trotters2203

I rarely complete surveys any longer because:-

1) I realised that soon afterwards I began to receive junk email because my details had been passed on

2) The surveys rarely asked the questions I wanted to answer

3) Any rating less than perfect can have an adverse effect on people who don't deserve it, for example waiters who have to deliver poor quality food.

trotters2203, don't leave it too long to book, Scenic are VERY popular in Australia, we booked our cruise 14 months in advance and got the last cabin in the category that we wanted.

Our Scenic river cruise was our first one (have done lots of ocean cruisers) and we absolutely loved it.

 

Cheers:)

Brisbanelionsfan-thank you. The Scenic trip is perfect for my dates and I had been looking at it for a while. I then read some very bad reports which included the Scenic Ruby (have you sailed on it?) and these stopped me in my tracks or I would probably have booked by now as I understand they are popular in Australia. It's good to get some positive feedback. I also agree with a previous comment about tipping and the all inclusive is tempting. I would rather have an included price than be wondering who to tip and when.

Thanks everyone for your interest and advice, I feel somewhat reassured and will definitely book soon. FYI the choice has narrowed to the Scenic Ruby which arrives at Rudesheim on the 4th July, the Viking Bestla which arrives too late but which seems a nice ship and the Avalon Vista which I really like the look of and is cheaper but again misses my desired date by a day. The solution? Enjoy the ocean cruise we have booked with Holland America in the near future and book when we come back by which time we may be left with just one choice!

thanks notamermaid, I am currently checking all that out. I have not done a river cruise before and my problem at the moment is that as soon as i find a decent review and decide "that's the One" I then find two bad reviews-it's very frustrating but we've all been there. I rang 2\3 companies today but did not get to speak to Scenic-got fed up of hanging on after 15 mins or so.

We are, or were, just about to book the Scenic Ruby for the 1st July 2015 Amsterdam to Budapest. It is our first River cruise and the intention is to book early as there seem to be some offers about. We chose Scenic as it seemed to be of good quality and calls:confused: at Rudesheim on the 4th July, hopefully to coincide with the "Rhine on Fire" celebrations. However I have now read some awful reviews of the line on TA as well as some Australian sites. Normally I would discount a few bad reviews amongst many as they can be down to personal experience but in this instance there are too many to simply ignore. There are 3 or 4 alternatives but my wife would really like to be in Rudesheim on the 4th. Any info based on experience of this and alternatives would be most welcome.

We are cruising the inside passage with HAL at the end of June and Tracy Arm Fjord is on the itinery. We would like to take a smaller ship to view the scenery\wildlife. Is it better to book direct with the ship or are there alternatives?

Many thanks for any advice.