I cannot fault the service and presentation of Scenic Crystal. The staff were excellent and our tour director Szilvia was outstanding. Everything was 5 star except the food. Most vegetables were frozen or commercially prepared and I found all the European fish awful, and they managed to overcook it. They did a seafood night and it was a joke. Imagine trying to give Aussies seafood when it is not sourced locally and is mostly frozen. Breakfast was the best meal of the day.

The cabins and public areas were always clean and well maintained. Staff very obliging. Unfortunately there was an issue with a broken lock near Budapest so on day 12 we had to pack and transfer to another boat......the Sapphire. This was not only very inconvenient and disruptive but the rooms/bathrooms were smaller and the best staff had obviously been allocated to the Crystal. I understand this was out of Scenic,s control however river cruising always has the risk of high water (which stops all cruising) or lock issues.

All the excursions were well managed however the trip to Bratislava was a total waste of time. After a 3 hour round bus trip the town offered nothing but cracked and crumbling buildings, weeds growing in the tram lines and cobblestones falling apart. If you took all the available tours I found it very tiring and quite a few passengers elected to stay on board. Personal choice but you are paying for this as ypou are for the drinks (which I do not). All I all, a great company who delivers everything they promise.