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Trip Review All timing use the 24 hour clock, thus 07:00 in 7am and 19:00 is 7pm. Mooring locations are identified by a What3Words square. What3Words have divided the world into 3 metre squares and given each square a unique combination of three words. To see the location enter www.what3words/ followed by the three words in my Review. You can switch between map and satellite view. Day 1 – Friday 28 June 2024 Since we couldn’t go on Saga, which was Mrs P’s intent, because it didn’t meet her flight requirements I chose Scenic’s Unforgettable Douro because it offered an 11 day cruise of the Douro whereas the competition have 7 days. Advice from Cruise Critic forums was the 11 day cruise avoided rafting because it didn’t call at the same places or on the same days as the other lines. Unfortunately this is not true now there are so many companies cruising a relatively short stretch of river. Scenic booked British Airways but it turned out to be a code-share and we flew return from London Heathrow to Porto on Iberia planes, via Madrid. The flight to Madrid was on a long haul plane and we were taken by cabin crew to our business class spacious seats with lie flat beds and full range of entertainments. But there wasn’t time to enjoy them as the flight was only 2 hours long. We had one hour 25 minutes before the Porto flight departed and had to take an underground train to the departure terminal, but there was no queue at immigration and security search was quick. The flight to Porto was on a much smaller plane and at both ends we had to use the aircraft’s own stairs. We landed at Porto around 16:00 and met the Scenic rep outside arrival hall. We were the only Scenic customers and were taken straightway to a car and driven to the boat. On the quayside our names were ticked off, our bags taken, and we descended the steep steps to a floating pontoon and up Scenic Azures’ steep narrow rickety gangplank. On board at 17:10 we collected our room keys and lanyard with QR code use to swipe on and off the boat. We were taken to our cabin by our butler Amhan Silva who explained all the cabin features. I asked for printed copies of daily programmes and for the mini-bar to just have red and white wines. There was a 15 minute Safety Briefing before dinner. It seemed casual. Unlike Viking we didn’t have to wear our life vest, go to our muster station, have our names checked off a list, staff didn’t check rooms and there weren’t crew dressed in fireproof costumes. In fact I can’t remember what we were supposed to do. However we learned that the boat had 72 passengers against a capacity of 96, thus we were only 75% full. Time for a flute of Drappier Champagne before dinner. I was pleased to see the wine list was all Portuguese wines, apart from one red and one white from Spain. But the only two names I recognised were Mateus Rose and Monte Velho so we went with the suggested wines most nights The boat was rafted next to Emerald Radiance, and our room faced the Emerald. Overnight Location: Porto - https://what3words.com/treaties.emails.streaks (The satellite view currently shows Scenic Azure moored here.)

Introduction This was our sixteenth river cruise since May 2022. Our second with Scenic. All the others have been with Viking except for one 2 week cruise on a canal boat crewed by our son and his partner around the English canals and rivers. Viking Longships are mostly identical, the shorter ones differ only in size. I expected this of Scenic boats but Scenic Azure had a different design to Scenic Diamond and the cabin we had was also different. The bathroom had both a nightlight and shaving mirror, both lacking on Diamond, but neither was heated so misted up after a shower. Although the wardrobe was in the same place alongside the bed, it had neat sliding doors and the safe was midway unlike like the floor-level safe on Diamond. We had a balcony cabin – which Scenic misleadingly calls a ‘Suite’ – at the very back of the middle ‘Sapphire’ deck. This was the same position we had on Diamond and many Viking boats, but on Azure engine noise was very loud. During the day, when cruising, engine noise and a large air-vent made it unbearable open the balcony window, and even when closed limited our time on the balcony. There’s no cruising at night on the Douro but the main engine regularly comes on and there are constant other engine noises. I suggest avoiding the rearmost cabins on Azure. Our cabin was on the left – portside – of the boat. All but once Azure moored with the left of the boat facing the bank. And although the boat cruises along the Douro in both directions, the boat always moored facing the direction on the river flow. That’s does not mean that odd-numbered cabins on the boats right had an uninterrupted view of the river as most times the boat was ‘rafted’, i.e. tied to another boat. The Douro is rural and very attractive; unfortunately access to the front or back of the boat is restricted on the sun deck. There’s no passenger access before the wheelhouse Mooring at Porto at the start and end of the cruise is on the Porto side. This has a much higher river bank than the other side at Vila Nova de Gaia, which has a riverside lined with Port Lodges. Entering and exiting the boat need getting down to just above water level which changes by about six feet as the river is tidal here There’s a fixed steep wooden ramp down the bank to a landing the a wooden ramp to a floating pontoon. The angle of this ramp varies from steep to very steep depending on water level. Then one has to climb a steep narrow gangway to the boat’s third deck, part of which has only two slack ropes as hand rails. Since an accident where my shoulder was shattered in multiple places I struggle with balance and I find the Scenic gangplank frightening, and that will be a factor in booking future cruising. In 2024 Scenic dropped their Tailormade app which you had to download to your phone to hear guides. They now use Quietvox devices instead, as used by Viking, which are reliable – unlike Tailormade. But they still rely on people using email onboard. Onboard photo competition could only be entered by emailing photos to the boat and they expected guests to receive an email with a link to complete their questionnaire before departing the boat. As I don’t use my phone for emails I was unable to do either.

