Scenic Amber Review

Scenic delivers on almost everything!

Review for Europe River Cruise on Scenic Amber
User Avatar
NJF1991
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: May 2017

We chose this cruise because of the rave reviews of Scenic, because it is all inclusive and because of the itinerary, Gems of the Danube. We were picked up at the airport in a lovely Mercedes and our driver delivered us to the ship quickly. Embarkation was simple and seamless in Budapest, though we waited several hours in the lounge for our cabins to be prepared. Drinks and snacks were offered in the meantime. The crew was welcoming and friendly. Our cabin was great and we met our butler immediately though I have to say that was one of the very few times we saw him. This was disappointing as we were expecting a little pampering. The food is ample and good though rarely outstanding. The wines are not as high quality as we expected though we discovered quickly that better wines were available upon request. The tours were well planned and made for little idle time. You will walk quite a bit on this cruise so be prepared. The signature Tailormade system is very effective, easy to hear the guides (I used my own earbuds though) but it is a bit heavy and bulky to carry around one's neck. We participated in almost every tour day, save one, and did the Prague extension as well. The onboard entertainment is okay--the pianist who is the onboard musician is very skilled and enjoyable and some of the local performers were good. We loved the Vienna special performance--truly professional musicians, dancers, vocalists. Suggestions: if you arrive mid-day on embarkation, have the ship's crew arrange a tour for you to the Hospital in the Rock or shopping district so that your frustration at waiting will be alleviated. There is much to see in Budapest but we had limited time before sailing the next day. It would have been nice to have more time in each port. All in all, it was an enjoyable cruise.

Cabin Review

We chose the 3rd-floor balcony suite and it was very nice, loved the concept though sometimes we were not able to use the balcony. You will be docked with other ships and some of the ports don't offer much in the way of a view. In this class, there is the degustation meal which was, frankly, disappointing to us foodies though nicely presented. We were allowed two items free ironing per day which we used. The shoe shining was not mentioned so we didn't realize we had that. As mentioned our butler was not very present, we had breakfast on the balcony once and he was 40 minutes late, basically threw it on the table and left, so we had little time to eat before we had to meet our tour. Our friends stayed on the 2nd floor for a lot less money and had almost the same level of service. The cabin itself was ample, tons of storage and great bedding, the mattress was comfortable and adjustable (which didn't realize that til halfway through). All the things we were disappointed in seem to stem from our butler having too many cabins and other jobs on the ship.

10 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Scenic Amber Cruise from $4,757

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.