Having done many ocean cruises this was our first river boat trip. I love the itinerary, in our case from Istanbul to Bucarest to Vienna but found the cabin uncomfortably small.I had a premium cabin with a "french balcony" (translates as the sliding glass door opens and there is no balcony). There is approxamatly 4 feet on each side of the bed and then a very small bathroom. We dressed and bathed in shifts so we wouldn't be bumping into each other. The public rooms were nice but always full. The outdoor roof deck was nice when the weather was good.

Free time was limited in port if you went on any tours and a lot of time was spent getting on and off buses. There were many places I would have like to have spent more time in, but a rivier cruise is not the best way to do that. Food was reasonably good, but service was always rushed. The crew was friendly, mostly eastern European. Breakfast and lunch are always a buffet. The ship was recently refurbished and clean and nice. The Internet worked most of the time but not in more remote areas. I would rate this ship a 3 and 1/2 star rating but think it will be better in 2014 as they go all inclusive, which is a much preferred way to handling tipping and drinks.