Scenic Russia departing 20 May cancelled

Just received this news:

Why was the cruise cancelled? Was it a new ship and not ready or there were too few people booked on it? What reason did Scenic give? Made me think about getting cancellation insurance for my Scenic cruise in September since we booked the air and hotels separate from Scenic.

If you do decide to get it be very careful when you read the policy. I was booked several years ago on a cruise line which went out of business and was not covered. Some insurances will not unless the company declares bankruptcy. I imagine this could get a bit "sticky" if, say, you are in the U.S. and it is a foreign country.

I am guessing it was not ready as it was undergoing refurbishment

Maybe someone will post the info they got from Scenic

My travel agent told me that although the Scenic Tsar was fully re-furnished and tested, the certificate to allow it to operate had not issued and that Scenic was forced to cancel the tours which included the first river cruise using the Tsar at the very last moment. We are due to do the river cruise next year, so hopefully it will be sorted by then! ;)

My travel agent told me that although the Scenic Tsar was fully re-furnished and tested, the certificate to allow it to operate had not issued and that Scenic was forced to cancel the tours which included the first river cruise using the Tsar at the very last moment. We are due to do the river cruise next year, so hopefully it will be sorted by then! ;)

Thanks for this info, that would make sense then. Welcome to the CC boards!

The Russian officials work to their own timetable

Too bad for those on the early cruises this year ..what a shame they will miss their trip

The Russian officials work to their own timetable

 

Too bad for those on the early cruises this year ..what a shame they will miss their trip

Yes, it is not exactly free and easy in Russia it seems. We are entitled to a complimentary extra hotel night at the beginning or end of our tour which begins in Moscow and ends in Berlin, as we have used Scenic many times. We were hoping to have the extra day in Moscow but Scenic Tours say this is not possible as you cannot get a Russian visa for the extra day and can get the visa for the length of the official tour only. So looks like our extra night is in Berlin. We must be a "security risk" if we are on our own and not part of a tour. :mad:

Yes, it is not exactly free and easy in Russia it seems. We are entitled to a complimentary extra hotel night at the beginning or end of our tour which begins in Moscow and ends in Berlin, as we have used Scenic many times. We were hoping to have the extra day in Moscow but Scenic Tours say this is not possible as you cannot get a Russian visa for the extra day and can get the visa for the length of the official tour only. So looks like our extra night is in Berlin. We must be a "security risk" if we are on our own and not part of a tour. :mad:

Do you have to get your own VISA or is the cruise line getting the blanket VISA?

Friends of ours had to get their own VISA to Russia last year so they could arrive early before the cruise began & be able to wander with the group

Do you have to get your own VISA or is the cruise line getting the blanket VISA?

Friends of ours had to get their own VISA to Russia last year so they could arrive early before the cruise began & be able to wander with the group

Interesting! I was told that to get the visa which is my responsibility (either doing it myself or though my travel agent), then I have to attach a certificate from Scenic Tours setting out the days of the tour. Might have to check into this further!

Interesting! I was told that to get the visa which is my responsibility (either doing it myself or though my travel agent), then I have to attach a certificate from Scenic Tours setting out the days of the tour. Might have to check into this further!

HMMM

That is interesting

Then they should include the day of the free hotel in Moscow as part of the trip ..wounldn't you think :confused:

Maybe ask for the certificate from Scenic before you apply for the VISA & see what dates are on it ;)

Good luck

I've been taking cruises and selling them long enough to know one golden rule...never travel without travel insurance. (and know what it covers)

Just my advice...

Jandc24 -

We just went through the Russian visa process and are staying three extra nights at the beginning before the cruise starts in St Petersburg and at the end of the cruise three extra nights in Moscow. In order to do this, you need the "invitation letter" (aka travel voucher) from the cruise company AS WELL AS similar invitation letters from the hotel(s) you will be staying at. These invitation letters are dated with specific time frames. The visa is then issued for the total amount of time you have invitation letters for. You have to submit all the invitation letters along with your visa application. It's not much more of a hassle to get these other invitation letter(s) from the hotels - I did mine all through e-mail. The hotels know what you are looking for if you e-mail them asking for "visa support." All this assumes you will need a visa for your river cruise to begin with. If you don't need a visa at all for the river cruise, then it's probably not worth it. The visas are not cheap - our two cost $542. But if you need a visa anyway, it doesn't cost anymore and really isn't much more trouble.

Good luck!

Oh no! My river cruise is still a year away and I've had so much pleasure reading and planning and cannot even imagine having my trip cancelled the week before! So sorry for those that were to be on this cruise.

What was the outcome?

Did you get a cruise to Russia in the end or refunds ???

Probably the right person wasn't bribed into issuing the cert.

What was the outcome?

Did you get a cruise to Russia in the end or refunds ???

The couple we know who were effected by this, took an alternate tour with Scenic with the fares they had paid transferred across. So the following tour they had booked to follow the Russia trip was also able to be taken. They intend to take the same Russia tour in 2013 as the Russia tours for this year were fully booked and of course later dates didn't fit in with their second follow on cruise. The Scenic Tsar eventually had its first sailing on 17 June.

The couple we know who were effected by this, took an alternate tour with Scenic with the fares they had paid transferred across. So the following tour they had booked to follow the Russia trip was also able to be taken. They intend to take the same Russia tour in 2013 as the Russia tours for this year were fully booked and of course later dates didn't fit in with their second follow on cruise. The Scenic Tsar eventually had its first sailing on 17 June.

