My First River Cruise: Scenic Opal Review, River Conference & Golden Eagle Danube Express

Published 14th of March 2025 | By Melina Chheng

Cruise Lines:

I recently experienced my first ever river cruise on board Scenic's Scenic Opal as well as attending the 13th CLIA RiverView Conference in the beautiful capital of Hungary in Budapest and visiting five river cruise ships that were docked on the Danube - and finally, experiencing the incredible Golden Eagle Danube Express with Uniworld - a real showcase of all things river cruising! Discover my thoughts on river cruising below...

The conference was hosted by Andy Harmer, Managing Director of CLIA UK & Ireland, and Lucy Huxley, Editor-In-Chief of Travel Weekly Group, and throughout the event, we expanded our knowledge of river cruising through on-stage interviews, educational videos, the trade fair, and breakout sessions.

On the second day of the event, I was hosted by AmaWaterways on board their beautiful ship AmaSonata for lunch in the Main Restaurant. I had a delicious three-course meal - the menu included Western food as well as local-inspired cuisine, in this case, I was able to enjoy Hungary's traditional dish, goulash with dumplings. The service from the staff was phenomenal!

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On the third day, I was invited to experience the Golden Eagle Danube Express hosted by Uniworld. We were transferred to Budapest Nyugati station's Royal Waiting Room where we received welcome drinks before boarding started. As the doors opened to board the train, we were serenaded by a brass band whilst then greeted with more entertainment by the pianist on the train.

I viewed the Superior Deluxe Cabin and the Deluxe Cabin, which are able to converted from day to night, with the day view giving you more space throughout the day and in the evening your attendant will convert the bed into two lower beds. This was followed by some fine dining, and I was impressed by the quality of the food - I'm still thinking about the fluffy focaccia that I had. It was a luxurious experience on a train and the staff on board were very lovely and very efficient!

You can add a luxury train journey on selected itineraries that Uniworld offer as part of their River & Rail Journeys - just ask us for help and advice on how to book.

As the CLIA RiverView conference came to an end, I had the opportunity to experience my first ever river cruise with Scenic Opal from Budapest to Bratislava to Vienna.

I stayed on the Sapphire Deck in a Balcony Suite as a solo and it was very spacious! There was a lot of storage space and the French Balcony felt like you were sitting outside. There was also a minibar that was stocked every day and a bottle of water was always ready for you. If you wanted tea or coffee, there was no kettle in the room, but you could call your butler who will deliver it to your room.

I was always under the impression that a river cruise might feel a bit cramped, but this was not the case whatsoever on Scenic Opal. There was a huge sundeck with a pool, and the Panorama Lounge & Bar and Crystal Dining Room were both very light, airy and open with comfortable chairs.

The Crystal Dining Room offered a buffet style breakfast and lunch but also had options on the menu you could choose from, and dinner was all a la carte. I was amazed at how big the buffets were and the variety of options they had. The Panorama Lounge & Bar also had the River Café at the front of the ship, which offered light lunches, fresh fruit and grazing options which was great when I was peckish. Come evening, there was even a DJ and a gameshow - something I definitely didn't expect on board a river cruise!

Overall, the service and food with Scenic Opal were outstanding, and you didn't have to worry about anything as it was all included, and the CLIA RiverView Conference as well as the trip with Scenic were a fabulous introduction to the world of river cruising.

Meet the Author

Melina is a Cruise Consultant at Mundy Cruising, who's worked at the company for two years. Most recently she's cruised on Windstar and she has also sailed with Crystal, Scenic, and Silversea Expeditions. Her favourite destination is Asia however she's also enjoyed holidays in Europe, New Zealand, the UK, and Australia. When she’s not travelling she loves to catch up with friends, cook, bake, explore new places around London and go to the theatre.

More about Melina

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