This review is being written in 2 parts as the ship we were to board, the Scenic Crystal, got stuck in the Danube due to low water levels and we were to take the Scenic Jewel for the first half of the cruise and then transfer to the Crystal.

We were welcomed aboard the Jewel by a very great crew. Service was first rate and the food was excellent. The crew were very friendly and many, including the butler and hotel manager even remembered our names. In this first week we got to enjoy some fine dining in Portobellos and the Table La Rive. In both cases the food and wine were excellent.

The tours that we took were also great and we really enjoyed the visit to Siegfried's Mechanical Music Museum in Rudesheim. The one tour that stood out was the visit to the Johannes Deppisch Winery where we tasted some great wines, had a BBQ dinner and then were entertained with great music and singing. The one tour that was a little scary was the evening visit to the Marksburg Castle. The medieval banquet provided was great but the tour of the castle was rather dangerous. the pathways had very uneven stones, the lighting was poor and the stones were slippery in parts due to rain. Read more