American's have not really discovered this Austrailian based cruise company, but we were lucky to find this river cruise while searching for last minute deals on line. We are experienced cruisers and thought why not try something different. We ended up having the experience of a lifetime and enjoyed all the benefits of a first class all-inclusive cruise.

Yes, we were in the minority (we were only two of 14 Americans on board, versus about 75 Austrailians and 60 Canadians) but that proved to be an advantage. It was nice to escape the political noise in our country and get some other perspectives from those outside the daily fray.

We ended up sailing on a 15 day itinerary from Budapest, Hungary to Amsterdam and were given first class treatment all the way. Even though we elected to arrive in Budapest several days before embarkation without buying Scenic's pre-departure package - they still picked us up at the Airport and drove us to our chosen hotel for no extra charge. Very few cruise lines do that for you. Read more