10 Reasons You're Going to Love Scenic Cruises' 'Space Ships'

I thoroughly enjoyed my first cruise with Scenic, a voyage down the Danube River from Nuremberg to Budapest. This journey on Scenic Amber gave me my first look at the ultra-luxury line's "Space Ships," so named to describe the roominess cruisers enjoy in their suites and public areas onboard.

Scenic Amber is 443 feet long and accommodates 169 passengers in 85 staterooms, 72 of which are spacious suites (205 square feet or larger.) Aside from the itineraries on the picturesque and historic rivers of Europe and the comfort afforded by the space ship design, Scenic's river cruise ships feature many other things you will love.

Trek Travel Biking

Scenic's collaboration with the bike tour company means that several Rhine and Danube river cruise voyages each year offer the chance to sail with a group of avid cyclists. I joined the "Gems of the Danube" sailing with 16 other cyclists, and together we got to see the towns and villages along the river from a different perspective as we biked 30 miles or more a day in the hills and vineyards on roadways, river paths and through farmland. This is a cool option for cruisers seeking a different challenge or for cyclists who have always wanted to try a river cruise.

Butlers, Baby

You also get butler service in your stateroom. What can a butler do for you? Well, we took advantage of up to 1 kilo of free laundry service and a room service dinner. We didn't have him unpack or repack our luggage. But he would have if we asked.

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Innovative Balconies

Scenic's spacious suites feature a "Sun Lounge" flexible space setup. This allows your balcony to be part of your interior stateroom space or to be quickly converted to a traditional outdoor balcony with the flip of a switch that lowers a large window down to a railing. This area has two chairs and a small table and is large enough to have an in-cabin meal.

Fitness and Spa

Scenic Amber and its sister ships offer a small gym with a treadmill, elliptical machine, recumbent exercise bike and rowing machine. The sun deck also has a walking/jogging track and plush turf surface ideal for morning yoga and workout sessions in the open air. The salon and spa offer a menu of massages and hair and nail services.

Tailormade Enrichment

The Scenic Tailormade device is unlike any river cruise tool that we've seen before. This gadget is designed for Scenic and features settings that allow users to listen to tour guides during shore excursions or to go rogue and create their own self-guided shore tours. Tailormade features more than 240 tour options that cover 140 European destinations. The device offers GPS navigation and commentary on the points of interest, so you can set up your own tour at your own pace. Also, when on the ships, Tailormade provides narration, giving details of the history and culture, so you can activate it and use the device as you sail down the river past all the views afforded from the lounge or sun deck.

Open-Air Fun

We mentioned that soft turf lawn. The sun deck also has a Vitality Pool with ample submerged bench seating to relax and revitalize with several of your new friends after a day exploring in port. The ship's top deck is also where you can sit back with a drink to enjoy the sunset and or chill out when cruising through locks and past castle ruins and little villages. The sun deck is never more popular than when you are treated to a nighttime illumination cruise in Budapest.

Specialty Dining

The ships have specialty restaurants that you will be invited to at least once during your cruise. On Scenic Amber, we had a fine meal at Portobello's, which features Italian cuisine. Ships sailing in France have L'Amour, a French restaurant. Suite passengers will also be treated to a six-course pairing menu with selected wines at Table La Rive in the main dining room.

River Café

More food available at more times. This café at the Panorama Lounge bar offers snacks and more from early morning to late afternoon. Fruits, pastries and menu items such as meatballs, sandwiches and chicken wings may be ordered to satisfy your cravings.

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More Ways to Get Moving

The ship is equipped with 22 e-assist bikes onboard. You can sign out the bikes to use at your leisure when in port. A guided bike excursion is also offered during most itineraries. Also, each stateroom comes with a set of Nordic walking poles for passengers to use during their cruise. The easily accessible paths along the Danube in each port stop make using the bikes and poles an attractive option for fitness-inclined cruisers who want to get out to see the sights along the river in a more active way.

Hassle-Free Cruising

On Scenic cruises, Wi-Fi, drinks, shore excursions, gratuities and stateroom mini bar are included.

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