We liked the itinerary, and after another river cruise company cancelled our trip a month before sailing (GCCL/OAT), we felt lucky to find this trip on Viking. I think in the long run, this was a much better choice, for less money! The crew is outstanding and truly make you feel welcome. Many knew your name by the second day on board. The drinks and food were great. We were told we might be the last sailing for a while due to very low water, but we completed the trip to Budapest without problem. We did start one port farther down stream than originally planned, but Viking did a great job of bussing us back to Regensburg to see the city. First time river cruisers, but probably won’t be our last. Do not try to compare to an ocean cruise. not much the same. A balcony room is nice, but not truly necessary due to rafting at dock and beautiful sun deck as well as enclosed areas while cruising. Only frustration I had was the your “myvikingadventure.com” shuts down as soon as you start the trip, and the app does not have all the information, such as flight schedule, tipping recommendations, etc. I do not understand why they can not keep that site operational while on your trip. We did do our flights via Viking, and would say that we did not care for Lufthansa. Their website stinks, check in was difficult, seats were not assigned, nor could you request them, even with an upgraded ticket. Fortunately, the flights were all good , with only minimal delays. They were also very helpful in changing our return flight to a different city a week later as we extended our trip on our own. However they would not do that up front, you had to wait until they issued you a flight schedule (<30days before) and then pay a change fee to get it done. I don’t understand why they can not, or will not do it up front when you know your plans. But, besides those couple small hiccups, it was a great experience. (Friends went on similar trip a week after we returned and were plagued by low water and boat problems, on several different boats, none of which were the Var)