Scenic Eclipse News

[Holy Roller]

Dear Goorawin,

 

Keep positive.  There is a line of 11 tradesmen's vans lined up outside the ship so I assume that they are going like lunatics on the inside to get everything "ship shape".  Iceland is lovely and you could go and soak at the Blue Lagoon - guaranteed to relax you.

Keep cheerful as I expect that Scenic will do everything to make up for the screw-up; if they're honourable they will anyway.  

[Holy Roller]

Dear Goorawin,

 

The tradesmen's vans have left and there's less activity on shore so, hopefully all will be well.  If you get this before boarding give me a little wave just before you go up the gangway as I'm watching the ship live.

 

Good luck and have a relaxing drink from all of those thinking of you.

 

 

[jeb_bud]

Well, you are on your way.  Bon Voyage!  

Did they get your room ready for you?

[Geri c]

Just watched the Eclipse go out to sea!   Can’t wait until next May for our Mediterranean cruise on her.   Hope everything is sorted on-board - have a great trip all passengers.  Geri and Terry

[Host Jazzbeau]

I was so glad to see the empty dock on the webcam when I came back from some errands.  Hope to hear soon from Goorawin about how close to 100% they got before sailing.  With so many empty cabins they would have been able to keep extra workers onboard for those last touches – that may be a mixed blessing on this cruise, but good news for the next one starting off at 100%.

[salbags]

There is a good article in Times today by travel writer who boarded her in Rotterdam. He did comment on there was still a fair amount to be completed re artwork and finished furnishings but commented on how sleek she was. The sub is $250 for 20 mins and helicopter is $350 for 20 mins.

Love the sound of the restaurants. Can’t wait 😊 

 

[rojaan19]

On 8/16/2019 at 7:46 AM, goorawin said:

Yes they are, but today was so badly handled that no one is happy.

There is just not planning and the staff are under so much pressure.

The ship is meant to departs at 6 pm tomorrow, but who knows!!!!!!

 

HI Goorawin,  so sorry to hear all is not going well on board.  The cruise was expensive,  and you have lost the first day  already.  Have there been any offers of compensation from Scenic management ??  If not  why not ??

[goorawin]

Thanks to everyone for their support.

Well we finally boarded just before 5pm with the ship leaving port at 6pm.

It was full on, for the next few hours so no early update, sorry.

They certainly pulled out all stops to get the ship ready enough to allow us to board. The staff must have been under huge pressure, so they look very tired. I really feel so sorry for them.

How ready is it, not very, and from what we hear most cabins have issues, from main doors not closing to items missing or not working at all and showers not working. Our own cabin has had it’s issues as well. including no safe and lights that came on many times in the middle of the night for no reason, just to make sure we did not get a good nights sleep. We now have a safe and hopefully lights that do not come on in the middle of the night again. The complaints have been many with people not that happy, but at least staff have been addressing issues reasonable quickly.

 

They have introduced many changes to what I consider to be those normally expected. Toiletries are not provided either only soap, conditioner and hand lotion, all in dispensers.

No printed menus, newspapers or daily programs, most of which is now electronic and displayed on the room TV.  These TV's are not working that well and are difficult to learn and slow in operation. The TV itself is behind a glass panel (no doubt to make it look classy) which reflects all the light from everywhere making it less than ideal for viewing the screen. This also makes it almost impossible to view from bed, mind you I not a fan of watching TV in bed anyway.

One of the other interesting things is the light switches which are not only small and difficult to read what they do but rather complex to work out, what does what. With no printed instructions its a trial and error system, in fact there are no printed instructions for anything.

On the positive side the ship is certainly smooth and very quiet. Scenic has an open bridge policy for expedition cruising, which is great from my point of view.

The internet connection speed seems to be better than normal, but then there aren’t as many passenger using it either.

 

In my opinion the ship looks better from the outside than it does from the inside. I know this is always going to be a very personal thing but then I like things to be practical and functional.

I certainly do not think this ship has been designed with any of this in mind. Instead it’s a classic example of systems being designed by what I call OEA’s . They are the ones who do not have a practical bone in their body.

Hand rails, taps and other fittings all have sharp edges which certainly could be an issue for safety, particular with a moving ship and rough seas.

