We were supposed to be on the Var, but due to the flooding, it was stuck in Nuremberg and couldn't leave, so we were on the Prestige for the first few days. Our cabins were great, the food excellent, the crew very personable, and our Program Director, Mieke Bakker, was very sweet and informative. The Prestige was looking a little run down on the outside and required some paint one day.

Switched to the Var in Nuremberg and it was beautiful! Lots of light and open areas and the lounge was bigger than on the Prestige. Our shower did leak a bit, but that was because it was missing the weather stripping. The food was great. Due to an engine problem, we had to stay over night in Engelhartzell, Austria, but it was fixed. Then, due to a lock being damaged from the flooding, we could not sail all the way to Budapest and went by bus. On our next to last night on the Var, Mieke gave us question forms to fill out to see how we had liked the cruise so far and Mom and I wrote some very nice comments about her and showed them to her because she was hot and tired and we thought that might cheer her up and she looked at mine and said "thank you, darling" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. On our last night in Budapest, she arranged our dinner entertainment, which was local singers and they were great. The morning of our departure, she had a few minutes before seeing the next group off and Mom took a picture of her with me. We met lots of interesting people here. And they had our safety in mind when it came to the lock being damaged.