Members Rare Cruise Critic Chris Posted June 1, 2017 Members #1 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Bonjour! I'm heading out tomorrow to France. On June 9, I'll be boarding Scenic Diamond in Bordeaux for a week-long cruise. I'll be checking out the refit of the new culinary center, as well as the other additions that have been made to the ship. It's my first time on Scenic, and I'll be interested to see how it compares to other luxury river brands like Uniworld and Tauck. If you have any questions about the ship or itinerary, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare wishIweretravelling Posted June 1, 2017 #2 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I am on that cruise in October, so particularly look forward to your report. By any chance, will you be staying in the ship's only single cabin? That's where I will be, and it's the one cabin for which I can't find photos or even a diagram of the layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mj_holiday Posted June 1, 2017 #3 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I would like info on other dining facilities in the evening. Is there anything more casual than the dining room and what kind of menu does it have? Have a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteTraveler Posted June 1, 2017 #4 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I'd like to have information about the dining and the tours and the cabins most especially and please tell us about anything they do that is different from other lines - that's always good to know! Have fun on the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted June 2, 2017 #5 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I would like info on other dining facilities in the evening. Is there anything more casual than the dining room and what kind of menu does it have? Have a great trip. There is the River Cafe open from 10AM-6PM. It is a nice, casual venue located in main lounge but they do not serve dinner. The other option is more formal than the dining room. We were aboard last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare frantic36 Posted June 11, 2017 #6 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Bonjour! I'm heading out tomorrow to France. On June 9, I'll be boarding Scenic Diamond in Bordeaux for a week-long cruise. I'll be checking out the refit of the new culinary center, as well as the other additions that have been made to the ship. It's my first time on Scenic, and I'll be interested to see how it compares to other luxury river brands like Uniworld and Tauck. If you have any questions about the ship or itinerary, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them! Hi Chris, Well this is timely. We will be deciding in the next few weeks whether to do the 8D/7N Bordeaux cruise next June so we will be very interested to read your thoughts. We are looking at the Junior Balcony Suite and I can't see any benefit to having Diamond over Sapphire but maybe I am missing something. Looking forward to your review. Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted June 11, 2017 #7 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Hi frantic36 although identically suits I don't think you get quite so many butler services on Sapphire deck as you do on Diamond deck, try emailing Scenic they will let you know. We did this cruise last year and realy enjoyed it. Good wine, good tours, great company. Now that Diamond has had its refit it will be even more interesting. CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare frantic36 Posted June 11, 2017 #8 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Hi frantic36 although identically suits I don't think you get quite so many butler services on Sapphire deck as you do on Diamond deck, try emailing Scenic they will let you know. We did this cruise last year and realy enjoyed it. Good wine, good tours, great company. Now that Diamond has had its refit it will be even more interesting. CA Hi CA, thanks for letting me know. I will check with Scenic. We usually sail on Seabourn but we don't have a butler there so I am not sure whether more " Butlering".......not sure that is a word :D......is needed. This will be a extra to our already booked holiday which has an ocean cruise and land travel. Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted June 11, 2017 #9 Share Posted June 11, 2017 (edited) Not sure either but it's a great word. Your butler is very useful for morning tea or coffee, getting any laundry done maybe bringing a cocktail or two, making sure your mini bar is stocked with what you want. Actually you can use your butler as much or as little as you like, in the nicest possible way. Over our five cruises so far they have all been brillient we leave for our next Scenic cruise a week tomorrow and I have still to work out how to sneak one into my suitcase, what a boon to the retired woman. CA Edited June 11, 2017 by Canal archive spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted June 12, 2017 #10 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Hi frantic36 although identically suits I don't think you get quite so many butler services on Sapphire deck as you do on Diamond deck, try emailing Scenic they will let you know. We were on Diamond Deck and had a butler, who we very rarely used, and dinner at La Rive, which was outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheweeble Posted June 13, 2017 #11 