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Scenic Gem is the smallest of Scenic's "Space-Ship" fleet. It is specifically designed to sail all along the Seine River from Paris right into the port of Honfleur at the mouth of the river; many of the other river cruise ships must dock upriver and transport their passengers to Honfleur by bus. Catering to 128 passengers, it is one of the most spacious ships on the Seine, in terms of the ratio of number of passengers to the size of the ship. It always feels like there is plenty of room onboard.
Scenic Gem delivers the same all-inclusive luxury experience as all the other Scenic river cruise ships, including butler service; a wide choice of complimentary drinks; spacious, well-designed rooms with private Sun Lounge balconies with sliding-glass window; all shore activities and tipping/gratuities.
Shore activities are diverse with excellent guides, whose tours are accessed via an ingenious Tailormade GPS system with headphones. These same devices provide interesting insights into the riverside landscape and ports for self-guided tours.
The level of service is excellent, and the staff is always friendly and professional. The atmosphere is calm and low key, and no announcements over the loudspeaker interrupt your voyage. The ship's motor is also whisper quiet. The décor is unobtrusive.
During the day, the dress code is casual and comfortable, and passengers are strongly advised to dress in layers and to be prepared for rain at any time. Umbrellas are provided in each cabin. Guests tend to dress up for evening drinks and dinner, with women wearing smart casual dresses or pants and a blouse and men wearing jackets, collared shirts and slacks. Ties are not necessary.
Just about everything is included in a Scenic Gem cruise: unlimited beverages, butler service, shore excursions, e-bikes, airport transfers, gym, Wi-Fi, tips and gratuities. Only absolute top-shelf drinks, hair salon and spa treatments are extra. The onboard currency is the euro.
Drinks, including Champagne, can be enjoyed free throughout the day. Complimentary mini-bars are restocked daily.
Each evening over cocktails, the cruise director offers port talks that give some background, history and local insights into the next day's port of call, before detailing the specific tour options on offer. From time to time there are also guest lecturers and wine experts onboard.
After dinner, the resident musician plays pop music on a versatile keyboard or works as a DJ spinning tunes.
Shore Excursions
All shore excursions are included in the trip price, and there is always a choice of at least two excursions a day. Passengers can also opt to stay onboard the ship or explore at their own pace, with the help of self-guided tours on Scenic's Tailormade GPS devices. There is always an interesting variety of shore excursions including coach, walking and cycling tours of varying lengths depending on the destination and level of activity involved (active, moderate, relaxed) so passengers can tailor their experience to suit their interests and activity pace. There are World War I and II battlefield tours; walking tours of Paris, Honfleur and Rouen; guided tours of Claude Monet's house and gardens at Giverny; cycling options; village walks; castle visits; art museum tours; and shopping with a chef at a Paris market.
Cruisers can book their tours in advance of the trip and can generally change their options when onboard. Each evening over pre-dinner drinks, the cruise director gives a detailed run down of the next day's offerings including departure and return times. Professional local English-speaking French guides offer detailed historical, cultural and culinary insights at every stop along the Seine. Passengers follow each guided tour on Scenic Tailormade devices via earphones. The Tailormade devices also offer background and self-guided tour information for every port on the Seine as well as GPS-oriented commentary about the landscapes the ship passes along the cruise.
There is also an exclusive Sundowner event once per cruise at the estate of Manoir d'Apreval, where passengers enjoy a cocktail event showcasing Normandy's unique Calvados, or apple spirits, in the beautiful locale where it is created.
Daytime and Evening Entertainment
Daytime activities are generally focused around shore excursions.
Enrichment
On the Seine River cruise, Scenic Gem offers a special free Enrich Experience at Château de La Roche-Guyon. Here, passengers enjoy a glass of wine at the mediaeval château before listening to a classical music concert by local musicians.
Scenic's special Tailormade devices offer information about the riverside landscape and all ports of call.
Panorama Lounge and Bar (Diamond Deck): The main bar area, this large spacious room with a bar in the middle features contemporary décor and large picture windows. This is where pre-dinner cocktails are served and presentations are made by the cruise director. A wide range of free wines, beers and cocktails are on offer. After dinner, a musician plays live pop music on a keyboard or spins tunes as a DJ.
At the back of the bar are several quieter nooks where travellers can make their own espresso coffee and tea, watch television and read books. Toward the front of the bar area is the River Café, which serves casual lunches plus snacks throughout the day. The River Café converts to L'Amour Restaurant at night.
Riverview Terrace and Sun Deck: Drinks are also served in these areas on the top deck where there is also a designated smoking area.
There is a large rooftop Sun Deck with loungers, tables and chairs -- both under shade and in the sun. A walking track is around the perimeter. The Riverview Terrace at the front of the Sun Deck is sunken so that you can often sit out here when the ship goes under low bridges. You can also sit on the Panorama Deck in front of the River Café on the Diamond Deck.
Staff are available at the reception desk 24/7. This is the place where passengers can address all questions about onboard life as well as excursions and off-ship adventures. The cruise director also operates from this desk. Passengers use a digital card to sign in and out of the ship. There is a small boutique stocking jewellery, gifts, chocolates and mementos.
Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship. Passengers have free laundry service on each trip and can also pay for additional laundry. Diamond Deck cabins receive complimentary pressing of two items per day.
There is a small spa room for massages and facials as well as a hair salon.
A small fitness room has a rowing machine, free weights, treadmill and stationary bike. There is also a walking track around the perimeter of the Sun Deck. Electric bikes are available for use at every port.