Just for readers not in the USA. Early payment may be standard policy in the USA but it's not standard policy everywhere. I believe it's only in the USA. Booking through the UK and one pays deposit on booking and the balance 10 weeks before cruise departure.

Unfortunately not so in 2024 Conversely we are interested in wine and selected all the winery visits. Disappointing in that while we visited places that made wine we didn't visit the part that made wine, instead in two we walked through barrel cellars and on all we were taken to a tourist tasting room where we tasted two of their lower priced wines. Again, unfortunately not so in 2024. We were rafted to an Emerald boat both at the beginning and end of the cruise. The Douro is chock-a-block with hotel boats.

Reading this forum for some years I've found that people have different needs from a river cruise. There are many who want to go on excursions and for whom the only purpose of the boat is to get them from one place to another without having to pack and check out of a different hotel each day. And amongst this substantial group there are many for whom the available excursions are not enough and they want to hire a guide organise their own sightseeing in addition. I'm afraid that the Douro is rural, and until the railway was built in the late 1800s and the modern roads constructed with EU money travel was very difficult. Towns of any size were built away from the river for protection because invaders and pirates travelled by river. The itinerary and a map would have shown you what to expect. You say your cruise didn't "get the benefits that other river cruise itineraries have" but what are these benefits? The Douro has the benefit of being quiet and rural. The towns are small and sleepy and there's nothing much to see. But we all have different wants. I live in and old city (not London) with Roman and pre-Roman remains, a medieval centre and an ancient cathedral. Walking around an old town on holiday isn't much of an attraction for me. But if you live in a new city maybe it is. If you live in a rural place maybe the buzz of a bustling city is an attraction. I went of the Scenic 11 day cruise that ended as yours started and I wandered around the town of Pinhao and a short walk in Regua. The river cruise lines do a pretty good job of meeting competing customer interests but I wonder if it's time to do cruises where the cruise is the most important feature, and others where excursions are uppermost. Some lines already make certain dates dedicated to cuisine with a a guest name chef or wine with tastings. Perhaps it's time to stop being all things to all people on every cruise.

Same number of days? Same route? Viking have 7 different cruises on the Danube plus 2 Christmas cruises. I've not travelled with Avalon. But my advice is to draw up a list of what each includes: drinks with meals/at any time, excursions etc. then decide what you want. If you enjoy cocktails before and spirits after then that would be important to you, though $2000 would buy a lot of drinks. But if you don't drink alcohol then you won't want to pay extra. The Danube is one of the most popular rivers and there is a tremendous amount of competition. You've narrowed it down to two - so they must each have something that took your fancy. I am certain that whichever you pick you will enjoy it. But if it is your first river cruise then if you go for the cheapest you can find out if river cruising is for you and if so whether you are happy to stay with the first line you booked with - most people are - or if there was something lacking then find another line that offers it The pricing situation becomes even more muddled as companies offer discounts and incentives. As I say, there's a lot of competition on Danube cruises

All the Douro river cruises offer the option of going to Salamanca, and unless they move this historic city nearer to the boat, there long coach trip there is the price to pay for visiting. I was cruising the Douro and finished on 8 July when you started. I first cruised the Douro ten years ago in Viking Hemming and we saw few other cruise boats but now there are so many. It's a short stretch of navigable river and there are only a limited number of moorings so I'm afraid rafting is the norm. This time we didn't go to Salamanca because of the long coach trip, and we avoided other excursions that had long coach rides. That's a problem with a 7 day cruise. One day at the beginning and one day at the end for embarkation/disembarkation, one day moored at the limit to allow for the all day excursion to Salamanca. that's 3 days accounted for, leaving only two days to cruise the length up and two days back to Porto. well, you must carefully read the descriptions, but the Douro cruise is the only one where overnight cruising is not allowed. Other river cruises may cover a much greater distance but much cruising is done at night. Excursions are given importance. We've been on a lot of cruises and now we only go on excursions we want. We don't take those that require a long coach ride or an early start in the morning unless its something we really want to do. But for many people the excursions are the reason they book the cruise. I think you're of the same opinion as us. Next time - if there is one - remember that excursions are optional.

