This cruise, from Frankfurt to Amsterdam, was a mixture of strengths and disappointments. Though we are experienced sea cruisers this was our first river cruise, and we were interested to see how the two compared and if we had a preference for one over the other.

First the strengths, our ship, ‘Viking Eistla’, was beautiful, with a smooth, quiet, comfortable ride, and we were absolutely delighted with our cabin. Viewing space on the upper deck was plentiful, and at no time did we feel restrained in our viewing of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. We had chosen a balcony cabin, and we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink there on a couple of occasions. New river cruisers might want to consider just how much time they will spend on a balcony, as of course, you only see one side of the river. Also, when the ship is tied up alongside another ship, then opportunities for balcony-sitting are necessarily curtailed.

The restaurant food was generally of a high standard, though not consistently so. All staff that we encountered were very friendly and helpful, and in particular our cabin stewardess (from Dubrovnik) was quite superb at looking after our cabin. Read more