Scenic evening dining

i would be most grateful if someone could tell me the current position regarding dinner on board the Jasper. I am not clear as to what is meant by open sitting. Am I to understand that guests can arrive for dinner at any time between 7pm and 9pm as is the case with ocean cruising. Other postings give the impression that it is a fixed sitting starting at 7pm rather than a true open sitting. Any information from recent cruisers on Scenic would be appreciated.

Are you really talking about open sitting, or open seating? Open seating means no assigned tables; you can sit with whomever you want and change it from day to day.

I am sorry if my terminology is confusing. I understand that it is open seating in that there are no pre-arranged tables. What I am trying to establish is whether guests are expected to arrive for dinner at 7pm or whether they can turn up at any time during the opening hours of the restaurant. To be clear, is it open sitting or fixed time sitting?

This is the dining section. I don't think it totally addresses your question.

https://www.scenicusa.com/ships/on-board-amenities

Obviously for the tasting menus there would be one sitting, i.e. in Table La Rive and Portobellos or L'Amour. There are other locations where you can eat at any time. It doesn't really answer about the main dining room.

We tended to go to dinner around 7:45 or 8pm. Most went when the doors opened at 7pm.

It is not fixed time seating excepted for the two specialty dining experiences: Table 'Rive and Portobellos. Table 'Rive is only for certain guests. Everyone gets an opportunity to dine at Portobellos but it is not required.

If you want a particular seat ex. near a window or a table for two or if you want to sit with a group, you are better off going early to get what you want.

Thank you for your replies. I was hoping this was the case. 7pm is a little early for us.

On our Scenic cruise last June most people gathered in the lounge to hear the cruise director go over the itinerary for the following day over cocktails. Then at 7 pm everyone went down to the dining room. While there may have been a few who came to the dining room later, the majority entered at 7.

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On our Scenic cruise last June most people gathered in the lounge to hear the cruise director go over the itinerary for the following day over cocktails. Then at 7 pm everyone went down to the dining room. While there may have been a few who came to the dining room later, the majority entered at 7.

While I agree that most do, please enjoy your vacation the way you prefer. 7pm is very early for us when we are in Europe and we do not like being rushed or herded. For what Scenic (and others) charge for their cruises, flexibility should be a given IMO.

It is one of the things I dislike about most lines, the mad rush and push to get to the dining room when the doors open. I find it uncivilized. Uniworld was great about dining and we could show up whenever we wanted for dinner.

There isn't a mad rush to the dining room on a river cruise as there's approx 160 passengers as opposed to an ocean cruise where there are far more entering the dining room. Whether you choose to eat at 7.00 or 8.00 you will find it very orderly and civilised. We were ready to eat near to 7.00 after our busy days of walking around the villages, but if you wish to dine later when it's quieter, you'll be able to do so. You may not meet as many new people at that time though.

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The "mad rush" is because the dining room opens as the Cruise Director's preview of the next day ends, so everyone just moves from the lounge to the dining room. Even if you decide to dine later, you do not want to miss the CD's talk.

IMO get to the Cruise Director's preview early if you want a seat. Get a cocktail or glass of wine. Come late and it can be standing room only.

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IMO get to the Cruise Director's preview early if you want a seat. Get a cocktail or glass of wine. Come late and it can be standing room only.

Don't know which ships you are referring to. On the AMA ships we sailed there are exactly as many seats in the lounge as passengers on the ship.

Don't know which ships you are referring to. On the AMA ships we sailed there are exactly as many seats in the lounge as passengers on the ship.

To clarify: I should have said if you want a "good" seat. On Scenic Opal (the OP was asking about Scenic dining) the bar is a rectangular area in the lounge with table and seating around it. If you were in the forward area, you could hear the Cruise Director but not clearly see him since he stood in the larger area where the door from the lobby is located. People who came in late tended to stand so that they could see the Cruise Director.

Thank you all for your replies. We are about to do our first river cruise on the Jasper and this will be a totally new experience for us. I am pleased to note that we not be bucking the trend if we turn up for dinner after 7pm and that there is flexibility built into the system.

On a different note, how can we establish the times that we will be arriving and leaving the various ports of call. I understand that times may not be set in stone but will we be given some indication as to how long we will be spending at each stop prior to our embarkation. Will this information be included in our cruise documents when they arrive?

Once again your replies will most welcome.

On a different note, how can we establish the times that we will be arriving and leaving the various ports of call. I understand that times may not be set in stone but will we be given some indication as to how long we will be spending at each stop prior to our embarkation. Will this information be included in our cruise documents when they arrive?

Probably not. You generally get this the night before.

Not in the documents, we were told at the cruise directors talk the evening before.

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A few ports have info online about when river ships are expected in port ex Antwerp and Amsterdam. Note "expected".

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Once again thanks for your replies. I do find it odd that they cannot give at least some ball park figure as to how long you will be moored at a particular destination. The river cruise lines have done these schedules on a frequent basis so must have some idea of the length of the visit.

My reason for asking is if here is a particular tour or visit you want to plan in advance, it is difficult to organise unless you have some notion of how long you will be staying at that particular location.

When there are locks to consider, and lots of traffic on the rivers, unfortunately plans can change at the last minute. Not to mention the issue of water levels potentially changing everything. Some people on these boards have had results by contacting the cruise company directly, but anything they send out will be subject to change.

Charleyben, what cruise are you on? Perhaps people who have been on the same route will have info. Also, depending on the water level

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Con't the ship may not reach certain sports at all.

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We are on the Romantic Rhine and Moselle departing 26th April.

My reason for asking is if here is a particular tour or visit you want to plan in advance, it is difficult to organise unless you have some notion of how long you will be staying at that particular location.

This is pretty much why they do not give much information in advance.

They genuinely cannot give you anything in advance that you can depend upon as things can and do change.

If you are happy to take the risk that any private arrangements you make may not actually be possible then you can get a rough idea from the itinerary on which ports you are scheduled to be in for the morning or afternoon but personally I wouldn't be inclined to plan anything expensive or impossible to cancel at short notice.

We are on the Romantic Rhine and Moselle departing 26th April.

Pulled out my 2017 Scenic brochure. Looks like you will have a busy time. When we went from Budapest to Nuremberg, we really did not have a lot of free time. IMO get familiar with the ports where you might have some time and become familiar with what is there. Ex we will be in Veere in a few weeks and plan to take the Delta Works tour. We will explore Veere on our own.

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