Interested in a comparison between HAL and a Scenic River cruise?

[1of4]

The above is a link to my live thread for our upcoming river cruise. I will try to answer questions and provide as much information as possible. After many years of sailing HAL as a family of 4 I can no longer cruise due to a medical condition. This will be our second river cruise, the first one was in August 2019 on the Seine. And it will just be DH and I as DD is working on her Master’s in Occupational Therapy and DS is about to graduate college with all the qualifications for search and rescue. He will be canoeing in Southern Maine while we are in The Netherlands. 
 

We loved everything about HAL but since we can no longer sail the oceans we are loving cruising rivers. Of course we would love to board a BHB but see how a (much) smaller boat compares!

[puppycanducruise]

I'd love to hear all about your cruise.  Hope it's wonderful.

[McDeb2119]

There really is no comparison. River cruise ships have around 160 passengers. There isn’t a lot to do onboard as the focus is on the small towns and villages visited along the river.  I found the food to be much better and enjoyed every minute of the slower pace.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

They are two different vacations.

[mcrcruiser]

We agree with Mc Deb above , we took a Avalon river cruise once down the Rhine river from Amsterdam to Basil Switzerland . It was as different from Ocean cruises as white is different from black . The s,alle numbers of people ,The very relaxed atmosphere , the daily guided tours & the best food we have ever had including land based restaurants 

[mcrcruiser]

when we did the 7 day river cruise ,we also spent time in Switzerland which was also very wonderful & post swotserland we flew to Rome for a 6 day stay6 & then took a trans Atlantic cruise in a stern balcony on perfectly calm waters  .Each segment was so very wonderful & very different . 

 

 Now all we can do is dream of what a wonderfil trip we did take as our ages & physical can no longer go that distance & planes

[1of4]

Yes they are very different.  I remember some members of this board being curious and asking questions. So if a river cruise is something you may be considering and you have questions on how it compares to a HAL cruise I’m willing to take pictures and answer questions to the best of my ability. 
 

Why did we choose Scenic?  Well just as I did before choosing HAL, I did an analysis of costs, inclusions, cabin types, etc. Looking at cost only, Scenic was one of the most expensive in 2018 but with cost of inclusions factored in, it quickly became one of the most cost effective. 
 

We will be on the Scenic Jade. It is 135 m in length and takes 163 passengers  in 80/82 cabins on 3 decks with 55 crew. Its gross tonnage is 2721. It has 3 restaurants plus in room dining for most cabins, a lounge with bar, a salt therapy lounge, a sun lounge, a wellness centre and a fitness centre. 

Edited April 1 by Host Jazzbeau
corrected number of passengers on Scenic Jade

[RuthC]

Have a wonderful time, Gail. 

[kazu]

I’m delighted you are doing a LIVE thread Gail and look forward to following along and hearing all about it.

 

I hope you two have an absolutely fabulous time 🙂   You’ve waited long enough for another adventure and deserve the best.

[1of4]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

I’m delighted you are doing a LIVE thread Gail and look forward to following along and hearing all about it.

 

I hope you two have an absolutely fabulous time 🙂   You’ve waited long enough for another adventure and deserve the best.

Thanks so much Jacqui. It has been a long and eventful 5 years. We are looking forward to celebrating our anniversary and putting some of those negative events behind us. 

[0bsessed]

We hope you have a wonderful trip Rob and Gail.  Safe travels!

[TiogaCruiser]

12 hours ago, 1of4 said:

And it will just be DH and I as DD is working on her Master’s in Occupational Therapy and DS is about to graduate college with all the qualifications for search and rescue. He will be canoeing in Southern Maine while we are in The Netherlands. 
 

 

Welcome back to the Board!

 

My goodness, they’ve grown so quickly!

[lyndarra]

My late wife and I cruised Budapest/Amsterdam in 2018. Our final choice of operator was between Avalon and Scenic. We chose Avalon because we summised there would be a broader demographic of nationalities compared to Scenic which, as an Australian brand, would possibly have had a greater proportion of Aussies and Kiwis. Since then I believe Scenic now attracts a more diverse range of nationalities and is popular with N. American cruisers.

