What is going on with Scenic Cruises

[loriva]

On 5/29/2022 at 3:11 AM, DougK said:

 

Something strange is definitely happening with the transponders. It would appear that *two* ships have been reporting as the Pearl, starting on the 27th. The tracking showed that the Pearl came down the Rhine as expected on the 27th to Kehl, arriving around 6:00A, and then left around 1:30P (a normal stop), continuing on down the Rhine and stopping again at Rastatt around 7:00P (for the evening concert). But *also* on the 27th, it shows the Pearl suddenly appearing at about 8:00A around Düsseldorf and travelling up the Rhine, stopping in Cologne for the day, and coming close to Bonn past midnight. And just to complicate matters, the tracking site defaults to showing this phantom track on the map; you have to move the map to see the real track around Kehl and Rastatt showing up as well. On the 28th, it also shows the Pearl twice, once continuing down the Rhine from Rastatt, stopping at Mannheim, but also continuing up the Rhine from Bonn to Koblenz. 

 

I would say that one of the other Scenic ships accidentally switched their transponder to report as the Pearl, but that doesn't seem right, since none of the other ships in the area have disappeared. So I have no clue as to what ship is doing the phantom reporting, or what's going on. But it looks like the (real) Pearl is proceeding on the normal Romantic Rhine and Moselle itinerary.

 

Looks like the transponder issue--whatever it was--has been fixed.  The http://www.anyoverip.de/scenic/index.php?ship=Pearl track now shows just ONE Scenic Pearl.  The ship looks like it spent about 8 hours in Koblenz and has now made the turn onto the Moselle River.  So, back to what looks like the Pearl sailing the "Romantic Rhine and Moselle" itinerary that was to be using the Scenic Jade at this time.  The latter is still docked in Duisburg.

 

[English Tim]

On 5/24/2022 at 7:16 AM, English Tim said:

Sadly this thread is full of complaints and pre-cruise enquiries, but very little post cruise information from those who have returned home.

 

Please post reviews to help the rest of us who may be anxious.

 

We are also due to cruise on Ruby from Budapest to Amsterdam in August position, but this has now been cancelled and we have been offered Jade on the reverse itinerary on the same dates. This has meant a change of suite grade, with so far a derisory offer of compensation (less than we originally paid for the upgrade)!

 

I’ll keep you all informed of any changes.

We’ve now accepted the reverse itinerary on Jade, theoretically losing our benefits of two items pressed each day and a degustation dinner. I had asked to transfer to Amsterdam on the Eurostar, but we have been booked from Heathrow. Early start too, as we have to check in at 06.20.

[Canal archive]

English Tim have they put you on Sapphire deck? We had an early Heathrow start one year apart from the time really good, Heathrow was almost empty, have you got transfer if so try to negotiate extra mileage. Plus what level are you - Gold, Platinum etc?

[CJANDH]

Seven days out from our June 8 cruise and still nothing from Scenic about a change in boat or cancellation because Jade is out of commission. Also, no final paperwork. Surely it would not be hard to send an email explaining what is going on. It is ridiculous that this board has to undertake a detective case to try to find out!

[notamermaid]

22 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

It is ridiculous that this board has to undertake a detective case to try to find out!

It is quite ridiculous, I fully agree. Inspired by photo evidence I presented in a meeting yesterday, I thought: "Hang on, why not send an e-mail with screenshot of the Scenic Jade in the shipyard to Scenic headquarters?" I am still suggesting that but lo and behold right now the Jade is sailing! Another engine testing trip downstream or more?

 

marinetraffic and vesselfinder are in agreement that she is underway using engine.

 

notamermaid

 

[loriva]

37 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

Seven days out from our June 8 cruise and still nothing from Scenic about a change in boat or cancellation because Jade is out of commission. Also, no final paperwork. Surely it would not be hard to send an email explaining what is going on. It is ridiculous that this board has to undertake a detective case to try to find out!

 

From what Scenic representatives have told our TA, Scenic does not even begin to process the final documents until two weeks before sailings/trips.  The earliest people have reported receiving documents is one week out and others have reported not receiving hard copies until after they have departed for their trips.  The Trip Personalizer on Scenic's website closes (goes to "finalization" status) 30 days out, so not sure why the delay in processing.  At this point past the resolution of the problems from the hack on the IT system, you'd have thought the company could have made progress on the processing and be back to the 2-4 weeks they list as the window for delivery of final documents.

