We tried an Alaskan ocean cruise and didn't like being on the huge ship with the crowd of people. We decided we'd try the smaller river cruise and had heard excellent things about the Viking river cruises. It was a wonderful experience. The cabins were spacious, the food was excellent, the staff were superb and the other passengers were great company as well. Every evening there was an update by the cruise director telling us what to expect for the tours and excursion options the next day.

There were a couple of last-minute excursion offerings that we decided to take: one was to take the subway rather than ride the tour bus, another was a tour of the fresh market with the ship's chef as our guide, and another was a cooking demonstration. Each was a gGreat bonus excursions for the afternoon.

The city tour guides offered informative information and accommodated requests. We liked that we could dress casually for meals, though some people preferred to dress up; it didn't matter. We're already looking forward to another Viking river experience.