when you first see Scenic Tours’ new Scenic
Jewel, a question arises – the stunning ship
looks just a little too big to get under the
many bridges across the rivers between
Amsterdam and Budapest.
There are actually more than 120 bridges
on the popular route, many of which have a
clearance of just 6 metres.
Depending on the level of the river, this
can become an issue for modern ships like
Jewel because sometimes there will be only
a few centimetres between the deck and
the overhead bridge.
To get around this, the Scenic ships have
moveable or collapsible structures on the
sun deck (pictured below).
Sun canopies have the ability to fold down,
along with the radar mast – but the most
impressive capability is the wheelhouse.
When a low bridge approaches, the entire
“Commander Bridge” (below) actually
lowers into the ship.
The captain
is able to
remain in the
wheelhouse
and see what’s
going on by
peeking up
through a
hatch in the
roof (right).
