From the moment you board, everything is provided - Service ( the crew are first class ) - Dining - ( the food is excellent ) entertainment ( very good ) Excursions and guides ( all well organised and very interesting ) the ship/cabins were spotless, The whole cruise ran like clockwork . No complaints whatsoever. From start to finish we did not really need to open our wallets. Our Cruise Director organised all the excursions personally . All the ports of call were extremely interesting and very enjoyable. Whilst the River Rhone is not the most beautiful of rivers, we all enjoyed the variety of towns visited. Lyon, Avignon, Tarriscon, just to mention three. The evening in Avignon was spent in the Popes Palace where we attended a concert given by a classical music trio ( harpist, flautist celloist ) this was absolutely brilliant, We are now considering where to go on our next Scenic cruise. Read Less

Scenic asked for our opinion after our first ever cruise. Here it is. The Bordeaux Affair was a fabulous cruise experience except for the total failure of the sanitation system on the ship, and partial for the remainder of the week. This failure was complete at times (leaving cabin toilets full of waste and no working toilets at all for an ENTIRE DAY). Sometimes the blockage was partial, however as our week went on, the smell of human waste increased in the hallway and was unsanitary and distressing. Our cruise director promised the entire ship would receive compensation - however for Scenic, this only amounted to an offer of 20% off everyone’s next cruise. The Scenic promise is a disappointment. We chose Scenic because of their reputation for excellence - and the cruise was excellent - however when an issue as large and disruptive as this happens - the customer should be compensated AND offered a discount on their next Scenic Cruise. The cruises are very expensive and with such poor customer service it is too risky to invest that amount of money again. It is a shame and we are very disappointed. Read Less

Ship was beautiful, cabins were huge very spacious the bathroom was a very generous size with a amazing shower. The dining on board is the best dinning experience i have ever had the waiting staff very polite and knowledgeable regarding wines and dishes being served. The port of call were fantastic great choice with very knowledgeable guides who were happy to answer any questions along the way. Seeing the Eiffel Tower illuminated and sparkling was a great start to our cruise. Service we received from every single staff,crew member was brilliant. The whole experience from start to finish was seamless Entertainment was very low key which was fine, nice music playing in the background each evening. I would 110% recommend a Scenic Cruise to friend and family i can guarantee you will be blown away. Looking forward to planning another one and i know Scenic will be my first choice every time. Read Less

Recommendation of friends who were on their third SCenic cruise. This was my second SCenic river cruise so, obviously compared it with the Danube cruise I went on last year. It was a good experience (not quite as good as the DAnube cruise I did last year)? The entertainment was good but only for two nights, the rock group was excellent, a great night. the Pope's palace concert good as was the evening drinks visit to castle of Tournon. Although Pianist Richard did his best he was not quite 'in tune' with his audience. The shore excursions were very good except for the village of Oignt where we were promised crafts shops and coffee shops, none of which were open! We wondered why we were only give 45 minutes there, just enough to visit the disgusting toilets!!! Dining was very good but breakfast buffet could have been a bit more efficient, often scrambled egg, potatoes etc. All gone and not replenished very quickly. Wine with meals excellent and special requests fulfilled. Bar service during the day also very good, although not so go up on top deck in the afternoons, seemed to be only one attendant on duty and not to be seen regularly. Captains, senior staff etc.very 'visible' and approachable. All in all, despite minor criticisms I would recommend this cruise to my friends, I had a good time and appreciate everyone's efforts to make my time on board enjoyable. Read Less

We chose this cruise to travel with friends who had been with Scenic previously. We travelled by Eurostar and TGV to Bordeaux, which was fine but only just made it to Paris Montparnasse as the cross-Paris timing was very tight. On arrival at Bordeaux we were not met by any representative so made our own way to the ship. From there our luggage was taken on board, we were given champagne and escorted through the beautiful ship to our cabin, which although smallish by ocean cruise standards was beautifully fitted with a balcony and kept spotless by our cabin attendant Angela. The dining on the ship was excellent with fine wines and other drinks included. The choice of food was excellent and the two special dining evenings were superb. There was a wide choice of excursions (included) to wine chateaux to taste and dine. Passengers should be aware that they should be fairly fit for the walking involved. The entertainment on board was a resident musician, and guest artistes from the local area, and also a very good crew show. Finally, the crew and service on board was faultless, friendly and attentive with a smile. Disembarkation went smoothly and we were transferred to the station for our train journey back to the UK. Would we go again - yes but would need to pace ourselves for the walking involved. Read Less

