prisage

On 4/3/2024 at 9:16 PM, DougK said:

This is not a big deal at all, but still a little disappointing:

 

I'm going on a Scenic cruise next month, starting in Basel. I'm fortunate enough to be in a suite that qualifies for private transfers. The problem is that I'm not flying in the day of the cruise; instead, I'm going to be in Switzerland, travelling around and doing some other sightseeing for the week before the cruise, ending up at a hotel in Basel the night before the cruise. From a pure standpoint of logic, one would think that Scenic would be willing to provide a transfer from the hotel to the ship. After all, sending a private car 3 or 4 miles is a lot less expensive than sending one over 50 miles to the Zurich airport. But Scenic doesn't see it that way. I inquired (through my travel agent) and was told that the transfer only applies to the airport--if we want to go back to the Zurich airport that morning, then they'll provide a transfer. I completely understand the logic if it was a general (not private) transfer, where they're accumulating passengers from multiple flights before transferring, but here it's a private car, so it's literally Scenic choosing to send a car 50 miles, but refusing to send it 4 miles.

 

As I said, not a big deal at all--we can easily get a cab. And it's more or less what I expected, since I didn't really think Scenic would pay attention to logic. But still a little disappointing, and a poor choice on Scenic's part considering the goodwill they would have garnered by providing a transfer at not much cost to themselves.

I need to book a Basel hotel, do you have one you would recommend?

On 4/13/2024 at 3:01 PM, 1of4 said:

Finishing up with the laundry…we left the bag on our bed this morning and it was folded and waiting for me after lunch. 

As long as you keep the bag to the right quantity, can you send in another bag later in the cruise? When I read it, it sounded like you could only send in one bag over the cruise of the seven day cruise. Your review is so appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to post here. 

1 hour ago, 1of4 said:

To compare embarkation is fruitless and unfair. It is an apples to oranges situation. They both float but one holds 1,200 - 2,000 passengers and the other 163. So no queues, no paper checking, no security screening. We got our ID cards at the concierge desk and were escorted to our cabin. We then had a drink in the lounge followed by lunch. Crew were standing in the lobby greeting every new passenger. 
 

It is so nice to be back aboard a floating vessel!  I already attended a stroopwafel demonstration  and had a meeting with the head chef, restaurant manager and the bar manager to review my dietary restriction. 

Thank you for posting your images. I would love hearing your impressions- good and bad and any suggestions for items to be sure and pack.

On 3/31/2024 at 10:02 AM, 1of4 said:

Yes they are very different.  I remember some members of this board being curious and asking questions. So if a river cruise is something you may be considering and you have questions on how it compares to a HAL cruise I’m willing to take pictures and answer questions to the best of my ability. 
 

Why did we choose Scenic?  Well just as I did before choosing HAL, I did an analysis of costs, inclusions, cabin types, etc. Looking at cost only, Scenic was one of the most expensive in 2018 but with cost of inclusions factored in, it quickly became one of the most cost effective. 
 

We will be on the Scenic Jade. It is 135 m in length and takes 163 passengers  in 80/82 cabins on 3 decks with 55 crew. Its gross tonnage is 2721. It has 3 restaurants plus in room dining for most cabins, a lounge with bar, a salt therapy lounge, a sun lounge, a wellness centre and a fitness centre. 

I am taking the Scenic Pearl on June 19th Basel to Mainz/Frankfurt. This is my first river cruise. Really excited about going. We are HAL Mariners as well. Looking forward to a new kind of cruising.

On 10/10/2021 at 3:30 PM, nimi17 said:

Make sure your hands are free as you’ll need to hold up the documents yourself! They are not allowed to touch them although YMMV as I saw some indeed handling them (your paperwork).

 

Required documents:

1) passport

2) vax card

3) COVID test result

4) boarding pass

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.  All of the unknowns have been stressful.  So looking forward to our 11/7 cruise.