The good news is people have reported receiving final documents in email and no one has reported being denied boarding as a result of not having a hard-copy boarding pass in hand.  The capacity of river ships is small enough that they board you from their list of passengers not what docs you have.

 

[loriva]

On 5/28/2022 at 10:22 AM, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

Is there something in the documents that you think you need to have in hand?

We are due to start our cruisetour (including a sailing on Jade scheduled to start on 22 June in Basel) in 15 days and not a peep from Scenic.  Since our tour starts with a land package, it would be nice to have confirmation of hotels.  Our TA asked Scenic and received a list of hotels earlier in the year, so we booked a night prior to the start of our cruisetour at the hotel that we think Scenic is using in Vienna.  It would be good to have this confirmed, however, so we can cancel the current hotel before the penalty kicks in and book appropriately if the hotel has changed.  Since few activities and meals are included in the first week (the land portion of the cruise tour) confirmation of all hotels would help us plan our touring as well as select restaurants.  I also like to plan out public transportation to sights, etc. prior to a trip rather than spending my valuable vacation time doing so.  And, while I think it will be unlikely, I still hold out hope the final documents will provide some information on the length of included tours and port time (and availability of shuttles if we are docked outside the city center) so we can have a sense of what else we can fit in during our time at each port.  As a result of changes from the pandemic, many museums now require booking a entry (generally in 15-minute blocks) and some are booked up a week or two in advance, making not finding out about timing until one has boarded problematic as the busy tourist season kicks off.

[mvjcruise]

On 5/27/2022 at 11:02 AM, CJANDH said:

I think he might be referring to help getting a covid test to fly back to the USA. I have the same question.

On our Jade cruise, they gave out a list of sites where testing is available. You were on your own to actually get the test.

 

[English Tim]

7 hours ago, Canal archive said:

English Tim have they put you on Sapphire deck? We had an early Heathrow start one year apart from the time really good, Heathrow was almost empty, have you got transfer if so try to negotiate extra mileage. Plus what level are you - Gold, Platinum etc?

We will be Platinum and get completely free transfers. We are also BA Gold (for 12 months)! The entitles us to breakfast in First lounge and free seat selection.

 

We did ask for Eurostar to Amsterdam, but I believe they used the same booking reference for BA, which probably allowed them to transfer the flights free of charge.

 

We are indeed on Sapphire deck in deluxe balcony suite.

[Marika71]

I am very sorry you are having this experience. Unfortunately, this seems the MO of this company. They are having staff, technical and shortage issues.  
We were originally booked on Crystal and since they went up in flames, we were booked on Scenic as a consolation price. But that was a huge mistake. We spent months trying to get answers, a phone call back, confirmation; anything. 
They blamed it on a computer hacking or website issue. Right, they don’t reply their emails or phone calls because their site got hacked. It’s inexcusable. And our cruise agent didn’t have better luck. So Scenic makes them look incompetent. The little information I received I was able to find on Marine traffic and also here on Cruise Critic. Scenic doesn’t even tell you where you are exactly do king or going until 24 hours or less of arrival so you can’t plan for transportation on your own. 
Since they don’t respond or answer to your requests for tour reservations or even transportation; you are left on your own until last minute. 
I am a very organized, savvy traveler and Scenic truly made me age several years from this stress. 
Once onboard, the employees try as hard as they can to give you great service and provide for guests. But the infrastructure and their customer service is lacking if not non existent. 
We did Amsterdam-Basel during Easter. Like you, we wanted to do the land portion they offered but we never heard anything from them. No confirmation or anything. So I told our TA we would arrange it ourselves. We booked our own excursions and tours as we never got a hold of anyone. We didn’t even receive as much as a brochure or detailed info. The only contact Inreceived was two days before departure and it was still very generic info. No airport pick up confirmation nor hotel. So we booked our own and after cross checking with fellow cruisers, we were so much better off. We stayed in a better hotel for much less and toured better as well (thanks Viator, they have a 24 cancellation policy).

If you can arrange for Uber or taxis on your own at the ports, you will be better off. Unless they dock in some remote place with nothing around it, which then you will be forced to go with their buses and drive for hours to a location where the competition (I.e.,Viking) has docked just minutes away. 
We were able to book the night before as the complimentary internet worked mostly ok (unless you are in river locks). 
As for museums, again, check Viator and trip advisor. We were able to book sold out places and coveted tickets last minute and also in advance with a good cancellation policy that allowed us to reprogram as needed.

