This was our second Scenic River cruise, last time we did Amsterdam to Budapest in 2009

I enjoyed it then but Scenic have really raised the bar. This time we sailed from Budapest to Amsterdam and because of the different timings and direction we actually saw many new sights. unfortunately the weather wasn't the best so we only spent a couple of days on the sun deck. for quite a few days , this deck was closed anyway due to the numerous small bridges the ship,goes under. Since 2009, the ships have been improved in decor, full balconies where you can have the window closed or open ( a great feature) TV/ videos and free wifi in the rooms. We found occasionally you lost reception but that is to be expected with a moving boat. the cabin we had was on the second floor 223 - which we had last time and we had no problems with noise.However, our friends had a room on the top floor over the engines and found it excessively noisy and a lot of movement. I loved the L'Occitane bathroom products which were replenished frequently, as was the bar fridge. When Scenic say 'all inclusive' they mean it apart from laundry. In 2009 we had a rather excessive drinks bill so it was fabulous this time that we didn't have to worry - cocktails, wines,champagne etc all inclusive. nothing like starting the day with a champagne and orange for breakfast!

the meals were pretty good, not 5 star as you would get in a fine dining restaurant but when you see the size of the galley, compared to a sea cruise ship, the chef does a great job. Breakfast was a buffet with everything you could want but you could also order off the menu. lunch was either in the dining room ( different courses) or as we preferred a lighter lunch of open sandwiches or soup and beautiful cakes. Dinner was in the dining room and was 4 or 5 courses with choices. You could also choose to have other options if you preferred. Each passenger can have a booking for a special evening in Portobellos restaurant with silver service , again very nice and much quieter than the restaurant as it only seats 24. Table Rive was for guests on the top deck. Read more