We chose Viking as we had sailed with them twice before and we chose the Passage to Eastern Europe as we had done the Romantic Danube from Budapest to Nuremburg before and wanted to do the other half of that beautiful river. Aside from the great on board experience, it was very educational for us as well to see and hear first hand of the troubles and recovery of that part of the world. The onboard ethnic themed entertainment and information sessions were very informative and a delight to watch, both the professional adult programs and the school aged children who performed as well. The best excursion for us was the home visit in Croatia, our host turned out to be a professional baker and we were able to sample her wares with coffee and home made juice and hear about life in that part of the world as they recover from the civil war.