River Cruising: Scenic vs APT

After taking on a river cruise with two of the top river cruise companies sailing the waterways of Europe I am now in a unique position to pitch them head to head. Who is going to win, APT or Scenic? Let’s see a rundown of my experiences onboard The MS Amadante by APT cruising from Amsterdam to Nuremberg, and the Scenic Jewel cruising from Arles to Paris.

Scenic
Scenic offer a very streamline product; all their ships are identical in design and layout. This makes choosing a cruise a breeze as you can solely focus on the itinerary and not getting the preferred class of ship.

The lower deck of the ship houses the restaurant as well as the E category cabins that feature a window only (no balcony). The main deck features the lead in priced balcony cabins as well as the lobby and main lounge and speciality restaurant at the front. The upper deck has suites and more balcony cabins and then above this you have the roof deck set up for outdoor viewing and drinks. All cabins on the middle and upper decks have full step-out balconies which are quite unique for a river cruise ship and do add to the private usable space you have in your cabin and they also boast the largest internal space inside the cabins.

The overall layout is what you would expect but where I really felt Scenic are let down is that the internal spaces offered no great vantage points for sitting and watching the world float by. The main lounge has views out of the windows on each side of the room but the more panoramic views that APT offer in their main lounge are compromised on Scenic by the fact that the main lounge is situated behind Portobello's restaurant which blocks all views from the lounge area to the windows at the front of the ship. The other issue with views is that the dining room and main lounge had fairly heavy mesh-like curtaining that was always drawn not allowing for much viewing. If you had a balcony cabin you had the benefit of floor to ceiling windows and whilst is was bliss to lay back in bed and watch the world float past you did only have a view of what was happening on one side of the ship.

APT
APT offer an array of ships that are not streamlined in their layout and design. I was a little confused about the product and what the Aria and Concerto class ships offered and upon trying to clarify with the rep she seemed a little confused about it all too. I will only comment on the Amadante as this is the ship I cruised on.

The overall layout of the three decks is very similar to Scenic. The cheaper (window only) cabins and main restaurant on the lower deck. Lobby, main lounge and lead in balcony cabins on the main deck. The suites and more balcony cabins on the upper deck and the roof top viewing deck and walking track up top.

The major difference between Scenic and APT you will find is that APT offer very few full step out balconies, just a small number on their Concerto class ships. Most cabins have a French Balcony which involves a fully opening glass sliding door with a railing directly in front of this. Not having the step out balcony did not worry me at all. You could still enjoy the views through your floor to ceiling windows and also open the door for fresh air and that was my main interest. The balcony may have been of more interest if I had of done either of these cruises in summer. 

Where APT really excel in their layout is in the main lounge. With a lot of time spent on the ship, especially on longer itineraries like Amsterdam to Budapest you will be spending considerable time in the public spaces. The lounge on the Amadante went all the way to the front of the ship to incorporate the floor to ceiling windows at the very front so you had panoramic views of where you were going. This allowed you to sit back with a drink and see all the river and shore had to offer. This is even more vital if you are travelling in the colder months, if the weather is not agreeable to being on the top deck or if the top deck is closed due to passing by low bridges.

Winner
The winner in my opinion for overall layout is APT. The panoramic windows in the main lounge is a feature that cannot be beaten.

Scenic
The interior design offered on Scenic's ships is modern and functional but lacking a little flair. The decor, design and lighting is quite generic - not saying there is anything wrong with that as such, but in the price category of these cruises I was expecting a little more. If you were considering it on hotel standards you would say it was a fairly generic 4-star and unfortunately poorly lit which during the day when going through the many locks on the river is a major issue. For a product that touts itself as "luxury" the public spaces really did not live up to expectations. 

The main dining room featured predominantly large tables which forced you into a social situation night after night with no choice for smaller groups or couples. 

I will give Scenic extra points for their roof deck which did have a lovely space with outdoor tables and chairs that provided a great spot to read and have a drink.

APT
APT have a less modern and far more homely feel in their public spaces and the overall feel was warm and inviting. The main lounge had an array of lounge seating situated around coffee tables with each space lit by individual lamps. The main dining room featured upholstery that was a little dated but overall had an inviting presence. 
A wide variety of table configurations was also great if you wanted to dine alone or in a small or large group. The roof top space was uninspired and could do with some updating. The main feature of this was an ugly brown walking track that circled most of the upper deck and inside this space were reclining deck chairs. Whilst I am sure they are convenient when going under low bridges as they do not need packing up they are not so convenient for actually sitting and viewing. 

I did appreciate the effort APT took in decorating the internal spaces with large floral arrangements and although the flowers were fake they did brighten things up. The artwork particularly in the lobby was also a nice touch.

Winner
The crown again goes to APT here. The warm and inviting atmosphere of the public spaces drew you out of your room and made you feel at home and comfortable.

If you have been on a cruise you will know what to expect from a cruise ship cabin...small. Although they are small with both companies they do become your little haven, a home away from home. A place where you can watch the world float by.

