Scenic Diamond Bordeaux river cruise
I sailed for 3 nights, as part of a 10-night sailing. I flew with Aer Lingus from Dublin to Bordeaux. It was very easy to get from the airport to the city by tram. The river ship docks right in the city. As I did not begin on the first day of the sailing, I took a train from central Bordeaux to Libourne to join the ship, which took less than 30 minutes. I sailed from Libourne to Fort Medoc to Bordeaux.
I stayed in a Scenic Diamond Balcony Suite, which offers a spacious and luxurious retreat, featuring large windows letting in lots of daylight and a private balcony with a unique 'Scenic Sun Lounge' that can convert from an enclosed space to an open balcony easily with the touch of a button. It was lovely to let in fresh air and listen to the sounds of the river. These suites offer premium amenities and personalized butler service (all guests have butler service included as standard). The bed and pillows were so comfy! The shower was excellent.
The food onboard was superb, as was the wine. For breakfast and lunch, food was prepared and you could also order a la carte. The selection and quality was fantastic. Dinner is served a la carte in the main dining room. The menu changes daily. We also experienced dinner at L'Amour (5 courses with wine pairing) which is a smaller dining area. Fabulous! There is a bar and a cafe, for treats and light bites on the main deck. I enjoyed a glass of cremant from Bordeaux (a French sparkling wine similar to champagne but produced outside of the champagne region) and a macaron as we passed beautiful French villages.
The dress code is casual. For evening meals, Scenic recommend a jacket or tie for gentlemen and smart casual clothing for ladies. For the welcome and farewell evenings, dining is more formal and 'you may wish to dress accordingly'. There is a note that shorts and thongs (flip flops) are not appropriate for meals in the dining room!
Gratuities are always included, as are beverages at any time. The waiters knew what wine we liked (a particular red wine and a sparkling 'cremant') and brought it to us and topped us up without the need to ask. Nothing was too much trouble. When someone wanted to try a number of different dishes, this was no problem at all. Service was always very friendly and with a smile. People onboard were very impressed with the high-end whiskeys on offer, which were also included.
There is a gym, salt therapy room, a massage room plus a hair salon (extra charge applies for treatments/hair salon). There is a small pool/jacuzzi on the top deck (weather-permitting), along with chairs and sun loungers to enjoy the sunshine. Scenic operate an open bridge policy, so you could go and visit the bridge and interact with the captain and crew.
There is always a choice of tours included each day to suit different interests and abilities. You can do as much or as little as you like. I enjoyed a coach tour to Saint Emilion (a lovely medieval village with underground church and catacombs), wine tasting at Chateau Fleur Cardinale, and a guided cycling tour of the Medoc region with wine tasting. I also watched a cookery demonstration, where the chef made French onion soup. Other options include walking tours and a 'paint and pour' experience - a class on the sun deck with a local artist. There is an option to take e-bikes to explore the local area independently in the afternoon if you wish. There is evening entertainment onboard - a two piece band plus DJ, which everyone really enjoyed.
Speaking with other people on the trip, many were repeat guests of Scenic, with some people having sailed with other cruise companies previously. They all loved Scenic for the elevated all-inclusive experience plus the exceptional service and food and beverage offerings. I can see why they would never sail with another company again.
A river cruise is completely different to an ocean cruise. It has much more of a boutique hotel feel, with a very personalised service, focusing on regional itineraries and a more cultural and immersive experience. As the ships are much smaller, they can dock right in a village/town/city. Doing a river cruise in the Bordeaux region was very interesting and relaxing, with lots of tours focused on wine. The areas that we visited were never busy. The river itself was not busy at all. When we were docked one evening we seen two other river cruise ships. (Some other rivers can be much busier.)
Onboard the average age on that particular sailing was approximately 60 years. There was a lovely calm, easy-going atmosphere (not at all stuffy) and everyone mingled really well and got to know each other very quickly. People chatted at dinner, whilst out on a coach tour, whilst cycling through the vineyards etc. Most people onboard were from Australia, and there were others from Canada and the UK. Even after our 'Scenic Enrich' evening (visiting a chateau with a string quartet concert), everyone went to the bar onboard afterwards.
I was also very privileged to experience a day onboard Scenic Eclipse whilst it was docked in Dublin. Scenic Eclipse is a luxury polar-class yacht designed for expedition cruising and sailing in colder climates, for example Antarctica. It can sail through ice and has oversized stabilisers. With innovative design and state of the art technology, it sets the benchmark in ocean cruising, offering an immersive, all-inclusive luxury voyage with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. There are 2 helicopters onboard plus a submersible, 12 zodiacs, kayaks and SUP. Again, the food and service onboard is exceptional, with an array of dining options, fabulous suites (my favourite being the spa suite with jacuzzi bath) and butler service.
Emerald Yachts are part of the Scenic group, built for warmer waters and offering a different experience. Highlights include sailing right into Venice, visiting the smaller Greek Isles, the Seychelles and the Caribbean, and visiting unique destinations like Jos van Dyck and St Barths.
Contact me today to chat further about this amazing luxury cruise company!