Thanks glad it worked out for them

I've been taking cruises and selling them long enough to know one golden rule...never travel without travel insurance. (and know what it covers)

Just my advice...

and saw the review on Scenic...looked good.

Only 4 CC reviews listed....hard to get good idea about the ratings,,

I take it,,you would recommend it? Any other details would be great...want to do Budapest/Bucharest in 2014(Spring)...just checking out whats available.:)

Yes, it is not exactly free and easy in Russia it seems. We are entitled to a complimentary extra hotel night at the beginning or end of our tour which begins in Moscow and ends in Berlin, as we have used Scenic many times. We were hoping to have the extra day in Moscow but Scenic Tours say this is not possible as you cannot get a Russian visa for the extra day and can get the visa for the length of the official tour only. So looks like our extra night is in Berlin. We must be a "security risk" if we are on our own and not part of a tour. :mad:

We just returned from Russia in late July. My daughter and I stayed an extra day in Moscow pre=cruise so we could explore. Our agency just had us add an extra week to the beginning and end of our cruise dates on our VISA (common practice) to accommodate our travels and to allow for any unexpected circumstances. Lots of cruisers on our ship had pre and/or post cruise days in Russia. We did not have to get invitation letters, our cruise travel agent did this for us. This should be part of the service you're paying for! Plus, the new VISA's allow for travel for something like 6 months, so it shouldn't even be an issue for you.

Don't be discourged~ although you might want a different agent~ how rude! Russia is amazing! :D

Hi Alexandra,

We just returned from our Bucharest to Budapest river cruise. I would strongly suggest you do the Bucharest to Budapest one instead of the Budapest to Bucharest. It's better to experience the dark before the light. By the time we all got to Budapest, we were so happy. We purposely went to Bucharest because my husband's whole family was Romanian and left in the early 1900's for the USA. We've been to Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia before on our Dalmation Coast cruise and loved these countries and now we had a chance to see it from the Danube. A lot of suffering went on inside these countries during the 1991 war of ethnic cleansing.

Sheila

Hi Alexandra,

 

We just returned from our Bucharest to Budapest river cruise. I would strongly suggest you do the Bucharest to Budapest one instead of the Budapest to Bucharest. It's better to experience the dark before the light. By the time we all got to Budapest, we were so happy. We purposely went to Bucharest because my husband's whole family was Romanian and left in the early 1900's for the USA. We've been to Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia before on our Dalmation Coast cruise and loved these countries and now we had a chance to see it from the Danube. A lot of suffering went on inside these countries during the 1991 war of ethnic cleansing.

 

Sheila

or Tauck? Know you like that one,,,still waiting for balconies to consider them...but good suggestion about cruise direction.Have been to BUdapest before ,,but do want to spend a few days there,,,know this cruise wont be as "pretty" as some,,but historic and love to see all the world,,regardless.;)

and saw the review on Scenic...looked good.

 

Only 4 CC reviews listed....hard to get good idea about the ratings,,

 

I take it,,you would recommend it? Any other details would be great...want to do Budapest/Bucharest in 2014(Spring)...just checking out whats available.:)

Hi -

I didn't do a formal review in the review section when I travelled with Scenic - although, in hindsight, probably should have..... I did post along the way - and will offer my opinions as a past passenger.

I was leary about travelling with them given the less than stellar reviews - but I jumped when I came across a sale that was too good to ignore. I was prepared for a cruise experience that was "less" than my experiences on Uniworld or AMA - and I discovered that it was, in no way, a substandard experience.

There was lots written about vibrations and noise - and the only time we experienced any of that was when the bow thrusters pushed us out from the dock. We were in Portobello's at the time - so made conversation challenging. There was an "oops" where it appeared that the Captain missed a turn...(not surprising given the complexity of the waterways in Holland...) so did a VERY quick 180 degree turn and hurried back the way we had come. Lots of laughs about that manoever in the dining room that evening.

We really enjoyed our cruise. Anya - the CD - was the best we have encountered. The food was good - although that is subjective. I would have preferred some variety in the desserts - but am guessing that is related to the chef and his crew - and it wouldn't prevent me from travelling with them again. We travelled Aquarium class - so can't speak to the issue of the balcony. But the overall experience was great. A bit different dynamic as far as passenger mix --> very few from the US, but I think Scenic is being more aggressive in their US marketing strategy now.

We are going to a Scenic information session next week - to see if there are any new itineraries for 2014. They have really stepped up the experience - with everything all inclusive. Not sure if that is important enough to us to fork out extra money - but am interested to see what they have to say.

Does this help? I can certainly speak to any specific questions you may have.

Fran

P.S. we are doing Bucharest to Budapest next year with Viking... again - got a great sale that was too good to pass up!!

that makes Scenic a good option...I,too, looked at Viking,,but they had 3 day extension to Transylvania,,where Scenic inc. that...like 12 or less days due to work.Also, leary about having to pay when booked on Viking...wonder if Scenic does that?

Let us know about the info session,,since I m planning 2014 already...:)

Also, leary about having to pay when booked on Viking...wonder if Scenic does that?

Let us know about the info session,,since I m planning 2014 already...:)

I will.... As mentioned, we are doing Bucharest to Budapest with Viking next year - so that is our trip for 2013. I have already started to look at 2014 - as we hope to travel with the friends that we did Russia with this year.

Fran