On the other hand anyone who like to see themselves in mirrors, together with all the other reflection all around, will love the bland colours and design.

It’s a cleaners nightmare, with plain dark carpets, smooth and shiny surfaces which all show marks and dirt so well.

In my opinion the most impressive room is the Yacht Club restaurant. which is the main dinning area for breakfast. It is bright and airy and it even has the inside swimming pool, and two showers on the outer walls of the room. The roof of the pool area can also be opened. Mind you having all that water around people eating is probably not the most practical thing, but then it looks really good.

The Eclipse has a really good viewing area from the bow of the ship, as seen by the attached photo.

Currently we are heading to Greenland and have just nominated our preferences for helicopter and submarine trips, so hopefully the weather is kind to us for those activities. We are all looking forward to those. As well it appears that this trip is going to be a little more of an expedition cruise than we were originally expecting, which is great.

 

Many rooms are still not complete, as are some of the outside decks and signage. Hopefully that will all be done by the time the next cruise starts.

I will send some other photos over time.

 

[goorawin]

3 hours ago, rojaan19 said:

 

HI Goorawin,  so sorry to hear all is not going well on board.  The cruise was expensive,  and you have lost the first day  already.  Have there been any offers of compensation from Scenic management ??  If not  why not ??

They did mention a refund for the day at the time but so far nothing has been done. They did provide a very good day tour which included an excellent lunch. The cost for them for the days delay would have been huge.

[Sweetpea711423]

5 hours ago, goorawin said:

Thanks to everyone for their support.

Well we finally boarded just before 5pm with the ship leaving port at 6pm.

It was full on, for the next few hours so no early update, sorry.

They certainly pulled out all stops to get the ship ready enough to allow us to board. The staff must have been under huge pressure, so they look very tired. I really feel so sorry for them.

How ready is it, not very, and from what we hear most cabins have issues, from main doors not closing to items missing or not working at all and showers not working. Our own cabin has had it’s issues as well. including no safe and lights that came on many times in the middle of the night for no reason, just to make sure we did not get a good nights sleep. We now have a safe and hopefully lights that do not come on in the middle of the night again. The complaints have been many with people not that happy, but at least staff have been addressing issues reasonable quickly.

 

They have introduced many changes to what I consider to be those normally expected. Toiletries are not provided either only soap, conditioner and hand lotion, all in dispensers.

No printed menus, newspapers or daily programs, most of which is now electronic and displayed on the room TV.  These TV's are not working that well and are difficult to learn and slow in operation. The TV itself is behind a glass panel (no doubt to make it look classy) which reflects all the light from everywhere making it less than ideal for viewing the screen. This also makes it almost impossible to view from bed, mind you I not a fan of watching TV in bed anyway.

One of the other interesting things is the light switches which are not only small and difficult to read what they do but rather complex to work out, what does what. With no printed instructions its a trial and error system, in fact there are no printed instructions for anything.

On the positive side the ship is certainly smooth and very quiet. Scenic has an open bridge policy for expedition cruising, which is great from my point of view.

The internet connection speed seems to be better than normal, but then there aren’t as many passenger using it either.

 

In my opinion the ship looks better from the outside than it does from the inside. I know this is always going to be a very personal thing but then I like things to be practical and functional.

I certainly do not think this ship has been designed with any of this in mind. Instead it’s a classic example of systems being designed by what I call OEA’s . They are the ones who do not have a practical bone in their body.

Hand rails, taps and other fittings all have sharp edges which certainly could be an issue for safety, particular with a moving ship and rough seas.

On the other hand anyone who like to see themselves in mirrors, together with all the other reflection all around, will love the bland colours and design.

It’s a cleaners nightmare, with plain dark carpets, smooth and shiny surfaces which all show marks and dirt so well.

In my opinion the most impressive room is the Yacht Club restaurant. which is the main dinning area for breakfast. It is bright and airy and it even has the inside swimming pool, and two showers on the outer walls of the room. The roof of the pool area can also be opened. Mind you having all that water around people eating is probably not the most practical thing, but then it looks really good.

The Eclipse has a really good viewing area from the bow of the ship, as seen by the attached photo.

