This cruise was not what we expected from the advertising. Very structured. Often the included excursions were basically narrated bus rides (we were on buses so much that my husband and I came up with the condition "bus butt.") that simply drove by famous sites giving a glimpse from afar (example: golden Strauss statue used in ads-- it was pointed out to us from about 500 yards away as we drove down a main street of Vienna.) We chose to stay on the boat in Nuremberg rather than sit on a bus. A highlight of each excursion was being dropped by the most prominent local church. We were very disappointed at the "free time," which was often an hour or less. The best experience we had was a Mozart/Strauss concert in Vienna, which we had to purchase as an add-on, and since we reserved it before the trip because we were warned it might sell out (scare tactic!),they would not allow us to use the $400 or so we had on our account (we had already paid every cent for the cruise and air) and had to charge it to our credit card. I felt that was very tacky. We knew there was a possibility of water levels making it necessary to pack up and switch boats--which happened on our trip--but a Viking official told us it was very common. The food was the worst cruise food I have ever had--it was very salty at times, and the steak both my husband and I had one night was poor quality--tough and full of gristle. Only cookies were available outside of mealtimes. The wines served at both lunch and dinner, however, were very good. Dining staff couldn't have been better...superb.The tour guides ranged from excellent to so-so...it was the luck of the draw. All seemed to hate the communists but one seemed to have a soft spot for Hitler. I can't say enough good things about the staff on both boats--excellent! About the sulfur--you can't avoid it. If you're sensitive to it, you're probably going to be sick (happened to my husband). Getting from the airport to the boat and back was very efficient...Viking does an excellent job in this area.