Scenic P-suites vs PD-suites

[Host Jazzbeau]

As far as I can tell, the only difference between B and P (and between BD and PD) is deck, plus the P-suites have three added amenities:  Table La Rive dinner [everybody already gets the L'Amour dinner], Captain's Cocktail Party, and Priority Dining Reservations.  The upgrade cost is $300-400 per person. 

 

•  Is it worth it for those three things? 

•  What exactly is 'Priority Dining Reservations'?

•  And is the top deck a bonus (better views) or a liability (noise from the walking track overhead – this would be for a Seine cruise in late April)? 

 

[Canal archive]

We have used both decks and both balcony suites on Scenic the deluxe are slightly larger than the majority of suites which is useful we personally prefer the top deck. I have never heard any noise from the walking track and a reminder is usually made about not using it between 8pm and 8am. One other benefit is it’s not so far to walk to the lounge or restaurant. Another few are complimentary daily pressing of two pieces of clothing, in suite breakfast service. Priority dinning reservations applies to L’Amour and Table de Rive. Enjoy your cruise this is one I would do again. CA

[sbjornda]

Just to expand a bit on "Priority Dining Reservations" - that would allow you to request a specific day for your L'Amour meal, rather than their simply assigning it to you whenever. If you have a wedding anniversary during the trip that might be good to have, otherwise it's probably not worth much.

[Host Jazzbeau]

6 hours ago, Canal archive said:

We have used both decks and both balcony suites on Scenic the deluxe are slightly larger than the majority of suites which is useful we personally prefer the top deck. I have never heard any noise from the walking track and a reminder is usually made about not using it between 8pm and 8am. One other benefit is it’s not so far to walk to the lounge or restaurant. Another few are complimentary daily pressing of two pieces of clothing, in suite breakfast service. Priority dinning reservations applies to L’Amour and Table de Rive. Enjoy your cruise this is one I would do again. CA

 

Thanks.  I'm trying to figure out how the slightly larger PD suite would feel.  The bathroom seems larger and better laid out (really big shower).  Otherwise the extra width seems to give a small wall unit next to the balcony – is that more storage, or a desk?

[sbjornda]

20 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Thanks.  I'm trying to figure out how the slightly larger PD suite would feel.  The bathroom seems larger and better laid out (really big shower).  Otherwise the extra width seems to give a small wall unit next to the balcony – is that more storage, or a desk?

Have you used the "Virtual Tour" on their web site? That might help. I thought PD and BD were the same size on the Scenic Gem, which is their Seine ship?

 

In terms of choosing a size, some considerations:

• How much time do you think you'll spend in the cabin vs. the public areas of the ship? If you're a more private person you might want to spend more time in the cabin, so the larger space might be appropriate. If you plan to spend very little time in your cabin, you can save some money.
• How large are you and your traveling companion? The extra foot or two at the end of the bed might be useful if you're frequently having to walk past each other. If one or both of you are on the "plus" size, you'll likely appreciate the extra space. 
• How long is the trip? For short trips we don't need as much space, but for longer trips we want extra room so as not to feel cooped up.

We've done the Royal Balcony aka Royal One Bedroom suite twice, and loved it, though of course it does hit the pocket book quite a bit harder. Both were 14 day cruises. On our next one, probably Douro for 11 days, we're going to try the Deluxe Balcony PD/BD. We poked our nose into several suites at the end of the cruises, once they were vacated, and I don't think we would want anything smaller than PD/BD for ourselves because we like some time to ourselves in the room. On the opposite end, there are folks who are happy with the smallest staterooms because they spend almost all of their time in the public areas of the ships; chacun à son goût! 

 

Hope that helps.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I know that PD and BD are identical [and I changed the thread title to reflect my new questions].  Having learned what the extra amenities go with all top-deck cabins (P series), I'm trying to decide between P and PD.  There is an extra 20sf, but I haven't been able to find a clear floor plan or pictures that explain where they go.  Clearly there's more room between the end of the bed and the desk along the opposite wall.

