Home > Compare River Cruise Companies > APT River Cruises vs Scenic River Cruises
APT River Cruises vs Scenic River Cruises
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of APT River Cruises and Scenic River Cruises.The Low Down
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
Scenic's 5 star luxury river cruises are well known and popular in Australia (not so much in NZ). Scenic were the first to introduce balconies on their Scenic Space-Ships, which many clients love, but this comes at a cost to interior cabin space. Like many of the other premium river cruise Operators, look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. All inclusive, with Freechoice activities that allow you to choose what you want to do in each port, Scenic also offer a range of luxury additions (like your own Butler) depending on the cabin type select. Stats
No. of Trips
71
No. of Departures
627
Avg. Trip Length
13 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$649
Fleet Size
10 Ships
Known For
Aussie Specialist
Ship Styles River Cruises
No. of Trips
192
No. of Departures
937
Avg. Trip Length
16 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$619
Fleet Size
14 Ships
Known For
Luxury Cruising
Ship Styles River Cruises
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Life-enriching, relaxing and unique – an APT river cruise is the ultimate holiday experience. Discover unforgettable destinations as you travel in total comfort and style. From Europe to Africa and the mighty Mekong River, APT has a diverse range of river cruises, and you’ll wake up most mornings in a new location, ready to explore fresh and exciting sights. Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
With Scenic, it’s more than a 5-star river cruise...it’s a seamless journey from start to finish that places you, our guest, at the heart of everything we do. It’s taking you to extraordinary regions and immersing you in meaningful and enriching experiences. It’s exquisite cuisine, indulgent wellness, and a world-class team who will anticipate your every need. You'll find the difference is in the details with Scenic: the innovative ship design, expertly trained crew, immersive journey, and an unrivalled focus on health and safety protocols.
Recent Reviews
4.7
Spoilt by too much rain, we didn’t actually cruise - APT and ship’s staff were good but the holiday served its purpose - cruising is not for us. Pick-up and pre cruise arrangements were abysmal - in stark contrast to other cruises doing the same thing. On board we found the food was good (but not brilliant), the cabin excellent but the passengers were ...read more all quite old - we felt a bit out of place. Dining was also necessarily hectic and, if you wanted to dine alone as a couple - it was not possible unless you got room service. Many of the excursions felt too rushed (3-hour coach ride for a 2-hour visit) but weather was largely to blame as we couldn’t dock as planned. We found the flexibility of planning yourself and self-driving enabled better use of time. Some of the exclusive visits were excellent - the Sound of Music Show and the Vienna Recital being extremely worthwhile. Overall, staying twice as long at each stop would be our own preference. Global Journeys support throughout was good and we would consider again - but not for another 10 years.
Amazing to experience so much of the history of Europe as well as beautiful scenery. Spring was a perfect time to travel. Highly recommend APT river cruise - everything included, professional staff and excellent accommodation and meals in the ship and hotels. Global Journeys booked and made changes very efficiently - thanks again Tracey.
From the time we arrived in Amsterdam , the APT Group looked after us like VIPs, our flight was delayed ,however APT team stayed back an hour to transfer us to the APT luxury ship, we where lucky enough to have a cabin upgrade on the ship, this was provided and appreciated and was good. We made new friends and many fond memories from the trip and would ...read more recommend APT. As Diamond Members we will again book with Global Journeys and travel with APT group on our next holiday.
Bucket list trip ticked off! Luxury river cruise met all expectations. 0 Marie , NSW, Australia, Mar 2024
We had a perfect trip on APT luxury river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest then on to Prague. From the flight with Singapore airlines, the luxurious accommodation on board the AmaVenita, the delicious food at every meal, the caring service and staff, the meticulous transfers, the amazing signature tours and knowledgeable guides…. And much more, made ...read more this memorable and most enjoyable holiday. Thanks to Global for coordinating our trip as well. Look forward to planning the next one!