I understand you want to relax. But with this company it’s hard to as they don’t have their stuff together. They are disorganized and borderline incompetent. 
Never again.

[PhD-iva]

2 minutes ago, Marika71 said:

I am very sorry you are having this experience. Unfortunately, this seems the MO of this company. They are having staff, technical and shortage issues.  
We were originally booked on Crystal and since they went up in flames, we were booked on Scenic as a consolation price. But that was a huge mistake. We spent months trying to get answers, a phone call back, confirmation; anything. 
They blamed it on a computer hacking or website issue. Right, they don’t reply their emails or phone calls because their site got hacked. It’s inexcusable. And our cruise agent didn’t have better luck. So Scenic makes them look incompetent. The little information I received I was able to find on Marine traffic and also here on Cruise Critic. Scenic doesn’t even tell you where you are exactly do king or going until 24 hours or less of arrival so you can’t plan for transportation on your own. 
Since they don’t respond or answer to your requests for tour reservations or even transportation; you are left on your own until last minute. 
I am a very organized, savvy traveler and Scenic truly made me age several years from this stress. 
Once onboard, the employees try as hard as they can to give you great service and provide for guests. But the infrastructure and their customer service is lacking if not non existent. 
We did Amsterdam-Basel during Easter. Like you, we wanted to do the land portion they offered but we never heard anything from them. No confirmation or anything. So I told our TA we would arrange it ourselves. We booked our own excursions and tours as we never got a hold of anyone. We didn’t even receive as much as a brochure or detailed info. The only contact Inreceived was two days before departure and it was still very generic info. No airport pick up confirmation nor hotel. So we booked our own and after cross checking with fellow cruisers, we were so much better off. We stayed in a better hotel for much less and toured better as well (thanks Viator, they have a 24 cancellation policy).

If you can arrange for Uber or taxis on your own at the ports, you will be better off. Unless they dock in some remote place with nothing around it, which then you will be forced to go with their buses and drive for hours to a location where the competition (I.e.,Viking) has docked just minutes away. 
We were able to book the night before as the complimentary internet worked mostly ok (unless you are in river locks). 
As for museums, again, check Viator and trip advisor. We were able to book sold out places and coveted tickets last minute and also in advance with a good cancellation policy that allowed us to reprogram as needed.

I understand you want to relax. But with this company it’s hard to as they don’t have their stuff together. They are disorganized and borderline incompetent. 
Never again.

I couldn’t agree more! Never again!

[English Tim]

I don’t know whether  posters are aware but if you have a booking reference from Scenic (6 digits), you can go to your booking under manage my booking.

[loriva]

27 minutes ago, English Tim said:

I don’t know whether  posters are aware but if you have a booking reference from Scenic (6 digits), you can go to your booking under manage my booking.

 

I can't speak for others, but, yes, I am aware of the Trip Personalizer.  It provided no information on the land portion of our cruisetour, no information on the cruise itinerary, and limited information on the excursions for booking.  On the latter, only about half the ports offered the ability to book a choice of excursions--and the descriptions provided were only a short sentence.  No information on how long, if there would be free time afterwards, or other useful detail.  Everything else has to be booked onboard.

 

And as I mentioned in post #381 the Trip Personaliser closed 30 days before the scheduled start of our tour.  It just says "This booking is locked for finalisation. Please contact our Reservations centre if you need to make any changes."  In comparison to the guest portals for Crystal (our only sailed river cruise) or Viking (booked for December), the information on the Trip Personaliser is extremely sparse.  Crystal also offered a River Concierge email address where you could send questions or requests when you were past the reservations stage but not yet onboard--and they responded.

 

Again, we remain hopeful things will work out.  And I will report in as unbiased a fashion as possible our experiences when underway.  But as @Marika71 said, it is not a stress-free start to our journey.

 

[paul21]

8 hours ago, loriva said:

 

I can't speak for others, but, yes, I am aware of the Trip Personalizer.  It provided no information on the land portion of our cruisetour, no information on the cruise itinerary, and limited information on the excursions for booking.  On the latter, only about half the ports offered the ability to book a choice of excursions--and the descriptions provided were only a short sentence.  No information on how long, if there would be free time afterwards, or other useful detail.  Everything else has to be booked onboard.