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Will definitely be on the lookout for your review of the cruise. We have done a number of Scenic Cruises and planning the Bordeaux region of France as one in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare puppycanducruise Posted June 13, 2017 #12 Share Posted June 13, 2017 I'm looking forward to hearing all about your cruise. We are thinking of doing a Bordeaux cruise next year with Scenic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rare Cruise Critic Chris Posted June 13, 2017 Author Members #13 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay, but I was on vacation for a few days. I boarded the ship on Friday. Here's my "live from" about the new features like Culinaire, the cycling tours and the wellness area: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7889. Overall, I've enjoyed the cruise and Scenic. It's a casual luxury, more so than Uniworld and Tauck. The service has been fabulous and friendly. I'm a wino, so going to all the chateaux has been great. The food at the Scenic Enrich - a mulit-course meal at Chateau Giscorne in Margaux - wasn't as good as what they serve on the ship; the director of operations is also on board, and he said they are going to switch it up for 2018. I haven't seen the single cabin or the new Owners' Suites yet, as they are occupied. I'm on the Sapphire deck with limited butler service, but that's all I really need. Vlad has brought me coffee and croissants in the morning when I ask, and the complimentary laundry came back in 48 hours. In terms of casual meals, the River Cafe is only open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Then the area turns into L'Amour, which isn't really more casual than the dining room. The ship has a room service menu available after 6 as well. Happy to take other questions! We're eating at Table La Rive tonight. Usually that's only open to suite passengers, but they are giving our group a look at what it's all about. We also ate at the Captain's Table on the first gala night, and that was nice - same food, but better quality of wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted June 13, 2017 #14 Share Posted June 13, 2017 The food at the Scenic Enrich - a mulit-course meal at Chateau Giscorne in Margaux - wasn't as good as what they serve on the ship; the director of operations is also on board, and he said they are going to switch it up for 2018. . We had our Enrich evening there and were really disappointed as were a lot of the guests. Hopefully they have the dining room open that evening for guests wishing to stay aboard. We wished we had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mj_holiday Posted June 15, 2017 #15 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Thank you for your times on the River Café. Is room service after 6 pm available to all cabins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rare Cruise Critic Chris Posted June 16, 2017 Author Members #16 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Yes, the nightly room service is for everyone after 6 pm. The morning room service breakfast - other than croissants and coffee - is just for suites. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rare Cruise Critic Chris Posted June 19, 2017 Author Members #17 Share Posted June 19, 2017 A few more thoughts, now that I'm home: Loved Table La Rive! The wine pairings were excellent, with a few varietals that you don't see often in the U.S. (like white Chateauneuf-du-Pape). Also liked the food at L'Amour. There was a pasta dish that I'm still thinking about. Overall, I thought the included wine list on this cruise was among the best that I've seen at sea. Bordeaux doesn't have the same scenery on the river that you have on other rivers. The sailing schedule is also odd, due to the Mascaret, which is a tidal bore that affects the water levels. But the countryside is gorgeous! Loved exploring the different wine regions, and the bike tours in particular were great. If you don't like wine, I'm not sure you would love this sailing. If you do, you will. Bordeaux the city is worth a few days on its own. If you have time, take it. Things that need work include Enrichment and the Spa. There's really no explanation of the Salt Room and it seems like wasted space. And my spa experience was a bit overshadowed by privacy issues with the attendant, who took a European approach to the whole thing (meaning, he didn't turn away or leave the room when i was getting undressed!) The hotel manager told me that he'd talk to him about being a bit more sensitive to us prudish North Americans/Brits/Aussies. Otherwise, the service was outstanding. Loved the butlers, Mandy the cruise director and the captains. Very personable and interacted with the passengers quite a bit. Full review coming soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rare Cruise Critic Chris Posted August 9, 2017 Author Members #18 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Realize I never posted my Scenic Diamond review once it went live. Here it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted August 9, 2017 #19 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Realize I never posted my Scenic Diamond review once it went live. Here it is! We were so disappointed with the Scenic Enrich evening, which was at the same Chateau. Sorry to see it has not changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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