I have never done a river cruise before and have only ever done an ocean cruise back in 1969. I usually do escorted coach tours when I travel to Europe and my husband hasn't travelled overseas since we married back in 1971.

We arrived in Zurich a day ahead of the cruise departure and that was a good thing, as my husbands luggage didn't arrive when we did. No one was waiting for us by the time we eventually got to the arrivals hall but after contacting the local Scenic number, our private transfer driver came back to the airport and delivered us to the Zurich hotel. Thankfully the luggage arrived the following morning, so all was okay when we were picked up and taken to the ship, which departed from Basel.

Arrival and embarkation was slick. Our cabin was fabulous but that was my husbands choice, not mine. I would have been happy with a Balcony suite or even just a state room, as there were plenty of community areas for seeing both sides of the river and I'm a more social person than my husband is. Read more