Friends had recommended the cruise to us. It was a terrific experience, floating down the Danube. The shore excursions were extremely interesting. There were only about 90 people on the Viking Gullveig, so we were pampered. The meals were superb, a great selection of food every morning noon and night. The staff was so professional, and seemed attentive to our every need. We thought the food onboard the ship was better than anything we had on shore. We're planning to do the "Elegant Elbe" cruise this coming April, and given our past experience I don't plan on eating anywhere except aboard ship. We were given a tour of the kitchen, which was immaculate and impressive. There were a lot of surprises that we encountered as we sailed along, interesting buildings, landmarks, the locks we went through. These were things we never would have seen if we had not been aboard the Viking Gullveig.