Cruise Critic on Scenic?

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, Samantha. Glad to have you aboard!

 

Erica and I both agreed (a year apart, I did the Scenic launch of April 2012) that service was really wonky. Bad. Now, she was on for a full voyage and I was only on for three or four days, and I loved the ship itself...but am concerned about recommending such a luxe-priced line as a result. Any insights?

 

Carolyn

 

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to this forum but definitely not new to Scenic. In fact I was the Global General Manager of Operations for Scenic Tours before I started my own travel company a few years ago, and have inspected the ships in the finest detail.

 

I am however very capable of being unbiased and independent, so if anyone still has questions, please feel free to post them here and I should be able to answer them.

 

As you can imagine, each new ship has to be settled in when it is launched. Although Scenic generally tries not to have a whole new crew on a new ship, it take a while for newbies to get into the swing of things even though there is a huge investment in training leading up to launch. They do however take great pride in getting it right, so my recommendation is to give the first few cruises of a new vessel a miss, and wait until the crew and vessel have settled in.

 

The new ships are definitely a new generation of vessel, however Glen (the owner) has retrofitted quite a number of the best features of the new vessels into the older ones (when I say older, they're still only a few years old in most cases!). Each year a couple of the ships are completely gutted and reconfigured to match the new ones in the fleet to constantly refresh them, and all are upgraded to some extent. I have the photos to prove it since I used to do the preseason ship inspections!!

 

Anyway, please feel free to ask any questions you like, I'd be happy to help.

 

Kind regards,

Samantha

[Guest Sceniccruises]

Hi All,

My name is Donna and I am part of the Guest Relations team at Scenic Tours. If you have any specific questions in relation to our ships or tours please feel free to email me at [EMAIL="customer.care@scenictours.com"]customer.care@scenictours.com[/EMAIL]

Kind regards,
Donna
Guest Relations Manager

[go2trav]

Hi tnr, I think you've made a great choice and I can tell you must have agonised over the decision, but don't worry, you'll have a wonderful time. The Scenic Ruby is such a lovely ship and has a terrific crew.

 

And Hi Carolyn also, and apologies in advance for my lengthy reply!

 

I can understand your reservations about recommending Scenic after your launch cruise and I'm assuming Erica's was also a launch or early cruise of the season. I'd definitely say that the first couple of cruises each year aren't as well polished in terms of service as there are often a number of new crew members added to the mix and some of them are swapped between ships.

 

Also, Scenic change and enhance the program each year so some of the crew take a couple of cruises to get into the swing of things with all the improvements. Mind you, I've attended the pre season training for a few years in a row and I know how much effort goes into making those early cruises go well, it's quite amazing really. However until the crew are actually delivering, some of them don't gain their 'confidence' when it comes to service in the Scenic context. Whilst this isn't the main reason, I believe it's worth taking into consideration that these earlier cruises are lower cost than some of the peak season cruises.

 

I can honestly say that the vast majority of guests are so impressed and devoted to the Scenic experience that sometimes it used to feel like I was in some sort of alternate reality. Being head of Operations I used to expect to hear complaints when I boarded and inspected the ships, but I was usually talking to customers for hours about how impressed they were with the service and the experience.

 

I know I might seem biased, and there were certainly issues from time to time (and I was head of Operations during the worst of those issues that have all been ironed out now), but I have so much confidence in the Scenic experience and the team at resolving any issues that do arise from time to time. That said, there are always subtle differences in individual cabins or cruises and I do use my experience and knowledge to steer my clients towards the best where ever appropriate.

 

So I hope that helps, and if I can clarify any further, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

And Donna, great to see you here and love your work!

 

Kind regards,

Samantha

[alexandra cruiser]

booked a jr.suite on Crystal for 3 reasons,,,larger,tub, and room service for breakfast.

Samantha,have you gone on any cruises or just inspected ship,not sure by post?If so, what was YOUR review?

I did have problems with my reservation,took 1 month to get confirmation of payment and cruise(it was resolved,but was a hassle).Since this is my FIRST Scenic cruise, I was a bit miffed to have such a problem.Was explained as "back room mistake".Are these common?

Would appreciate if more Scenic cruisers posted THEIR reviews.

Good to see your company is responding to this website.;)

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Erica: They offered a choice of red or white at breakfast? I love wine but ugh, not sure it's a breakfast beverage :)

 

Oops, I meant with lunch and dinner. There definitely was Champagne at breakfast though!

 

Also, regarding room service, the menu consisted of an air-dried pancetta appetizer, smoked salmon or pastrami sandwiches, a cheese platter, fruit salad and chocolate cake. You can also order breakfast in your cabin -- mine came exactly on time and as ordered.

[alexandra cruiser]

Hi All,

 

My name is Donna and I am part of the Guest Relations team at Scenic Tours. If you have any specific questions in relation to our ships or tours please feel free to email me at customer.care@scenictours.com

 

Kind regards,

Donna

Guest Relations Manager

 

I emailed a question re room service menu and make up mirror in suite,got aprompt reply next day.

Wanted to let others know how helpful she is.PS.yes to mirror ,and copy of menu sent.You can order from butler for breakfast(items on buffet).Sounds great.:)