This being our 42st cruise and 5th riverboat voyage, we are very fortunate to have many experiences from with which to compare our latest cruise on Viking's Grand European Tour. On the very positive side, we met several wonder couples, enjoyed diverse ports, and were appreciative of the exceptional service and demeanor of the staff. However, there were many misrepresentations of what was advertised and what was actually delivered, particularly by what is touted to be an upscale line. Instead of arriving early in the morning at each destination, for half the trip, the ship did not dock until noon or later in the afternoon. Therefore, there was only time for the arranged ship tour and virtually no free time to explore on our own, as had been the normal procedure on past riverboat lines.

Next, the top outside deck was closed for more than half the cruise, so there was no place to exercise or enjoy the outside; there was no option of an exercise room on the ship. No explanation was given for either situation mentioned. So, with basically nothing planned on board, we were literally held captive, with only a lounge available as a common area, as we awaited late arrival in the majority of the ports. With the Skadi being a new ship built in 2013, we expected our room to be small, yet comfortable, based on the 150 sq ft. designation given on the website. In actuality, we literally had a maximum o 18 inches to maneuver around the bed (about 50 sq. ft. of usable space) , and no chair or table. Therefore, we could not resort to use of our room during the endless ship time, since the only place to sit was actually on the bed in claustrophobic quarters. While the front desk responded quickly to our reports of mold smell in our room 122, no source was found, so we lived with that and a sewer smell the entire cruise. Having taken four other river cruises at a fraction of the cost of this voyage, all of which providing much better quality and experiences , I found the circumstances unforgivable. Hopefully this will prevent others from a costly mistake.