We have been on numerous ocean cruises with different lines. We thought the price would be comparable given that the air and excursions were included with wine and beer. We had some problems with the air as an airline cancelled one leg of the trip so the flight plans were changed completely. We had a difficult time communicating with our agent at Online Vacation Center so for our next river cruise we are dealing directly with Viking and arrangements are vastly smoother. Pickup at the airport was easy as was the trip to the boat. Baggage was looked after from airport to cabin and once on the boat we were directed to where we were treated to lunch with a local beer and wine.

You had the immediate feeling you were going go be well looked after. The room (balcony) was immaculate and better than the online videos showed. Lots of storage space, heated bathroom floors, and well laid out. There were only 190 passengers on board so getting to know fellow passengers was easy unlike crowded ocean cruises. Within a day we had latched on to two couples, one from Texas, the other from Wisconsin, we are from Canada. Meals were as good as or better than first rate restaurants we have been at in numerous countries. Wine and beer were local as were some of the menu selections. Staff was wonderful and went out of their way to help you with anything. Excursions were informative and optional ones were many to choose from. I recommend staying away from ones that are too long as lots of time is spent on the bus. Example: 9 hour tour, 4 hours on the bus. We had lots of time to explore with our new friends and were always given clear instructions as to how to get back. Headphones were great and you could hear everything without being close to the guide. The ride as very smooth and most times we hadn't realized we had left port. Can't wait till our next cruise, Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. Another tip, go at least 2 days early to get acclimatized. We are also going to go to Paris and Amsterdam for a few days each. You're there, only going on a cruise for 8 days is too short a time for such a long flight.