Excellent service from Scenic. All was included: drinks, tips etc, so although it seemed expensive, there was nothing else to pay. There were well organised excursions, with consideration for those with walking problems. They did arrange special itineraries with less walking when necessary. There was a very helpful cruise director, with a good sense of humour. We have been with this company before and found them excellent. The food is good with choices and pleasant atmosphere. The staff are well trained and cheerful, seeming to enjoy their work. They do offer a choice of UK airports, but did not allow enough time for the connection in Paris on the return journey and we only just made the flight. There was not as much to see in this area as in some others, e.g. the Rhine and the Danube and the ship did not go far from Bordeaux, but it was very pleasant. Read Less

Cruise was faultless with staff being exceptional. We had a fantastic Cruise Director who ensured the trip went without any hassles. He was very friendly and went out of his way to meet people's needs. The cruise stopped at some ports for a couple of days to enable us to take tours to some areas further away. We went to the Somme area, for example, and also the D-Day landing sites. It meant some longish bus trips bit you got to see the countryside. Guides on all of our excursions whether they were the longer trips of just town/city visits were very good. Our guide to the Somme was exceptional and he helped bring the whole story to life. We dodn't do a lot of sailing during daylight hours but just enough to see some of the lovely houses on France along the Seine. Staff, as mentioned, were brilliant. Very friendly and they didn't know the meaning of the word 'no'. Top, top class. Food was also brilliant with lots of choice. Very difficult to fault. We've sailed with Scenic before and will go again in a couple of years. Read Less

This was the year of the great French roast, Paris at 35ºC and similar to that all the cruise long. The payback was clear blue skies, no rain and great photos.The ship was 100% full, hence the service levels in the public areas were stretched. This cruise is a mixture of great French wines and cheeses (approx 450 different cheeses to be tasted), as far as scenery goes the highlights are the cities. The visit to an old hospital and nearby wine tasting at Marche aux Vin was very interesting, as was our first tasting of French nougat which is based on egg white and honey, as was the truffle farm (with charming hosts & dog). The Sundowners excursion (a walk to a nearby fortress tower) for wine/beer/nibbles with live musicians in a cool afternoon breeze was very hard to take. The itinerary was exactly as published. Compliments have to be given to all the bus drivers - they were very professional, safe drivers who helped some of our fellow passengers with their walkers. Driving through the French countryside was most enjoyable. Read Less

The name of this cruise is "Spectacular South of France". This cruise spends most evenings in ports large and small. The first night is is in Paris, which is not on the river cruised; Saone and Rhone rivers. We gathered for a nights stay at the Scenic's host hotel in Paris. Nice 4 star hotel. The next morning our bags were collected from the hallway at the designated time and we were bussed to the train station for our day trip to Dijon. We were given a short tour. Then we boarded a bus and were transported to the ship that was docked in Chalon-sur-Saone. This is almost an all-inclusive cruise, All drinks, meals, tips, great internet service and shore excursions are included.We also had several special events off the ship that were also included. We visited Tournus, Cluney, Macon, Lyon, Tournon,Viviers, Ardeche National Park, Chateauneuf-du-pape, Avignon, Arles and Tarascon via bus or port. This cruise line obviously caters to Australians and Brits, most of whom were third,fourth or five time regulars with Scenic. We had a blast being one of two American couples. The Australians, in particular, were fascinated by our politics and gun rights. We found the "aussies" to be much more sociable than our American associates back home. We were invited to dine with several separate couples and made some great friends. I can not say enough about the quality of the river cruise experience. On this cruise, you sit where you want, lounge where you want in a wonderfully appointed river "Spaceship". Go on shore excursions where and when you want. The food was top notch, service was impeccable; these guys do not skimp. Our butler "concierge level room" made my wife feel like a queen which made my trip wonderful. Two things I particularly liked about this cruise was the ability tour on your own by foot or electric assisted bike with a "GPS like device" that would self guide you through the port towns. You can also use this device to give you facts about places you see from your balcony while cruising and it is also used for tour guided trips to help you hear better.. We will return to travel with Scenic. The rooms, and bathrooms were balconies were kept clean and the refrigerator was stocked twice a day. Read Less

We chose it through a recommendation of a friend who had done several Scenic cruises. the itinerary was of particular interest, with the WWI and WW2 sites, plus many opportunities to visit sites important for the Impressionist and post-Impressionist painters. We were very impressed by every aspect of the ship, and in particular the outstanding crew and the very tasteful decoration. The guides were mainly outstanding, with the exception of a wise-cracking Dutch guide on the visit to the WW! cemeteries--most inappropriate. In particular we loved the fact that the ship docked so close to the centre of interesting towns and villages, and that we could wander around independently. Our only reservation was that over 90% of the passengers were Australian--as are we--and we would have preferred a wider range of nationalities. Still, that is no criticism of Scenic. We are so impressed by Scenic that we are about to book a passage on the Azure in Portugal next year. Read Less