Scenic
Don't be deceived by the marketing; the Scenic "space-ship" may have the largest cabins on the waters but the cabins are small. The cabins are modern and very well appointed, the layout makes very good use of a small space and the bathrooms whilst again are "small" are well formed and offer more space than most. The ample cupboard space and shelving offers plenty of room to fully unpack your suitcase which is really the big advantage of this style of travel over coach touring. 

The décor is modern and minimalist, and the large flat screen TV mounted on the wall in front of the bed is positioned perfectly for movie watching (and they do offer latest release movies on demand) it also works as a monitor to use the free internet provided.

The beds are really the highlight of the Scenic cabins. The Egyptian cotton sheets and down quilts set it all off and although the beds take up 90% of the cabins floor space they are comfortable enough to make up for the lack of space. 

The scenic bathrooms are small but well appointed. There was an odd amount of useless space in the shower, far away from where you could stand under the water and with space being a premium I thought this could be better designed. But the free L'Occitane toiletries everyday made me forget all about it.

The in-room free mini bar does set Scenic apart from the rest. You can empty this thing every day and they will just keep re-filling it...and I can tell you I tested it out to the max!

APT
I thought the Scenic cabins were small, but I was wrong as APT's are smaller! With the outdoor furniture moved to the inside of the cabin due to the lack of balcony and a fairly poor cabin layout there is little room to move here. 

The décor was a little too dated for my liking and the beds were very poor. The single beds in my twin share cabin were smaller than a normal single, the mattresses were hard and the bedding cheap. Very disappointing for the price point of these cruises and I would not be surprised if it did not garner a few complaints.

The overall layout felt poorly thought out. There was decent cupboard space but the small writing desk with the small TV positioned over it with cables hanging out felt very clunky. Again, you have free internet and movies, but the small TV was not well positioned for two people to comfortably watch from bed (which is the only place you can really watch from).

The bathrooms were extremely small, and I am unsure how a larger or taller person would navigate in these. Once out of the shower, the only way to dry your legs was to have your head down next to the toilet!

Winner
Scenic takes the cake here by a long shot. The well laid out cabins, amazing bedding, larger bathrooms, balconies that can be enclosed, big screen TV and free mini bar really re-enforce why you have paid the money you have to come on this trip.

Scenic
The technology offered by Scenic shows some real thought has gone into it. The free internet through the big screen TV and Wi-Fi on your own devices is a good starting point. 

The controllable glass balcony is impressive and the Scenic "Tailormade" device is exceptional. Let me explain: the Tailormade device is around the size of a GPS and it lives in a dock in your cabin and you can use it for a number of purposes. I found the most useful to be that you could turn it on and receive information about where you are and what you are seeing as you cruise down the river. I did not realise how vital this was until I went on APT and they did not have such a device. Without it you have no idea where on the river you are, what towns you are seeing and what the significance of the buildings you are passing are. Secondly you can take it ashore with you and let it take you on a tour of your location. Self-guided and self-paced they are an excellent alternative if you need a break from the group tours on offer.

APT
Apart from the free internet available in cabin and the free Wi-Fi there was very little usable technology to speak of. The lack of being able to access your location on the river was a major issue and I found it frustrating to not know what I was seeing as we sailed down the river.

Winner
Again the stand out was Scenic. The innovative, usable technology was outstanding.

Scenic
Being a cruise, the majority of your meals are taken in a main dining room. Breakfast consists of a buffet featuring a western breakfast plus a small menu you could order additional meals from if the buffet did not appeal. Lunch is the same arrangement and then dinner is a three course a ‘la carte menu. I appreciated the choice on offer at all meals and the ability to eat buffet or order from a small menu was a nice touch. 

The food was of mixed standard - some dishes were outstanding, and others were fairly average and not to the luxury standard I was expecting. The main disappointment with Scenic's menu was that being in France we were served entirely western and Eastern European food. The disconnect between where we were (one of the most culinary spectacular countries in the world) and the food we were served was really a sticking point for me. 

Scenic did offer an invitation to their speciality restaurant Portobello's with was a degustation menu that I thoroughly enjoyed but again it was Italian, not French.

APT
APT's dining arrangements were exactly the same as the Scenic format. Offering plenty of choice, buffets as well as menus. Again, there was little connection to what we were eating and where we were cruising, but I did feel APT's food was of a higher standard. 

Their speciality restaurant Erlebnis was a chef's table affair, so there was on open kitchen in view of the diners and again the meal was degustation style. The food itself was modern and innovative and of a very high standard. I did think it was very amusing to have an open kitchen that wasn't actually doing any cooking. The chef was simply assembling pre-prepared elements into the dishes and keeping sauces warm in pots. 
Winner
This is a close call. The range of food on offer was on par with both companies but APT did just edge ahead in the quality of what was on offer so I have to give it to them.

Scenic
Scenic offer an all-inclusive drinks product which is outstanding. An extremely wide range of drinks from beer to wine to spirits and cocktails is on offer in both the main lounge and the restaurant and to top it all off the in room mini bar is all free and refreshed more than once a day. All this was served with enthusiasm by the staff. This feature really instilled the luxury status of the cruise.

