This was our first RIVER cruise and we really didn't cruise. The scenery when we did cruise was rather ugly on both banks of the river and the river was a muddy brown which is no fault of Viking but I wish I had known and chosen another cruise. That said, the staff was great, service impeccable, food outstanding except for one night where the pork was so dry no one at our table ate it.
WE loved the city of Bordeaux and were happy to have had as much time as we did to explore it. After having taking one excursion where we spent more time on the bus than we did at our actual location my husband and I decided to do the stops on our own rather than a tour of 40 people. This works out well for us.
Our cabin, a french balcony was great. Plenty of room and very clean and well appointed. Our friends had a balcony and never used because the ship always seemed to be docked on their side and there was no view. Glad we didn't spend the extra money.