Ozjohnno

I read that Scenic was appealing the verdict. Did they actually pay the money or is it still in the courts?

 

 

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I believe the case was finalised in 2017. Perhaps the attached news article may help. I'm an Australian and have never used Scenic and never will.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-31/scenic-tours-lose-class-action-over-bus-travel-europe-flood/8859668

I realise I haven't posted or cruised in quite a while and I only looked up this thread for a friend who like everyone is worried about low water levels. Somehow I'm not surprised that Scenic is still using its old tricks even after their massive payout to past Australian cruisers in the class action lawsuit they lost in similar circumstances, low water issues and their web of half truths. My friend will be praying for rain.

Remember that the CD is an independent contractor. If you don't tip, the rest of the crew still get their (meager) salaries -- but the CD gets zip, nada, nothing.

I'll have to take your word for that mate but in the case of Tauck and Scenic the CD's are company employees. Working for tips alone is not a job I can see many taking on.

 

Compensation includes a 30% credit to a future cruise to be taken before Dec 2018.

 

In tenr

You were the one that used the term "compensation". All I did was query the definition. I'm glad your happy with your cruise and new itinerary but I would still think that you were offered a new future marketing deal that has a time limitation. not compensation.

It might just be that I'm Australian and don't understand but how in heck is a discount off a future cruise considered to be compensation?

I was always taught that compensation was defined as .."something, typically money, awarded to someone in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury".

For the like of me I can't see how a marketing tool to discount a future cruise you may or may nor be able to afford or want to take is considered compensation.

If you're looking for an all-inclusive cruise then neither AMA or Uniworld are all-inclusive.

Did a number of land tours with Insight and wasn't impressed. Far too many "optional extra's", TG's that were not of the standard I expected and the hotels they used were not of a very high standard. I will say their coaches were quite roomy. I haven't used Insight for a few years now and they might have improved but they'll never be in the same class as a Tauck land tour.

Tauck also have suites of 330sq ft. They also carry far less passengers than their competitors and the crew/passenger ratio is also much better. I've cruised twice with Tauck and the 150sq ft cabin didn't put me off and wasn't a game changer either. If you spend that much time in your cabin then you're not enjoying your cruise.

That page does not appear to be available to Australians - not that I ever win anything anyway.

So, as long as "you've paid for the cruise", you can wear (and I assume do) anything you want on the cruise.

If that's your philosophy, you might want to book Carnival for your next trip...

Since we all usually pay for our travel experiences, I guess there are no rules of behavior for any trip we take to any venue on any carrier.

 

Hey, weren't you the guy in front of me at the movies last week who was on Facebook during the entire movie??

Because, after all, he paid for his seat in the theater... :rolleyes:

Looking for an internet fight? You won't get one from me.

Still wondering where Scenic fits into the hierarchy of river cruiselines.

Scenic like Tauck who are seldom mentioned on these boards are truly all-inclusive. The other lines are not. The only difference for me is the number of passengers on board vessels of the same dimensions. Scenic cater for 169 passengers whilst the new Tauck boats cater for 130 passengers. I appreciated the passenger/crew ratio on Tauck.

The OP has probably realised by now that when you ask about river cruise attire the "CC fashion police" always will direct you to the way they expect you to dress whilst on-board. Now if they've paid for your holiday then of course you should dress the way they tell you BUT if you've paid for the cruise yourself then I would counsel that you can dress as you desire. It is your holiday and your wardrobe.

I've done one land and two river cruises with Tauck since 2011. Except for a couple of personal picky problems I couldn't fault Tauck. I've posted two Tauck river cruise reviews, one in 2011 and the other in 2014. I do however admit that it appears most Tauck customers simply do not post. My guess is that in every aspect Tauck has satisfied every thing they expected. Everyone has their personal favourite river cruise company and Tauck is mine.

Tauck's inclusions are all excursions, free alcohol 24/7 (but it's not in your mini bar), gratuities, spending money for lunch in port, wifi.

 

 

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Did you ask your cabin Steward to stock your mini-bar with some alcoholic drinks? I'm sure, like us, you'll find whatever you asked for in your mini bar when you return from your excursion.

Again I'll put in a plug for the forgotten line on these pages, Tauck. They are truly all-inclusive, have fine decor, have a CD and 3 TD's on board and IMO the big winner is the number of passengers. All boats are very similar in size because of the lock configerations but on a Tauck cruise you'll find just 118 to 130 passengers on board compared to the 140 to 200 on board other lines. This might not be a selling point to some but it is to me.

