Was under the impression care free travelling. Everything paid for eg museums. Disappointed not notified of low water levels until the day. We were to be on the boat. Came as a shock to us we’d be staying in hotel two extra days. Dinner and drinks were not covered as they would be on boat. We were on the buses far too long and too many hrs. We packed and unpacked at least four time. Was promised care free travelling. Unpack once be done with it. Did not see everything promised on this cruise. This was our once in a lifetime adventure. Very disappointed. I can say the food was excellent and the staff and service was great. For the $19,000 we paid for trip was not worth the money. We could of done several bus trips since we were on buses anyway and packing a lot of the time. I can say it would of been a great trip if we had not had to transfer and been on the river full time Read Less

We chose the Scenic line thru a recommondation from our travel agent and also friends. There were low river issues before we left, but there was no talk of postponing or cancelling. We started off our holiday with a 10 day bus tour of Poland. We chose to pick up the river cruise in Budapest to have a relaxing 2 weeks after busing for 10 days. We were on the Pearl for 4-5 days, switched to the Opal for a few days, then bused to a location, missing a major portion of the cruise we where looking forward to. Then switched ships to the Amber. It was not relaxing after the first 4 days, Constantly packing up, unpacking and meeting new crews. The Positives: Each ship was a little nicer each time The Crew was wonderful and accommodating The Amber crew was really taxed with cleaning up after the guests switching to the Opal and preparing to accommodate the Opal guests. We all needed a holiday after that. Read Less

Water levels were low so we ‘swapped’ ships twice. Started on Scenic Pearl, then Scenic Opal then Scenic Amber. Opal and Amber were newer ships so larger rooms. Service was excellent. Food great. Tours organized very well and cruise director Andreea was amazing. The swaps were handled very well and pretty painlessly for us, with the exception we had to pack up twice but all luggage was handl d by the crew and in our rooms when we reached the new ship. Weather for October was well above normal so we were able to st on the top deck as we crises te rivers. Rm 234 at te back of the ship was very noisy on the Pearl but not so on the newer Opal ad Amber. Etertanmet rought on board was ver good. String quartet delightful. Would have enjiyed ports more had we been able to dock closer to town centres but low water levels found us needing to shuttle into centre of towns. Would definitely travel wt Scenic again. Read Less

We choose this cruise because we had done the Rhine and this looked like a decent alternative for our next cruise. The day trips on this cruise required more bus time then the Rhine cruise which made for long long days. The low water level caused us to have to change ships too days prior to the end of the cruise this made for hectic travel time of packing and unpacking. The kitchen and bar staff were great however the butler service was a lacking compared to the service we received two years prior on the Scenic Crystal. For example all the products in the min fridge were not to our liking so www asked the butler to change the items in the mini fridge i.e. more beer less wine and on this trip he stated that the mini fridge has a fixed set up and can not be changed however on the Crystal the butler was only too happy to make the changes. This is why we rated to trip in some ares mediocre. However the money we paid of the trip was top dollar. Read Less

We picked Scenic for a few reasons. Good ratings for the cruise line. We liked the itinerary. Would have been better ratings from us if we had been able to stay on the ship we had booked. This alternate ship (the Pearl)had a wonderful crew. The crew on the 2nd ship seemed to find us an inconvenience. This is understandable since it was inconvenient for us as well. We were required to change ships for one night due to the low water levels in the Danube. I can't imagine all the extra work that means for the crew. The cruise director (Richard) was great. The worst thing about moving the ship was leaving the hearing devices on board. So we were without those fantastic devices for a full day. The guide we had that day (Regensburg?) was great, but very soft spoken. I would have had a more interesting time if I could have heard her. Read Less

This was our first river cruise and Scenic was recommended to us by several friends and our travel agent. We took this cruise with 2 other couples as we all celebrated our 50th anniversary. We were certainly not disappointed!! Everything about Scenic is first class, especially the dining, service, cruise director's attention to detail, punctuality and Richard was just plain FUN! We had to change ships in Germany because of low water and the transition to the Jasper was seamless. All the excursions were thorough, but never rushed. Always on time, local guides were excellent. The Pearl was extremely well outfitted; we were very pleasantly surprised with the bathroom size, closet space and the cleanliness was second to none. We cannot say enough about the Pearl staff; they were attentive without being overly intrusive; and above all so much fun!! We loved the whole River Cruise experience as we did not have to pack each day; just enjoy the excursions and then return to a wonderful balcony suite and prepare for dinner. We would highly recommend Scenic for river cruise travel. Also, all the info we received from Scenic prior to our departure was first class and very informative. We also called Scenic directly a few times before departure and our questions were also answered immediately and courteously. Read Less