Currently we are heading to Greenland and have just nominated our preferences for helicopter and submarine trips, so hopefully the weather is kind to us for those activities. We are all looking forward to those. As well it appears that this trip is going to be a little more of an expedition cruise than we were originally expecting, which is great.

 

Many rooms are still not complete, as are some of the outside decks and signage. Hopefully that will all be done by the time the next cruise starts.

I will send some other photos over time.

 

 

 

Hi, goorawin.  Thanks so much for all of the good information about what the Scenic Eclipse is actually like.  I have a question that I'm hoping you might be able to answer.

 

My husband is a pipe smoker -- it is part of the way he relaxes at the end of the day.  Do you know whether there is anything like a cigar lounge or other smoking lounge on the ship?  If not, that would be a deal breaker for us.  Even if there is outdoor space for smoking, it really doesn't serve the same purpose.  Particularly since the cruise I am eying is transatlantic (Dublin to Boston), trying to relax, sitting outside smoking a pipe in the middle of the Atlantic, would not work.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.  Enjoy your cruise!

[goorawin]

12 hours ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

 

 

Hi, goorawin.  Thanks so much for all of the good information about what the Scenic Eclipse is actually like.  I have a question that I'm hoping you might be able to answer.

 

My husband is a pipe smoker -- it is part of the way he relaxes at the end of the day.  Do you know whether there is anything like a cigar lounge or other smoking lounge on the ship?  If not, that would be a deal breaker for us.  Even if there is outdoor space for smoking, it really doesn't serve the same purpose.  Particularly since the cruise I am eying is transatlantic (Dublin to Boston), trying to relax, sitting outside smoking a pipe in the middle of the Atlantic, would not work.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.  Enjoy your cruise!

There is no smoking room, sorry

[Carol From California]

On 8/15/2019 at 8:34 AM, TRIPACIAN said:

I would also like to thank Carol for starting this new “positive” thread about the Eclipse.  The other thread was just too negative and the overbearing poster has been proven wrong about so many things.

 

Thanks to all of the current “posters” for being objective about the experience of waiting to see the results.  

Thank you Tripician. I was hoping to keep this thread "positive", but honestly concerned about what I am reading here.

[Carol From California]

Goorawin, or any others who are currently on the ship, can you let us know how things are going? How are the rooms? Restaurants? Excursions? 

[goorawin]

5 hours ago, Carol From California said:

Thank you Tripician. I was hoping to keep this thread "positive", but honestly concerned about what I am reading here.

I though I was giving you all a rather balanced report, give that more than 90% of passengers have had significant issues and were not happy.

 

So if you don’t want to hear how it has been, good and bad, that’s fine by me. So maybe there is no point in continuing wasting my time in posting anymore comments or photos.

 

Today was our first expedition experience in the air and on water, which was all wonderful.

 

This is the last photo I’ll post and its from the Scenic helicopter looking over a Greenland glacier.

 

[Sweetpea711423]

8 hours ago, goorawin said:

There is no smoking room, sorry

 

Thanks, goorawin, for your prompt and helpful, albeit disappointing, response.

[Holy Roller]

Dear Goorawin,

 

I think, at least I hope, that everyone on this site really appreciates exactly what you're saying.  I believe that Carol was saying that although she hoped everything would be positive the truth is that there are issues, sadly.

 

We are booked in a couple of months and had seriously considered cancelling when they dropped Cuba.  The company are certainly not as professional to deal with as either Silversea or Seabourn, who are the only other cruise companies we've ever used.  I am extremely interested in your input which seems incredibly well balanced.  I bet there are some passengers that are incandescent with the treatment they've received.  Have Scenic accepted that they have behaved poorly and offered to make amends?  For me it's more about the way a company behaves when there's a problem rather than the problem itself as that shoes how honourable they are - or not.

 

Thanks for the pics.  Most informative and they can only show the truth.

 

Many thanks for your feedback - it is appreciated.

 

 

[towel-animal]

16 minutes ago, goorawin said:

I though I was giving you all a rather balanced report, give that more than 90% of passengers have had significant issues and were not happy. So maybe there is no point in continuing wasting my time in posting anymore comments or photos.This is the last photo I’ll post...

 

 

@goorawin, I also find your reports well balanced, and extremely appreciated. I do hope you continue to post your experience and photos when/if you have the time.  