 

And as I mentioned in post #381 the Trip Personaliser closed 30 days before the scheduled start of our tour.  It just says "This booking is locked for finalisation. Please contact our Reservations centre if you need to make any changes."  In comparison to the guest portals for Crystal (our only sailed river cruise) or Viking (booked for December), the information on the Trip Personaliser is extremely sparse.  Crystal also offered a River Concierge email address where you could send questions or requests when you were past the reservations stage but not yet onboard--and they responded.

 

Again, we remain hopeful things will work out.  And I will report in as unbiased a fashion as possible our experiences when underway.  But as @Marika71 said, it is not a stress-free start to our journey.

 

Part of the lack of detail is because the cruise director has to finalize the itinerary pretty much the day before you're in port. The reason is that transit times on rivers vary greatly depending on traffic, especially demand for locks. The earliest they published an itinerary with actual times was 7p the night before, and even then the port arrival times were off sometimes by several hours. 

 

Yes the port talks the day before have a lot more details, and it would be great if they were available, but several tour stops were opened only weeks before due to constantly changing COVID restrictions. I'd be pretty surprised if you asked the cruise director to change activities and were denied. 

 

If you want to get a better idea of the activities I would recommend watching the getaway promo videos for the relevant portion of your cruise. 

 

Ams-bud 

There's a part two you can find.

 

 

 

Rhine highlights ams-zrh with a part two somewhere. 

 

Keep in mind these are somewhat older and also for different duration journeys.

 

Another Danube one:

 

 

 

Siene:

 

 

 

 

They'll cover pretty much one excursion per port, might not be the one you want, and will likely have some stuff that's not offered anymore. There are a few other rivers by the same production company for Scenic, sometimes for the same river just updated or with a different personality, but you can find a few.

 

 

Some other things that I see:

  - The 6 course dining is only for the Royal suites on an 8 day cruise, not the entire top floor except for longer cruises, everyone still gets portabellos 

  - laundry is available every day with a 24 hour turn typically except the day before the fancy event

  - the hair salon was closed, massage still available 

 

 

[Fouremco]

12 hours ago, paul21 said:

Part of the lack of detail is because the cruise director has to finalize the itinerary pretty much the day before you're in port. The reason is that transit times on rivers vary greatly depending on traffic, especially demand for locks. The earliest they published an itinerary with actual times was 7p the night before, and even then the port arrival times were off sometimes by several hours. 

 

Yes the port talks the day before have a lot more details, and it would be great if they were available, but several tour stops were opened only weeks before due to constantly changing COVID restrictions. I'd be pretty surprised if you asked the cruise director to change activities and were denied. 

 

If you want to get a better idea of the activities I would recommend watching the getaway promo videos for the relevant portion of your cruise. 

 

Ams-bud 

There's a part two you can find.

 

 

 

Rhine highlights ams-zrh with a part two somewhere. 

 

Keep in mind these are somewhat older and also for different duration journeys.

 

Another Danube one:

 

 

 

Siene:

 

 

 

 

They'll cover pretty much one excursion per port, might not be the one you want, and will likely have some stuff that's not offered anymore. There are a few other rivers by the same production company for Scenic, sometimes for the same river just updated or with a different personality, but you can find a few.

 

 

Some other things that I see:

  - The 6 course dining is only for the Royal suites on an 8 day cruise, not the entire top floor except for longer cruises, everyone still gets portabellos 

  - laundry is available every day with a 24 hour turn typically except the day before the fancy event

  - the hair salon was closed, massage still available 

 

 

Here's Episode #2 for the Getaway 8 Day Rhine Highlights for those interested:

 

 

[CJANDH]

Just received my cruise docs via email for the June 8 Jade cruise from Amsterdam. Still says we will sail on Jade.

[Canal archive]

Fantastic

[loriva]

18 hours ago, CJANDH said:

Just received my cruise docs via email for the June 8 Jade cruise from Amsterdam. Still says we will sail on Jade.

 

Thanks for the update--and happy you have the documents.  So it looks like one week out is when to start monitoring email for the documents.

 

Please do report back on the cruise--starting with which ship you actually board, of course!

 

[loriva]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:41 PM, paul21 said:

Part of the lack of detail is because the cruise director has to finalize the itinerary pretty much the day before you're in port. The reason is that transit times on rivers vary greatly depending on traffic, especially demand for locks. The earliest they published an itinerary with actual times was 7p the night before, and even then the port arrival times were off sometimes by several hours. 

