Cruise lines should never be judged when tides and eddies run smoothly and everything flows just right, but rather on how quickly a company reacts when river levels are low and things go terribly wrong, often beyond their control. The mercurial Danube offered many twists and turns during our Scenic Amber river cruise, starting with a three night pre-extension in Prague and a two day post- extension in Budapest.

Sadly, a vacation can be tainted early by something as innocuous as lost luggage, and two overly aggressive pat downs through security at Charles de Gaulle airport. But after some drama at baggage claim Scenic provided an excellent transfer for us from Prague airport to our hotel, the historic Art Deco Imperial. The hotel, situated conveniently close to the center of the historic district, is quaint but really too small to host groups of this size (80 passengers). We upgraded to a Junior Executive Suite at the front of the hotel overlooking the busy tram and street traffic. Concerned initially that the noisy tram might disturb our sleep, those fears went unfounded. Realizing I had no decent walking shoes because of the lost suitcase, for the early morning walking tour, we immediately ran out and bought a terrific pair of very lightweight shoes so that I could participate the next day.

Our Scenic guides in Prague, Tomás and Pavlina, in a word were “perfection.” Both were equally knowledgeable, caring and funny. While catering to an older demographic can be challenging I can’t fault either of them. Tomás worked tirelessly to retrieve my lost luggage, which finally arrived on the third day around 3pm. On edge for three days, this provided me a sense of relieve and the clothes I needed for departure to the Scenic Amber the following morning. Read more