What is going on with Scenic Cruises

[San999]

4 hours ago, Cisterna said:

Hello - Thank you for any information you can give! Sounds like everything is going smoothly! We will be getting on Diamond as you disembark!  I would really appreciate a birds eye view of the evening attire ` specifically do most of the men war a coat and/or tie in the evening for the "dressy" dinners. My husband is really fighting me on this issue. (Very tall man whose clothes get ruined in suitcases~ and ships ironing is always substandard for suit type jackets).  Also have you noticed any couples with more than 2 large suitcases?!

On most evenings, very few men had a sports coat. On the Gala Welcome dinner, well over half the men had a coat, but many just wore a dress shirt and nice slacks. The women dressed up more than the men. I think I only saw one, or maybe two, ties so that’s definitely a “not needed” item. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, loriva said:

@Host Jazzbeau Looking forward to hearing your read-out on the Scenic Gem!  And whether you were able to gather any information on the problems Scenic has faced recently and projections going forward.

 

Hope you had a great trip!

We did have a great trip!  Sorry, I didn't feel comfortable asking our CD about the Pearl problems – wasn't sure she would know; assumed she wouldn't want to 'air dirty linen'; and she was working hard to locate the camera I stupidly left on a tour bus, so I didn't want to add anything else to her agenda.  [PS – camera still not found; she gave me a letter for insurance claim.]

[Cisterna]

23 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We did have a great trip!  Sorry, I didn't feel comfortable asking our CD about the Pearl problems – wasn't sure she would know; assumed she wouldn't want to 'air dirty linen'; and she was working hard to locate the camera I stupidly left on a tour bus, so I didn't want to add anything else to her agenda.  [PS – camera still not found; she gave me a letter for insurance claim.]

Thanks for all the wonderful information! Sorry about your camera - been there done that with my tablet!  Hopefully it will be returned to you via the tour company lost & found!

 

[loriva]

13 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We did have a great trip!  Sorry, I didn't feel comfortable asking our CD about the Pearl problems – wasn't sure she would know; assumed she wouldn't want to 'air dirty linen'; and she was working hard to locate the camera I stupidly left on a tour bus, so I didn't want to add anything else to her agenda.  [PS – camera still not found; she gave me a letter for insurance claim.]

 

Sorry to hear about your camera.  I hope it turns up.  Wondering if this means Scenic uses hired buses, not its own?

 

And on the good news front--for me, at least--the Scenic Jade is on the move!  It is traveling south on engines on the Rhine toward Cologne after sitting in Cologne for almost two weeks.  Hoping this is a trial run to determine if repairs have been successful.  The ship is due to sail a 7-night itinerary from Nuremberg to Amsterdam on the 11th and then start Rhine itineraries between Amsterdam and Basel on the 18th.  Hoping they can make it a go!

Edited May 9, 2022 by loriva
Added itinerary information.

[loriva]

The Scenic Jade is back alongside the dock in Cologne.  Lucky I caught it out sailing about.  Anyone have any idea if it could make it to Nuremberg in two days?

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

Anyone have any idea if it could make it to Nuremberg in two days?

I have made a calculation to get an idea of distances.  Let us start. She will be sailing upstream on both rivers which makes the journey slow. On the Rhine she needs to cover 190km, probably averaging 6 to 7 knots. I do not know how much the Rhine Gorge bends will slow her down. On the Main it is 380km. I do not know how fast she can be. Negotiating the locks lengthens the journey by several hour, I reckon a minimum of five. If she can do 7 knots all the way, that is nearly 13km, she will need nearly 44 hours continuous sailing to get onto the Canal without counting the locks on the Main and on the Canal. So, no, in 48 hours this sounds doubtful that it can be done, at least it is very tight.

 

notamermaid

 

[loriva]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I have made a calculation to get an idea of distances.  Let us start. She will be sailing upstream on both rivers which makes the journey slow. On the Rhine she needs to cover 190km, probably averaging 6 to 7 knots. I do not know how much the Rhine Gorge bends will slow her down. On the Main it is 380km. I do not know how fast she can be. Negotiating the locks lengthens the journey by several hour, I reckon a minimum of five. If she can do 7 knots all the way, that is nearly 13km, she will need nearly 44 hours continuous sailing to get onto the Canal without counting the locks on the Main and on the Canal. So, no, in 48 hours this sounds doubtful that it can be done, at least it is very tight.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Thanks, notamermaid!  I figured you would be able to work it out.

