pontac

That's good to hear. 🙂

No tie or jacket and you're all dressy? Time for a change of husband perhaps?

Well, I can only speak of Scenic and Viking but I found Viking's cabin design superior to Scenic, both in the same class and both same size.

There are so many cruise lines, so many rivers. Which line, which cruise? You don't say where you are, but if you are in the USA look at the American Wine Society website. They organise an annual river cruise with a wine experts, plus often a winery owner and have a very wine focused tour. The boat is operated by a regular cruise company

Regardless of what others are wearing, I like to dress for the evening and I wear a proper shirt with a tie and jacket (and just to head-off ribald comments long trousers also). All the passengers are, at last, smart casual. Of course, that's on Viking, obviously they attract a classier clientele. 😁

Your content has been approved Hi pontac, Your post in a topic was approved Posted in Attire reality Well I did write 'river cruise boat'. I don't understand the second I don't think it was mine, but your use in the section of your post that I quoted. Unfortunately the message from CC Central doesn't give the reason the post raised flags, or which word was approved

@Host Jazzbeau thanks, I guess you had to approve my earlier post that quoted your post that contained a certain word ... It's all getting a bit met*, isn't it? * pick a letter of the alphabet, any letter you like, but the first is correct. 🙂

I agree with you, but..... American hotels have them weighted and even better some have magnets in the hem that affix the bottom of the curtain to the side of the bath tub. But without magnets or weights as the hot water from the shower heats the air around you it rises and cooler air rushed in to take its place wrapping the curtain around ones body..

Funny coincidence - Mrs Pontac asked me over breakfast when the final payment for our August cruise with Viking is due. It's 10 weeks before start of the cruise, on 6 June for cruise starting 15 August. I can't see them getting any bookings in the UK if they demanded full payment as early as they appear to in the USA

Well I did write 'river cruise boat'. I don't understand the second part of the sentence, unless it's referring to a half glass closure on a bath with a shower attachment. If Americans cannot help flooding the bathroom floor then I suppose it shows European sophistication 😁 Good one !! Regarding the use of 'enclosed', maybe it has a different meaning in the US but I understand 'enclosed' as meaning surrounded or closed off on all sides. The showers on AMA definitely do not have glass walls on all sides, as one is the hull of the ship. If that was glass then passers-by would be able to see @Kristal Blade and @Ihsail at their ablutions

😁 I know you clever lot can decode what I would have written if the keen Cruise Critic robot didn't asterisk out words it finds offensive. But should one find carp swimming around without limitations in the spacious glass-enclosed* shower then the boat is probably sinking, and pausing only to take ones spa quality toiletries, make one's way up to the sundeck in one's plush terry robe to await rescue. *means it's got a glass door, like every other river cruise boat. As I said, carp. Cynic? Moi?

You can do more than just revel. You can rejuvenate without limitations when you step into their shower. 🙄 Someone gets paid to write this carp You’ll also step into a spacious glass-enclosed shower, giving you the freedom to rejuvenate without limitations

With Ama you're going to get more than 'plush'. (unless you are cruising in Africa where you get none, or Vietnam & Cambodia where it's just 'bathrobe and slippers). The website photo of the Ama AA cabin shows a bathrobe on the bed, but there's no mention of it in the listed amenities, but hidden away in the FAQs is this: Europe: Each stateroom is equipped with a hair dryer, plush terry bathrobes, slippers and a safe. Your bathroom offers a magnifying mirror and spa-quality toiletries including soaps, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. Vietnam & Cambodia: Each stateroom is equipped with a hair dryer, bathrobes, slippers and a safe. Your bathroom offers toiletries including soaps, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. So, not just plush but plush terry! Enjoy your cruise.

@Kristal Blade there are so many cruise companies, and they have different ships for different routes, so if you want a definitive answer from this forum you need to tell us. But if you're on a Viking Longship AA cabin then you don't get a robe in your stateroom, instead you get "plush robes & slippers" 😁

The word 'exclusive' here is meaningless. Theoretically it's available to everyone on board. (In actuality it's open only to the first 10 people on that cruise who book the session.) Note that guests are encouraged to sample, not that that Scenic will supply them.

W Well, blow me down. The packet for our April 2023 cruise has arrived and we've got real leather luggage tags again!

