Scenic River Cruises

Any feedback on this line? We are considering one of their river cruises. Boats look very nice.

Hi Duct tape, there are various reviews in that section but not of the newer ships as CC has not added them yet, a lot of info on river cruising roll calls under various Scenic headings. Personally I think they deliver a superb product we are soon to take our fourth cruise with them but we have not cruised with any other company although friends have I cannot do a direct comparison. The staff are superb the food excellent the decor smart warm and uncluttered the rooms comfy and roomy with plenty of storage space and charging points, water replaced daily, mini fridge restocked daily and you can specify what you want in it. Tailor maid devices that are GPS enabled so you can listen to your guide from a distance or wonder off on your own. I could go on but read for yourself any questions just ask.

Happy cruising CA

Took a Scenic cruise two years ago and will be going on another one in September. I concur with Canal Archive, have nothing bad to say about them. One of my travel companions on the first trip, took a Viking cruise a few months later and said there was no comparison - Scenic was much better. Also by the time you included all the drinks, tips, excursions on Viking; she paid more than the all inclusive Scenic cruise.

Have no hesitation in recommending them.

Hi Duct Tape,

Nice to see you again (sort of). We cruised on the Silver Whisper Oct 16 2013, you were on & off the ship, so we did not get a chance tomeet. We had the most wonderful cruise with SS.

The reason I am replying here, we are cruising on the Scenic Opal July 22 this year Budapest to Amsterdam.

I have had several friends cruise with Scenic and have been nothing but impressed. The two new European shipe theJasper and the Opal are truly beautiful vessels, have a look at this, it is a walk through of the new Jasper. https://www.scenic.com.au/cruising/destinations/europe

Hope you find the river cruise you are looking for.

Warm regards

Chris

A question regarding the all-inclusive on Scenic. I read where tips of the port guides are included, does that include drivers?

What I find interesting about Scenic (if I am "recollecting" correctly) is that they offer 2 or 3 options for every excursion (tour a, b, or c). One would save money on optional excursions that Viking and others charge for. For example, I would LOVE to visit the landing beaches in Normandy but wife has no interest whatsoever. She could go tour farms and apple orchards instead. Others charge for that option. As many have mentioned, some lines are "more inclusive" than others.

and yes, offer 3 at least shore excursions. Going on one next wk.from Paris to Normandy.Have that tour , plus others for your wife. Also, Somme battle field tours.My DH is a WW history buff.

Have been on 12 different cruises with all the major lines and Scenic rates number 1 for me in every category. True luxury and you DO GET what you pay for. Top of the line.

Hey Chris--thanks a lot mate! First time I have ever seen this Scenic website and all the super info, photos, and video footage that we don't have on the Scenic site for US and its companion for Canada (which has more stuff than the US site). I have no idea why they are all so different. We are on the Jasper in July and I have been looking for info and photos about the Jasper--found it thanks to you!! Ever in California, I owe you a beer!:)

Thank you, we were in California in 2013...............my husband has a brother in Vancouver, never know if/when we may be back. We drove from Las Vegas to San Francisco via the coast, we had the most amazing trip up the Californian coast, it was magnificent. We just loved San Francisco, what a wonderful city.

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Sounds like you guys get around! We live about 30 minutes from Napa and an hour from San Francisco. Enjoy the Opal cruise as you are a week ahead of our cruise on Jasper from Prague to Budapest--we'll be in Prague from July 31-Aug 3 and in Budapest from Aug 9-12. If you are in port one of those days, we can arrange to get you that beer earlier! Meanwhile, safe travels!

--Otis

Unfortunately, we are in Budapest from July 20 until we board, then through to Amsterdam, boarding a very fast train to Paris when we disembark for a few days then to Ireland for a week, back to northern England for a few more days with friends, then home to Oz. have never been to Prague, but hear it is very beautiful enjoy your trip.

Chris

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Alaxandra cruiser have a fantastic cruise we did.

Everyone just choose the excursion you want if couples want to choose a different one each then do so then compare notes after your bound to make each other a bit jealous.

The Australian site has a video tour of Scenic Jasper looks really good.

All tips and I really do mean all tips are included we tried to extra tip a guide and our cabin steward ( not the butler) and were very politely declined.

It's interesting that Scenic has done a major rebranding exercise I don't know about the other country sites but the UK one has a few hiccups where have all the proof readers gone?

Don't forget if you have a request or need a question answered just ask the crew they will tell you that they are there for you and your enjoyment.

