We had never taken a river cruise before, but we had very high expectations. We were both recently retired, two dear friends were traveling with us, and we were excited. That said, there was this quiet anxiety that maybe the trip was over-hyped and might disappoint. It did not! In fact, we could not have imagined the terrific experience we were about to enjoy. To put it simply, Viking staff and program exceeded our expectation at every turn. Our stateroom was clean, comfortable, quiet and attractive. The staff was UNBELIEVABLE! You'd think at least one would have "a bad hair day" once during the cruise. Never! They were on an A Game that did not stop - professional, courteous, friendly, helpful. The food was fantastic. The tours well organized with excellent guides. You get the picture. So here's just one example of the Viking standard of service. On the final day of our journey, a number of us needed to be at the Budapest airport for 6 am flights. This meant departing the Var at about 3 am. So what did the staff do? The served a breakfast for us at 2:00 am! They also provided a bar of cold cuts, cheeses and breads so that we could make sandwiches to carry onto our planes. This while the staff gathered our luggage and placed it on our bus to the airport. This was Wow Service with an exclamation point. We enjoyed every moment of our cruise from Nuremberg to Budapest. An experience we will long and happily remember. It was the experience of our lifetime! Until we sign up for another Viking cruise.