I was lucky enough to be invited onboard Scenic Diamond to experience their ultra luxury river cruise program. Having never river cruised before it was a first for me and another big tick of my list! We flew from Bristol to Bordeaux, which was a super quick flight, then within an hour of landing we were onboard the beautiful Scenic Diamond. It was such an easy and seamless set up from Scenic.
The ship itself only holds 151 guests with just 76 suites and 53 crew. It has a very family friendly feel onboard. Within a day or two, all the passengers get to know one another and the crew soon learn what your favourite tipple is! I was amazed the day we boarded and went through the muster drill the crew already knew who I was and what cabin I was in! Something you certainly wouldn’t experience on some of the mega cruise ships holding thousands of passengers!
We were exceptionally lucky with the weather which meant we really got to utilise the sun deck whilst sailing down the River Garonne, even being able to have a glass of champagne in the hot tub! I had not anticipated quite how relaxing a river cruise would be. We disembarked in the mornings, whether it be for a wine tasting tour, city tour or free time. Then head back to the ship for around 12:30pm when lunch would be served. After lunch is when we would head to the sun deck and take in the beautiful sights of sailing down the river. There is really something special about this, you truly feel like you are gliding through the water.
The food onboard was outstanding and plentiful. Each guest is also invited once per trip to dine in the speciality dining restaurant, L’Amour. This is at the front of the ship with beautiful views out to the river. Again, we had lovely weather, and the sunset was spectacular on the evening we had been invited to dine. L’Amour is described as an elegant dining space where you can savour the very best of regional French cuisine. Providing an indulgent five-course dining experience with wine pairing.
What did surprise me was how casual things are onboard, you can of course dress up for dinner as we did every evening, but no dinner jackets or ball gowns are required at all. What makes Scenic quite unique is the all-inclusive program they offer. Your 3 meals a day of course come as standard but there are then snacks throughout the day available and room service. You have your very own personal butler that you can use as much or little as you like. My butler got used to my morning call for a coffee to be delivered to my room whilst I was getting ready! All your drinks are also included, as many cocktails or glasses of champagne as you desire.
Scenic also have e-Bikes onboard which is a great feature, you can either book yourself onto an included excursion or head of under your own steam to explore your location. My cabin was a balcony suite which had a wonderful outside space, with chairs and a table. There was an electric window that would drop halfway which really made all the difference. Being able to sit out in the privacy of your balcony as your glide down the river was truly special.
The itinerary I was lucky enough to experience was the Bordeaux Affair – if you would like to learn more about the destinations I visited please do get in touch, or if you have any questions on river cruising at all, I would love to help having now experienced this first hand.
