This particular cruise was delayed from the previous year, so we were excited, albeit a bit anxious, to begin traveling again. We were pleased with the precautions which were in place because of the pandemic - masks and hand sanitizer provided - only fully vaccinated passengers and crew - masking precautions and "trackers" while on board. Even when we were on shore excursions - all guides wore masks. I honestly felt safer with traveling than I did going to the grocery store at home!

While we love Viking and have done many river and ocean cruises, it appears that the pandemic "rocked" them, the same as so many places all over the world. Many things were not as A+ as they had been pre-pandemic, but they were still first class. When you do a river cruise after an ocean cruise, you will notice a much more relaxed atmosphere - my favorite part is being able to sit on your balcony, weather permitting, or on the top deck and watch the world as you float by. Viking does it's best to make sure that the shore excursions are interesting - we often had staff accompany us on tours, to provide that type of feed back.

We chose the pre-extension in Paris. The Viking Cruise Director was based at our hotel, so any questions could be answered. They really do think of most everything! Thanks to the Cruise Director, we were also able to spend some time with friends who live in Germany at our Bernkastel stop. Priceless! Read more