Never one for living out of a suitcase, I really enjoyed rolling up to my suite onboard and unpacking every item from my bag and loving that I wouldn’t have to repack for another two sweet weeks.

Arriving in Budapest, I enjoyed a transfer to the ship which was berthed right in the heart of Budapest on the Danube.

When I stood at the balcony of my suite, I could see so much of the city – start point for experiencing a chunk of Europe between here and Amsterdam on Scenic’s ’15 day Jewels of Europe’.

The Scenic ship – the Jasper was something else.

Known as Scenic Space Ships, my time aboard was one of complete indulgence.

My room – a suite on Sapphire Deck had its own balcony complete with table and chairs, an enormous and comfortable bed (with a pillow menu), free mini bar, movies on demand, in-room safe, Nordic walking sticks and more.

I even had my shoes polished by the valet and loved an early morning coffee served to my room.

Arranged over four decks, the ship’s Sundeck has a Riverview Terrace where I enjoyed a few beers and best of all the pool. From a degustation menu and wine matching at Table La Rive to all day classics at the River Café and dinner in Portobellos Restaurant, with all the food I was tucking into daily, I certainly made use of the onboard walking track and fitness centre.

Beyond the ship, Europe was amazing.

Scenic offer a selection of amazing included shore excursions so I was able to select what interested me.

Personal highlights included Vienna and the Spanish Riding School, a great bike ride along the river from Durnstein to Melk (Scenic even have their own onboard fleet of electric bikes!), the Sundowner’s drinks in the Wachau Valley, the Medieval feast at Marksberg Castle, a cycling tour in Cologne and of course – Amsterdam.

Here, in addition to an awesome canal cruise, I had a couple of extra nights in the city.

Scenic has the WOW factor.

With free drinks served all day, free Wi-Fi (was able to keep up with the footy scores), the Butler service, amazing dining choices and onboard facilities, all set against a backdrop of Europe, this trip was a real highlight.