loriva

Katiebeth, Was your sailing supposed to be on the Scenic Jade? If so, it has been out of service for going on a month due to engine issues reported here by passengers onboard. Scenic has been using the Pearl instead on its itineraries, but perhaps the passenger load is now getting to high to consolidate sailings? Glad you were able to find a cruise that works with your travel dates and hope you have a great trip with Tauck. Please let us know how it goes. Many thanks,

Well, the Pearl is showing docked at Nuremberg (next to Scenic Jasper) and nothing in Cochem. I wonder what arrangements Scenic made for @BellsRUsand @TravelerGir1?

Thanks to all for weighing in. Very helpful. As to incentive, the cruise on the Vista is much more expensive. That would make a difference in terms of commission for an outside TA, but not sure about those employed directly by Oceania.

Are you traveling on the Pearl tomorrow? Curious to know the outcome.

Thanks, notamermaid! I figured you would be able to work it out. So, looks like another itinerary to be cancelled. Or, at a minimum, modified. I wish Scenic were more transparent on these changes with their customers. Maybe it is not possible to know more than a week or two out when they will not be able to make a sailing, but it does make it difficult for clients to change their plans. I would imagine even more so for passengers traveling from Scenic's home country of Australia. (Having had flights cancelled over the past two years without a single word of communication from the airline, Scenic is not the only company guilty of this lack of communication. But they do need to do better.) Many thanks,

The Scenic Jade is back alongside the dock in Cologne. Lucky I caught it out sailing about. Anyone have any idea if it could make it to Nuremberg in two days?

Sorry to hear about your camera. I hope it turns up. Wondering if this means Scenic uses hired buses, not its own? And on the good news front--for me, at least--the Scenic Jade is on the move! It is traveling south on engines on the Rhine toward Cologne after sitting in Cologne for almost two weeks. Hoping this is a trial run to determine if repairs have been successful. The ship is due to sail a 7-night itinerary from Nuremberg to Amsterdam on the 11th and then start Rhine itineraries between Amsterdam and Basel on the 18th. Hoping they can make it a go!

Apologies in advance if this question has already been addressed. I looked back through threads in 2022 and did not find it. We booked our first cruise with Oceania this week--a Caribbean itinerary on Sirena in December 2024. The Oceania agent spent some time trying to convince us to shift to an itinerary on Vista instead, saying he feared we would not like Sirena due to lack of specialty restaurants. (We ultimately decided on the Sirena cruise because the itinerary on Vista is virtually identical to the one we had on Regent Explorer in December 2021.) I do understand the smaller number of specialty restaurants on Sirena. And we've sailed on the old Pacific Princess, so have experienced--and really liked--an R-class ship. So those aspects are fine with us. My question, therefore, is whether there is a significant difference in food quality between the larger and small ships on Oceania? Or just the usual variation found on any line based on who is running the kitchen? We're looking at this booking on Sirena as literally a "tasting" to see if Oceania is a candidate to become our new preferred cruise line. Many thanks,

There were snorkeling opportunities most days. There might have been one or two where we did not have a chance to snorkel. One thing to remember--the Galapagos Islands are surrounded by ocean currents that originate in or near Antarctica. At least in December, the water was COLD--lower 60s. We brought our own dive skins that we wore in addition to the shortie, 3mm wetsuits provided by Lindblad and it was still difficult to take. At least for us, who are used to Florida water temperatures. Some had no problem with it, however. Depends on your individual tolerances.

@Host Jazzbeau Looking forward to hearing your read-out on the Scenic Gem! And whether you were able to gather any information on the problems Scenic has faced recently and projections going forward. Hope you had a great trip!

Yep, have already contacted Stefanie about doing a tour. Looking forward to it--although visiting Hamburg in December will be a shock to the system for us Florida residents!

Hamburg, a city on the Elbe? We're planning on starting our Viking Christmas Markets on the Elbe journey in Hamburg. DH and I are big fans of The Beatles, so want to visit some of the sites in the city where they polished their style.