The actual port of embarkation was Trier, Germany. My wife and I took the Cities of Light trip along with another couple from Paris to Prague. The crew were super friendly and very helpful. The program director (Claudia) was fantastic and very knowledgeable of the areas that we traveled. We found that the captain of the ship was very approachable and friendly. We were allowed to spend time in the wheelhouse and see how he navigates the ship.

Entertainment was quite limited on this trip but is to be expected on river cruises. The crew was quite good about keeping everyone informed about the upcoming plans for both that day and the next.

Breakfast each day was exactly the same and did not vary one bit. Being in Germany, one would think that we would be blessed with abundant German food. That was not the case at all. One day for lunch, we stopped at the restaurant entrance to read the menu. It looked wonderful. It listed snitzel, purple cabbage, and other German delights. When we arrived for lunch a half an hour later.....Lunch had been changed to some sort of sandwiches. Thursday night was "German" night. Viking turned the sit down dining room into a huge buffet. This was a complete disaster. There were people on top of people. Very long lines......The kitchen struggling to keep up. In general it was a very unpleasant experience. Read more