Scenic Crystal Reviews
9 Scenic Crystal reviews from past cruise travellers.
3.9
5 Star
4 Star
3 Star
2 Star
1 Star
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.
My husband and I went on Danube river cruise with extension to Istanbul on Ruby ship. First impression when we arrived to hotel to start cruise was very unpleasant - tour director in Budapest didn’t show up for meeting , some passengers got printed instructions for next day and some of us not. Hotel staff were great and copied and printed it for us. ...read more Next morning we had tour around Budapest with guide who was very annoying and telling not necessarily true - I’ve grown up in neighbouring country and visited Hungary lots of times. Dinner was great with local entertainment.
Next day another tour with same guide and more of her stories! Finally, we boarded our ship - but not one I’ve booked - ship was changed without letting me know - no message or email! Not impressed!
Cruise was nice, staff on ship we great - all of them - they did everything to make us happy. And than drama started! It was 19 passengers going to Istanbul. We had to buy our lunch, dinner, drinks- so much for paying a lots of money for all inclusive cruise/ land tour. Hotels In Bulgaria- horrible! Breakfast 🫣! Tour guide-boring and annoying!
Turkey- till we got to Istanbul far from good! Istanbul hotel was nice, staff great, but your around Istanbul was 2 days only in old town! Last day we refused to go with guide and went on Hop on Hop of bus to see how Istanbul look! Would I go again? Cruise yes, but not land tour! And I emailed Scenic with my complaint and photos of horrible hotel we stayed but they never acknowledged it.
Next day another tour with same guide and more of her stories! Finally, we boarded our ship - but not one I’ve booked - ship was changed without letting me know - no message or email! Not impressed!
Cruise was nice, staff on ship we great - all of them - they did everything to make us happy. And than drama started! It was 19 passengers going to Istanbul. We had to buy our lunch, dinner, drinks- so much for paying a lots of money for all inclusive cruise/ land tour. Hotels In Bulgaria- horrible! Breakfast 🫣! Tour guide-boring and annoying!
Turkey- till we got to Istanbul far from good! Istanbul hotel was nice, staff great, but your around Istanbul was 2 days only in old town! Last day we refused to go with guide and went on Hop on Hop of bus to see how Istanbul look! Would I go again? Cruise yes, but not land tour! And I emailed Scenic with my complaint and photos of horrible hotel we stayed but they never acknowledged it.
We have cruised with Scenic twice before (pre COVID) and they were very good. The same cannot be said for Scenic post COVID. On the positive side, the cruise is very good, particularly the Moselle. The room was good and well serviced. The ship (Scenic Jewel) is in good condition but the lounge furniture is showing signs of wear and could do with an ...read more upgrade. The tour director was excellent and the staff were all very friendly and worked hard. Overall the cruise went off very well.
On the negative side, it is apparent that Scenic has cut the budget for food. Breakfast and lunch were OK but dinners are no longer gourmet and 5 star. Dinner is reduced to 3 courses and portion sizes are small. Bread rolls (strictly 1 per person) were the size and shape of my index finger and could barely be cut and buttered. The service was slow and confused on most nights and they appeared to be under staffed. The Chef must have got some feedback from the end of cruise reviews as he went table to table on the last night apologising for the food. A bit of a cringe moment.
As for Scenic's COVID protocols, other than having to prove that we were vaccinated when we boarded, the word COVID was never mentioned for the entire cruise. The staff do not wear masks and there is no requirement for passengers to wear masks but some did. The piano player has been sacked and replaced by an Enrichment Manager who is basically an assistant Tour Director and ran some quiz nights which were actually pretty good. Onboard evening entertainment was mostly not to our taste and we only stayed up for one. We enjoyed the cruise and the destinations we visited but many past Scenic customers were very disgruntled. Scenic has definitely lost its gloss.
On the negative side, it is apparent that Scenic has cut the budget for food. Breakfast and lunch were OK but dinners are no longer gourmet and 5 star. Dinner is reduced to 3 courses and portion sizes are small. Bread rolls (strictly 1 per person) were the size and shape of my index finger and could barely be cut and buttered. The service was slow and confused on most nights and they appeared to be under staffed. The Chef must have got some feedback from the end of cruise reviews as he went table to table on the last night apologising for the food. A bit of a cringe moment.
As for Scenic's COVID protocols, other than having to prove that we were vaccinated when we boarded, the word COVID was never mentioned for the entire cruise. The staff do not wear masks and there is no requirement for passengers to wear masks but some did. The piano player has been sacked and replaced by an Enrichment Manager who is basically an assistant Tour Director and ran some quiz nights which were actually pretty good. Onboard evening entertainment was mostly not to our taste and we only stayed up for one. We enjoyed the cruise and the destinations we visited but many past Scenic customers were very disgruntled. Scenic has definitely lost its gloss.