As for Avalon, we loved it, it was perfect. I particularly liked the beds being across ship rather than parallel. We could lie in/on our bed looking straight out, through the large sliding windows, at the world passing by.

Avalon had included tours in each city and special busses for pax with mobility issues with tours adapted to suit.

[1of4]

7 hours ago, lyndarra said:

My late wife and I cruised Budapest/Amsterdam in 2018. Our final choice of operator was between Avalon and Scenic. We chose Avalon because we summised there would be a broader demographic of nationalities compared to Scenic which, as an Australian brand, would possibly have had a greater proportion of Aussies and Kiwis. Since then I believe Scenic now attracts a more diverse range of nationalities and is popular with N. American cruisers.

As for Avalon, we loved it, it was perfect. I particularly liked the beds being across ship rather than parallel. We could lie in/on our bed looking straight out, through the large sliding windows, at the world passing by.

Avalon had included tours in each city and special busses for pax with mobility issues with tours adapted to suit.

My condolences on the loss of your wife. Glad to hear you enjoyed your Avalon experience and thank you for sharing what it was that made it special. 
 

We did have a lot of Aussies onboard in 2019 but being Canadian, we enjoyed that. If I remember correctly, it was Australians and Americans that were the most passengers then Canadians, Kiwis, British and a few other countries sprinkled in. This time, with 2 Canadian chefs, we assume that the bulk of the passengers will be Canadian but we will find out!  The boat sold out quickly once the special culinary experience was announced. 

[1of4]

9 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Welcome back to the Board!

 

My goodness, they’ve grown so quickly!

Thank you!  And yes they sure have!  Our son was 7 on our first HAL cruise to Alaska and our daughter 10. Now he is 6’4” and towers over all of us. We made such good family memories onboard the BHBs!

[cbr663]

Thanks for posting a live thread and will be following along.  Will be interested in your cruise and your Scenic experience.  We recently attended an information session provided by Scenic as a possible cruise option and it will be great to read your thoughts on it.

 

We will be travelling on our first river cruise in June with Avalon.  We are really looking forward to it.  We have decided to pause our ocean cruising in general and with HAL and we are hoping that river cruising will provide us with that cruising magic that we feel is missing with HAL.

 

Bon Voyage.

[1of4]

9 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

Thanks for posting a live thread and will be following along.  Will be interested in your cruise and your Scenic experience.  We recently attended an information session provided by Scenic as a possible cruise option and it will be great to read your thoughts on it.

 

We will be travelling on our first river cruise in June with Avalon.  We are really looking forward to it.  We have decided to pause our ocean cruising in general and with HAL and we are hoping that river cruising will provide us with that cruising magic that we feel is missing with HAL.

 

Bon Voyage.

I hope you enjoy your upcoming Avalon River cruise. We took Scenic on an 11 day Seine voyage in August 2019 and fell in love. Disclaimer: both DH and I are not big-mega ship people. That’s just us. So we think anyone who prefers boutique hotels over the large chain hotels will enjoy the river cruise experience. 
 

We really enjoyed how you get to know most of your fellow passengers and staff. They really went above and beyond, in our experience, to learn your individual preferences and routines. 
 

[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks for taking us along!  DW and I are planning a river cruise for June 2025 and will enjoy your comments.  

[PROCRUISE]

On 3/31/2024 at 10:50 AM, mcrcruiser said:

We agree with Mc Deb above , we took a Avalon river cruise once down the Rhine river from Amsterdam to Basil Switzerland . It was as different from Ocean cruises as white is different from black . The s,alle numbers of people ,The very relaxed atmosphere , the daily guided tours & the best food we have ever had including land based restaurants 

Also completely agree. Took the Viking, Grand European River Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Absolutely fabulous! Another aspect I really liked was having two different tour groups at each stop. One, for those in good health like myself, who can hike right along and see more, and a very thoughtful idea of a group for those with less ability to ambulate who simply needed much for time.

[Radbooks]

4 hours ago, PROCRUISE said:

Also completely agree. Took the Viking, Grand European River Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Absolutely fabulous! Another aspect I really liked was having two different tour groups at each stop. One, for those in good health like myself, who can hike right along and see more, and a very thoughtful idea of a group for those with less ability to ambulate who simply needed much for time.