Unless they have changed the system when you are due to leave the ship for any reason ask at reception for your boarding card this is so they know if any one is missing when they leave for the next port as you hand them in when you return. You will be greeted by various crew members and most probably the captain, also a drink and maybe a hot towel, you will also be encouraged to use the hand sanitizer it becomes second nature to use these on returning to the ship and on entering and leaving the various eating establishments on board.

Happy cruising all, CA

A question regarding the all-inclusive on Scenic. I read where tips of the port guides are included, does that include drivers?

It includes everything

We did have to pay for the WC in some ports but ask the guide where the free ones are

Just came back from a Scenic cruise on the Jasper. Absolutely first class in every way. Had a junior suite, with gorgeous walk in shower for 2 with back jets, rainshower to due for. Very comfortable bed a d the balcony sunlounge is so private and with solid glass a wonderful view. Butler amazing. Better than any of our over 30 ocean cruises. Totally all inclusive. Best seafood luncheon ever. Very good excirsions included and a spectacular evening out in Vienna. I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Pricey? when you add in all the extras; tipping, drinking whatever you wish whenever and quality excursions, electric bicycles, specialty restaurant included, we still found Scenic had the perfect product for us. Class without being snobby or opulent. It is becoming so popular that booking is now a year in advance. On the Danube, pick an odd number cabin. On the Rhine, get an even number. Cheers!

How do folks dress in the evening? Thanx for all of your responses!

Best bet is smart casual not over the top, Scenic request no shorts at dinner. Gents don't need a jacket but it might be useful depending on the time of year. Be comfortable I have yet to go on a cruise that has any, shall we say fashion tension. You might want to dress up a tad more on the special nights. I have seen on other threads concerns about the shoddy attire of some cruisers but have never seen any evidence of this on board Scenic. Ladies may like to take a pashmina or similar to dinner in the evening as the AC can be a bit chilly to start with. CA

Just came back from a Scenic cruise on the Jasper. Absolutely first class in every way. Had a junior suite, with gorgeous walk in shower for 2 with back jets, rainshower to due for. Very comfortable bed a d the balcony sunlounge is so private and with solid glass a wonderful view. Butler amazing. Better than any of our over 30 ocean cruises. Totally all inclusive. Best seafood luncheon ever. Very good excirsions included and a spectacular evening out in Vienna. I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Pricey? when you add in all the extras; tipping, drinking whatever you wish whenever and quality excursions, electric bicycles, specialty restaurant included, we still found Scenic had the perfect product for us. Class without being snobby or opulent. It is becoming so popular that booking is now a year in advance. On the Danube, pick an odd number cabin. On the Rhine, get an even number. Cheers!

Howdy there Beppy,

Can't wait as to pick your brain and find out all the Ins and Outs of your cruise on The Jasper.

Sounds to me as if you had a FUNTASTIC time.

We are Lisa and Gary, LoneStarCruisinCouple from Sugar Land,Texas and shall be cruising on her sister ship The Opal Sailing September 2,2015 Jewels of Europe Amsterdam to Budapest.

So seeing that it is a Upscale Luxury River cruise what do Ladies and also guys wear? Is it a Good Idea to take a suit and or maybe a Sport Jacket with various pants and shirts and ties?

Do the rooms have Binoculars in them? I have seen in the videos that there are Walking Sticks and also umbrellas.

When you first set out do they hand you any sort of a itinerary as to the arrival and departure times in various ports of call.

When they say all inclusive did you try and pay like your cabin steward or anyone else on the ship extra for a job well done?

Lisa and I are in a Royal Panorama Suite and just can't wait as from all the pictures it looks to be Awesome.

How was the food?

How was the entertainment?

How were the excursions?

Any thing that sticks in the back of your mind that you would recommend as to take along?

Yes I am just full of all sorts of questions..

Anyone at all use the pool on board the ship?

Is the dinner in Portobellos really any different than that of in the Crystal Dining Room other than maybe less crowded?

WE are celbrating our Anniversary while on our cruise and have some various different things that I have already arranged for with the help of the folks at Scenic.

Looking forward to hearing from you and oh do you have any pictures as I am thinking of packing my DSLR.

Lisa and Gary

LoneStarCruisinCouple

On the Danube, pick an odd number cabin. On the Rhine, get an even number. Cheers!

Surely that depends which direction you are travelling?

Or is that about when berthed, and the ships always berth the same way around regardless of direction of travel?