We believed the Scenic literature and presentation and signed up. The river was low and so we had a substitute older ship, the Pearl; we were bused from Nuremburg to Passau for the first three days of the cruise. We were berthed in an industrial area next to the garbage bins. We had paid for a balcony cabin, but since we were docked next to other ships for most of the trip, this was impossible to use. The drapes remained closed and the balcony was waste space. Only half of the guides were informative, the food was convention quality, the wine was plonk and the service was average relative to the cruise industry. Most of the passengers were over 65 and likely were on statins, but most of the menu was high in cholesterol and waiters could not suggest appropriate dishes. Would it be a real problem to provide skim milk for cereal? Scenic has no control over river depths, but they do have control over other aspects and the quality was limited. Two days out of eight matched expectations. Only redeming quality was the opportunity to interact with terrific fellow passengers who made the journey memorable. Read Less

Trip compromised by low water levels. We had to be bused three hours to an alternate older ship. The usual views were of other ships moored against us. Long journeys by coach. Most of the guides gave limited information relative to our usual travel experiences. Walking tours did not provide options for people with limited mobility. There were only two days out of the eight that matched expectations. The food compares with adequate convention food; very difficult to select low cholesterol options which was surprizing given the average age: most of us probably were on statins. Cabin was very tight and the private balcony could not be used because of the adjacent ships so the premium was not of any value; we had to keep the drapes closed for privacy otherwise you would be able to see and touch cabins on the next ship. All inclusive did not result in good value for experienced travellers; this is meant for people who prefer to assign details to a "tour operator". Scenic can not control the river levels but could improve some service and excursions. Excellent travel companions helped make the best of the trip. Read Less

This was a gift for 20th service at my work! The different excursions were fantastic and well organized. The bike ride was magic and with the electric assistance, it was a great discovery. The cabin is really nice and gives a beautiful view we could enjoy with an opening window on the Danube! The cabin is always clean because of the efficency of the cleaning staff. The Chef is incredibly good, always surprising us with different tastes and presentations. The cruise was from Budapest to Nuremberg but because of the low water level, we were not able to go till Nuremberg with the ship. The weather is something we cannot control but we were lucky enough to have the sailing almost till the end. The only thing I would do a remark on is the time between some excursions is tight with the next one. Not much time to exercice and I was sad because no pool on the ship. But for me, it was an incredible experience and I would definitively say, Go for it!! Thanks to all the Fantastic Crew :) Read Less

Chose Scenic based on online reviews etc. Considered it to be one of the top river cruise companies. We were very disappointed at service levels and food. Breakfast and lunch were major disappointments with minimal options and “cafeteria-feel” in the restaurant area. Our first lunch on the ship offered salads and the only hot food option : “liver balls”! For the money paid to take the trip, definitely disappointing. The water levels on the Danube were low and so bus travel dominated the first few days of our trip. Overall, Scenic tours include excursions with bus rides that are too long, example : trip to Salzburg. Also quality of docking areas are very poor : ours were generally in industrial areas or areas not near downtown or old core areas of the cities we were visiting. Tour guides were ok but duration of tours were either too short or too long. We felt that some tours included visiting a few spots that were just tossed in to make up some time. Also, most guides didn’t use their microphones properly so we were unable to hear them very well. Visit to Budapest was disappointing. Sailed into the city in the morning and really only had an afternoon to visit “Budapest in depth”, as Scenic called it. They brought us to a piano recital (which was good), but upon leaving our bus broke down and we were forced to wait in a hot bus for over 1/2 hour. Needless to say, the remaining tour consisted of a quick visit to one other site and then back to the ship. Communication among company, employees and customers was very poor. Even though the company knew water levels were low, they provided few details as to how this would impact our trip. They basically only told us that our ship was changing from the Amber to the Pearl (an older ship). This included a room downgrade in our case and it was only when I pointed this out to the tour director did they consider offering some form of compensation. We didn’t understand why they would set up an early breakfast in one location of the ship, then change it to the formal dining area and then back to the early breakfast location for late risers. Doesn’t make sense and annoys travelers. Overall, tour was not worth the money and we were totally disappointed with the company, service and tour quality. Read Less