I often feel that luxury travel errs on the side of formality — not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes I’m more interested in effortless relaxation than dressing up every night to dine on multi-course tasting menus. I’ve also come to realize that true luxury is about finding the travel brand that offers an upscale ambiance and generous perks, but also best complements your everyday lifestyle.
When it comes to European river cruising, I’ve experienced the gamut — from fancy, fussy, five-star fawning to an ultra-casual vibe with only so-so food and wine. And then I sailed with Scenic River Cruises & Tours, an Australian company with a fleet of river cruise ships offering luxury amenities (airy staterooms and suites, butler service, and an open bar) paired with an excellent culinary and wine program and the kind of laid-back ambiance that’s often missing in a luxury setting. Pricing is also truly all-inclusive — transfers, shore excursions, gratuities, and Wi-Fi are all part of the cruise fare — which adds an additional element of ease.
My experience was a 14-night Romantic Rhine & Moselle sailing aboard Scenic Opal, one of the company’s Europe-based ships that accommodates 163 guests. Full disclosure: My mid-August cruise, by some intervention of the vacation gods, had just 54 guests on board, one of only a handful of summer sailings that wasn’t mostly or fully booked. That meant that me and my 53 fellow cruise guests were just slightly outnumbered by Scenic Opal’s crew of 55. It also meant that over the course of two weeks, we would all get to know one another. We were 24 Australians, eight Brits, six Canadians, two New Zealanders, two Dutch, and 12 Americans — including myself and my niece, Jessica. Most guests were aged 60 and older and generally well-traveled, curious, and eager to explore.
Getting to Know Scenic Opal
Don’t expect the muted contemporary interiors of Scenic Opal to dazzle like the design of some other luxury river cruise ships. Rather, this vessel’s public spaces — the Panorama Lounge and the Crystal Dining Room — are designed for comfort and ease of conversation (love the swiveling chairs) in various shades of gray accented by black, cream, taupe, and glints of chrome. Large abstract paintings add a touch of color in the corridors.
The ship’s staterooms and suites are decorated with a noticeably lighter touch and feature blonde wood and pale grays that create a welcome airiness. Most are 205-to-250-square-foot Balcony Suites featuring a Sun Room — a sitting area with a floor-to-ceiling window, the top portion of which can be lowered with the touch of a button for fresh air — a comfortable king-sized bed (or side-by-side twins) backed by a tufted silver-gray headboard, and a modern bathroom with a roomy shower. The top suite, the 520-square-foot Royal Owner’s Suite, comes with added perks such as exclusive dining experiences, unlimited laundry service, and a Wellness Center credit, as do the two 325-square-foot aft Royal Panorama Suites, which offer 180-degree views but also are prone at times to vibration and engine noise (light sleepers take notice). All are serviced by a butler, who will restock the private minibar and take your laundry to be pressed or cleaned. Storage space is adequate, and our butler, DonDon, quickly brought us the extra hangers we needed as two women with lots of clothes.
From the moment we stepped aboard Scenic Opal and were handed flutes of Champagne by the awaiting staff, I felt my anticipation grow for the exciting ports and exceptional food and service that were to come. The ship’s personable Hotel Director, Enio, and Cruise Director, Renata, warmly welcomed us to our “home” for the next two weeks. A husband-and-wife team from Croatia and Hungary, respectively, they consistently engaged guests with lighthearted banter, jokes, and personal attention to individual needs. They were assisted by Jonathan, the ship’s spirited Enrichment Manager, a Brit who coordinated onboard entertainment and could himself belt out a great tune.
The daily program, which listed dining times, shore excursions, entertainment, and Renata’s evening port talks, could be found on the in-stateroom TVs. Jessica, myself, and our fellow guests quickly settled in for what would be a notably snafu-free cruise experience through Central Europe, if you don’t count a few earlier-than-scheduled departures necessitated by lock traffic — in all, we would sail through 22 of them on our way from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam.
A Stellar Itinerary: 15 Cities in 5 Countries
The Romantic Rhine & Moselle itinerary appealed to me because, over 14 days, it visited five countries and 15 historic cities and towns, eight of which were new to me. Every port was new to Jessica, which made it perfect for this Boomer aunt and Millennial niece getaway. We also loved the choice of shore excursions, all included in the cruise fare, which ranged from city walking tours and wine and beer tastings to palace and castle visits and exploration by e-bike.
