We had heard from others that river cruising was the way to go and that Scenic was very highly rated. It was more than we ever imagined and was first class in every respect. The ship was beautiful, the staff were beyond friendly and very accommodating, the excursions were run like clockwork - always on time and with state of the art buses to escort us to our destination. Each excursion we took was fun and well done. The meals were beautifully prepared and there was always a wide variety to choose from. Each evening we would have entertainment before dinner and they were excellent. The cruise director was very knowledgeable and an absolute pleasure to deal with. Our hotels before and after the cruise were also great and the transfers to and from the airport and hotels and ship were seamless. This was our first river cruise but it won't be our last and it has spoiled us for taking ocean cruises in the future.