Our family recently returned from the Castles on the Rhine family cruise upon the River Empress. The entire experience was fantastic. The River Empress is an older ship, but is well maintained and quite elegant. Embarkation was very easy. We arrived before our room was ready so our bags were whisked away and we hung out in the lounge where drinks were served and snacks were available while we waited. Lunch was also served during this time. The cabins are small, but that's what you expect on a river boat. The bathroom was actually larger than I've seen on other river boats, especially the shower, and it was well laid out. Breakfast and lunch were buffets that included a wide variety of choices, and always something kid friendly, along with some great local food. Each night we had several choices at dinner for appetizers, soup, entree, and dessert. There were also some additional choices of entree (steak, chicken, vegetarian, etc.) if you couldn't find anything to suit your taste on the menu. There were also two wines selections each evening, of which I tried quite a few, and they were all very nice. The food was fantastic and my son enjoyed trying some new things. He even tried the escargot! The staff in the dining room is great and he really enjoyed interacting with them. The chef also served sausage, pretzels and beer as we sailed past the beautiful castles. Afternoon tea was served on some days (whenever we were on board at tea time) and there was a cocktail hour with snacks every evening. It is really easy to overeat on this cruise! The excursions were fun and informative. Some additional excursions were added (at no additional cost) due to this being a family cruise. That was a nice surprise. The captain's lounge was converted into a game room for the kids. In addition there were plenty of activities on board to keep the kids entertained. The crew seemed to genuinely enjoy having the young people on board. Every evening when we returned to our room a little gift had been left for us. I don't know if this is typical or is limited to the family cruise, but it was a thoughtful, pleasant surprise. A couple of optional excursions were offered and we took part in these. Both were very enjoyable, but during this time there were multiple shuttles back and forth to the cities near which we were docked,which makes it easy do some sightseeing or shopping on your own during this time. So there is plenty to do without investing in the optional tours. Most notably, the service on this ship is exemplary. The attention to detail by the staff and crew is just amazing. It's the perfect way to take a thoroughly relaxing vacation.