This was our first river cruise and my first time in Europe. We sailed on the longship Odin and was extremely pleased. This was nothing like a large cruise ship (which I have sailed on many many times - NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean). At first I was a little leery thinking there wouldn't be anything to do on the ship. Well...I am VERY thankful there wasn't big time shows, casinos, pools, etc. This was a beautiful journey where the destination is the prize. We spent so much time sightseeing at so many different ports that we were always tired by the time we got back to the ship. Because there were only 165 people on board, it was very intimate and we got to know so many of the other passengers. The meals on the ship were very tasty and plentiful. I had a nice glass of wine with dinner at no extra charge, which was very nice. The crew went above and beyond for every single passenger, and I noticed how they all help each other out. They seemed to be like a large traveling family themselves. We had a cabin with a veranda, which was very nice, but as it turned out, we didn't really need a veranda because we would go to the top deck to be with all our "new" friends and watch the scenery go by as we travelled to the next port. The shore excursions were perfect and very informative with the Audio Vox that everyone used to hear the tour guides. I can't think of a single thing that I didn't like and I would highly recommend a Viking River Cruise - well worth the money.