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Avalon River Cruises vs Scenic River Cruises
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Avalon River Cruises and Scenic River Cruises.The Low Down
Not as well known locally as APT or Scenic, Avalon Waterways have nevertheless been cruising the rivers of Europe and Asia since 2004. Featuring modern luxury ships, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, our clients love Avalon, and some of their river itineraries are our biggest sellers. Avalon don't usually include Fly Offers, so you'll need to book flights separately, but consequently their cruise prices are cheaper than the other luxury Operators and they offer some great Earlybird discounts. Part of the Globus Family group of Brands, means you can secure further discounts the next time you decide to travel by coach with either Globus or Cosmos. 
Scenic's 5 star luxury river cruises are well known and popular in Australia. Scenic were the first river cruise line to introduce balconies on their Scenic Space-Ships, which many clients love, but this does come at a cost to interior cabin space. Like many of the other luxury river cruise operators, look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. Every itinerary is 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 selected. Stats
No. of Trips
185
No. of Departures
2,591
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$461
Fleet Size
16 Ships
Known For
Panorama Suites
Ship Styles
River Cruises
No. of Trips
252
No. of Departures
1,266
Avg. Trip Length
17 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$561
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
One of our favourite sayings that describes Avalon Waterways is ‘the possibilities are as wide open as the views’. From Europe to the Galapagos and Asia, you can cruise in relaxed luxury with Avalon Waterways, with choices as unique as you. Avalon offers you a range of choices from excursions, dining options, activities that help you tailor your experience.
Just imagine gliding away down the world’s most spectacular rivers, all while enjoying a unique vantage point from your own private oasis. Our floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in our suites blur the line between where the world ends, and your suite begins; allowing you to experience the world less seen from the comfort of your bed. This is river cruising from a unique point of view.
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
River Cruise through South of France 0
Burgundy & Provence (Southbound)
Norman and Gloria, ON, Canada, Oct 2025
We greatly enjoyed our river cruise. The staff on Poetry II were top-notch. We thank those who were especially helpful, like Matheus in reception, Marya in the dining room, and Carmen in housekeeping. Some really went out of their way to help me when I got sick during the cruise, such as Adrian who was super-accommodating in adjusting local tour arrangements, read more and Margarida who diligently served me a special medicinal drink using a very effective Portuguese recipe. This was a very positive experience and we look forward to joining another Avalon river cruise in the not too distant future.
The river of gold 0
Vida Portugal: Vineyards & Villages Along the Douro
Susan, New Zealand, Oct 2025
Absolutely loved the cruise. Lovely new ship with great room and bathroom. Staff were fantastic - without fail friendly and helpful. Food was really good with plenty of variety, choice and local dishes. Really appreciated "compulsory happiness hour" with generous free drinks. This in contrast to another cruise line who I found over advertised and read more underdelivered. Ditto the included excursions - not just one ("not another dreary war memorial!") but a choice of three. Great dilemma to have. Good crowd - and never heard a complaint!
Avalon River Cruise 0
Active & Discovery on the Rhône (Southbound)
Bert and Annie, Australia, Sep 2025
The ship, the crew, the food, the Cruise Director were fantastic. Interaction with the Global team was also first class and happy to recommend you to our friends. xox
Best Vacation EVER 0
Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest (Westbound)
Karen and Patrick, IL, United States, Aug 2025
Perfect from start to finish. Globus covered all the details needed to start this fantastic journey. Avalon picked up right with Globus finished up. Our trip was perfect from the moment we met our transfer ride at the airport, to meeting our cruise director Carlos at the hotel, to getting on the boat and all the excursions. Everything was planned read more so well - even when our schedule had to be changed due to water levels on the Danube River. The excursions were fantastic, but the best part of the trip were the friendships we made. It was a sad to say good bye to our new friends the last evening aboard. Looking forward to working with Global Journeys on our next adventure.
Paris & Bordeaux 0
French Masterpiece: Paris, Normandy & Bordeaux
Tony and Lesley, WA, Australia, Aug 2025
Well this was a wonderful trip. Two very good river cruises with Avalon. Great food great touring and well organised by tour guide Marco. Thanks to Hannah for yet another well organised river cruise.
