My husband and I have been ocean cruisers for 20+ years, and this was the first European river cruise we have taken. It without a doubt, was the very best vacation we have ever taken! We loved the ship, enjoyed the relaxed companionship of our fellow passengers for the entire trip, the food was fantastic for all meals onboard the ship. The whole experience was very relaxing and invigorating at the same time.
We loved all of the shore excursions which are included at every stop and loved how we were each given our own headsets so we could hear the tour guide no matter where you were in the group. The buses provided for our shore excursions were first class Mercedes Benz coaches! The ship personnel made returning to the ship each day after our tours even more fun by greeting us with some small eatable treat or smoothie. After much research we felt this was the best of all itineraries as we visited the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. It is just so peaceful and relaxing to be floating down the beautiful quiet rivers while gazing at scenery that includes castles and cathedrals on both sides of the ship. We still love ocean cruising too, but it cannot compare to European river cruising. To anyone considering going......GO! You will never regret a single moment or dollar spent. It is truly the best vacation we have ever taken and we can hardly wait to go again! We have booked for 2013 on back to back Viking River tours starting in Marseille France and going all the way to the Beaches of Normandy and Paris for our 40th wedding anniversary.