I don't know why you couldn't access the link. maybe @Host Jazzbeau could shed a light. I cannot see on the UK site any mention of the Danube Bend

Google maps show around 92km, 1h15 by car, so say 1.5h by coach. If Scenic booked your flight I'd expect them to meet you at arrivals and coach you to boat, but you can get that info from Scenic.

I went on this cruise in 2018 but from Passau to Budapest. I wouldn't like to end in Passau because its such a long drive to Munich airport. Add in a 2 hour coach ride, plus scheduled extra for delays and getting you there 3 hours before the flight departs and you have a very early start. Budapest airport is 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic, from the mooring. You might like to read this recent thread

Have a small breakfast then, toast, fruit, yoghurt 🙂

In the UK the 7 Oct cruise is 8 day Rhine Highlights starting in Amsterdam and ending in Basel with flights from Basel. I assume for USA bookings Zurich offers flights to USA. There should be UK people on board and if so there will be transport to Basel airport from the boat. I don't know about this itinerary but the Scenic Douro cruise had complimentary travel to a destination of passengers choice. I'd suggest talking with the Cruise Director when you are onboard. If you cannot get complimentary travel to Basel Airport, then if flight times match may be you can ride with the Brits to the airport, otherwise get a taxi. It's got to be better than going on an unwanted bus ride to Zurich and then getting a train back.

It is 1 kilo max and the laundry bag is very small, don't expect a hotel sized laundry bag. We managed to get 3 ladies tops and three men's shirts in the bag and then I managed to squeeze in 6 pairs of socks. Scenic Azure didn't have any tables for two in the dining room, only tables seating 4 and tables seating 6 . The seating for Portobello's in the lounge had two tables for two, and a light meal is served there at lunchtime

I think that's the most likely option. As you'll see from the room service breakfast menu, it's just drinks and pastries. Not everyone, just one per cabin.

The buffet is extensive, including hot dishes such as two types of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms, potatoes; there are also dishes on the breakfast menu that can be ordered Eggs Benedict are on the menu. I don't know what a specialist omelette is but there is an egg chef on the buffet counter with pans and people were ordering omelettes with fillings to their taste. There were many possible fillings to choose from.

For one, yes. The OP said "One of the reasons we chose Scenic was the ability to get room service for breakfast, lunch and dinner" which implies two people. But maybe the OP has booked a more suitable (more expensive) room 🙂

They do

All cabins can 'dine in rooms'. I returned this week from an 11 day Scenic cruise of the Douro. The was a card in the room for breakfast choices you can hang from your cabin door handle. But the options do no include hot food. I asked the 'butler' about in-room dining as it had been a forum discussion item before I took the cruise. He said he'd never served any in-room food other then breakfast. You don't say which level of cabin you are in. For a balcony suite there is a small table in room with a stool chair. On the balcony are two wicker armchairs and a low table. I asked the butler if table and chairs were brought with in room dining. He didn't think so and there was no space for them. Unless you have a larger cabin where you can dine with a knife and fork on a plate at reasonable level, you might have issues with in-room dining, except for food like burgers and sandwiches. There was on our boat, it's viewed on the TV under FAQ>FOOD. This is it I think the custard tarts are special to Portugal 🙂 Menu available 11:00 to 24:00 according to screen above

Many? There are only two at 455 sq ft, the Royal One-Bedroom Suite and only two at 305 sq ft the Royal Balcony Suite. Balcony Suites are 205sqf, exactly the same size as Viking's Veranda Stateroom.

