Award of Excellence for Scenic Cruises

Scenic Cruises, the cruising division of Scenic Tours, has received an ‘Award of Excellence’ from renowned author Steven B. Stern after being ranked in the highest class category for river cruise ships in his book, ‘Guide to European Riverboats and Hotel Barges’. Stern has sailed on over 790 cruise ships, river cruise ships and hotel barges, visiting every major port of call in the world, and personally inspecting virtually every ship currently in operation. He has evaluated every vessel based on comfort and luxury.

In the comprehensive guide, Stern has ranked 16 different river cruise companies into four categories, Deluxe, Premium, Standard and Economy. The river cruise ships have not been categorised based upon price or clientele like ocean cruising. Instead Stern says, “Some riverboats offer more than others, and therefore, I have assigned class categories to reflect which are in the best condition, are most well-appointed, and offer the most common facilities, the best dining and service, and the most comfortable accommodation. Those that are all-inclusive and include all alcoholic beverages, all tours, and other amenities will receive the highest ratings.”

Scenic Cruises is proud to announce that they were one of two companies in the world and the only Australian based River Cruise line (out of 16) to have all their river cruise ships classed into the highest category (Deluxe).  Scenic Cruises Managing Director, Glen Moroney, says “This award recognises our efforts to ensure high standards and consistency of these standards right across the Scenic fleet. We want our guests to enjoy the same luxurious experience regardless of what ship they sail on.”

The awards comes after the recent announcement of being named the ‘Best Luxury Cruise Line’ by the prestigious New York Travel Writers Society (NYTWS), the ‘Best Luxury Tour Operator’  by Luxury Travel magazine’s 2013 Gold List, and the ‘Best River Cruise Line’ by Cruise Passenger Magazine.