Morning Ozjohnno,

Are you the folks that are sailing on the Sapphire?

We as well are booked with the Sapphire but for September 24,2017. Doing Spectacular South of France with Paris and Monte Carlo and cruising on the newly remodeled Sapphire. We had originally booked into a Panorama Suite but got called by Scenic and asked if we wanted to Upgrade to one of the New Royal Owners Suites. So with reluctance gave up or Panorama Suite and shall see what an Owners suite has and make our comparison.

With having Oz in your board name I would make an assumption that you are from the Land Down Under? My mother was Australian and I had a house in Greensborough and was a buyer for Myers.

Love Scenic and all the Aussies as they have a way of really making a Cruise Funtastic..

 

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No mate we're not river cruising this year. I was just passing on something that my sister had told me about her cruise with Scenic last year as to what was included at the bar. She really enjoyed her cruise.

Yes we're Aussies who at the moment are somewhat dependent on a visit from the Lotto fairy before we can plan our next trip. I hope you have a great time on yours next year.

My sister and her husband cruised with Scenic last year and I just asked her about the extra cost for premium spirits and champagne and she told me that there was none. Her husband enjoys a single malt and he had an 18 year old Glenfiddich before dinner every night at no extra charge. That's premium in my book.

We are doing our first river cruise on the Rhine in Sept 2017 so we are starting to plan for that trip now. Not be familiar with included excursion on River Boats we are wondering if you have to sign up for particular excursions ahead of time or do you sign up on board. Is there usually room for everyone who would like to go on a particular excursion?

On a Tauck River cruise there will be choices at a number of stops and you sign up for a particular event whilst on board, usually a couple of days in advance. There is plenty of room for everyone and unlike a number of river cruise lines there is no extra charge. Everything on a Tauck cruise is included in the price. Tauck have a cruise director and three tour directors which means when you combine those with local tour guides you'll always be well looked after. Enjoy your cruise.

Avalon does not include gratuities unless there is a specific promotion being offered on a sailing.

They do in Australia. All the companies we checked down here, we didn't look at Viking, include gratuities in the price of the cruise. It covers we Aussies that find tipping awkward.

Tauck has bikes and organised rides.

I can't comment on Viking in Australia but all the other river cruise lines that do business down here include the gratuities in the cost of the trip. It's fair to say that Aussies are generally not good tippers.

Probably a topic for another thread, but I'd love to better understand the laws you have there as even in the UK which also has strong consumer protection laws, there is nothing to prevent a company offering additional services at a disclosed price, they don't have to include them if you don't need them...

You are right. Much to talk about here but I'm not sure how popular another thread would be. My answer was based on river cruising. Under our consumer laws you cannot offer two for one unless it truly is. Hence Viking do not offer that down here as their's isn't. Whilst airlines may and at times do charge for major charges I would contend that it is very sneaky for a river cruise line to offer something knowing that it's not the best offer (2 stops) just so you can charge extra to change it. That's what I read into the OP's post. Perhaps it's these type of things that explain why Australians choose other river cruise lines.

Viking is not the only line that imposes change charges. Some lines will waive the fee IF you have enough cruises to qualify for their loyalty club.

Fortunately not down here. All fees and charges must be upfront and included in the price. At times we may bitch and moan about our consumer protection laws but they really do protect us. That's why probably so few travel the rivers with Viking from my part of the world.

From my perspective it's just another example of Vikings "Do you want fries with that" marketing. Cavet Emptor.

Here's a link to a spreadsheet I posted recently comparing Amsterdam-Budapest cruises. Prices haven't been updated recently, but when I made this sheet, Tauck was significantly more expensive ($200/person/day) more than Viking. At this time Viking had free air, and I estimated $1,500 per person for air on Tauck.

 

FuelScience

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fYHFDjU3uYZ2iMM8zfk4TxQzJPWo1xMIPDgvB4fc3hM/edit?usp=sharing

As I live in Australia it is not as easy to factor in the cost of air as it differs considerably from fares available in your part of the world. When I did my spreadsheet years back I tried to factor in all the "optional" costs and gratuities that might be charged by companies like Viking and I can assure you that the difference in per diem between all cruise lines was very little with two lines actually being more expensive than Tauck at the time.

I prefer an all-inclusive cost when I do a river cruise and a "do you want fries with that" company is not something I would consider.