We had been thinking about a river cruise for some time. We travel a good deal but have been tiring of the pack/unpack routine between destinations and were looking for a trip where we could relax and let others make the plans. We could not have been more pleased! From the beginning of the trip until the end we felt pampered. Our flight over to Amsterdam was uneventful and had no trouble meeting our Viking representatives at the airport. With just the two of us, we were a little apprehensive about making friends but that immediately disappeared as we gathered as a group to head to the ship. By the end of our cruise I don't believe that there was anyone on board (staff included) that we had not met. And now, we have a new group of lifelong friends. Our cabin was ready when we arrived so we immediately settled in. Our expectations for the ship, cabin and community spaces were already set high but, upon arrival, they exceeded our expectations.

The food quality, quantity and presentations were over the top. Unfortunately so much so that we both gained weight! One of the things we enjoy is interacting with the staff and we learned so much about their different cultures which added to our overall experience. We were always greeted with a smile...not to mention our Cruise Director who was exceptionally prepared, always seemed to be in form from the time we awoke until retiring, and made every effort to insure a grand experience.

Being two of the younger guests we were a little apprehensive about the excursions and activities. Once again we were pleasantly surprised to find that there were a variety of tours and activities geared to different fitness levels, so we selected activities that met our own. Each port was well selected with plenty to see, and our tour guides helped to fill in the blanks. We hope that this is the first of many future Viking river cruises!