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Scenic Crystal Review

4.5 / 5.0
88 reviews

In a word - disappointing!

Review for Europe River Cruise on Scenic Crystal
James62
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Family
Value for Money
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Dining
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Additional details

Sail Date: Aug 2023

Scenic provide good value if you are looking for average and you’re travelling on a budget. If you’re looking for quality and pay for a premium- it’s disappointing. The notion of quality premium wines is a joke. As for food - it was mixed - we had to jump on the Scenic Ruby after flooding on the Danube and their food was excellent. The food on the Scenic Crystal was not good - 5 meals were returned. On one occasion out of a table of 6 - 4 meals were inedible. There were comments that the chef had gone on holiday. Service was excellent on the Crystal but abysmal on the Ruby. On one occasion it required 3 calls over several hours to get a shirt pressed. We booked the expensive option of a Junior Suite on the Diamond deck and it was definitely a waste of money. We knew we were in trouble when we made our own way to the transfer point to embark and we’re told we would have to wait 2 hours for our bus as only the guests staying at the hotel could board the earlier buses… or we could walk - 20 mins in the hot sun - we chose the later. Table La Rive is not a unique dining experience - it was just a larger table set up at the top of the same large room with all the other diners. Portobello’s was the best dining experience on the boat. Champagne was terrible - interestingly it was only on the last 2 mornings at breakfast that I saw a bottle of Moët champagne available - never saw this at any other time. Moët is an entry level champagne and general the cheapest in the Australian market. At one stage we lost power, another day we lost air conditioning, twice we lost hot water. They advertise e-bikes…. Problem is there were only 20 for 160 people and by day 3 or 4 had broken down. But the worst criticism is for the internet - or lack thereof. In this modern day there is no excuse for such horrific internet quality - simply disgusting and frustrating. If you were paying for the cheap tickets - good value - if you’re paying the top end price - it’s a disgrace.

Cabin Review

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