We had received a booklet about the Viking River Cruises from my wife's mother, who got them in the mail, because she had been on a Viking Ocean Cruise to the Nordic countries. We were looking for a River Cruise that could end up in Amsterdam, where we have a friend that lives there. The Rhine River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam fit our plan perfectly! The Veranda Suite that we got ( Rm. 308) was roomy and beautiful. The full balcony off of the living room was like having our own private piece of Heaven! Being greeted in the morning by groups of beautiful, white Swans was really a treat! The bathroom was surprisingly spacious, and the heated floor in the shower let us know that we were traveling in First Class accomadations! The restaurant was gorgeous, and the food was amazing...especially because of the special menus offered each evening, featuring the local cuisine of each of the places that we visited, day by day. The menu recommendations by Frank, our Hotel Manager, were outstanding! Our experiences on the land excursions were excellent also, and we took one day to explore Cologne by ourselves, opting out of the group excursion, and taking a private Rickshaw tour of the city, away from the crowded places, and getting lots of historical and cultural info from our guide, Victor. We highly recommend the Rickshaw expericence!. Our favorite night, was the special dinner excursion, Dine in Rudesheim am Rhein!! The Food, the Fun, and the People, all made it an evening to remember forever! We felt that we were treated like Royalty the entire trip...and we will certainly be doing another Viking River Cruise in the future! Thank You Viking!!