Travel Destinations

Thursday, October 10, 2013

5 Reasons to Take a River Cruise with Scenic Cruises

Scenic Cruises and Johnny Jet have created a blogger contest with an eight-day European River Cruise for two as the prize! A river cruise has been on my travel wish list for some time, so of course I’m entering.  Wish me luck!  Here are my five reasons to take a river cruise with Scenic Cruises.

1. Rooms With A View


Unlike large ships with internal cabins, all Scenic Cruises’ rooms have a view.  While there are a few rooms with just windows, the vast majority have private balconies.  These aren’t just French balconies, where the doors slide open but you can’t go anywhere.  They’re full balconies with a table and chairs so you can sit outside and sip a glass of wine while enjoying the scenery.  Not only do the rooms have real balconies, those balconies have “Sun-Lounge” technology which encloses the balcony behind glass in case of inclement weather, or a slight hair-tossing breeze.

5 Reasons to Take a River Cruise with Scenic Cruises
I LOVE balconies!

2. All-Inclusive


Scenic Cruises are fully inclusive, even tips!  A common cruise complaint is the price might start low, but after all the onboard alcohol and not included shore excursions, costs can skyrocket. Scenic Cruises include unlimited complimentary beverages (including alcohol), private butler service, in-suite minibar (replenished daily), electrical-assisted bicycles with GPS, and several excursions from which to choose.  All this in addition to the inclusions you would expect, such as airport transfers, meals, and Wi-Fi. Did you notice the private butler service?  I wonder if my butler would let me call him Alfred...

3. Multiple Countries In One Trip


Most of us don’t have the luxury of traveling constantly, so a Scenic Cruise is perfect for covering a lot of territory while staying within the limits of precious vacation days, all without having to repack your suitcase.  The Gems of The Danube cruise, which is the prize for this contest, visits three different countries (or four depending on excursion choice): Germany, Austria, Hungary, and possibly the Czech Republic, all of which I haven’t visited yet (hint hint).

4. Flexibility


There are many choices for how to spend the day in a destination.  If you’re an independent traveler and want to explore on your own, you can take a self-guided walking or cycling tour with either the help of an app you can download or one of Scenic Cruises’ pre-loaded devices.  Or you can choose one of the unique excursions offered; again, all included in the price.

5. One-Of-A-Kind Experiences


So of course I’ve started daydreaming about a cruise with Scenic Cruises and read about all the excursions offered on the prize cruise.  Some of the exciting one-of-a-kind experiences offered include a private classical concert in Vienna’s Palais Liechtenstein and an excursion to the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov.

Here’s hoping I'm chosen to experience a European River Cruise with Scenic Tours so I can add more reasons to my list!

Katherine Belarmino and Romeo Belarmino are the authors of Travel the World, a travel blog for the everyday working stiff. They work full-time in non-travel related jobs, but take every opportunity they can to travel the world during their limited vacation time.