The departure port was perfect since we were able to visit family in Stuttgart before the cruise. We were excided about to ports and the experience alone the Rhein River. Most important we were excided also about being an a new ship, the Viking Tialfi. Our expectations were exceeded and we look forward to another cruise with Viking, a totally first class operation! Having cruised on over 25 cruises, the quality of service and professionalism on this cruise surpassed all others. The staff and crew were unbelievably nice, caring, and friendly. In particular the dining room staff, who always made us feel like part of their families! The Chef, oh my God the Chef was priceless! We were so impressed we are already booked on a Viking cruise next December on an 11 day cruise out of San Juan with three of our close friends we talked into joining us.