Would definitely book again through Global Journeys. The river cruise was good but not quite what we thought it would be. Most day trips were only 2 - 3 hours in length. Fellow passengers were enjoyable company and the entertainment, Tori & Dave, were excellent. Maybe we are too young to be going on river cruises!!
The cruise itself was excellent, but wish that we had been informed that it was the rainy season. At least 3 day tours were spoiled by constant rain. The fellow travellers were great company, mostly from Australia, like us. The cabins were a little small. Had we known that you could upsize, we would have done so, but we were not told beforehand. The ...read more food was excellent, staff excellent and cruise director excellent.
The main drawback was the lengthy flight home. We left Wednesday 8th November 11 am, endured 3 lengthy unpleasant flights with Singapore Airlines to arrive in Sydney 10th November 10 am. We had upgraded to Premium economy, but there was very little difference between this and Economy. The Singapore staff were unpleasant and at times very rude. The plane was old and in need of repair/upgrade. The seats were uncomfortable and worn. There was water leakage from above on occasion. The food was not good quality. On the middle trip home of 13 hours, Joy fell asleep and missed 2 meals. When she awoke and asked for a cup of tea, having not drunk anything in 10 hours, she was told NO!!!!!!!!! When Joy later got up to go to toilet, she was told to sit down, even though 2 other people were lined up at toilet. On 2 of the flights we were in the same seats, which were opposite a large double cupboard, which was constantly being opened and slammed shut by the staff as they shuffled paraphernalia backwards and forwards with constant noise and disturbance. We would never travel with Singapore Airlines again.
APT tour was excellent. Overall rating on Tour was excellent. Overall rating on flights was TERRIBLE.
The main drawback was the lengthy flight home. We left Wednesday 8th November 11 am, endured 3 lengthy unpleasant flights with Singapore Airlines to arrive in Sydney 10th November 10 am. We had upgraded to Premium economy, but there was very little difference between this and Economy. The Singapore staff were unpleasant and at times very rude. The plane was old and in need of repair/upgrade. The seats were uncomfortable and worn. There was water leakage from above on occasion. The food was not good quality. On the middle trip home of 13 hours, Joy fell asleep and missed 2 meals. When she awoke and asked for a cup of tea, having not drunk anything in 10 hours, she was told NO!!!!!!!!! When Joy later got up to go to toilet, she was told to sit down, even though 2 other people were lined up at toilet. On 2 of the flights we were in the same seats, which were opposite a large double cupboard, which was constantly being opened and slammed shut by the staff as they shuffled paraphernalia backwards and forwards with constant noise and disturbance. We would never travel with Singapore Airlines again.
APT tour was excellent. Overall rating on Tour was excellent. Overall rating on flights was TERRIBLE.
4.4
This was our second Scenic river cruise and it did not disappoint. The staff, the food and the itinerary were a high standard as usual. River cruising is a great way to experience the essence of a country as you sail right through the heart of the towns. Scenic are a very professional and experienced company and go out of their way to make you feel ...read more special. I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to explore the best of Germany with spectacular scenery and be spoilt by the Scenic crew.
A pleasant 15 day cruise from Breisach (was supposed to be Basel, but high river levels prevented starting in Basel) to Amsterdam. Saw some lovely scenery, especially sailing the Moselle. Weather was great for walking around the various towns we docked at.
Thanks to Jemm and Hannah P who were our contacts at Global Journeys, as always they were quick ...read more to help sort out any issues for us and quickly pass on any correspondence from Scenic.
Thanks to Jemm and Hannah P who were our contacts at Global Journeys, as always they were quick ...read more to help sort out any issues for us and quickly pass on any correspondence from Scenic.
