The dates above apply only to the "cruise" portion of our vacation. Viking also arranged our air transport from Houston, TX on 20 May to Paris, our stay in Paris (2 days), and a bus tour of southern France through Burgundy to Lyon (2 days). Each element of the vacation was excellent and, though we met with some rain at the beginning of the trip, Viking (from drivers, to guides, to choice of locations visited, to hotels, to our fellow passengers) provided an excellent experience for us.

Our ship, the Delling, was magnificent. The staterooms were beautifully designed and well-appointed, light and airy, surprisingly roomy, spotlessly clean, and maintained by a well-trained, polite and cheerful staff, eager-to-please and to accommodate our needs. The Rhone portion of the trip was amazing. We began the cruise portion of our trip late in the day, while passengers were asleep. The movement of the vessel was so smooth and quiet that we could only tell that we were moving the next morning, when we looked out to see southern France gliding by our stateroom window. Hardly any vibration at all from the engines.

Our guides on the various tours were knowledgable about their subjects (wines, produce, architecture, history and cultural significance of the areas visited). The tours themselves were well-organized and interesting. There was adequate time for photography en-route, meal stops, and the onshore sites chosen were perfect. Our guides handled questions superbly. Our tour directors, onshore and on the Delling, were top-notch. The electronic devices permitting us to hear the tour guides while ashore worked well. While onboard, we heard talks on various subjects of interest (silkscreening, how the galley was run, etc.). Read more