The river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest was an excellent way to travel. It was fully catered and the food selection was varied to provide dishes from the country you travel through. It gave us an opportunity to taste food that we may not have ordered from a restaurant elsewhere. We enjoyed the ability to integrate cycling with our sight seeing. ...read more The Scenic river cruise was indeed scenic and the onboard app provided great insights to the various castles, churches and towns as we passed by.
The staff on this Scenic river cruise were friendly and very pleasant to deal with. Our cruise director was the best we have ever had compared to our travels. He was always around to help people with their queries and had a great dry sense of humour. We really enjoyed this cruise and would recommend it to others. Our booking through Global Journeys was simple, easy and without any problems. Anything that was promised was delivered on time and without any need for us to chase. This gave us the opportunity to start our trip in relaxed frame of mind and to enjoy the experience.
The staff on this Scenic river cruise were friendly and very pleasant to deal with. Our cruise director was the best we have ever had compared to our travels. He was always around to help people with their queries and had a great dry sense of humour. We really enjoyed this cruise and would recommend it to others. Our booking through Global Journeys was simple, easy and without any problems. Anything that was promised was delivered on time and without any need for us to chase. This gave us the opportunity to start our trip in relaxed frame of mind and to enjoy the experience.
The trip started in Prague where the hotel was very good and centrally located. All you get from Scenic here is a walking tour of the old town on the first morning and my only criticism would be that the walking tour was a bit too long. The rest of the time was ours to explore the town.
The river cruise is difficult to fault. Everything was very ...read more well done and totally stress free. A word of advice for those who think river cruising is like the advertisements where you sit on your balcony and watch the world go by. Reality on this cruise is that most cruising is done overnight. The best daytime cruising happens on the day between Passau and Linz but most people miss it because they are off the ship on all day excursions to either Chesky Krumlov or Salzburg. If you don't want to spend 10 hours on either of these excursions with a lot of time spent in the buses getting there and back, stay on the ship for a very nice and quiet day of cruising.
About 20 people stayed on board that day and we enjoyed a nice relaxed lunch while cruising a very nice stretch of river. You also get time to walk around Passau and Linz whereas those on the excursions don't see these places as they leave at 8 am and don't get back until 6 pm. The only other daytime cruising occurs one afternoon through the Wachau Valley and an afternoon between Vienna and Budapest.
Overall we had a great trip and would not hesitate to recommend it.
The river cruise is difficult to fault. Everything was very ...read more well done and totally stress free. A word of advice for those who think river cruising is like the advertisements where you sit on your balcony and watch the world go by. Reality on this cruise is that most cruising is done overnight. The best daytime cruising happens on the day between Passau and Linz but most people miss it because they are off the ship on all day excursions to either Chesky Krumlov or Salzburg. If you don't want to spend 10 hours on either of these excursions with a lot of time spent in the buses getting there and back, stay on the ship for a very nice and quiet day of cruising.
About 20 people stayed on board that day and we enjoyed a nice relaxed lunch while cruising a very nice stretch of river. You also get time to walk around Passau and Linz whereas those on the excursions don't see these places as they leave at 8 am and don't get back until 6 pm. The only other daytime cruising occurs one afternoon through the Wachau Valley and an afternoon between Vienna and Budapest.
Overall we had a great trip and would not hesitate to recommend it.
This was our third river cruise, and it is still the best way to travel. Unpack once, sit back and watch the world go by. However tours are available every day in a different city. Please yourself with what you do. All people are different and expect different things, we rarely used the butler as it is not our thing. We have been with another river ...read more cruise company (Avalon) and found their food and entertainment much better. Once again it's the only way to travel and relax.
We enjoyed the river cruise but were very disappointed to be told that the itinerary was altered due to lock maintenance on the Moselle. The tour director was of the opinion we knew about this but all the Australians onboard had not been notified. The English knew 3 months previously. The main reason for selecting this river cruise was to sail the Moselle. ...read more The highlight for us was catching up with friends in Koblenz.
Although we got to see places that two decades ago would not be easily accessible we found that, apart from Ruse and Belgrade, we needed to be coached for some time to our selected location. The time ranged from an hour and a half to almost four hours. Indeed the trip to the Black Sea ( Black Sea Explorer) took 3.5 to 4 hours there and the same ...read more back. It made the day very trying. The ship and staff were wonderful as usual -
the on board piano player was excellent.
The Sundowner was a hurried waste of time - off the boat, over the bridge, on to a barge, down with one beer, group photo, off the barge back on the coach back to the boat. One hour tops.
Would not recommend this particular cruise to others.
the on board piano player was excellent.
The Sundowner was a hurried waste of time - off the boat, over the bridge, on to a barge, down with one beer, group photo, off the barge back on the coach back to the boat. One hour tops.
Would not recommend this particular cruise to others.
Outstanding holiday. We had awonderful time. Staff and crew on the boat were outstanding. The boat was 5 star + and we really enjoyed our time with Scenic. The booking with Global Journeys was seamless, everything went like clockwork in Australia and in Europe.
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