 

So, looks like another itinerary to be cancelled.  Or, at a minimum, modified.  I wish Scenic were more transparent on these changes with their customers.  Maybe it is not possible to know more than a week or two out when they will not be able to make a sailing, but it does make it difficult for clients to change their plans.  I would imagine even more so for passengers traveling from Scenic's home country of Australia.  (Having had flights cancelled over the past two years without a single word of communication from the airline, Scenic is not the only company guilty of this lack of communication.  But they do need to do better.)

 

Many thanks,

[Inthebubble]

Would love to hear from those on the Diamond cruise how things went.  Was it fully staffed, excursions went forward, food up to their usual quality, etc.  We will be sailing on the Diamond in a couple of months.

[San999]

26 minutes ago, Inthebubble said:

Would love to hear from those on the Diamond cruise how things went.  Was it fully staffed, excursions went forward, food up to their usual quality, etc.  We will be sailing on the Diamond in a couple of months.

We re on the scenic diamond now. Food is sometimes great, sometimes just okay.  Sadly inconsistent and today (half way thru our trip) they just introduced a new chef???? Wines are okay, with a few very good wines. Excursions are quite good with lovely tour guides. Staff is very good,  but it’s pretty clear they don’t have enough staff. Lots of small things that should be taken care of, just aren’t. Overall,though, glad to be traveling. 😀

[Linconian]

29 minutes ago, San999 said:

We re on the scenic diamond now. Food is sometimes great, sometimes just okay.  Sadly inconsistent and today (half way thru our trip) they just introduced a new chef???? Wines are okay, with a few very good wines. Excursions are quite good with lovely tour guides. Staff is very good,  but it’s pretty clear they don’t have enough staff. Lots of small things that should be taken care of, just aren’t. Overall,though, glad to be traveling. 😀

Thankyou for the updates, much appreciated.  Is the ship full?  Is this your first Scenic cruise and if not do you have other river cruises to compare with?

[mvjcruise]

Update on Jade passengers on the cruise with engine problems. We were told on the ship that we would be contacted in 1-2 weeks by corporate to work out compensation for our trip interruption. The cruise ended on April 20. As of today, I had not heard from Scenic, so I called them. 
 

The rep. on the phone had no idea that the Jade was out of service, that a cruise had been interrupted, or the the Pearl was now taking Jade cruises and some of the Pearl cruises were being canceled. 
 

He sent a message to “managers and supervisors” while I was on the phone. The response was that the team assigned to the interruption would being calling this week. A note was made in my booking.  And now, we wait.

 

[San999]

8 hours ago, Linconian said:

Thankyou for the updates, much appreciated.  Is the ship full?  Is this your first Scenic cruise and if not do you have other river cruises to compare with?

The ship has about 110 pax, max capacity is about 150. The staff said the first 2 cruises this year were about 60 pax each and then up to 90 pax on the cruise just before this one. Next cruise is almost completely full.
 This is our first trip on Scenic, and third river cruise. We have been on several ocean cruises. We have spoken to other pax who have been on Scenic before and said the food and service on other Scenic cruises was better. A new chef arrived yesterday so it will be interesting to see if the food improves. 
The staff is working very hard and are quite friendly. I do believe they are short staffed and  haven’t been taught properly about service, so not their fault. 

[loriva]

The Scenic Jade has relocated from Cologne to Duisburg as of today.  The latter port is where it and other Scenic river ships spent the off-season.  Hope this means the ship is being restocked and staffed to start its Rhine cruises on 18 May.  Time will tell.

 

The Passion Play in Oberammergau starts on Saturday.  Scenic (and other river cruise lines) sold itineraries including the play.  Given the issues Scenic has had the past couple of months, I hope it has purchased the tickets needed for clients.  A river cruise can be rescheduled fairly easily, but a miss on securing tickets for the play that passengers were counting on would be a major failure--one that could not be rectified until 2030.

 

[notamermaid]

Can I hear the worry in your voice for your scheduled river cruise in June? Probably needless to say that I think it may be justified. What are the arrangements for you to get to Oberammergau after your cruise as per what you booked with Scenic?

 

I wonder how they would uncouple the Oberammergau stay and the tickets from a river cruise if a river cruise wasn't happening or merged with another one? I can imagine cruisers being rather unhappy about not seeing the Passion play if they cannot secure tickets privately at short notice, would they be able to use their tickets from the Scenic contingent? There would likely be some customer who would decide to come to Germany without the cruise and go to Oberammergau independently.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[loriva]

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Can I hear the worry in your voice for your scheduled river cruise in June? Probably needless to say that I think it may be justified. What are the arrangements for you to get to Oberammergau after your cruise as per what you booked with Scenic?

