A Fresh Look at Scenic River Cruises

by: Dave Seaford

It was my first time on a Scenic Ship and I must say I was impressed. It is the little things that make the difference between the River Cruise Lines. Scenic, while not perfect, is closer to that elusive goal than most.

First when they say "All Inclusive", they really mean it. At the end of the cruise there is not plea for gratuities for the crew. It is included in the cost. Beer and Wine is included and there is a minibar in the cabin that is restocked daily. Yes, and that is included. Perhaps the best thing in the minibar for those of us that don't drink is the swiss chocolate. Exceptional.

From the time we arrived at the airport (not just the ship) we were met, our luggage handled, and our transfers handled. On other cruise lines we've traveled the transfers are extra and often involved a cab ride with sometimes less than scrupulous taxi drivers. With Scenic, you get Scenic staff that meet you at the airport and then when the cruise if finished, there is a Scenic transfer (prepaid) and a Scenic staffer at the airport to help you get checked in. It may sound like a small thing, but in our case, this was a welcomed comfort and pleasurable perk, that put icing on our cake.

We were also quite impressed with the quality of the guides at each port. It is obvious that Scenic screens these folks and with the exception of one that was a bike guide, they are very well educated, delightful to deal with and incredibly professional. On other cruises we have made the land guides just were not consistently at this high level. With Scenic, you can count on these guides to be the best. I'm a travel professional and we have always said "good guide - good tour", "Great guide - great tour". These men and women were exceptional!

Another seemingly small, but very nice added touch is the with Scenic, you will have the same busses and bus drivers every day. They follow the ship and they are busses branded with the Scenic graphics and logo. this may be a small detail, but it was nice to have the same bus driver everyday and to recognize both the driver and the busses at the pick up spots in each city when we were finished with the city tours.

The food was what you would expect on a first class cruise - great variety, great quality, and excellent service. With a butler assigned to every cabin, you can even have breakfast in the cabin, or just have coffee delivered on your schedule. Not only have we not had this butler perk with some other lines the only way one can have food delivered to the room in most other cruise lines is at an added expense or if you are ill.

The cabins on Scenic were a generous 235 square foot with a wonderful "sun lounge" which is a vast improvement to the more standard "french balcony". With a full wall of glass and a glass that lowers from the top down to waist high, this gives the passenger a wonderful feeling of total openness. It is such an improvement to the sliding glass door one finds with the french balcony. Lots of storage too, with both hanging space and shelves as well as abundant storage under the bed.

The technology on the ship was also top flight. There is a touring gps device that have commentary whether on a ground tour or just sailing down the river. While all the kinks are not yet worked out of these "TailorMade" Devices, and the tours not as complete as they will be in 2014, they were an improvement to the standard radio devices used for ground tours on most cruise lines. I have to say, that while I am not a "tech" kind of person, I did love the Apple TV with Internet access in our cabin. The only problem is now I want one at home!

The bottom line is: if you want to travel at a little higher standard than many of the cruise lines, Scenic is a very good alternative, and by the time one pays for all the extras that are included in the Scenic tour, on the other lines one will likely have spent more and received less.

Many thanks to Scenic for a great tour down the Danube!


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Why Cruise the Rivers Rather Than the Oceans?

Why is River Cruising one of the fastest-growing segments of travel with up to 60% annual growth for some lines in the past five years — nearly 10 times the rate of ocean cruising.

Why the surge? With fewer than 200 passengers per ship, river cruising is more laid-back and intimate than most ocean cruising, without lines to embark, debark or wait for meals or crowds to overwhelm ports. Due to their smaller size and low draft, river cruise ships can go where ocean cruise ships cannot, and sometimes to where no other transport is practical rivers are an excellent way to reach some attractions, for example in Russia and China. Some river ships resemble five stars hotels, with sun decks, dining rooms, lounges, fitness facilities, swimming pools, and other entertainment. There are now ships that offer now offer balcony cabins and wine with lunch and dinner.

Unlike taking a tour where you stay in hotels and have to pack and unpack every day, board your floating hotel, unpack once, sit back and relax and your floating hotel will take you to experience the history and beauty of the great rivers of the world

Before there were roads, there were the rivers. River ships dock right in the center of town.  Cruising the inland waterways offers far easier entree to a region's heartland — whether small medieval villages or grand historic capitals. Unlike on many ocean voyages, you can walk right off the ship into town — whenever you like. No tendering ashore. No long drives to your destination. One line is offering self paced shore excursions with an ipad provided by the cruise line.

Fast-growing Viking River Cruises today made cruising history in 2013 with the naming of 10 new ships at once. Dubbed "longships," they boast a new design that includes the largest suites ever for a river ship in Europe as well as cabins with balconies -- a feature made possible by an innovative new cabin area layout that includes offset main corridors. The cruise line has ordered 12 more longships for delivery in 2014 -- an unprecedented expansion that will cement its lead as Europe's biggest river cruise operator catering to North Americans. By the end of next year, the company will be operating 28 of the vessels. Viking is boasting that the longships are the only river cruise vessels in Europe with an array of true suites -- that is, cabins that have an en-suite sitting room in addition to a bedroom. The longships also have innovative all-weather indoor/outdoor terraces at their fronts -- a new concept for river ships in Europe. The terraces have retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

For 2014 the river cruise lines are all trying to add inclusions to the cost of the cruises. These include:

All gratuities included

All shore excursions included

Shore excursions at your own pace with a provided ipad

All inclusive wine, beer and alcohol.

Alternate restaurants or visits to local gourmet restaurants ashore

A selection of shore excursions in select cities

The cruise lines are now becoming separated into three distinct levels by the amount of amenities included in the base rate of the cruise and the daily per diem rates.

Super inclusive

Tauck. Scenic A’rosa  Uniworld

Best Value:

Avalon Waterways, Amawaterways, Viking

Economy: Valueworld, Cruisieurope, Ewaterways

There are major differences between the lines concerning cabin sizes, provided amenities, destinations and the per diem cost per day.  For this reason it is advisable to use a specialist river cruise travel agent.  Someone who has sailed the ships, taken the tours, eaten the food and slept in the beds.

Contact Riverdiscounts.com at 800-640-4899 for expert advice and prices always lower than the cruise lines