Having cruised well over 15 times as a couple (and Cunard Carnival cruises) let's start by saying that the pursers office had a very negative attitude, both in person and on the phone. The cost of drinks is extortionate I.e. a bottle of wine £5-6 uk over £40 on the ship plus 15 percent. Cost to us well over £350. The food is adequate at best the fish clearly cooked in a toaster. The speciality restaurant - we ordered fruits de mer not frozen de mer. Tasteless and watery. Their disembarkation procedure is manic. Whatever time it states you can get off is irrelevant. Ours was priority one as they allow the corridors to get chock a block with people and do not control it. Very dangerous. When going through security they do not even check the time you are supposed to get off. A free for all. We shall never go with this so called British company again . There is another American cruise company who do it better. Humbly disillusioned. Read Less

We had planned for our first trip to Europe in almost 30 years and had been sold on the Uniworld Castles on the Rhine river cruise by Uniworld reps. When we arrived in Basel the captain and cruise director allowed all passengers to board. We were unsuspecting of any issues, but Uniworld KNEW that the Rhine River was IMPASSABLE and they boarded everyone anyway. Then 24 hours after boarding at the first night Captain's dinner we were informed that the river was impassable and our river cruise was OVER. We would reach our first stop, Strasbourg, and that would be it for our boutique, high quality river cruise. Uniworld knew about the river levels BEFORE and still allowed all passengers to board. No amount of rain would have changed the outcome!! Passengers should have been informed before boarding and given an option of a refund. A cancellation would have been a huge disappointment, but fair. Once on board we were basically their CAPTIVES and spent the remaining time crammed into buses for hours, lugged our own bags around from location to location, stopped at gas stations to pee, and were given a meager amount for daily meals. We sat on a speeding bus for our Castles tour seeing more buildings and phone poles than castles. The staff seemed overwhelmed,frus trated, and unable to help. Our days were poorly organized, and attempts to contact Uniworld's customer service went unanswered. Every day, rather than relaxing on the cruise ship, we had to find our own restaurants for meals in unknown destinations with inadquate funds for the exquisite meals we had paid for. We arrived one day early in Amsterdam after hours on the bus and were put up at the AIRPORT hotel with a lovely (sarcasm) view of the control tower. We had planned to stay in Amsterdam for two additional days and had selected our hotel to be near our final destination. We now had to travel from the airport to our hotel on our own, at our expense with no assistance from the staff. A $1,000 per night boutique river cruise it was not!! The entire experience was a fiasco and very poorly handled by Uniworld! We ended our boutique river cruise experience frustrated, exhausted, and stressed. We were offered a $1,000 credit for a future river cruise expiring in 2019. That offer had no value to anyone!! The company intentially boarded passengers so they could make their profit. They put corporate PROFIT over honor and customer service! We are beyond disappointed with our first river cruise and more importantly with how Uniworld handled the difficult situation. I would encourage you NOT to book with Uniworld. Look elsewhere!! Read Less

We had seen ads and decided to check out a Scenic presentation. We discovered a hidden gem in the sea of river cruise options. We knew we had stumbled on to something when we discovered that booking went quickly 18 months before departure. Scenic has thought of everything, and I mean everything. Everything is included. Drinks top shelve, meals gourmet that's all meals, professional and friendly staff made this fabulous trip even better. The excursions were all incredible. One in particular was the performance at Palais Leichtenstein, a beautiful palace complete with renaissance art. We sipped champagne and listen to an orchestra in a beautiful room. It was like going back in time. Can't say enough positive things about the rooms, sumptuous and well designed, the food, delicious and varied as was the great wine, the hardworking staff, particularly our tour director, and the excellent entertainment both on board and off as well as the beautiful picture perfect stops along the cruise This was a dream vacation and we are so happy we had a chance to experience Scenic. My wife and I are already thinking about our next river cruise with Scenic! Thanks for such an enriching experience which we will not forget Read Less