If you mean on the Douro route, the Viking cruise was a long time ago - 2014. I really enjoyed it, I recall the visit to the Sandeman Port Lodge and lunch at a winery surrounded by vines. And the mechanical feet for stomping grapes in one of the Port wineries. I remember visiting Salamanca with flamenco dancers at lunch, the visit to the bakery where one woman was kneading dough and baking bread in a wood fired oven. They demonstrated opening a crusted Port bottle by heating port tongs..... But that was then; there were barely any other hotel ships on the Douro and I don't think we were rafted once. Now the river is teeming with river cruise lines and rafting is usual. Viking no longer supply lunch with entertainment in Salamanca and I think they no longer have the lunch at the winery. I heard from the PM on Scenic they no longer do the crusted Port demonstration after an inattentive demonstrator let a cloth too near the gas hob and after it caught fire, attempted to extinguish it be putting another cloth on top which in turn burst into flames. All the river cruises I could find had 7 days on the Douro. Take off 2 days for embarkation at start and disembarkation and there's only 5 days - 2 days going to the Spanish border, one day moored there while passengers go to Salamanca and 2 days back. Scenic do a 7 day cruise, but they also do an 11 day cruise, the only one I am aware of, which is why I booked them. Viking have the better designed boat and include on-board gratuities and currently the Silver Spirits package. Scenic also include tips for guides and coach drivers as well as bar drinks and one small clothes wash per cabin. I think there's much of a muchness. One is better in one way, the other is better in a different way. No easy answer, especially as prices in UK will differ in Canada. However Scenic are having big discounts, our cruise was only 75% full.

@Host Jazzbeau Scenic RIVER cruise roll calls should go in: All Other River Cruise Roll Calls. Make sure you mention Saga and the name of the ship in the title. I think you meant Scenic not Saga 😉

I have probably made a mistake in thinking all Scenic 'Spaceships' are alike. I haven't travelled on Gem or Jade. On Scenic Azure the exit door is in deck 3. The lounge is the same level, as are the cabins. The restaurant is on deck 2 same as the restaurant. On Scenic Diamond (the first Scenic I travelled on) the lounge and restaurant were off-set from the decks the cabins were on. Our cabin was on deck 2. We had to descend stairs to the restaurant and ascend stairs to the lounge, reception and exit. So the exit was midway between deck 2 and deck 3, say deck 2.5 🙂 This off-set entrance did not align with other non-Scenic river boats so when rafted on outside only way to transfer to other boat was via the sundeck. I hated this feature of Scenic boats - having to walk down a narrow gangplank at a steep angle with a section at the highest point where there was no metal hand rail, only a loose rope, and would not recommend Scenic to anyone with mobility problems for this one reason. Yes, other companies boats might have to cross a rafted boat via the sun deck, but even when not rafted Scenic have a high exit point and a scary gang plank. (on the boats I have been on, and it seems on Gem and Jade. I will find out myself about Jasper in 4 weeks time.

You did ask about the included spirits. I don't drink spirits now so I didn't photo all the list but be assured that all the major types are available free (except you've paid for them in your fare 🙂 ) but maybe not your favourite brand. I only photographed the two pages of the bar menu which had wines & Ports

I departed the Scenic Azure at Porto yesterday after the Unforgettable Douro 11 day cruise. The refreshing thing is that on Scenic Azure all the wines on the list are Portuguese except for one white and one red Spanish wine. There will be different wines on other cruises. You do not need to ask for the wine list because it is in the menu folder you are given at lunch and dinner. When the folder is given you the waiter opens it at the first two pages which have the food items. Turn over and there are two pages of wines, one page white and one red/pink. Unfortunately the list does not name the grape varieties in the wines, but all the reds and most of the whites are blends of mostly native Portuguese varieties. I only recognised two wines - Mateus Rose and Monte Velho - the second of which I have bought from The Wine Society. Not knowing the wines I took the recommended wines offered by the waiters - later on when we wanted white I asked for Vinho Verde which tastes fresher to our palate than the other (wooded) whites. If you don't like any wine, ask for another. There is complimentary sparking wine at the bar, or ask the waiter. Both white and pink - from Portugal. If you want Champagne - which I did - and we had a glass as aperitif before dinner it is best to go the bar yourself and order it the check the bottle as they tend to pour the Portuguese fizz when asked for Champagne. After I corrected them twice they s got the Champagne subsequently. The Champagne is Drappier. At breakfast buffet is Moet & Chandon on self pour. Also at the bar is Ferreira Tawny Port. This is a favourite brand of the Portuguese and I liked it. Alcoholic drinks are available from 11:00 till midnight (except the breakfast Champagne). Outside of those times you have your complimentary mini bar in your room. There is a two page 'Chairmans List' of drinks you have to buy. The wine seems to be priced twice retail cost. Here is the list of on-board included wines

I left Porto yesterday after an eleven day trip on Scenic (I have cruised the Douro before on Viking Hemming). Though Porto was sunny with clear skies it was chilly as there is a strong breeze off the Atlantic. When you pass the mountain ranges that provide a barrier to the winds and you enter the Douro demarcated wine region the temperature will be warm. It was 35-36C at Pinhao on Friday 5 July.