We have previously taken a number of cruises but this was our first river cruise.

We arrived in Basel, Switzerland two nights before the ship departed. We stayed in a lovely hotel, Hotel-Brasserie Au Violon, which used to be a prison. They have obviously updated it by converting to cells to one room with a lovely bath. The hotel staff were extremely helpful and knowledgeable and went out of their way to be sure our brief stay was pleasant.

We boarded the River Queen early in the afternoon. The check-in process was extremely fast and easy, nothing like arriving for larger cruises has been in the past. Read more