 

Thanks for the update on your experience.  We have done one river cruise previously so we understand the fluid nature.  The difference in what we received on planned tours prior to sailing on that cruise versus what is provided by Scenic is still night and day.  Scenic has information from its tour operators on what is planned to be included--but they seem to have chosen not to share it with customers.  All they need to do to cover themselves in case of delays or otherwise is a simple statement that tours may vary due to conditions on the river.

 

And the difference extends to the land portion of our cruisetour.  We have seven days with Scenic on land prior to starting our river cruise.  Few of the conditions affecting river cruising impact the land portion (yes, you could be delayed by an accident or other traffic condition on the road as well).  But the lack of information from Scenic is the same for the land portion.  Here are some apple-to-apple comparisons between tours offered on the land portion of our upcoming Scenic cruisetour versus our upcoming Viking one:

     --Full Scenic description of tour in Salzburg:  Visit one of the city’s famed salt mines where the ‘white gold’ has been mined since the Neolithic age.

     --Viking description:  0900-1300 hours -- FESTIVE BERLIN (Code:  DEBERSEI04)  EXPLORE A HISTORIC CAPITAL AND STROLL CHRISTMAS MARKET STALLS -- Immerse yourself in Berlin’s past and present as you tour the city’s sights and shop for festive treats.  Meet your guide and embark on a scenic drive by motor coach along Unter den Linden, across the Schlossbrücke, or Palace Bridge, and past the breathtaking neo-Renaissance Berliner Dom (cathedral, on Museum Island).  Stop at the open-air East Side Gallery and admire the paintings along a section of the Berlin Wall before heading to the Old Town.  Witness the imposing Brandenburg Gate, an entry into the city through which Napoleon once marched and a former symbol of a city once divided.  At Checkpoint Charlie, discover stories of brave Berliners who tried to pass between East and West Berlin.  After your panoramic tour, take a stroll around one of Berlin’s yuletide markets and enjoy the festive aromas of spiced glühwein and cinnamon-filled treats as you browse the colorful market stalls.  4 hours; Moderate--Walking portions may be somewhat challenging with occasional step-ups, stairs, and inclines.  Total time walking or standing normally ranges from 1.5-3 hours. 

 

 

 

[pete_coach]

On 5/31/2022 at 8:23 AM, CJANDH said:

Seven days out from our June 8 cruise and still nothing from Scenic about a change in boat or cancellation because Jade is out of commission. Also, no final paperwork. Surely it would not be hard to send an email explaining what is going on. It is ridiculous that this board has to undertake a detective case to try to find out!

A lot of posts about changes of boats.

I am not sure why as all boats are spaceships and they are all the same.

We had the misfortune of having to change boats 3 times due to low water levels (Budapest to Amsterdam) and all the boats were the same except maybe some furniture was different colours.

[Canal archive]

Could it be something to do with marketing much as all Viking vessels are referred to as longships.

[jimmymac613]

3 hours ago, pete_coach said:

A lot of posts about changes of boats.

I am not sure why as all boats are spaceships and they are all the same.

We had the misfortune of having to change boats 3 times due to low water levels (Budapest to Amsterdam) and all the boats were the same except maybe some furniture was different colours.

 

Actually, the spaceships are not exactly the same.  They are laid out very similarly but some of the cabins are different.  On the Jade there was a choice of Balcony Suites or Deluxe Balcony Suites (slightly larger).  If we are switched to the Pearl this ship only has Balcony Suites and no Deluxe Balcony Suites.  That is an upgrade that we paid $500/pp for.

[jimmymac613]

On 6/1/2022 at 1:30 PM, CJANDH said:

Just received my cruise docs via email for the June 8 Jade cruise from Amsterdam. Still says we will sail on Jade.

 

Did your cruise docs mention anything about where the ship will be located?  Are you staying at the Doubletree Centraal Station?  That's where it says our pick-up will be on the 8th.

[CJANDH]

12 minutes ago, jimmymac613 said:

 

Did your cruise docs mention anything about where the ship will be located?  Are you staying at the Doubletree Centraal Station?  That's where it says our pick-up will be on the 8th.

No. Just Amsterdam Pier. Yes we are staying at the DoubleTree Centraal.

[jimmymac613]

19 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

No. Just Amsterdam Pier. Yes we are staying at the DoubleTree Centraal.

 

We leave tomorrow and no backpacks yet- oh well!  Don't really need them anyways.