This was our second cruise with Scenic. Our first was on Scenic Jewel for 8 days, and we had a blast, so we went with Scenic once again. I had been to Christmas markets before but my wife had not, so I told her our next cruise would be the Christmas market cruise.

We started out with the Prague extension first, and the hotel, The Art Deco Imperial Hotel, was outstanding. I had never been in a hotel room that offered 1 1/2 baths with heated flooring. We were met at the airport by a Scenic representative and transferred to the hotel within 15 minutes of getting through customs. Our tour guide, Tomas, was very helpful and very knowledgeable. One of the best I have ever seen. We went by coach from Prague to Budapest and boarded the Scenic Opal. The rest of the cruise was what I expected from Scenic, which was nothing short of outstanding. The only hiccup we had was when there was some low water concerns at one of the locks upstream. We ended up docked at Vilshofen for a little over a day. Every one on board was offered 3 choices, to stay on board the ship, to discontinue the trip and fly home, or to board motor coaches and continue by land. Each was offered with a monetary benefit. Not one person decided to opt to leave the ship. The captain worked his magic and we were able to continue up river. The man was simply amazing. The cruise director, Alex, kept everyone informed and spirits on board high.

The rest of the cruise went on without too many more problems, other then a barge who decided to poke along and slow us up for a while. My only complaint about anything is that they serve a five star meal at dinner. I am and always have been the type of person who doesn't see a good meal unless the plate is covered with food. Also I like good German wines, and there were not enough of them on board. Read more