We had a wonderful cruise on the Scenic Gem from Paris to the beaches of Normandy and return to Paris. Crew were absolutely outstanding, they made us all feel like family. The free choice tours were very good, although we would have appreciated more time at the Sir John Monash Centre and Villers Bretonneux. Our guide, Ben who walked with us around Rouen ...read more and gave a couple of lectures on the cruise ship was excellent, one of the best guides we have ever had. He was also our guide when we toured the Palais Benedictine. A great tour, would recommend, especially those who are interested in WWI and WWII history.
From the moment we embarked on our scenic river adventure, it was evident that Scenic was committed to providing a level of luxury and enrichment that surpassed our expectations. The highlight of our trip was the private concert at Richitenstein Palace - the intimate performance In the opulent Palace setting was a prestigious event and was the epitome ...read more of the Scenic experience.
What stood out to us was the genuine commitment of the Scenic team to go above and beyond for their guests. Cathy, our cruise director was the most cheerful person I’ve ever met. She was full of positive energy which made us feel energized too. The bar staff, all of them were working hard. Ali and Luka were constantly offering drinks to guests. The restaurant staff, the housekeeping staff, the hotel manager, all of them were committed and made a very good team between themselves.
One of the standout features of the Scenic River Cruise was the comprehensive all-inclusive package, from meal to excursion, all day drink onboard to gratuity, everything was included and this made our vacation worry-free experience. In conclusion, we really enjoyed our river cruise. We are grateful for the memories created and can't wait to embark on another adventure with Scenic in the future. We booked our cruise through Georgie of Global Journeys. The booking process went on seamlessly and Georgie is a wonderful agent to deal with.
What stood out to us was the genuine commitment of the Scenic team to go above and beyond for their guests. Cathy, our cruise director was the most cheerful person I’ve ever met. She was full of positive energy which made us feel energized too. The bar staff, all of them were working hard. Ali and Luka were constantly offering drinks to guests. The restaurant staff, the housekeeping staff, the hotel manager, all of them were committed and made a very good team between themselves.
One of the standout features of the Scenic River Cruise was the comprehensive all-inclusive package, from meal to excursion, all day drink onboard to gratuity, everything was included and this made our vacation worry-free experience. In conclusion, we really enjoyed our river cruise. We are grateful for the memories created and can't wait to embark on another adventure with Scenic in the future. We booked our cruise through Georgie of Global Journeys. The booking process went on seamlessly and Georgie is a wonderful agent to deal with.
This was our first river cruise with Scenic and we found it enjoyable but a bit crowded. The food and service are amazing and the tours were great. Scenic's attention to detail is outstanding. The cruise director was absolutely awesome and went out of his way to make everything run like clockwork. We have done 2 Scenic Eclipse trips prior to this and ...read more found this trip to be not as good though.
The cabins are VERY small and the public spaces are limited and crowded. Dinner is at a set time and the usual stampede occurs to get there. We thought we would make more use of the sunroof area but did not as it was either pulled down to get under low bridges or the weather was not good. As we had to be disembarked due to weather we got to experience two different boats and were surprised to find the service levels not as good on the 2nd boat. If you can, get on the Scenic Crystal not the Scenic Ruby. Overall still a great experience though.
The cabins are VERY small and the public spaces are limited and crowded. Dinner is at a set time and the usual stampede occurs to get there. We thought we would make more use of the sunroof area but did not as it was either pulled down to get under low bridges or the weather was not good. As we had to be disembarked due to weather we got to experience two different boats and were surprised to find the service levels not as good on the 2nd boat. If you can, get on the Scenic Crystal not the Scenic Ruby. Overall still a great experience though.
Tastes of Southern France river cruise was excellent, and the presence of Gabriel Gate as host made a huge difference. He not only entertained us but educated us about French culture, food and wine. We enjoyed all the daily tours and appreciated the fact that they were all short bus trips or walking distance from the boat. Staff were all lovely, ...read more efficient and friendly. Our cruise director Andreaa was super organized and efficient. She was very aware of the limitations of the older guests and described tours in detail so people were well informed of walking conditions, toilets availability, weather. Highly recommended.
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