We had heard a lot about Viking River Cruises, and it appealed to us to see the country as we sailed, vice some patch of ocean. Unfortunately, the Rhine River was in flood when we arrived, and the ship - the Vidar - was docked about 180 miles north as they couldn't get further south. Since the ship couldn't get to Basel, we were booked into a hotel for two nights. The room was quite comfortable, and the hotel food was acceptable. Switzerland was enchanting, and when we left, we went to the Black Forest, then on to the ship. Our accommodations and food went from acceptable to exceptional! The ship and all of the personnel were terrific! the ship was clean and well maintained, and the ship's crew were eager to accommodate our every need. John-John, the waiter we had for breakfast, always had a smile and a caramel macchiato on hand for my wife every morning. The food was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary. the French winery wasn't TOO snobbish, but the German hospitality and food more than made up for it!. Rudesheim was a delight, and Cologne (Germany) and Kinderdijk (Netherlands) were wonderful tours. We would highly recommend the Viking cruise on the Rhine - it was an enjoyable experience my wife and I won't soon forget!