Regarding 'adventurous', we booked Viking across the Great Lakes, from Duluth to Toronto in September this year the found out it was too adventurous for us with paddling ones own canoe and trekking in virgin forest.. We rebooked a more sedate Rhone cruise. Viking Expeditions.. They even have a submarine, but you don't get to drive it, they do that for you... Just Saying......

If the city that is being toured is not on the river then no matter which cruise company you go with, since they all travel on the same rivers, passengers need to travel to that city to do the tour. So perhaps you should look at rivers where boats can moor in or a short distance from major cities. I'm thinking Budapest, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris... I can't help with cool and unusual adventures, tho'. 😐

Since you are Scenic's greatest cheerleader on this board, and since you think he should know and since you know how to contact him, perhaps you could give him the link to my report and ask him to comment - in particular why were indirect flights used instead of the available non-stop flights? why were the cabins not ready till 17:30? why did the boat run out of food at two meals? why was a sparkling substitute served when Champagne was specifically requested? what was used to refill the breakfast Moet & Chandon bottles, and is this official Scenic practice? link https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2879417-review-of-beautiful-bordeaux-11-day-cruise-on-scenic-diamond-from-17-august-to-27-august-2022-with-comparisons-to-viking/

I've no idea who this person is.

What you get varies from year to year. In 10 years of river cruising Viking have never given a back, they used to give various small packs for passports, valuables etc, then a cloth bag that could also be used for an electronic tablet . Last year they didn't give these. But they've always given bright red luggage tags. Since we never used the various bags and wallets from Viking we didn't mind not getting them. The luggage tags are great for spotting your luggage on an airport carousal and we have them permantly on our cases. They also send a self adhesive large badge for you to stick to your shirt so you can be identified by the Viking welcome team at the airport. Since they are all in bright red Viking clothes, carry red Viking clip boards and stand right outside the arrivals channel we've never had a problem spotting them, and the red tags on our cases identify us. So we do not wear the badge.

No one's room was ready. We all sat in the lounge for three+ hours. No one came to update us, serve drinks or snacks. Every 40 minutes or so someone would go to reception, then come back shaking their head at the expectant faces in the lounge. So Scenic had two black marks from us even before the cruise started. We finally got access to our room at 17:30. Dinner was at 19:00 and there was a 'welcome' briefing before that. As this was the first time we'd been with Scenic we went along. The tour manager’s talk was before dinner but didn’t contain anything useful, except that daily schedules weren’t printed but a copy would be on reception desk each morning and we should photograph it so we had a copy. Also to photograph the gate code of the landing jetty so we could get on board if the gate was closed. And no we didn't ask the Butler for a light snack in our cabin because we didn't have a cabin and because we'd had a decent lunch at 12:30 in a restaurant. 'Our Butler' is Scenic marketing hyperbole for a member of the crew who serviced the entire floor. Detailed report on the cruise is here

It's wise to check, of course. But I've never known one done in the dark, or on the first day. People are flying in from all around the world, some will be delayed so people might be arriving quite late. Scenic (& Viking and I expect others) serve a light lunch for early arrivals. But Scenic carefully arranged our hotel pickup to be at 14:00 so we arrived too late for the free lunch. You will get the time for your pickup in your travel documentation that will be sent to you. If you decide to miss it you will have to arrange your own travel to the boat. Best phone the boat - number in the documentation and as per the link above = to let them know tour ETA/

There never is anything crucial said at such meetings. Go ahead and do what you want to do. You can always ask the Cruise Director later if you missed anything and they'll tell you. You won't have missed anything.. It's not rocket science. If you are savvy enough to arrange an evening at the opera on your own, then there's nothing of any import that you'll miss. Everything is in your pre-cruise documentation. And that's dross.

Unfortunately a lot of cruisers now are not. I've pondered elsewhere on this forum that whereas the first cruises were packed with people wanted to immerse themselves in Bordeaux - and also immerse a lot of Bordeaux in themselves - now there are many now who take this cruise because they've been on all the other rives and this is one more. Bilbao is the only Guggenheim I've been to, so cannot compare. There's a lot of Jeff Koons tat (perhaps I should say art) and there was an exhibition of a US street artist who died young and whose scribbles (art) is now worth a fortune. Guess I wasn't knocked out. But Rioja is bliss!