While we missed seeing Basel because we opted to overnight in Zurich before our transfer, the first two places we visited in France — Colmar (from the German city of Breisach, directly across the Rhine) and Strasbourg (from Kehl, Germany) — had the fairytale-like half-timbered architecture and Alsatian cuisine that I’d longed to experience in person. The weather was perfect for our guided strolls through both canal-laced cities, and, in our free time, we sampled local Alsatian wines and nibbled on bretzels (the local name for soft pretzels). In Strasbourg, we also purchased eclairs for an American couple who had brought Jessica a slice of German Black Forest Cake from their Breisach excursion after hearing that it was one of her favorites. It was only the second day, and we’d already made new friends.
Scenic Opal took us deeper into Germany as we navigated the Rhine to Mannheim and enjoyed a bus transfer to Heidelberg, where a sprawling red sandstone castle dominates the hilltop and atmospheric beer halls and breweries, such as Vetter’s, offer sample flights or hefty steins of beer. The next day, we called on Rüdesheim, a charming town known for its Riesling, its Rüdesheimer Coffee (coffee spiked with flaming brandy and topped with whipped cream), and the towering Niederwald Monument commemorating the unification of Germany in 1871. It is reached via a cable car ride above the hillside vineyards, and every Scenic guest can ride for free to see the massive statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I and enjoy panoramic Rhine views.
What we experienced later that afternoon truly captured what river cruising is all about. As Scenic Opal sailed through the UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed Rhine River Gorge, we all gathered on the Sun Deck and used a downloadable audio-guide app or a handout from Renata to spot 20 historic castles located around practically every bend in the river — all while crisp Rieslings and other cool libations were continually refreshed by the ship’s wonderful bar team. In the August heat, some guests even opted to enjoy the view from the jetted Vitality Pool.
By the time we entered the Moselle River, where steeper hillsides are covered in vineyards that seem to defy gravity and every passing village features a photogenic church steeple, we were all about the grapes. Jessica and I opted for a walking tour and wine tasting (Riesling, of course!) in Bernkastel and a tour of Cochem’s neo-Gothic Reichsburg Castle, which originally dated to the 11th century but was beautifully reconstructed in the late 19th century.
In Bernkastel, we were all transported that evening to historic Trier, which dates to Roman times, and treated to an exclusive classical concert in the UNESCO-listed Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), built in the 13th century in French High Gothic style. The dramatic claps of distant thunder from outside that accompanied the trio as they played Vivaldi, Bach, and Schubert concertos contrasted with the night before when we had silently navigated the Moselle beneath ink-dark skies, the Big Dipper clearly outlined overhead. Several of us had lingered late on deck to spot shooting stars during the Perseid meteor showers — nature and classical melodies coalescing to create lasting Moselle memories.
Next, we visited two major cities on the Rhine, Koblenz, at its confluence with the Moselle, and Düsseldorf, Germany’s seventh-largest city. I had been to both before, and I found Koblenz to be just as inviting as ever and easily explored after a morning excursion to nearby Marksburg Castle, a 12th-century medieval fortress that is the only castle on the Middle Rhine to have avoided destruction. Düsseldorf? It’s the one place I could have skipped because I would rather have had more time in our next port of call in the Netherlands.
That was Nijmegen, the country’s oldest city. Jessica and I opted for an excursion to the stunning Het Loo Palace, the former royal summer residence of the House of Orange for more than 300 years, where the lavish interiors were matched by the impressively manicured gardens. But that didn’t leave us any time to see Nijmegen, which looked well worth exploring.
On to Belgium. With a full day in Antwerp, we decided to do the optional morning excursion to Bruges. It was my second visit, and Bruges didn’t disappoint as we spent our free time admiring the 17th-century guild houses in Market Square, strolling and taking selfies along the city’s picturesque canals, buying delicious local chocolates, and snacking on Belgian frites (don’t call them French fries!). When we arrived back in Antwerp, we skipped lunch on board and set out to sample the remaining two must-try Belgian food groups: beer and waffles. We also walked the city, visiting Grote Markt, its main square, where a beer festival was in full swing, and the circa-1905 Antwerp Central Station, a grandly eclectic landmark inspired partly by the Pantheon in Rome.