 

I wonder how they would uncouple the Oberammergau stay and the tickets from a river cruise if a river cruise wasn't happening or merged with another one? I can imagine cruisers being rather unhappy about not seeing the Passion play if they cannot secure tickets privately at short notice, would they be able to use their tickets from the Scenic contingent? There would likely be some customer who would decide to come to Germany without the cruise and go to Oberammergau independently.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Watching, but not yet worried.  But the worry is growing.  As of yesterday, the Scenic website was still selling the "Rhine Highlights" itinerary on Jade departing Amsterdam on 18 May.  But today, the first sailing showing for Jade is 22 June--which is our sailing.  Previous itineraries are on Pearl or Opal.

 

The cruise tour including Oberammergau is also still showing for sale on the Scenic website (it was sold out at one point.)  But others have reported on CC.com that they purchased upgrades from Scenic for cruises cancelled a few days later, so apparently being offered for sale is not a guarantee it will sail. 

 

The Passion Play is part of a land package with Scenic starting in Vienna and ending in Basel (to board the ship).  So, it is already "uncoupled" from the river cruise as long as Scenic has bought the tickets for the play, booked the hotels and tours, secured buses for transport, and has a Tour Director on hand.  Many moving pieces that could go awry.

 

Looks like a long call with my TA is in my near future.  I'm thinking of asking for written confirmation from Scenic that they have purchased tickets for the Passion Play for all those on the cruisetour.  I realize that natural events--such as water level--can cause last-minute changes to river cruise itineraries, but this is not that situation.  This is all about business practices by Scenic and communication with clients.  I'm still holding onto hope based on the positive experiences of others with Scenic this river cruising season.

 

Many thanks,

 

[Linconian]

On 5/10/2022 at 6:33 AM, San999 said:

The ship has about 110 pax, max capacity is about 150. The staff said the first 2 cruises this year were about 60 pax each and then up to 90 pax on the cruise just before this one. Next cruise is almost completely full.
 This is our first trip on Scenic, and third river cruise. We have been on several ocean cruises. We have spoken to other pax who have been on Scenic before and said the food and service on other Scenic cruises was better. A new chef arrived yesterday so it will be interesting to see if the food improves. 
The staff is working very hard and are quite friendly. I do believe they are short staffed and  haven’t been taught properly about service, so not their fault. 

Enjoy your last few days, sincerely hope the new Chef is an improvement!  We have now received Backpacks etc., etc., let the excitement begin!

[San999]

On 5/13/2022 at 8:10 AM, Linconian said:

Enjoy your last few days, sincerely hope the new Chef is an improvement!  We have now received Backpacks etc., etc., let the excitement begin!

The new chef made a big difference and the food has been excellent since then. Really enjoyed the cruise, overall

[pete_coach]

Going on Idylic Rohne, Nice to Lyon in July. Looks like it is sold out for 2022.

Has anyone been on this cruise?

How do you  get from Nice to Tarascon where the ship (boat) is docked? Scenic bus? It is quite a ways away, about 170 miles.

Any tips or information is welcomed.

[Mrs Miggins]

We are on Scenic Sapphire 4th July - 14th on the Rhone.   Plan is train from London to Lyons then returning to London Heathrow by air on the 14th.  Hadn't really thought about it but Tarascon to the airport in Lyons is 3 hours !  Transfers are included but looks like a long day as our flight is shown as departing at 18.00.

[Inthebubble]

1 hour ago, pete_coach said:

Going on Idylic Rohne, Nice to Lyon in July. Looks like it is sold out for 2022.

Has anyone been on this cruise?

How do you  get from Nice to Tarascon where the ship (boat) is docked? Scenic bus? It is quite a ways away, about 170 miles.

Any tips or information is welcomed.

We took the Idylic Rhone trip in 2019. Scenic picked us and others up at the hotel in a luxury bus, then on to the Nice airport for other passengers.  The trip was several hours, but comfortable, and the bus has a bathroom, if needed.  Tarascon seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but suddenly there was the ship!  We were greeted by the ship's captain and crew, offered champagne, and waited in the salon to be called to our stateroom, where our luggage was waiting.  Don't know if health protocols have impacted this process.  It was a wonderful trip!  Suggestion: be out on deck as the ship approaches Avignon, to see the Pont, the ship docks out of sight of it.

I would love to hear from recent Scenic passengers about their experiences, as we are sailing with Scenic again later this summer.