Our scenic adventure started with a driver waiting for us at Budapest airport who dropped us at Marriott. Great hotel good location. Two pre cruise days in Budapest. So much much to see and all of it walkable. Scenic picked up our luggage first then later transferred us to Scenic Ruby. Very efficient and quick process. We had a royal balcony suite on the ruby. Spacious, comfortable bed, large bathroom, plenty of storage for clothing, and separate lounges area w/small couch and two chairs. We were very happy with the size of the suite for our 15 day journey. Daily laundry service was an unexpected bonus. Put out your bag of clothes in the morning, and they are returned clean, folded and pressed in the afternoon. Though we did not use the butler service much, they were quick to respond when we called. Due to low water levels we had to change ships once after Melk. The staff on both Ruby and Jade made it so seamless, it was no issues what so ever. The daily choice of activites were excellent. We did bike rides, city tours, and more. Scenic really caters to all activity levels. Our tour guides in Salzburg and in Cologne were boring, so we set out on our own to explore. Wished we had more time to explore some of the Salzburg. The staff on both Ruby and Jade were quite honestly outstanding. From housekeeping who kept our suite spotless, to the wait staff in the dining room, all top notch. Food in the dining room was really quite good. My husband especially enjoyed the fresh cookie selection available all day every day next to that great coffee machine in the lounge. Alex our crises director was entertaining and informative, and we looked forward to the port talks each night, as well as his insightful presentations on the history and culture of the areas we cruised through. Each day he steered us to the right buses, or activities, and was always on hand to answer any questions we had for him. I really enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to plan anything...we just had to choose what our activity was for the following day. We very much enjoyed the wonderful fellow cruisers on the boat. We are in our late 50’s early 60’s, so we were part of the younger crowd. But what a great mix of people. We also had on board two folks from National Geographic. Susan was the photographer who was there to share technique’s and help hone skills. Mark was there to share with us the history, culture and politics of the regions we were sailing through. Both were such a great addition to the cruise. We ended the cruise in Amsterdam, and spent two days exploring that lovely city. I would suggest that Scenic select another hotel option other than the Double tree. While it was a great location, it was was run down and our room was dirty. I would pay more for a nicer hotel. This was our first river cruise and our first Scenic adventure. Our first Nat Geo adventure. It is not often that often that reality exceeds expectations, but Scenic hit it out of the ball park on this trip. When Scenic says it’s all inclusive, they not kidding. From food to cocktails to all your excursions, it’s all included. If you are looking for outstanding service, spacious and lovely accommodations, varied excursions for all activity levels (we were the high activity level), a great mix of passengers, and a trip you won’t soon forget - Scenic is the cruise line for you. Read Less

We have been on many river cruises with Viking and knew without a doubt this would be another quality trip, enhanced by outstanding, caring staff. As always, the crew outdid themselves with their friendly, courteous, expert services. The food was fabulous..and having choices of where to eat was a bonus. Scrumptious dinners of lobster and crab were a treat! The array of food was healthy and beautifully presented. Bar facilities and spa were soothing and well planned. It never felt like there were so many people on board because there were private little alcoves to be alone, meet with friends, or sip a drink upon leaving port. Musicians enriched the entire experience. We are always impressed with Viking's efficient organization and attention to detail. It is the perfect balance of a "trip" to learn new things, and an "R &R" to enjoy each other. We have already booked our next cruise! Thanks to all who made this trip such a joy! Read Less

