On embarkation in Nuremberg, we ere met by smiling, friendly staff. Even the stevadores who picked up our luggage (who later turned out to be our waiters) seemed to be a very happy crew. We found our cabin to be spotlessly clean and we were surprised that it and the bathroom seemed so roomy. Probably a function of the design. The common areas (lounge, restaurant, observation decks) were both clean and well designed. Meals were superb, and the choice at breakfast and lunch of a fully cooked meal in the restaurant or a buffet in the lounge was nice. There are 24 hr coffee/tea/hot chocolate/cookie stations by the lounge for late night or in-between cravings. The morning guided excursions lasted about 3 hours and you usually had the choice of returning to the ship for lunch, and then an afternoon tour of your own, or staying in town for lunch on your own with an afternoon bus pickup. This was nice because the morning tours, by design, had to be a little cursory, and then after lunch you could explore what interested you most in detail. We had some minor problems with the engines which prevented us from making it all the way to the scheduled cities (Regensburg and Passau) the first two days, but Viking got us as close as possible and then had luxury coaches take us the rest of the way while the ship caught up-- they even bought us lunch at a colorful local restaurant. Starting the third day the ship was repaired and we were caught up. The staff were friendly and always smiling. We really enjoyed it and it meeting the other passengers--at 190 pax it is about as many as you want to have without feeling crowded--130 to 160 would be better. We are looking forward to an even longer cruise in the future.
The cabin, at 205 sq ft, was larger than the ones across the corridor- and felt it. Due to the layout (Scandinavian design, wood, glass, clean lines) it seems more spacious than you would think.Other lines tart the place up with heavy brocades, stuffed headboards and tons of mirrors that seem oppressive! Having a small veranda outside where you could sit and drink some coffee and watch the world go by was very nice. The housekeeping staff was superb! The 30" TVs in the room provided tons of options from movies to music to a bow and lounge camera.