The final two days of our journey were spent in the Netherlands, where we discovered the delightful hamlet of Veere and learned how the country pioneered storm surge management with the ambitious and unprecedented Delta Works project. In Utrecht, I met up with a longtime friend who lives nearby while Jessica toured the impressively moated 19th-century De Haar Castle. We arrived in Amsterdam by 5 p.m. that evening, although torrential rain — the only soggy blip in an otherwise sunny fortnight — kept us on board. We didn’t mind, actually, since we had so many new friends to sip wine and enjoy time with before disembarkation the next morning.
Onboard Dining & Entertainment Highlights
My top suggestion after spending two weeks aboard Scenic Opal is to pack wisely — and by that, I mean comfortable clothing with elastic waistlines. The ship’s culinary team serves up endless amounts of expertly prepared food morning, noon, and night.
The breakfast buffet offered something for everyone, from fresh fruit and yogurt to made-to-order omelets and, yes, Belgian waffles. Lunch was a combination of buffet spread — the salad selections changed daily and were incredible — with soup, freshly made pasta, three main course menu options, including locally inspired dishes, and a sandwich of the day. And don’t get me started on the desserts, which included rich and flavorful ice creams and sorbets, warm banana crumble, and brioche with cherry pudding and chocolate sauce.
At dinner in the Crystal Dining Room, guests were invited to sit with whomever they wanted at tables accommodating two to 10 people. Menus changed nightly — enthusiastically introduced at the end of Renata’s port talk by the Executive Chef and Maitre d’ — and offered a choice of three appetizers, three mains (always with meat, fish or poultry, and vegetarian options), and two or three desserts. My most memorable bites? A truffle-scented chicken cassoulet appetizer; forest mushroom risotto; grilled barramundi Niçoise; and slow-roasted duck breast with tangy orange sauce, pumpkin, and broccoli.
On every cruise, guests also receive an invitation to dine in the more intimate Portobellos restaurant. Its five-course Italian-tasting menu featured a vitello tonnato (veal and tuna) appetizer, truffle risotto, a choice of braised beef short ribs or cheese-filled pasta with eggplant and mushroom sauce, and either tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake, or passion fruit panna cotta.
Anyone staying in higher category suites on Scenic Opal’s Diamond Deck received a special invitation to an intimate Table La Rive wine-paired tasting menu hosted by the Executive Chef and served by white-gloved butlers — a bit of formality that was wonderfully executed. The menu included octopus carpaccio paired with a Grüner Veltliner from Austria’s Wachau Valley, beef tenderloin with truffle shavings paired with an Italian Amarone Di Valpolicella, and a tonka bean mouse with a chocolate shell and raspberry cream served with a Kressmann Grande Reserve Sauternes from Bordeaux, France.
Speaking of wines, two options (a red and a white, which vary each night depending on the menu) were offered each evening, but guests could also order a glass of their choosing from the wine list, which included two dozen selections from Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and the United States.
River cruise ship entertainment tends to be low-key, but on this itinerary, we were treated to some unique local talents, which included Four Hands Over 50 Bells (dexterous husband-and-wife Swiss bell ringers) and Music Dream (a rousing Dixieland quintet from Belgium). On half the nights, Entertainment Manager Jonathan delighted us with terrific cabaret performances in the Panorama Lounge, did a rousing Elton John tribute, and hosted animated trivia and game show nights with teams of eight to 10 guests vying for a box of Swiss chocolates. Our team won the Name That Kiss contest, correctly guessing the names of 29 of 30 movies as kiss scenes flashed on the screen. Most guests were ready for bed by 11 p.m. unless tempted to head up to the Sun Deck to enjoy a “Moon River” moment as Scenic Opal navigated beneath starry skies.
Is Scenic Right For You?
If you’re the type of traveler who seeks luxury without pretention and wants to meet fellow guests from the world’s major English-speaking countries who are interested an easy-going ambiance that fosters onboard camaraderie, Scenic is a great option. And while its cruise fares place it firmly in the luxury realm — starting at just under $4,000 per person for a seven-night sailing and topping $8,000 per person for 15 nights — the fact that everything (with the exception of spa treatments) is included means you’ll enjoy an incredible journey with attentive service, excellent food and wine, and a vibe that’s as authentic and carefree as can be.