As first time cruisers, we learned a lot and now know how to make our next cruise even better. We would highly encourage the pre-trip extension as we were too tired to completely enjoy our first day in Amsterdam. It is a very interesting city and deserves more time for exploration.

The airport transfer went without a hitch. We tagged our bags with the Viking room tag before they were put on the bus for the trip to our ship. Our room was ready early and available for us when we checked in. When we got to the room, our bags were in it and ready for us to unpack.The ship's design is very easy to find your way around.The staff is very friendly and helpful. The food is excellent with a lot of choices so everyone will find something to their taste. J.P. Smith, our program director, was a wealth of information and really worked with the ship's staff to ensure our great Viking experience. There were great informative programs onboard, wonderful included shore excursions and many options for more experiences as your energy level allowed. I honestly can't think of anything to improve this trip. My one disappointment was the lack of Viking Cruise line items available for purchase in the onboard shop. I tried my best to talk JP out of his Viking clipboard, but it was the only one he had. Viking's Marketing dept. is missing a golden opportunity in this respect. Journals, stationery, etc, with the Viking Logo on them would be great useful souvenirs that would surely move well and also provide advertising when seen after the cruise is over. All in all the week went by way too quick. We're already planning our next river cruise trip. We've also encouraged several of our friends to add this experience to their future plans.