Scenic Avis 

Although there was a problem with water levels and changes to the itinerary we still had a great time. The staff were excellent, the food was fantastic. We met some lovely people and overall the cruise was great

The Amber is a great ship and all of the crew are excellent, deserving 5 stars. The 2 star review is because of those behind the scenes at ‘head office’. The river cruise didn’t start where it should, and-ended before it got to its final destination. Instead of cruising the Danube on board Amber we spent ages aboard various coaches on motorways. This meant any city tours etc were rushed and on occasion laughably so. We had been told by email before departure that river levels were not a problem when clearly they were hence the change of starting city.
In future I’ll take the Captain’s advice and never book a cruise on the Danube between June and August as this he said to some extent happens every year.
In short this wasn’t a river cruise it was a coach tour. All covered by Scenic T’s & C’s.

Just returned from an 11 day trip on the Douro River in Portugal on Scenic Azure .

This is a lovely river to cruise on , spectacular scenery, wonderful vineyards, interesting places to visit , great wines & food & friendly people .

Scenic Azure is slightly smaller than other European ships being built specifically for the Douro River . Our suite was comfortable, plenty of space for storage, big walk in shower , nice balcony, great quality beds & bathroom toiletries.

Staff were professional, friendly, caring , knowledgeable, interesting and great company. Food & drinks brilliantly presented, prepared & served .

We did this cruise in 2021 & enjoyed it so much we did it again !!!

The cruise director and captain dealt brilliantly with the difficulties of the low water level on the Danube and a ship ahead crashing into a lock end.
The excursion choices were suitably varied and always with good local guides.
The food was of a high standard thoughout the voyage and served by friendly staff let down by their repeated unobservance of empty wine glasses during dinner service. We were greatly impressed by the care shown over our dietary requirements.
As expected most moorings were beside other ships which only became a problem when berthing occured during the night resulting in interrupted sleep due to the extemely noisy removal of railings and walkway manhandling. That situation had not happened on previous river cruises.
The onboard evening entertainment was varied and of a high standard throughout.
The bottom line is that we would certainly holiday with Scenic again but would be wary of mooring occuring overnight.

We’ve recently returned from a river cruise in the Bordeaux region which was fabulous! Scenic know how to do everything well, the staff are all brilliant - a great combination of friendly and professional. The excursions were all enjoyable and are all included in the cost as is the food and drink which was all exceptional. This was our 3rd cruise with Scenic and we’re already in the process of booking the next one.

The vessel staff were wonderful from the hotel manager to the kitchen staff nothing was too much for them. They really made sure every part of the tour went off without a hitch. The low water level on the Danube required the staff to rearrange the berthing areas but they still made sure we did not miss out on the tours indicated.

We've done many river cruises and tried several cruise lines, but none have beaten Scenic in any aspect.

Truly all inclusive, with excursions that go above and beyond what you may expect.

Add to that, genuinely friendly, very attentive crew members and a lovely relaxed environment.

Highly recommended.

Outstanding service from start to finish. Fantastic food and drinks, great atmosphere and an amazing selection of excursions all included.

2 things made this cruise great -
1. The places we visited and the actual cruising
2. The staff
That's it.

Expecting luxury and relaxation from the start of The Danube River cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Pre-cruise information advised changes to itinerary- well this was certainly the case. Arrived at Budapest Airport to be coached to local Marriot Hotel / stale sandwiches with limited drinks having flown 2.3/4 hours flight from Birmingham. Then told we were not driving straight to the ship but 120 miles up river as water levels were so low. Checked into suite after 3 hour coach ride and met Butler for first and last time.
Following morning driven 3 hour into Budapest for city tour then 3+ hours back. Food on board good but quality of wines NOT 1st Class / av bottle of screw top wines served cost circa £6/10 - though drinks at all times were ongoing and copious.
Swapped ship twice during the cruise having to pack and put cases out at 6.30am though not fault of Scenic but ruined the relaxing experience. Each river boat introduced to Butler and once again conspicuous by absence throughout the holiday. Staff onboard the 3 riverboats could not be more helpful and agreeable - well trained and efficient.
The Cruise Director Richard Grey and his Assistant Emma could not be praised more highly for they had the headache of the disruptions under their responsibility and performed admirably with tours to places of interest either cancelled or rearranged
Would we go with Scenic again NO as value for money overall is questionable.
Would we travel in Summer time along rivers of Europe with current experience behind us NO.

Difficult circumstances due to low levels . But the staff were amazing

Beautiful boat fabulous helpful staff excellent food wonderful trips… definitely a must to return

Staff excellent
Food and drink excellent
Drainage smell in lower corridors

I have nothing but praise for the way Scenic handled my cruise on The Scenic Jasper from Amsterdam to Budapest. The food & wine was outstanding as was the Enrichment programme. The tours were good. My suite was very comfortable.

Due to the low river levels changes happened. These were completely outside of Scenic”s responsibility but the changes were handled smoothly & professionally.

We couldn’t sail into Budapest - disappointing but I was only inconvenienced for 2 hours. One has to really consider all the businesses that are feeling the economic impact of the low river levels.

I wish to compliment all the Scenic crews who continued to look after us so well. In particular our Cruise Director.

The whole trip was fantastic plus the staff are all incredibly efficient & friendly.

This river cruise is advertised as luxury. It’s not luxury.
Have travelled with Regent and Silversea on many occasions and this I class as luxury. Scenic River Cruises need to think about the state rooms (quality of bedding and towels), quality of food (often kept warm too long before serving) with just 85 persons on board this should have been a better experience. There needs also to be an expectation on dress in the evenings otherwise it is just a 3* river cruise. The positive taken from the cruise was the staff, 1st class.

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise even though the itinerary had to be curtailed because of low water levels. The captain and cruise manager kept us informed of the situation and warned us of the possibility of changes. Every effort was made to provide the excursions we were expecting and an alternative was provided where the coach journey might be to long for some people. It was disappointing to lose some of the cruising distance but every effort was made to make the journey as interesting as possible. The lower deck cabin was comfortable and well designed but we would have liked to have had a couple of stools to sit on. there was nowhere to sit but the bed which was to high to sit on comfortably. The staff were friendly and helpful. My husband has limited mobility at the moment and everyone was concerned that he was comfortable and could cope. We would like to have less overnight cruising as we like to look at where we are going and find the industrial bits and locks as interesting as the scenic bits. The stretch of the Danube we were on (Budapest to Nuremberg) is a favourite with us and it was great to see it again. We have been cruising for many years and with many providers and Scenic is excellent. We would certainly travel with them again.

This was our second Scenic river cruise and we were extremely pleased to find the same level of service and quality of food that so impressed us last year. So much so, that we bought discount vouchers for our next year's cruise.

The ship, staff and food were great, but being made to stand and wait for 2 hours, in Budapest Airport, for other passengers was in no way acceptable, it certainly wasn’t what I expected of a luxury cruise. Mealtimes were too regimented, for example, dinner was at 5.30pm one evening, due to most people going on a particular tour. Lunch finished at 12.30pm one day, most had a tour at 12.00, but some of us not until 2.30pm. Biscuits by the coffee machine removed at 2.30pm, ditto cakes etc at the bar. I have never been on a cruise where there wasn’t a cake or biscuit to have with afternoon tea/coffee!