Cabin Review

CABIN:

Our cabin was the ideal size and well laid out. There is virtually nothing we would change as to the design. Plenty of drawers and closet space for hanging clothes. We particularly liked the two floor-level pullout shelving units for shoes.

The bed was comfortable with power adjustments plus you receive an extensive pillow menu. There is plenty of room under the bed to store up to four large suitcases. (We typically put our carryon’s inside the larger suitcase for storage.)

My wife loved the Dyson Hairdryer and the multitude of accessories that is conveniently stored in the desk drawer. Now I know what my wife EXPECTS for Christmas this year.

Some reviewers have been very critical of the TV behind the large floor length mirror in the sitting area causing reflections. It is a little more difficult to view at an angle but we were still able to watch it from the bed in the evening or during the day if the motorized blackout blind is lowered.

The TV did magically come on by itself a couple of times but Scenic had the audio-video technicians board to correct that issue, so it is probably a non-issue by now.

SUGGESTIONS: You might want to bring a double or triple plug adapter as we did so you can have more than two devices plugged in simultaneously. (i.e. our charging unit for multiple cell phones & tablets as well as my wife’s flat iron for her hair.)

It has been mentioned there are currently only two hooks for hanging things and they are in the bathroom. We knew about this issue and brought a couple of 3M Command hooks. However, we never installed them as we did not feel we needed them. However, if you feel differently Scenic will loan you a couple of suction cups hooks if requested.

I also liked the beautiful abstract risen acrylic art piece hanging on the wall in the sitting area as my wife and I have similar pieces in our own home. Obviously, art is very subjective so you might have a completely different opinion.

WARNING: If you are sensitive to extraneous light at night then you may need to make some adjustments as there are multiple sources of extraneous light that some passengers found disconcerting including my wife. The modern thermostat in the cabins has a ring of bright blue LED’s which can be disconcerting to those who prefer to sleep in a completely dark cabin. Fortunately, I figured out you can go into the set-up menu and dim those lights and even completely shut them off without impacting the operation of the thermostat.

There are also a couple of bright lights on the entry wall by the door where you select “Do not Disturb”, Makeup Room”, etc. To my knowledge, these cannot be dimmed. In my case, I always travel with a special black gaffer’s tape take that has an adhesive that does not leave any residue. We put a small strip of that tape over those controls in the evening and removed it in the morning. I also provided a small strip of this tape to other passengers who expressed similar concerns. My suggestion to Scenic if these lights cannot be dimmed is to put a tinted film over these touch panel controls to significantly lower the light level.

There are light issues in three other areas based on our experience and that of other passengers. There is a light on the base cabinets in the bathroom that cannot be turned off and the light leaks under the door into the cabin. More surprisingly all the overhead LED ceiling mounted lights do not completely turn off when you switch them to the off position. In our cabin (611) they emitted a very, very low amount of light. According to Rico, there is no way to turn them off and to eliminate this issue would require new wiring and new bulbs. This is strange as all the overhead lighting in my home is LED with high-end dimmers and I can set the lowest dim point as well as completely turn them off. Once again this may well be an intentional design by Scenic for safety as passengers attempt to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Another bothersome light source was the large white circular light on the front of the telephone. It was a bright beacon at night since it is directly across from the bed. Like several other passengers, we ended up putting a hat over it at night.

SUGGESTIONS TO SCENIC: You might want to consider having sleeping masks available. The better solution is to try to correct the various sources of the extraneous light.

BATHROOM:

Obviously, my wife and I liked the tile on the wall and floor in the bathroom since we recently installed this same tile in the master bathroom at our beach condo. The best water pressure and abundant hot water I have ever experienced on any ship to date. Some passengers did not like the flat profile sink without a drain stopper. We personally liked the style but also the functionality of not having water splash onto us and the floor.

Plenty of storage behind the mirrored cabinets on the wall. Even the inside of the doors and the back of the cabinet were also mirrored which is a nice touch.