Our first river cruise was a memorable experience. Lovely ship, excellent crew and Christmas markets and scenery galore.
Weather was cold and rainy, but from the Explorer Suite at the stern of the ship, who cares? We had a ball, even though the engine noise woke us up repeatedly whenever the ship entered a lock. (Who knew there were so many locks to navigate along the Rhine?)
The highlight of the trip was the crew on board, especially Alex, who was the stateroom attendant. She went out of her way to make us comfortable every day.
What a great cabin! Spacious and well laid out, with balcony at the stern and a French balcony in the bedroom on the side of the ship. Engine noise and turbulence while entering locks was the only downside.
The bus ride into the Black Forest was cold and snowy, but lovely. Nice stop for a cuckoo clock making demo that was only marred by the group of 4 narcissists who insisted on talking nonstop (to the point you couldn't hear the guide), taking multiple selfies and ultimately making everyone wait while "Bubbles" went shopping for a ring.