I had no idea they had two tours! That makes it much more feasible for my mom and I.

[Petronillus]

This is such a lovely thread! A lot is going on below the surface, and the exchanges are remarkably tender.

DW & I have yet to do a river cruise, but it languishes somewhere on our to-do list. I had never before heard of Scenic, but based on this thread I will look at it closely. 

I have a standard of comparison that I'm not sure will translate effectively to Australia. I consider HAL to be a good solid Buick. It's not a Cadillac, much less a Lexus or BMW. But we are perfectly -- and I mean perfectly -- satisfied with a Buick. By that standard where does Scenic rank?

Thanks to all!

[1of4]

10 hours ago, Petronillus said:

This is such a lovely thread! A lot is going on below the surface, and the exchanges are remarkably tender.

DW & I have yet to do a river cruise, but it languishes somewhere on our to-do list. I had never before heard of Scenic, but based on this thread I will look at it closely. 

I have a standard of comparison that I'm not sure will translate effectively to Australia. I consider HAL to be a good solid Buick. It's not a Cadillac, much less a Lexus or BMW. But we are perfectly -- and I mean perfectly -- satisfied with a Buick. By that standard where does Scenic rank?

Thanks to all!

I am unsure of your method of comparison but I can answer your questions to help you fill in the blanks. For example in 2019 we were surprised to learn that all inclusive for Scenic meant all you could drink of whatever you choose to drink (exception being the top of the top shelf liquor) was included and their wine cellar was impressive. It also meant the mini bar in your room was stocked with whatever you chose, including chocolate and Pringles. One free bag of laundry and, depending upon cabin category, daily pressing. Want your shoes shined? Done. There’s even a pillow menu when you enter your cabin. Did I mention free wifi? But if you want productions in various venues you will be disappointed. There is no casino and the shop is restricted to a small corner of the lobby across from the concierge desk. There is one main lounge where everyone uses and is also the bar and the casual restaurant for quick bites. 
 

Let me know what your criteria is and I can help you decide which make and model Scenic attains. 

[Petronillus]

Thank you for your response. I appreciate that my personal frame of reference and standard of comparison (namely, David Dunbar Buick's eponymous automobile) might not work outside the US market. The standard you've described sounds higher than a Cadillac (top of the General Motors lines) and more like a Mercedes Maybach, which I can't afford and, blessedly, don't aspire to.

I haven't started checking prices, but I'm bracing for "Too rich for my blood . . ." But for me it's the same for Neptune suites.

[McDeb2119]

3 hours ago, Petronillus said:

Thank you for your response. I appreciate that my personal frame of reference and standard of comparison (namely, David Dunbar Buick's eponymous automobile) might not work outside the US market. The standard you've described sounds higher than a Cadillac (top of the General Motors lines) and more like a Mercedes Maybach, which I can't afford and, blessedly, don't aspire to.

I haven't started checking prices, but I'm bracing for "Too rich for my blood . . ." But for me it's the same for Neptune suites.

I’ve only been on one river cruise with Avalon. However, before choosing I did a ton of research. Like you, I wanted a Buick. Not a Focus or a BMW. I also wanted something a little more active as it was for

my 50th birthday and we had a small group ranging in ages from 40-70. Avalon fit the bill and so did AMA so it came down to itinerary as all the ships were very similar. Although now I might consider AMA for their newish ship the AMA Maga.  Drinks are included with lunch and dinner. There are many different tours offered and most are included. 2 tours per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  My group and I would go to the lounge for a nightcap and then off to bed as the breakfast was not to be missed before the morning tour.  We have another planned for 2025 and can’t wait.  

[Cruise NH]

This is an interesting topic for us!  We're on our first river cruise, on Amawaterways, next month.  We're going from Budapest to Nuremberg and then onto Prague for a couple of days.  The cost of flying business class to Europe is so high we felt we had to do more while there so after Prague we're flying to Amsterdam to do a 14 day Baltic cruise on HAL.

 

I guess we'll see the comparisons up close and personal.