seats above another as at Lake Havasou City and London Bridge or open toppers now seen world wide. Just watch out if someone says your travelling on a Charabanc!

We have had some of the most amazing cabin stewards and one always left ‘Heroes’ on the pillow each evening which became quite a talking point at breakfast - little things - this young lady also had the most superb singing voice, my husband used to call her his little Dionne!

If I like any particular item from the galley I ask for the recipe so I’ve built up quite a memory file not only from river cruising but around the world.

Very forward thinking!

It’s possible on your after cruise report with Scenic to mention staff who have given exceptional service and on a couple of our cruises encouraged.

In these water conditions speed is also key, the slower the better, go fast and the ship displaces more water from under the keel so you get bottom scrape (I know seems nasty and sounds worse). The air condition in my archive is awful so trying to keep conditions for photographs, slides and papers is a constant battle and working in a non air conditioned area is sticky to say the least.

I don’t look at it being a ‘splurge’ on a balcony more not being ‘frugal’ on an aquarium class for my, every time, ‘oh so special’ holiday. Although we don’t have the flight costs to and from North America. When we do fly the pond we now stay in good hotels but in our youth with our girls touring it was motels all the way. We now have a couple of well traveled daughters who are gradually dragging their other halves around Canada and the States.

1966 scootering through France to Spain and we walked on the dry river bed in Cahors France.

Tipping does not come naturally to us, it becomes much easier once we’ve been used to say Canada or the USA. It’s not a case of not liking being tipped, what employee would turn it down and we always ensure that any tips go to the staff before tipping. It’s now also much easier when you can add it to your card bill. When Scenic first went all inclusive it was really a no no to tip extra but now if you feel a member of staff has gone above and beyond there is no problem. 🥳

Isn’t discharging depth when the tanks have been emptied and passengers chucked overboard!

Okay, you’ll get fed up with me but the only member of the ships compliment on a Scenic vessel employed directly by Scenic is the cruise director. On one cruise it was suggested that he got a special tip from the cruisers, don’t forget this is with an all inclusive company. Us as it were old hands were horrified, luckily one of our Aussie friends actually had an in with the ultimate main man and sorted the situation. Some time ago there was a comparison made of the various costs of inclusions, extras etc., if I remember correctly the costings came out closer than you would have expected. There was a reason I asked about the inclusion of soft drinks, at one time they were far more expensive in Europe than alcohol!

Very interesting concept, will this be tha way to go?

With the latest scenic walki talki thingamys they are loaded with tours of the various towns so biking with them is far more straight forward and you don’t need to do the organised tours.

Yup makes you wander what else they have to finish before they get down to,business. Must be making good money!

Okay I have only traveled on Scenic, all inclusive. Do other lines charge for soft drinks? Every day the bar staff have a cocktail of the day and believe it or not a mock tail of the day. Your in room the mini bar is filled with beverages of your choice be they non or alcoholic. My butler brings our morning coffee or tea on the dot. The bar staff are only to pleased to provide you with the beverage of your choice be it alcoholic or not and they will remember your preference. Now this most probably happens with other lines but at the moment I really don’t want to find out.

Luckily never had the problem of family in the travel business but have you noticed how female dominated it is.

Aussie got silver sandwiched between the Cypress guys, what a high bar competition.

I must admit to using TA for travel all around the globe, even getting one to take over from my husbands company one when I had a sneaking suspicion that things weren’t going right, but I’ve only ever river cruised with Scenic and have dealt directly with their U.K. office each time ( okay so nothing happening during their recent hiccup) I’ve had nothing but superb assistance ever. Australian guy going great guns in the individual high bar gymnastics commonwealth games!