 

 

[Carol From California]

17 minutes ago, goorawin said:

I though I was giving you all a rather balanced report, give that more than 90% of passengers have had significant issues and were not happy.

 

So if you don’t want to hear how it has been, good and bad, that’s fine by me. So maybe there is no point in continuing wasting my time in posting anymore comments or photos.

 

Today was our first expedition experience in the air and on water, which was all wonderful.

 

This is the last photo I’ll post and its from the Scenic helicopter looking over a Greenland glacier.

 

Goorawin, As Holy Roller pointed out I was responding to Tripican who thanked me for starting this thread.  I was not in any way criticizing you for sharing the disappointing start of your cruise, and did not mean for you not to share your experiences, good or bad.  I am glad to hear that things seem to be going better and the glacier photo is beautiful...thanks for sharing.  If you care to share, I was hoping to hear from you or some others on board about other parts of the cruise, such as how are the restaurants, the cabins, the excursions, the service, the expedition team, etc.   

[Host Jazzbeau]

I believe the reference to negativity was about a couple of posters in the other thread who continually posted doom and gloom predictions that Eclipse would never be completed and that Scenic would go bankrupt.  They have been proven wrong and haven't been heard from since it became obvious that Eclipse was nearing completion and realistically aiming for the August 15 maiden voyage.  What you have been reporting is not the 100% good news about that voyage that we were hoping for – but that's because the reality isn't the 100% completion that we were hoping for.  At this point we want the truth, and you have been doing a great job of giving us that (in both words and pictures) – for which I am grateful.

 

Eclipse is beautiful from the outside, and some of the public areas are also beautiful.  It's good to have confirmation that the reality there matches the promotional hype.  The cabins don't seem to be quite up to the luxury level that Scenic promised – and it's good to have honest appraisals and pictures of that reality too.  The final bit, which you are just now in a position to report on, will be the quality of the food and service.  The luxury yacht segment is booming at the moment, and Eclipse will be judged against the competition.  Your reports are the first data for that judgment, so I hope you will continue to post throughout your voyage!

[RockyandMoose]

21 hours ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

Thanks so much for sharing this information,  your insights and objective descriptions have been invaluable to us as we prepare to board the ship in NYC next month.  Will you be trying the submarine?  We sure would enjoy your comments about that and also about the dining venues.  Thanks for taking time from your vacation to fill us in.

 

 

Hi, goorawin.  Thanks so much for all of the good information about what the Scenic Eclipse is actually like.  I have a question that I'm hoping you might be able to answer.

 

My husband is a pipe smoker -- it is part of the way he relaxes at the end of the day.  Do you know whether there is anything like a cigar lounge or other smoking lounge on the ship?  If not, that would be a deal breaker for us.  Even if there is outdoor space for smoking, it really doesn't serve the same purpose.  Particularly since the cruise I am eying is transatlantic (Dublin to Boston), trying to relax, sitting outside smoking a pipe in the middle of the Atlantic, would not work.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.  Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks t

[cruising kirby]

Goorawin,

 

Please continue to share your experiences of the Scenic Eclipse with us.  I sincerely appreciate the time you have taken to post your thoughts and photos.  I am sorry it hasn't been the perfect start and hope that things improve for you all.  If you could let us know about food, drinks and service I am sure many of us would really be interested.

[LN50]

Goorawin,

I have really enjoyed your comments and pics around the ship. Hopefully things can only get better for you. Your input has been greatly appreciated as we have had little info from Scenic,  please do continue to let us know your thoughts, and I do hope that you enjoy your holiday. 

[jeb_bud]

I think you have been doing a fine job of reporting on both the good and bad aboard the Eclipse. I hope you will continue to report on your cruise and post your great photos. 

[RockyandMoose]

We agree completeLy.  Please do keep reporting and posting photos.  Is the cooking class being offered?

[czardas]

Goorawin, Im another that has been enjoying your reports. We’ve all anxiously awaited for this maiden cruise and you are the only one that is allowing us to get some inside knowledge of the actual ship. Scenic keep posting glossy gorgeous photos, which now seem they must to be 3D renders, after seeing your photos. 

Please continue to post here, as I look forward to hearing what you have to say each day, be it positive or negative, you’ve given a great report.