We were greeted at the airport in Paris by a Viking rep and escorted to our hotel. There we met with another rep and got great information on what the schedule was and what to do while there. Once it was time to leave Paris to catch our boat we boarded busses by letter assignment and we then stayed with that bus assignment for all tours. I thought this was an excellent method to not only keep everyone together, but it gave us a chance to meet our traveling companions and make friendships that lasted the whole trip.
Although we had bus problems on the way to the boat, the Viking staff handled them quickly. It shows good organization when there is a hiccup but it is addressed quickly and with very little disruption to the guests.
The boat cruise was very relaxing all through Germany with good food and really outstanding service. I had to work hard to get my wine glass empty because there was always someone there to refill it.