Gems of the Danube with Prague

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 well done and totally stress free. A word of advice for those who think river cruising is like the advertisements where...read more 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.

Our first trip with Scenic. They are expensive but promise a lot and they delivered. The boat was very good and the crew excellent. Food was consistently very good, as was the choice of off-boat excursions. We thought the idea of self-guided tours with personal audio guides was very good but felt the point-to-point guiding could be improved. Make sure you take a map!
A highlight for us was the journey from Passau to Linz. We had the option of off-boat tours of 9 or...read more 10 hours duration with long bus rides but decided, along with about 30 other passengers, to stay aboard for the 5 hour cruise to Linz. It was delightful! Great weather, sitting up front as we sailed through beautiful scenery, plenty of food and drink and not many people about. That was true cruising. The only negative is that passengers don't get a credit for side trips not taken.
Overall a most enjoyable trip. We will certainly consider Scenic for future cruises. A hint for first-timers: Do get a balcony cabin but don't be disappointed if in port there is another boat moored alongside so you lose your view. There are simply not enough spots for the growing number of ships.