We chose this cruise because we wanted to see Prague, which contains an ancestral palace which belonged to our family. The fact that this cruise also stopped in Wittenberg, clinched the deal, since we are Lutheran, and especially interested in the reformation. Between our cruise director, who has a master's degree in German history, and the many tour guides, we were treated to a historical and cultural smorgasbord. It was interesting to have some guides who grew up in West Germany, and some from East Germany, and hear, not only the history, but their personal experiences. We were impressed with all our guides. Also, there were usually choices for each tour. You could pick an all walking tour, bus + walking, or leisurely tour in Dresden, for example. We felt very welcome everywhere we went. We have been on tours where you are overbooked, and didn't feel that way on this tour. They seemed to know exactly when to give us some free time, and anticipate our needs. There was some free time in every port, and optional tours. We started the tour not knowing how to gain access to the palace in Prague, and through the help of our cruise director, were able to secure a private tour with the head curator, and hire a car to take us directly to its door. This was our first Viking river cruise, and we felt the service was very good. The food was excellent, and with our shipboard credit through AAA, we were able to upgrade our wine and include extra after-dinner drinks and a folk dinner outside of Prague. When we first saw the river, we were shocked at how small it was, but we were able to complete 95% of the cruise, and stay in each of the ports. There was a small room on board where you could get fancy or plain hot drinks--loved to get cappuccino every morning, and still or sparkling mineral water any time of day for no extra charge. The other people on our cruise were especially fun to be around, we met so many interesting people. We enjoyed the nighttime concerts and lectures, and especially the music trivia game. It seemed a low-key cruise, with a few smaller towns, and even a national park in Saxon Switzerland, as well as the larger cities of Berlin and Prague. We had a standard cabin, which was great. We heard the window was large for a cruise, and the cabin was super-efficient. We had laundry done, and it was delivered boxed and in tissue paper. Everything went smoothly, and we did not encounter any problems in the scheduling, tours, etc. We were a little confused with how many meals were included, but it turned out all the meals during the cruise, and breakfast in the hotels was always included. We were happy to be able to use our electronics without a converter. The towels were better than any of the towels at our luxury hotels, and even the bed was more comfortable that the beds at either of hotels. Viking meets you at the airport, and sees you off at the other end, even getting boarding passes, so we didn't really even need to think about anything once we arrive. Next time, we want to pick a cruise where we can stay longer on the ship!