Lovely cruise Amsterdam to Basel - amazing places, great included excursions, good mix of fellow travelers from around the world. Beautiful ship and crew. Thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and would definitely recommend it. Traveled in August which was a bit warm but nice.
4.6
Exceptional Danube Tour Germany to Hungary 0
Danube Christmas Markets with Nuremberg
Maree, SA, Australia, Dec 2025
Our booking with Hannah at Global Journeys was seamless. There isn't a single thing I would've changed on our Danube Cruise with Scenic Waterways. We felt spoilt from the first day until the last. Just the right amount of free time and the tours were very good. We cruised in December & it was Christmas Market magic.
We loved everything about this wonderful cruise on the Douro River in Portugal with Scenic. The ship was beautiful, the staff were all so happy and couldn't do enough for us and the food was amazing. I loved that with Scenic, everything was included and that we didn't have to pay for anything else once on the ship. It was so nice to be away from read more large cities, visiting the little villages and towns along the river. Thank you once again Tracey, for your help in organising our lovely holiday. As usual, you were a great help and was always so prompt at returning my calls or answering my emails.
Munich to Budapest in late summer 4
Gems of the Danube
David and Christine, VIC, Australia, Sep 2025
We joined the Scenic Amber cruise in Munich and travelled to Budapest in August 2025. The cruise was fully booked, but it never seemed crowded. The majority of the passengers were Americans, plus Brits, Canadians , Aussies and Kiwis. All the crew spoke excellent English and all the business was in English. Everything really is included in the ticket read more price, except the laundry ( which struck me as a bit expensive) and the massages. Good quality booze is included, and the bartender has a great repertoire of cocktails, but nobody over indulges. Where you can be over indulgent is in the meals. Three three course gourmet meals every day! Lots of tasty treats that you don’t get at home, and steaks are always an option.
There is a choice of excursions every day, all very smoothly organised, folklore shows in the evening from the districts we happen to be in. Plus there are plenty of lazy options such as sitting in the top deck chatting and soaking in the pool, playing cards with new friends in the front cabin, and having those massages. The cabin itself is quite compact, the shower especially so, but we didn’t spend much time in there. My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our week sightseeing, over eating, and making new friends.
There is a choice of excursions every day, all very smoothly organised, folklore shows in the evening from the districts we happen to be in. Plus there are plenty of lazy options such as sitting in the top deck chatting and soaking in the pool, playing cards with new friends in the front cabin, and having those massages. The cabin itself is quite compact, the shower especially so, but we didn’t spend much time in there. My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our week sightseeing, over eating, and making new friends.
This cruise, the crew and all the organisation far exceeded our expectations. We were in luck and the river behaved and no transfer between ships were necessary. All off boat trips were amazing, the crew can't do enough to help you, even organising "slow walking tours" when they realised there were a few people struggling with the normal options. read more So much fun was had, new friends made and history visited. Food was amazing, and we honestly felt like we were filling in time before eating again! If you are even just thinking about it DO IT, Dad and I had a ball !!
We are quite seasoned travelers, but this is our first European river cruise and it was magnificent. It was added on to our trip to Ireland, Scotland/UK. Scenic delivered a first class experience. There was lots of on-shore tours and on board activities that you could choose to participate in - or not, and I loved that we were seeing various countries read more without having to pack and unpack.
The Global Journeys client support was great, the Scenic cruise and service exceeded our expectations and we made some new friends along the way. Think we may be hooked as we have been home just over a week and planning our next river cruise with Global Journeys assistance already!
The Global Journeys client support was great, the Scenic cruise and service exceeded our expectations and we made some new friends along the way. Think we may be hooked as we have been home just over a week and planning our next river cruise with Global Journeys assistance already!
Scenic South of France river cruise 3
Spectacular South of France
Bill and Yvonne, NSW, Australia, May 2025
We were very impressed with Scenic & would definitely travel with them again. All staff were excellent, professional as well as fun. The cabin was well designed with ample storage space. The meals were first class. It was fabulous to have great “freedom of choice” options & we really enjoyed the ones we chose. Entertainment was mostly good, bearing read more in mind we all have different tastes. Excellent coordination of disembarkation.
Popular Trips
15 Days Budapest to Amsterdam
Operator: Avalon
From
6,029pp
Save
1,732pp
