Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
In late April and early May 2024, we took our second trip on a Scenic Europe River Cruise.
As always, we would like to show you around the ship with our pictures of this 135 meter ship.
The Scenic Jewel Overview
The Scenic Jewel carries 163 passangers.and has a crew of 56. It is a 135 meter longship. and has 3 decks. It has 82 staterooms.
Due to lock restrictions, most river cruise ships can only be 443 ft long (135 meters) and 18 meters wide. The other factor is bridge height, so a standard longship has 3 levels with rooms and facilities and a top deck.
River cruise ships has really interesting designs, to include a collapsible pilot wheelhouse, which allow the captain to flatten the control room and steer the ship on one side of the ship to pass the low level bridges and the Scenic Jewel uses this technology.
The Scenic Jewel
The bow of the Scenic Jewel with the e-bikes ready for use
The stern area of the Scenic Jewel with e-bikes in front. This is a good look at the staterooms on this ship.
The Scenic Jewel ported in Koblenz, showing the gangeway to get on and off the ship. In the background is Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.
This the mechanism that allows the wheelhouse to raise and lower to allow thw ship to pass under low bridges.
The forward section of the top deck
The aft section of the top deck
Checking In
Here is what the reception area for luggage looks like. Once you arrive at your first port, as with all river cruise lines, we were greeted by one of the crew, who told us to leave our luggage here at the canopy area. The crew efficiently got our luggage onboard and it was delivered to stateroom 307 quickly.
The reception area for luggage
After a quick check in, we were issued our room keys. The check in was to provide our passports and take our digital photo which were added to our room card.
This makes security on and off the ship very smooth and accurate as you scan the card on exit and return, so the crew always knew who was off the ship.
Most river cruise lines use this technique and technology.
Here is a picture of the reception area:
The reception desk (right) and cruise manager station (by the 2 chairs) and the gift shop on the left
Deluxe Balcony Stateroom 307
Our stateroom was on the top deck which is called the Diamond Deck.
The Scenic Sun Lounge
This is what the Sun Lounge looks like with the curtains closed. They have a sheet curtains (shown) and a black out curtain.
Now the nightstands and bed
The night stand next to the Sun balcony area, You can see the the black out curtain and sheer curtain very clearly inj the photo.
The night stand next to the sliding closet doors. Note the European plugs, so you need 2-prong plug device instead of the standard American plug.
Our queen bed
The Closet Area
The right side of the sliding doors. Right above the mini-bar is a safe. The sliding door system was ackward at best—hard to use. Even the Butler when showing the room features had to pull very hard to get the two doors to slide open.
The in-room complimentary mini-bar that is replenished daily
The Front Wall
The in room flat screen TV
The room service menu—it was hard to find on the TV
Your daily schedule. They do not print our schedules to help use less paper but you can request a printed copy
A small vanity area. Note the 2 black water bottles which were gifts and guests used them to bring along water on the excursions.
Our Bathroom
The bathroom
The marble sink area
The shower
Our stateroom had a butler and we recieved a list of his duties. One of the perks was one free laundry. Here are the results of my laundry during the cruise.
Here is my laundry bag returned
My folded, cleaned clothes.
The Lounge and Bar Area
Sign at the entrance of the lounge are
Coffee station in the lounge area
The lounge area
The Bar Area
The Panorama Deck
Dining Options and Facilities
There are 5 possible dining options onboard. They are 1) the Crystal Dining Room. 2) Portobello’s Speciality Restaurant, 3) the Riverside Cafe, 4) the Table La Rive and 5) Room Service.
4 of the options are available to all guests. The Table La Riva is a 6-course meal with paired wines for 10 guests in the evening. It is exculsively for Diamond Deck guests crusing for 10 nights or more and since we were sailing for 7 days, we were not eligible for this culunary experience.
I will cover the meals in a latter blog.
The Crystal Dining Room
This is the main dining area that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is open sealing. Breakfast and lunch offer both buffet and order off the menu options.
The Crystal Dinning Room. Please note the central cook station which serves as a buffet for breakfast and lunch. They do have some 2 person tables, a little unusual for a river cruise ship.
Part of the Breakfast Bar set up.
The wine storage area in the Crystal Dinning Room
The Galley hard at work
Portobello’s
This is for 32 guests and each guest will receive an invite to dine here once during their cruise. This is a 5-course menu, paired with 2 wines.
Portobello’s
Portobello’s staff explaing the menu and service
The Portobello’s Kitchen area
River Cafe
The cafe offers an early breakfast option and a ligher lunch alternative, as well as a place for snaks during the day.
The River Cafe
One Daily Menu for the Riverside cafe. It serves a lighter fare lunch and is available for snacks.
Other Facilities
The other facilities inclue a wellness area (massage), a fitness center and a salt theraphy Lounge.
The excercise room
Our Final Thoughts
This is a sleek ship, with a modern feel. We hope this gives you a good idea of what to expect on Scenic Space ships.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com . We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