 

The problem is that I'm now pretty sure the 'PD' floor plan on the website and in catalogs is actually the 'JS' suite from Scenic's larger ships.  Scenic Gem is a special design to meet the rules for sailing into Honfleur harbor, so it has fewer categories than the larger ships designed for the Danube and Rhine.  The other ships never show a specific floor plan for PD [225sf], just mention that it is 20sf larger than P.  They do show a floorplan for JS [250sf] – and that is the floorplan shown as Scenic Gem PD, which I don't believe can be true.

 

The two questions are whether the balcony is longer or there is an extra desk at the end of the balcony [shown on floor plan but not in pictures] and whether the shower is larger [P shows as triangular, PD as a large rectangle].

[Canal archive]

Sorry for not replying earlier, believe it or not watching the Open, Augusta and I don’t even play golf. Right Scenic cabins and here I’m talking about balcony suites not Royals, Owners, Junior or lowest deck. They are all the same layout only the deluxe have a larger floor area, some showers are different from boat to boat. The Scenic Gem, was specifically built for the Seine not for Honfluer but for the size of the locks on the Seine. She was sailed from Germany across the Chanel along the English coast then down the Seine to Rouen where it was de-marinised ready for Paris. PD and BD the D is for deluxe just a bit bigger, which I quite like. See what you mean about the cabins plans and I think you could be correct there’s been a mix up. We had a full presentation about it the night before we embarked. CA

[Host Jazzbeau]

I just sent an email to Scenic with screenshots of the various confusing cabin floorplans.  I tried to be as clear as possible highlighting the source of confusion and asking for clarification, but it's still complicated.  This will be a good test of their customer service!

[sbjornda]

19 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

This will be a good test of their customer service!

I wish you the best of luck with that. I found that, while their on-board customer service was top-notch, they do have a bad  habit of letting non-standard administrative questions (e.g. something that their support people can't answer by simply looking up a FAQ) fall between the cracks in their bureaucracy. I hope you get an answer; I asked via email about their choice of route through the Netherlands a couple of years ago and received nothing other than an automated message that my question  had been received. Complete crickets since then. Maybe since your question potentially affects a sale, they'll pay attention. Best wishes. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I thought I had replied to this yesterday, but it went poof [I must have forgotten to hit 'submit'...]

 

Good news and bad news about Scenic guest services.  I sent an email Sunday asking for clarification about the PD (and BD) floorplans on Scenic Gem, as the images shown on website and in catalogs are copies of the Junior Suite on other ships.  Got an email at noon on Monday [good], but the person who sent it had clearly only skimmed my email and her reply was useless [bad].  So I called Scenic and asked to speak with her – had to wait over an hour for call-back [she claimed she was on a single call that whole time, which my TA says is possible] and after she put the floorplan images side by side 'the penny dropped' and she saw my point.  She agrees that the PD and BD on Scenic Gem are probably the same as the PD and BD image for Scenic Amber – but I don't have any reason to think she's actually been on either of those ships so this isn't completely convincing.  She did promise to bring this to the attention of those in charge so that the marketing materials can be fixed.  We'll see.

 

The Junior Suite is a really nice layout, but Scenic Gem doesn't have that category.  But the Scenic Amber PD floorplan still looks just a little bit more spacious than the regular balcony cabins (more room between the bed and the desk and larger bathroom), so we decided to go ahead and book it.

 

It's a long time to wait, but this will be a back-to-back from AmaSerena to Scenic Gem – and I will be sure to post my comparison here.

[1of4]

On 11/14/2020 at 12:44 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Thanks.  I'm trying to figure out how the slightly larger PD suite would feel.  The bathroom seems larger and better laid out (really big shower).  Otherwise the extra width seems to give a small wall unit next to the balcony – is that more storage, or a desk?

We were in a deluxe balcony, category BD on the Gem in August 2019.  Although that small wall unit was on the floor plan it was not in the room.  The extra space seemed to be between the end of the bed and the desk/wall.  We had no issue with space wile friends said that was the area where they would bump into each other.  We were on the Sapphire deck so didn’t get the other perks but since I use a cane the cabin was excellent.  We would, and have, booked it again.

 

I did an extensive photo review if you care to search it out.  It would be August 2019 on the 11 day itinerary on the Gem.

Edited November 20, 2020 by 1of4
Correction