APT
APT offer an all-inclusive drinks product on some of their cruises so buyer beware on what you are actually getting when you book. My cruise did have the all-inclusive drinks but the range of what was included was quite limited. There was a handful of spirits and cocktails in the lower standard on offer and a small range of house wines and beers and then the rest was all at an extra charge. 

The surly bar staff in the main lounge certainly did not make you feel welcome and in the main dining room the staff were very reluctant to serve any other drink apart from wine. If they knew you were not drinking wine they did not ask what else you would like and if you did manage to pin them down to ask for a drink it was met with a grunt.

Winner
Scenic by a country mile. The range on offer and the service it came with was outstanding and the in-room mini bar was a complete luxury.

Scenic 
High attention to detail, customer orientated service and a fun and friendly atmosphere was absolutely a highlight of the Scenic river cruise experience. Nothing was too much trouble for this crew, especially the wait staff who were extremely attentive, learnt your drink and offered a new one upon an empty glass. The bar staff worked like slaves and filled every order fast and efficiently despite large crowds at the bar. The tour director was always available to assist you your needs and was highly organised. 

The one thing that was not so streamlined was room servicing. The hallways on Scenic are very narrow and the trolleys used by the room staff are very large and intrusive, filling most of the hallway for large parts of the day. This may not sound like much of an issue but you were constantly squeezing past these trolleys all day and for elderly passengers this may not be so easy. 

APT
The APT staff experience was unfortunately not as honed as the Scenic experience, but this can very much come down to the crew you have on your particular cruise. Whilst the staff did their jobs efficiently there was very little in the way of friendly interactions, particularly with the bar staff who were disengaged with the clientèle they were serving. 

In the restaurant on the first day this experience carried through but after a few days of sitting in the one area our waitress did start to warm up to us and in the end was very pleasant. The room staff were the exception, they were pleasant and somehow serviced all the rooms discreetly and magically knew when you were or were not in the room. There were no trolleys taking up the hallways, it was like there were little fairies cleaning your room who appeared and disappeared almost like magic. They also went that extra step and decorated our room for my room-mates birthday and came and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ which was such a personal touch.

Winner
Scenic's highly trained team win out here. The atmosphere of fun they created whilst working very busy jobs was outstanding and the extra effort they put in to get to know each customer made them a stand out.

All-inclusive day trips are the dream of many tourists. Both Scenic and APT have banished the paid optional day trips that is the mainstay of traditional cruises and coach touring, and it is a welcomed change.

Scenic
The focus here is walking tours. Each destination you arrive at you are put into groups and met by a local guide who takes you through the city giving you insights into the local history, food, architecture and a myriad of other aspects of local life and culture. 

Scenic do offer choices at some locations of what tour you would like to do which is fantastic as you can pick and choose based on your own interests. Despite the choices the days were heavily geared towards walking tours and whilst they are very informative they did tend to get quite repetitive, a little more variety would be ideal. 

The highlight for me was the option to have dinner with a local family. I felt it was the only tour that offered any really cultural immersion.

APT
The tours and choices offered by APT are very much in line with Scenic; walking tours interspersed with the occasional alternate experience with the ability to choose. Again, I think more variety and paces could be offered butu APT did offer much more in the way of evening excursions with trips to castles, brewery's and wine festivals a much-needed break from ship life.

Winner
This is a close call. What the companies did offer was well executed but I do feel both companies need to offer a greater range of day trip styles and recognise that day after day of very slow paced walking tours isn't going to satisfy all clients. I think APT did stand out a little over Scenic as they offered more in the way night time experiences and variety but as I did undertake two different river cruises in totally differently locations this is likely an unfair comparison. So, we’ll call this one a tie.

Scenic
There is little to say here in regards to onboard entertainment with Scenic as very little was offered. If you read the brochure you will be led to believe you will have an array of guest performers come onboard but apparently this does not carry across from their Eastern European cruises to the French itinerary I undertook. 

APT
APT had a wide array of guest performers and experiences on offer. Most nights we had different performers jump onboard at the locks and sing and dance the night away. 

I had two highlights with APT, the first being an extremely entertaining (if somewhat drunk) glass blower who put on a laugh a minute glass blowing demonstration. The other was the Bavarian Party in which a local Bavarian music group came onboard decked out in lederhosen and accordions. 

Winner
APT win this one easily. With a wide array of performers and a different experience everyday it was entertainment galore. 

Once you have your APT and Scenic brochure in hand you will see a very similarly priced product. The range of early bird deals that include free flights are also very similar. Price is not really a point you can differentiate these companies on.

You will see that I have completely pulled these products apart, but don't mistake my intention here, I don't want to pick apart what is essentially a great product till there is nothing but pieces left. You will actually see that the products are very similarly matched. What one does better, another may not but they make up for it in other ways. I just wish there was a way to combine the best aspects of both, then it would be an unbeatable experience.

After all that, who do I think you should cruise with? I can't actually give a definitive answer to that here, as it will depend on the kind of traveller you are. If you are interested in embarking on a river cruise, or you would like to hear more about my experiences with Scenic and APT, please get in touch.

Now sit back and enjoy some of the images from my river cruise experiences.