Gems of The Danube is marketed as 3 days in Prague and then join the Jasper in Nuremberg for a Danube cruise to Budapest. We signed up in August of 2017, paid and arrived in Prague on time. The transportation provided from airport to Prague was delayed because some passengers were late. The area is small, hot, no explanations, no offer to move us to an air-conditioned motor coach, no offer of bottled water - nothing. My husband inquired of a cab and our inquiry was ignored. We finally got transportation to Prague and arrived at the hotel. The accommodations in Prague are nice, The Imperial, typical European style hotel. We were there for 3 nights. The first night there was a welcome meeting with a class of wine and a walking tour of the area. The other Scenic sponsored tour while in Prague was again, a walking tour. No worries we hired a car and had a wonderful tour of Prague. There were signs early on that something was amiss. The Scenic staff were all a bit vague regarding details. Our guide said he needed to leave ahead of the group to meet other travelers and passed us off to another woman working for Scenic. She rode the coach with us and informed us that morning that we would not be going to Nuremberg and we would not be on the Jasper. She assured us that the only difference between the Jasper and our newly assigned ship would be the name, Jade. The water levels were low and we would not go to Nuremberg, but to Regensburg. None of the travelers seemed concerned, until guide and driver got lost looking for the ship. When we finally arrived we had to walk about 300 yards along an unpaved path to reach the Jade, which was not exactly in Regensburg, but we could glimpse the skyline if we tried. We went to the lounge area and experienced the most cursory greeting from the hotel manager, captain, and cruise director. It's clear to us all now that the company was well aware that we would not be on the ship long and they were all noticeably nervous and in the instance of the Cruise Director, very short tempered. Those on the Diamond Deck are invited to dine at Table La Rive, that is if you are on the ship long enough to enjoy such an invitation. The sundeck was only opened for use on the evening that we were told we would be enjoying the rest of the trip from a bus! Check out my pics of the sundeck. Good Timing. The idea of a butler for every cabin, forget it. These folks are far too busy with the duties of being waiters and bartenders to actually assist in your cabin. Those Scenic spaceship balcony, not! It's a tiny window and when you open it the air-conditioning immediately shuts off and you swelter. If you are looking for group meals, long lines, buffets style dining, long bus rides and cruise companies that prefer to keep you in the dark, then this is your company. We rode on a bus for nearly 8 hours on our way from Vienna to Budapest, we passed our hotel 3 times so we could see the sights from a bus window. The group lunch was at a Hungarian park that our city guide described as his children's favorite playground. he asked if we noticed the wooden fort and castle on the playground, his children love it. No thank you for me and my group. Read Less

My friend suggested this cruise and it sounded wonderful. Overall it was! The dining staff really made the cruise worthwhile. They were friendly, extremely professional and hardworking. They really took the time to make sure you felt looked after. The Chef was excellent and important because I have a food allergy. The food was plentiful and there was a great variety. I felt the off ship tours were interesting but sometimes the bus trips to and from the ship seemed long. Our cruise Director was enthusiastic and informative but the many introductions of staff and crew went on too long. One introduction on the first day would have been enough. My favourite part was being on the ship and cruising on the river. It wasn’t always picturesque, especially through the industrial areas, but I still enjoyed the breeze and the sunshine on the top deck. On the second day, I put two blouses out for ironing only. Apparently, for the first time ever, laundry went missing. I had to ask several times, but I do believe they were doing their best to locate my tops. They were finally returned to me late on day 7 of an 8 day cruise. Laundry service was included but obviously we were hesitant to try it again. The much anticipated in room mini bar was a disappointment because it offered mostly alcohol. Very limited snack selection. Pringles and biscuits, and not every day. At this point, I’m not sure that I would travel with Scenic again, but I would definitely enjoy another river cruise. Read Less

The scenic crew was amazing and worked hard to give us a week to remember. The food and drinks were great, staff was incredible and the scenery tours top notch. The cabins are small, so two weeks would have been too long for us, but the one week cruise was perfect! The excursions were fun and well planned and the 35km bike trip was our favourite. There is not a lot of activities planned onboard the ship, so you have to be able to relax and watch the sights. The buses for the excursions were very nice with big windows and air conditioning and this was very enjoyable as well. All the scenic guides had great english and were very knowledgeable about the places we toured. We liked that they seemed to all have a great sense of humour which made them fun to listen too. We carried on to Prague and the scenic staff followed and made everything go smoothly there as well. We will defiantly be back!!! Read Less

