Scenic Crystal

All cabins include a mini bar, stocked daily with drinks (sodas, juices, wine, beer and airplane- bottle sized liquor), Pringles, and chocolate wafer cookies, a pair of fleece blankets, reusable water bottles, a tall glass bottle of filtered water, aromatic soaps, bath products, and lotions, and earpieces to be used in conjunction with the Scenic Voice app during Freechoice guided excursions. This clever app allows guests to use their own smartphone to hear the tour guides discuss cities like Antwerp during walking tours and villages like Veere on a ~12 mile e-bike ride.

Several stateroom types are available, ranging from basic rooms with a sliver of a view of the river, to balcony suites, the largest of which are the Royal Balcony Suites, complete with a lounge area with oversized TV, sofa, table, and chairs, plus an oversized bathroom with tub. The Royal Panorama Suites are the two largest suites on the ship at 325 square feet. Found on the Diamond Deck (the deck just below the rooftop Sun Deck), these cabins offer fantastic views of the passing scenery from a private balcony and living room lounge area with chairs and a sofa, plus an oversized bathroom with oversized soaking tub. The creme de la creme cabin, however, on the Scenic Crystal is the Royal Owner’s Suite. Located on the top level of the ship, guests will experience the ultimate in luxury with a living room, bar, walk-in closet, huge balcony, and a large bathroom with a glass wall looking out upon that big balcony. In the bathroom is a bathtub, separate stand-up shower, and double vanity.

Single balcony rooms are available, with a twin bed, for those traveling solo. Special pricing for such accommodations is also available.

While there is an elevator to access the first three floors of the Scenic Crystal, making it possible to reach all cabins and all dining destinations, it cannot carry mobility-challenged passengers to the Sun Deck.

ADA rules do not apply to European-based vessels, and there are no accessible rooms. Each cabin has a less than one inch threshold at the entry point, and to go from the bedroom to the bathroom, a six-inch step must be navigated. Guests may bring a mobility scooter on board, but wheelchairs are not able to be accommodated.

Technically speaking, there are five destinations for dining on board the Scenic Crystal: the Crystal Dining Room, Portobello’s, Table La Rive, River Café, and room service. Crystal Dining effectively serves as the main dining room, but the cuisine here far exceeds than that of a standard ocean liner’s MDR offerings.

Scenic’s dinner menus are not robust (a handful of appetizers, entrees, and desserts are available each evening) but they are crowd-pleasing accessible and also upscale. Unfortunately, the menus don’t reflect the local cuisine—that is, you won’t find steamed mussels in white wine and frites while touring Belgium. There’s an evening fish choice (halibut, sea bass, cod to name just three from a recent sailing), delicious vegetarian options (quinoa with curried cauliflower, as one remarkable example), and an array of fine cuts of meat (veal, steaks, and more). Additionally, a menu of everyday staples (Caesar salad, steak and fries, salmon, and bananas foster, for example) are always options at dinner.

In the very back of this dining room is a special table for 10, the dining destination known as Table La Rive, or Scenic’s Chef’s Table. Available exclusively for Diamond deck guests, each of these guests will receive an invitation for one 7-course wine pairing dinner at Table La Rive during the weeklong river cruise. On one evening, menu highlights included spring green soup with poached quail egg, tuna tartare, and beef short ribs.

Meanwhile, at the bar in the Crystal Lounge is the River Café, a daily 11am-6pm selection of light bites such as pizzas, wraps, hors d’oeuvres, and sweets. In the back of the Lounge is Portobello’s, which is the specialty dining destination each guest, regardless of tier, will receive a dinner invitation to once during their sailing. The Italian concept is executed with precision, and the pastas and saltimbocca are especially memorable.

Breakfast and lunch on the Scenic Crystal are both handled through buffets consisting of hot food (omelet station in the morning, pastas, and freshly carved meats and fish at lunch) mixed with fine cheeses, breads, fruits, salads, soups, and more. Sparkling wine for mimosas, juices, and fresh baked pastries complete the morning offerings, while wine, cocktails, and an ice cream sundae bar round out lunchtime. Of course, when docked steps away from frites’ stands, gelato shops, local bars with small batch IPAs and Trappist brews, and seafood restaurants serving up succulent steamed mussels and oysters, many guests choose to splurge for lunch on land.

All food, as with all drinks, excursions, internet fees, and tips, are included on Scenic cruises. In fact, you won’t even need to provide a credit card as there are no incidentals.

One bar serves the entire river cruise ship. There are just a few beers to choose from, as well as cocktails, wines, and sodas available, all completely complimentary. At dinner, a pair of wines, one red and one white, are chosen nightly. Although high-quality, the wines are sourced not from the regions being visited necessarily, but from Spain, Germany, and beyond, selected by the sommelier.

In short, there is not a lot to do on a river cruise. But that is by design, as the real action is off the ship, in the charming small villages and vibrant cities of Europe. There are loungers and tables with chairs on the Sun Deck of the Scenic Crystal, perfect for relaxing, sunbathing, reading a book, or having great conversations with the new friends made during the cruise as European towns fade and come into view. Inside, the lounge has a comfortable array of sofas, chairs, ottomans, and tables to stretch out, curl up with a book, play cards, have a cocktail or cup of fine tea, and mingle.

The main man on board the Scenic Crystal for all of the organized evening entertainment is Lucas. From booking local musicians to perform on board before sailing away from European cities to hosting riotous games of trivia (music, movies, celebrities, and notable dates from history) and dancing in the Lounge, Lucas keeps things light and fun from 9 p.m. each night. Stateroom TVs offer guests a chance to catch up on sports (SkySports 2), news (BBC), and TV shows, as well as providing a library of films on-demand. If all else fails, the internet is free and strong. With WiFi calling on, guests should be able to continue calling and texting back home, streaming shows, downloading podcasts, and posting to social media. The best entertainment happens during a Scenic river cruise, however, off the ship, especially during the Freechoice Enrichment event. This complimentary, exclusive, and private event for Scenic passengers will take place in one of the ports, and will be a once in a lifetime type of occasion, such as a male choir performing sea shanties in a 15th-century church in Hoorn, The Netherlands, as the sun shines through stain glass windows.

A small gym on the first floor features one each of a treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine, and a stationary bike. Salon and massages are available in a private room, while a salt therapy room can be found across from the fitness center. Inside that room are three lounge chairs set atop a salt floor, and facing an evocative pink salt wall. A small walking track is on the Sun Deck, allowing guests to get their steps in while the breeze blows and the country sides of Europe pass by.

Thirty e-bikes are available for guest use in each port, allowing passengers the freedom to explore the villages, cities, and regions of Europe on their own or with a guided bike tour each morning. It’s a good option for physical fitness, and helps make up for what the on-board gym lacks.