The trip offered 2 nights in Berlin and 2 nights in Prague. I wanted to see those cities combined with a river cruise. The Elbe River is not a commercial waterway like the Rhine and offered an almost private cruise of the countryside. The cruise was very relaxing as well as informative of the cities we visited. The river depth was low and we could not make the last port. But that really only translated into a longer bus ride to Prague which was scenic. Overall I’d recommend this cruise for people wanting to visit Berlin and Prague as well as visiting the cities along the river. The side trips available were also attractive - many people went on to Krakow and Warsaw. I’m Berlin there was a 4 hour river tour through Berlin that was interesting to see the city from the water view perspective. Chef Oliver excelled as he prepared local foods as we moved along the river. His personality is infectious- you feel like he’s cooking for a family get together rather than a cruise. He is an asset beyond his pay. He is the type of person that makes your clients to want to cruise with Viking again! Sergio and Jamie were outstanding. Jamie went way out of his way to show guest the sites. One day in Prague he walked 6 of us to restaurant for lunch that offered real local cuisine. We would not have found this place on our own and the restaurant experience was fantastic. I did compliment Sergio on his staff because they all attentive to the cruisers. Our housekeeping person (his name escapy me) was over the top as exceeding our needs. Just little things like finding an extra blanket or water it was like he was pulling it out of his back pocket. Read Less

Although this 16 (in my case 18) day "cruise" should have been on the Beyla, only 5 days were spent on the wonderfully serviced ship. Included were 3 paid gourmet meals and excellent service. The rest of the days were spent pack, unpack and get on the early bus. There were only hotel buffets for breakfast. All else was out of pocket. There were too many "optional guided tours" to pay for and not enough free tour options. The Viking staff was accommodating, but the so called five star hotels were sometimes not helpful. A few of the hotels used fancy fixtures but terrible installation with cracks in the baseboards and terrible electrical installation. It is too bad that Viking has deteriorated to this although its ads still show passengers floating down the river instead of riding down the road. Maybe that is why they are pushing Ocean Cruisers. The Oceans still have water. Read Less