We are doing Budapest - Nuremberg in two weeks, and we do have an odd-numbered cabin (219) :)

Best bet is smart casual not over the top, Scenic request no shorts at dinner. Gents don't need a jacket but it might be useful depending on the time of year. Be comfortable I have yet to go on a cruise that has any, shall we say fashion tension. You might want to dress up a tad more on the special nights. I have seen on other threads concerns about the shoddy attire of some cruisers but have never seen any evidence of this on board Scenic. Ladies may like to take a pashmina or similar to dinner in the evening as the AC can be a bit chilly to start with. CA

Hey There Canal,

Boy from what I see only 14 more days to go. Oh you lucky So and So. I was just watching a video clip that they have on Scenic Australia about the Jasper and they show pictures of our Royal Panorama Suite and all I can say is Can't Wait To Be Spoiled.

Ahh Loungin" Laughin" and and enjoying Those Tasty Libations..

Wishing You Smooth Sailings and a Pleasant Trip

Lisa and Gary

LoneStarCruisinCouple

PS Thanks for all The Help that you have given here on Cruise Critic.

Gary

We have a morning program in Canada called Canada AM and Jeff the weather guy was on a Scenic river cruise on the Seine starting in Paris. It was a beautiful ship and he was saying it was all inclusive. He reported on all his tours and they looked wonderful. He went to Normandy as one of his tours and it was very moving. It is a top of the line product and sounds like it compares to others when you factor in all the extras you have to pay on other lines. I have not heard any complaints about Scenic Tours.

Just came back from a Scenic cruise on the Jasper. Absolutely first class in every way. Had a junior suite, with gorgeous walk in shower for 2 with back jets, rainshower to due for. Very comfortable bed a d the balcony sunlounge is so private and with solid glass a wonderful view. Butler amazing. Better than any of our over 30 ocean cruises. Totally all inclusive. Best seafood luncheon ever. Very good excirsions included and a spectacular evening out in Vienna. I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Pricey? when you add in all the extras; tipping, drinking whatever you wish whenever and quality excursions, electric bicycles, specialty restaurant included, we still found Scenic had the perfect product for us. Class without being snobby or opulent. It is becoming so popular that booking is now a year in advance. On the Danube, pick an odd number cabin. On the Rhine, get an even number. Cheers!

Hi, we have a junior suite booked on the Opal July 22, I dont suppose you have any photos of your suite by any chance?

Chris

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So seeing that it is a Upscale Luxury River cruise what do Ladies and also guys wear? Is it a Good Idea to take a suit and or maybe a Sport Jacket with various pants and shirts and ties? No need to take a suit unless you like to wear them some men wear jackets but most do not

Do the rooms have Binoculars in them? I have seen in the videos that there are Walking Sticks and also umbrellas. On our cruise there were walking stick & umbrellas

When you first set out do they hand you any sort of a itinerary as to the arrival and departure times in various ports of call. there are no set times that I remember not like Ocean cruises

When they say all inclusive did you try and pay like your cabin steward or anyone else on the ship extra for a job well done?

At the end of the cruise they had a box to put in extra gratuities to be shared among the crew

 

Is the dinner in Portobellos really any different than that of in the Crystal Dining Room other than maybe less crowded?

 

We found Portabellos food much better than the dining room

We did the cruise in 2012 & at that time you could only dine there once

Judy and Larry from Marco Island, FL. We just booked a cruise on Scenic next May:( Wish it was now! We will be going from Budapest to Amsterdam. I am wondering about Scenic's pre and post stays. We r thinking 3 nights in Prague and 2 in Amsterdam. How does one get from Prague to Budapest? Train???

Is there a sign up for excursions as on other ships? We would love to hear about the cruise from anyone who has done this trip.

As I said in my previous post, we're going May 2016 Budapest to Amsterdam, getting very confused between what our US travel agent and Scenic are telling us regarding both the pre-cruise trip to Prague and the upgrade of flights are. Scenic has a new US website with very little information; would like to know if anyone has taken the pre-cruise Prague trip and what it was like, also, if you upgraded your air was it competitive with buying on your own using the AMEX "2 for 1" program?

Hi Sachmo-- we are on the Scenic Jasper this July 2015 from Prague to Budapest. I did some subsequent cost comparisons for the pre-cruise portion of 3 days in Prague we booked with Scenic, and fund we could have saved a substantial amount booking the same room in the Marriott on our own, purchased their 3 hour walking tour on our own, and bought rail transport to catch the ship in Nuremberg on our own. Oh well, to cancel and just book the cruise alone from Nurem. to Budapest would have caused us to cancel our initial reservation and probably not been able to book the same deluxe veranda cabin mid-ship--so we left it alone. We have booked 3 nights post-cruise on our own in Budapest. All in all, we are still very happy with our plans to cruise on this beautiful ship! Suggest you check out the Scenic Australian website shown in post #4 above---much more info and videos!!

Can't comment on your air question as we booked our own flight from SFO to Prague and Budapest to SFO on our own as we like to insure times and seat selection. Good luck!