We learned about Viking River Cruises from their tv commercials while watching Downton Abby. We also have neighbors who had taken a Viking Cruise on the Rhine River about two years ago and they spoke highly of it. From our arrival in Amsterdam until our departure after a two day addition in Lucerne, Switzerland, everything went extremely smooth. The weather in Amsterdam and Kinderdijk was cloudy, cool, and damp but we still had a good time during our visit. After the first two days, the weather was great for the rest of the trip. The ship was comfortable and clean; the crew was friendly and attended to our every need. The food was outstanding. With one exception (we opted for the optional Colmar medieval village tour on day seven), we attended only the included excursions each morning of the cruise and then explored on our own in the afternoons. The excursion guides were residents of the cities that we visited and were excellent. Each city was interesting and beautiful but our favorite was Heidelberg, Germany. We loved the view of the city, old bridge, and river from the castle ruins and the old part of the city was very easy to navigate when we returned on our own after lunch on the ship. The afternoon cruising on the Middle Rhine was another high point of our trip. The villages, castles and vineyards along the river were beautiful. We so thoroughly enjoyed our trip that we are planning on another trip with Viking, most likely on the Danube River.