Food served on the Scenic Gem is plentiful and generally good. Breakfast is the best meal of the day with a wide variety of choices on offer. Food is sourced locally and the dishes have a strong French influence, as is appropriate. Menus are written in French and English.
Crystal Dining (Sapphire Deck): This is the main restaurant where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. Meal times vary slightly depending on shore excursions. The décor is bright and airy with large picture windows. A good selection of French wines is stored in a glass cabinet at the entrance. A central service area becomes a buffet for breakfast and lunch.
The breakfast selection is excellent with fruit, Champagne, cereal, yogurts, cheeses and meats, pastries and breads, smoked salmon and fresh juices, eggs, bacon and other hot dishes offered daily. A chef cooks a la carte dishes to order.
Lunches are served buffet style with a wide selection of different salads and hot dishes served daily. Selections might include meat, seafood and vegetarian salads; pasta and rice dishes; roast meats, grilled chicken, poached fish; and a wide array of desserts. There is always a cheese selection and fresh fruit.
The four-course dinners are more formal with excellent professional and friendly waiter service at the table. Passengers may sit wherever they choose.
Appetizers might include seafood vol-au-vent or chilled Camembert tart, oxtail or minestrone soups, main courses of duck confit or salmon with potato mousseline and black truffle au jus as well as a vegetarian option such as stuffed artichokes with goat cheese. Dessert includes chocolate eclairs or pistachio ice cream with lavender sauce, or an international cheese selection. For every meal, there are vegetarian and gluten-free options and the healthy option is always highlighted. Simpler main dishes, such as chicken breast, hamburger, fillet steak, salmon steak and Caesar salad, are always on offer.
There is a good selection of mid-level French and other European wines. Generally, waiters rotate one or two white and red French wines a night from locations such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire and Rhône wine regions.
Table La Rive (Sapphire Deck): Diamond Deck passengers can book the chef's table at Table La Rive for a seven-course chef's degustation dinner menu with paired wines. It is one long table at the front of the Crystal Dining Room. There are cold and hot appetizers, soup, a main course, cheese and dessert with dishes like duet of salmon and pike, croustillant of lobster and guinea fowl, game consommé, medallions of veal with potatoes gratin, goat cheese with kumquat and Grand Marnier, and French Saint-Honoré with forest berry ice cream. There is no extra charge, but the booking can only be made once during the cruise.
L'Amour Restaurant (Diamond Deck): Passengers can book (once during the cruise) one of several tables for dinner at the upscale L'Amour Restaurant. The six-course set menu has two options for each course with paired local wines. Offerings might include breads, a range of hors d'oeuvres, onion or cheese soup, vol-au-vent with veal ragout, duck breast marinated in cider, and crème brûlée. There is no extra charge.
River Café (Diamond Deck): This casual spot is open all day until late at night for snacks. At lunchtime, it offers more casual dishes, including a couple of daily-changing options as well as quiches, sandwiches, pizzas and a selection of pastries.
Room Service: Passengers in all cabins can use free room service. Guests on the Diamond Deck can also arrange to have breakfast in bed.
This ship is the smallest of Scenic Cruise's luxurious European Scenic Space-Ships. Like the other ships in the line, it has some of the largest European river cruising cabins. All have been smartly designed, with special attention to maximizing space.
All the cabins on the Diamond and Sapphire decks have private Sun Lounge balconies, which have been cleverly built so that the floor-to-ceiling glass windows can be fully closed or opened to waist height to let in fresh air and sunshine.
All cabins have safes, mini-bars and televisions, which screen movies, port talks and safety videos. The cupboards have lots of well-conceived storage space. The spacious bathrooms have large shower stalls, with plenty of hot water at any time of the day or night and a generous selection of L'Occitane products, which is replaced daily.
While all cabins are called "suites," only the Royal Balcony and the Royal Balcony One-Bedroom suites are true suites, with a bedroom and living room separated by a wall.
Standard Suite: Located on the Jewel Deck, these 160-square-foot suites have large picture windows and similar furnishings and amenities to the Balcony Suites.
Balcony Suite: Located on both the Sapphire and Diamond Decks, these 205-square-foot suites feature a full-length Sun Lounge balcony and are larger than the standard cabins on Europe's river cruise ships. Guests in the Diamond Deck-level suites can order breakfast in bed.
Cabin 301 is a Deluxe Balcony Suite that has a modified bathroom with personal assistance fittings for the mobility impaired. The Sun Lounge balcony is the same size as other Balcony Suites but part of the Sun Lounge glass has been replaced by the ship structure.
Deluxe Balcony Suite: Located toward the front of the ship on both the Diamond and Sapphire Decks, the 225-square-foot Deluxe Balcony Suites offer an extra 20 square feet of space over the Balcony Suites.
Royal Balcony Suite: Located in prime position toward the front of the Diamond Deck, this 305-square-foot suite has a bedroom and lounge area, luxurious oversized bathroom and Sun Lounge balcony off the bedroom.
Royal One-Bedroom Suite: Located at the rear of the Diamond Deck and offering panoramic views from the back of the boat, this true suite is 455 square feet. There is a separate lounge and dining area, separate bedroom and luxurious oversized bathroom.
Every single cabin has a butler who shines shoes, brings morning tea or coffee, handles laundry service and delivers room service. Diamond Deck and Junior Balcony Suite passengers can also arrange for their butler to bring breakfast to their suites and press (complimentary) two pieces of clothing per day. All the butlers are both friendly and very professional and the service adds an extra feeling of personal luxury to the trip.
