We have completed over 20 ocean cruises and wanted to try a River Cruise. The timing was right for this one and the price was right as there was a big sell. I think we booked at the end of July 2018 for a March 2019 cruise. My wife loves the castles and she loved the day we cruised and saw all of the castles. The staff was very good to us. We celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary and they brought us a bottle of champagne and flowers for my wife. We also celebrated her birthday and they brought her a birthday cake to the dining room. We enjoyed all of the people we met on the cruise and got to know some of them very well. We are planning another Viking cruise down the Danube in August, 2020. One thing I do not like is that you have to make full payment 1 year in advance if you book more than a year out. 6 months ahead of time would be more reasonable. The food was good but understandably there was not as big of a selection as on the ocean cruises.