[pete_coach]

1 hour ago, Inthebubble said:

We took the Idylic Rhone trip in 2019. Scenic picked us and others up at the hotel in a luxury bus, then on to the Nice airport for other passengers.  The trip was several hours, but comfortable, and the bus has a bathroom, if needed.  Tarascon seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but suddenly there was the ship!  We were greeted by the ship's captain and crew, offered champagne, and waited in the salon to be called to our stateroom, where our luggage was waiting.  Don't know if health protocols have impacted this process.  It was a wonderful trip!  Suggestion: be out on deck as the ship approaches Avignon, to see the Pont, the ship docks out of sight of it.

I would love to hear from recent Scenic passengers about their experiences, as we are sailing with Scenic again later this summer.

Thank you so much for this information. Getting a response by email or by phone is a huge problem. No one on the phone knows anything and the email responses are equally as uninformative.

We are arriving in Nice 4 days in advance to tour the Cote d'Azur and asked what hotel they are using and the email said they are not using a hotel? Makes no sense as there cannot be 140 people arriving at the airport on the morning of departure LOL

[loriva]

52 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

Thank you so much for this information. Getting a response by email or by phone is a huge problem. No one on the phone knows anything and the email responses are equally as uninformative.

We are arriving in Nice 4 days in advance to tour the Cote d'Azur and asked what hotel they are using and the email said they are not using a hotel? Makes no sense as there cannot be 140 people arriving at the airport on the morning of departure LOL

 

If you haven't already, you might try sending an email directly to the ship.  There is a sticky at the top of the River Cruising board with contact information.  People on CC.com have reported receiving a response that way.  I've tried twice in the past month, however, and still no joy, so "your mileage may vary."

 

[flviking]

Wow! So sorry so many are having all these difficulties. As first time river cruisers this is quite a change.  When we pay over $2k per day for an ocean cruise we are treated very well. On board and shore side.  Our TA recommended Scenic and we have a top level suite.  Among other amenities we are supposed to have private transfers.  We make our own air reservations so we can choose airline/schedule/price trade offs that work for us.  Our TA has been waiting three weeks now for Scenic to tell him (us) the earliest time they can get us to the airport in Nuremberg at the end of our cruise.  I have no concept why this can be so difficult. Don't they dock at the same time every two weeks as the ship goes back and forth between Nuremberg and Budapest? I can't see this as part of their under-investment in IT and their catastrophic hack.  Isn't this on a piece of paper or in someones brain?  Is this normal with Scenic to be so difficult to deal with pre-cruise?

[Inthebubble]

1 hour ago, pete_coach said:

Thank you so much for this information. Getting a response by email or by phone is a huge problem. No one on the phone knows anything and the email responses are equally as uninformative.

We are arriving in Nice 4 days in advance to tour the Cote d'Azur and asked what hotel they are using and the email said they are not using a hotel? Makes no sense as there cannot be 140 people arriving at the airport on the morning of departure LOL

On our 2019 cruise we also arrived early, and Scenic booked us at the Hyatt Regency Nice, a lovely hotel right on the Promenade des Anglais.  It seems Scenic has preferred hotels it uses in its destination cities, and this was the one in Nice.  That way we also had their transfers from the airport and to the ship, even though we arrived early.  Many passengers arrived for the cruise via Marseille, and bused up from there.

On our upcoming trip, which begins in Lyon, they use the Intercontinental Lyon, but we were told their block of rooms was full.  We then booked the Intercontinental directly, and pressed Scenic to provide the transfers, and they have agreed to do so. 

Perhaps you could try that route.  Having the transfers is really helpful.

Like you, I have spent many, many hours on the phone with Scenic trying to make arrangements.  Email has not proved helpful.  You might try asking the reservation person to put you through to their travel department, they seem to be more knowledgeable.  Another wait on hold for them, but they have a call-back feature, and one of them told me they respond to all of those calls the same day (and that has been my experience). 

Good luck, and to be continued!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We took our first Scenic cruise earlier this month.  We were arriving in Paris via train and they agreed that the private transfer benefit would cover picking us up at the station [AMA had refused to cover our transfer to the station in Amsterdam, even though they would have taken us to the airport...]  They sent a car and driver just for us, and we were met inside the train station – made us feel like VIPs to start the trip.

 

You're asking about the end of your cruise.  These arrangements are made by the Cruise Director onboard the ship.  There will be a questionnaire asking for your flight arrangements and requested time.  Don't worry, they will take good care of you.