Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours - UK
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We’ve travelled with Scenic before but we’re slightly disappointed.
We’ve travelled with Scenic before, and have enjoyed our trips. This one was disappointing. Not awful - just not the luxury we expect. We were due to go on a different cruise, but it was cancelled by Scenic with 2 weeks to go. They did give us a longer cruise for the same price, which was a generous offer. Flights were fine, arrival at the airport was Ok, and room allocation fine. The ship (Pearl) was a little dated but things generally worked (TV often needed re-setting as it seemed to freeze). The room was small and the balcony was separated from the next one by a metal screen, with large gaps all the way around, so we had to keep the door to the balcony closed if the guests in the cabins to either side of us were on their balcony and we didn’t wish to be overheard. Engine noise was quite excessive, and it was difficult to sleep if the boat was moving. Mini fridge was stocked with a small bottle of wine, one beer, orange, & apple juice and 2 or 3 cokes. The first few days, we only had a single miniature Bacardi and we were ignored when we asked for vodka or gin instead. This was rectified after a complaint to the Cruise director, and the fridge was kept well stocked. The toiletries were a disappointment. The L’occitaine items are gone, and they’re now using cheap smelling products decanted into large ESPA bottles. I do like the large refilled decanter of water- it does seem like a good way of reducing plastic usage. If we were in some countries, I might not be so pleased (I’ve contracted stomach bugs in Egypt, India, Mexico etc from such items, as staff have cut corners and used unsuitable sources to fill the bottles). I like having my own bottle to re-use - so that was a positive. Staff worked very hard and were very pleasant. But we saw little Butler service. Some of this was caused by large numbers of passengers contracting Covid (none were very ill) and needing food deliveries. We had coffee delivered 3 times, but then the card disappeared. We did have clothes pressed and this was well done. Food was good, and plentiful. I’ve lost the 8lbs I put on, thank goodness!! The bar staff were outstanding. I would, however, have liked to have seen a “cocktail of the day” just to add a little interest. Entertainment was generally OK, but it would have been nice if we’d had a resident pianist like I’ve had on other cruises. Covid measures were weak. No temperature checks, no masks out for use (you could ask for one), no request to sanitise (I do feel that we’re not children and should be responsible for our own actions but I do feel that the number of cases on board were seriously undercounted and under reported. We were told 3 people - but I know of at least 23). Trips were generally good, but too short. Far too little time to explore some of the gorgeous towns and cities we visited. No welcome home drink, but cold flannels were occasionally offered. Loved the e-bikes on board. Excellent idea and easy to use. There were a number of bike expeditions- around 25km each (a easy on the legs for weaker cyclists but still quite hard on the bum) - which were enjoyable. Lots of guests were disappointed with the rooms allocated- they’d paid for larger suites but were not given them. This is possibly due to cruises being collapsed- but no effort was made by Scenic to address the issues or apologise. It was almost a case of “We don’t care - you’ve got a cruise, now shut up.” The guests in the large suites at the rear of the boat could not open their balcony windows due to the smell of diesel, and one passenger was electrocuted in the bathroom (not seriously hurt), and even after staff came to “fix it” she received a second shock when she showed her husband how it happened. I think customer service needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. It is causing discontent. Loyal customers are being put off travelling again, and it seems that other cruise lines are offering as good an experience for a lower price. Loyalty club perks are lower than they used to be (according to Diamond and Emerald loyalty members)… I also think that the quality products need to be re-instated and a re-vamp of the decor is urgently required.