This was our first river cruise (we have done ocean cruises) and we absolutely loved it. A couple of days before we left home we received an e-mail that we would board the Viking Jarl instead of the Viking Atla and that low water levels might require a ship transfer. We didn't know this had been an ongoing problem for several months and fortunately I didn't read the negative reviews of this situation before we left. As it turned out, it rained several days before our cruise and the water levels rose so that we completed the cruise exactly as advertised from Nuremberg to Budapest without any ship transfers or extra busing.

I have nothing but praise for the Viking Jarl and its crew and staff. It was a highly enjoyable first-class experience all the way. The ship is downright beautiful. The food by chef Robert was excellent and the wait staff was superb. We became friends with several waiters. Program director Mario did an amazing job keeping everything running smoothly and the city tours varied from good to excellent.

We booked a lower-level cabin with a small window near the waterline, thinking that in November it would be dark anyway for much of the time while the ship was moving, and that it would be too cold to sit on a balcony or even open a French window. This certainly turned out to be the case. Whenever there was an opportunity for sightseeing we did it from the lounge, the restaurant, or sometimes the upper deck.