My dad chose this cruise for our family. He has traveled extensively and taking a river cruise on the Mississippi has been something he has wanted to do. He made it possible for the 14 family members to go on this trip. This was my husband and my first small cruise ship experience. The smaller ship experience allows you to get to know the staff better and your fellow passengers. Our experience in the dining room was so personable with our dining stewards and the hotel managers. The cuisine was excellent and the pastry chef went out of her way to make our 2 six year old nieces kid friendly desserts. The other chefs made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chicken strips, chocolate milk surprises for the kids. We were all impressed at their creativity and desire to make these girls trip a good one. You'll never go hungry on this cruise. There aren't too many options for excursions on the lower Mississippi so what was available was nice. The history lessons we received from these excursions were interesting. Overall a very nice experience