Background: Experienced cruisers (40+, many lines), married, Mid 60's. First time River Cruise
General: As a first river cruise, I will try to report things unique to river cruises rather than compare to other lines or cruises. By far the best part of this cruise is the ports and scenery which has little to with Viking, I strongly recommend the 14 day Grand European Cruise over a 7 day itinerary. I is a better deal and you really need a few days to get into the culture/history and river experience.
Tours: These are all included on Viking and are excellent. Go to the onboard discussions each afternoon on the next stop. The personal headset equipment included are excellent, and are used on all tours.. The tours are probably the highlight of the trip and help explain the cost. Tourist crowds at all stops must be overwhelming during peak summer times.
Virtually all rooms are very small and you will not spend much time there. Not a good use of travel funds to upgrade unless your travel budget is very large.