After reading reviews about this ship we were eager to experience it for ourselves. Regent Seven Seas exceeded our expectations from our first phone call to the company. All our questions were answered and desires met. From first contact we were impressed with the efficiency in meeting and exceeding our expectations. The ship is a floating work of Art and engineering masterpiece. Pictures of the ship are beautiful, but it must be experienced in person to really capture all that it is. Our F1 suite, 937, was clean and quiet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_XnNsOBeGw Watch video for details. Suites that end in a 7 have pull-out couches to easily accommodate a 3rd occupant. We normally are Independence travelers; not usually going on cruise line shore excursions. However, this trip we participated on at least one ship excursion per port including a fishing trip, that cost us a reasonable $129 per person. Enjoying the informative, comfortable excursions were a highlight of our adventure. We liked the excursions so much that we often went on two a day. Our luggage was delayed by the airline, for three days, transferring from Copenhagen to Oslo. Chris at reception and his team went above and beyond with a sympathetic ear, complimentary overnight laundry, toiletries, toothbrushes, razors, etc., and I much appreciated 25% discount to purchase clothing from their gift shop. My husband picked out a beautiful dress for me to wear to dinner. We had our insurance agent calling the airline daily as well as my husband also made several calls a day inquiring about our luggage, but I believe we got our luggage because ship staff went to the airport in Copenhagen to pick up ours and twelve other passengers luggage. It is important that I mention that ship personnel did this for us even though we booked our own air. Thank you Chris for saving the day! Entertainment: full disclosure, we do not ordinarily go out after dinner, preferring to sit on our balcony and watch the ever changing scenery pass by while we plan for the upcoming days adventures. We did however enjoy the comedy show. Dining, oh the food, everything and anything my heart desired, ordering on or off the menu. Attention to detail was evident down to the Versace table setting and Chihuli Glass Chandelier and art. Service: Attentive and unobtrusive. All staff seemed truly joyful, smiling as they worked, sharing in conversation when appropriate, having an ability to read us, anticipating our desires and needs, learning our names by day two, recalling our favorite beverage. This was consistent as we did not dine in the same restaurant two nights in a row. How they knew to recommend fish dishes to me and meat dishes to my husband is a secret that I cannot figure out. Their recommendations were spot on. I recommend Regent to the seasoned sophisticated traveler who appreciates fine dining, art and who believes that the journey is as important as the destination. Bridge players and trivia enthusiasts made up a good portion of passengers. There were a few families with teenage children and I saw one family with much younger children at the end of our cruise. A childrens' program was available. We are a couple in our 50's traveling without children so I cannot advice on suitability for families with children. Read Less

The reason for doing this cruise is that we wanted to explore Australia`s involvement during WW1 and WW2 plus see the French country side from the comfort of a luxury river cruise ship. The ship was generally very comfortable, excellent staff but failed in the quality of food supplied. The embarkment and disembarkment went smoothly and was well organised. One person in our party is a vegetarian and struggled to find adequate, nutritious vegetarian meals during the cruise. There was only one vegetarian meal listed on the menu each night whereas a non vegetarian had 3 choices on the mains plus the alternative section (which did not contain one vegetarian meal). Where the vegetarian meal was not appealing there was no offer to change or make up an alternate meal. It seemed we had to either like it or lump it. On one occasion the vegetarian received the same meal as the non vegetarian minus the meat. It was a plate with a few boiled vegetables on it and that was it. A very plain, tasteless meal with little thought or imagination. Generally the quality of meals was only average. The bakery was an exception with the breads and rolls being fresh and delicious. Scenic was notified in advance that one of our party was a vegetarian and on previous cruises with this company the chef spoke with the vegetarian and supplied nutritious, tasty meals. This did not occur on this cruise. Read Less