We are great fans of French reds and really enjoyed our previous trips exploring the Rhone region and Champagne areas of France. Bordeaux appealed for many of the same reasons: lovely scenery, great wineries, picturesque chateaux, farmer's markets and good food. We chose the Scenic Diamond as there was a good amount of time to be spent in Bordeaux itself, and that was indeed our favorite port overall. I am going to summarize by category: Ship: - Modern with contemporary decor and clean design features - Immaculately maintained - Minimalist decor overall, with upscale finishes Cabin: - Loved the Scenic Sun Lounge! We really enjoy true outdoor space and this was even better, as we had the option with the push of a button to have a balcony or not. - Great bedding (and a very large bed by river cruise standards) and linens (and a pillow menu) - Plenty of hot water and great water pressure in the shower - L'Occitane toiletries - Need to add more creative storage and a make-up mirror in the bathroom - Lacked a full length mirror anywhere - Safe location was extremely inconvenient (bottom of closet) - Remote control set up was really cumbersome Service: - Excellent in all aspects - Captains were among the most sociable and accessible we have ever experienced on the river - Our butler was delightful but we did not take advantage of any butler services - Housekeeping was excellent - Dining room staff was quite knowledgeable about wines and provided really excellent service Food: - Excellent quality and very nice presentation - Disliked buffet on embarkation evening, and even more so that it ended at 7:30PM - Limited choices at dinner as compared to other lines - No variety in menu to order items at breakfast and lunch - Need to improve their ability to satisfy specific dietary requirements - Dinner should have more flexibility in terms of time to arrive. They want everyone there at one time, which is just earlier than we choose to have dinner, especially in Europe while on vacation. - L'Amour was excellent and the best meal of the cruise. - Table Le Rive was our next favorite meal and well executed. - River Cafe was a nice touch for light meals, when a trip to the dining room did not appeal. - Breads were excellent - Selection of cheeses and pate was wonderful! Drinks: - Very nice selection of included wines - Same for included liquors - Glasses were always shined and polished. Glassware quality was excellent and correct glasses were used for wines, etc. We really noticed and appreciated that level of attention to detail. Tours: - We prefer to be active and there was limited opportunity for active tours, other than biking - This itinerary had tours that required fairly long bus rides - The time in ports we really enjoyed was quite short. This could have been a result of alterations due to high water levels. - Would have enjoyed more variety in tours offered Entertainment: - The weakest part of the cruise. In house piano player was boring. Local entertainment was provided only twice on a 10 night cruise with lots of overnights in port. Needs improvement. - The crew show was a lot of fun! Additional comments: - Scenic Sundowner special event was lovely! - Wifi was hands down the best of any cruise we have taken so far - Laundry concierge was a nice touch - This was the first cruise of the season and had some glitches, which I expect will be worked out over the next few. What was most impressive to us was that the staff and crew provided warm and gracious service without any formality or stuffiness. That is a difficult balance to achieve and they exceeded all expectations. Scenic should be proud. Read Less

I took my first ever overseas trip with Scenic Crystal in October 2015 and I can say it was the best experience I could have ever have hoped for, it was truly a dream come true. From the moment I arrived in Prague and met tour director Grabriella who was so knowledgeable, helpful and friendly to finishing the trip in Paris with Bernard, also a wonderful tour guide I experienced nothing but pure luxury, friendliness, kindness and dedication to detail. The cruise part of the trip on the Scenic Crystal was amazing and the cruise staff so fantastic, every detail and daily tours so professionally organised I knew I had chosen the best trip I possibly could have. The cruise director Daniella was amazing and knew ever passengers name by the first day and nothing was too much trouble, the allocated butler Vanya was friendly and very organised and efficient. The cabin staff couldn't do enough and the wait staff and chefs were always efficient and so well mannered and eager to please and the food was absolutely perfect. Erica the waitress was an absolute breath of fresh air and engaged with every passenger, I felt I had known these wonderful people forever. The Captain was also fantastic and mingled with the passengers and crew at every opportunity. Your staff and crew are an absolute credit to you Scenic, thankyou for making my first overseas trip a dream come true, I will recommend you to everyone and if I should have the opportunity to travel overseas again then Scenic will be my first choice. Kind Regards:Wendy Read Less