Upon check-in at the hotel in Berlin the cruise director told us that due to the low water level on the Elbe we would not embark in Magdeberg as scheduled but be bussed to Dresden instead. Upon arrival in Dresden we were told the chances of sailing were not good and since the prospect of rain and/or release of water by the Czechs could not be ensured we had to adopt a day to day wait and see posture while Viking did what they could to salvage the "sailing". We ended up staying in Dresden for the entire week and were taken by bus to Wittenberg and Torgau, Saxon Switzerland/Bad Schandau, and Meissen. We missed Magdeberg, Melnik, Litomerice, and Dessau. Viking cancelled the following Elbe itinerary. Viking awarded us with a 40% credit toward future cruising through December 2012 as compensation (some restrictions may apply but we'll have to see how that unfolds). One member of our group is 91 and whether or not he is able to make the trek to Europe remains to be seen so the credit may not be a good deal. Viking says the credit could be transferable to a family member. I understand a fellow passenger has opened a lawsuit against Viking alleging Viking knew well enough in advance to provide us with the option for a full refund or rebooking on another voyage. We were lucky as Dresden has immense importance to our family from World War II and we were able to make connections there that otherwise would have been impossible. We enjoyed multiple days in Dresden on our own initiative without a lot of help from the cruise director who could have found more activities for our group in that city. If we did not have the Dresden connection I would have been very disappointed with Viking's treatment of us. Bus rides to some of the scheduled stops were long, not very comfortable, and the reduced time at those stops detracted from our enjoyment of them but Viking was trying to make lemonade out of lemons. Food and staff were good but the cruise director was stressed and surly at times. The assistant cruise director was very nice and helpful. Our D category cabin was small (120 square feet) and the twin bed setup wasn't very romantic. The food was OK but nothing special.