My wife and I did a Grand European Cruise on Viking Cruise line, August 14-28, with a pre-cruise extension in Burges, Belgium (August 11-14) and a post-cruise extension in Prague (August 28-31). Because of water levels, the Rhine was not navigable so we took a bus from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. The pre-and post-cruise extensions were the best part of the experience. The bus from Amsterdam to Frankfurt was the worst.

The Viking staff made the pre-and post-extensions very positive. We were the only couple on the Bruges extension. The Viking program directory, Bartel, went above and beyond the call of duty. He accompanied us on excursions, gave good recommendations, and even escorted us to various venues in Bruges and a special event in Brussels. Multiple Viking hosts at the Prague hotel staffed a Viking desk from early morning until 7 pm. They efficiently got us on our tours, answered our questions, and gave good recommendations. The excursions were beyond our expectations in Bruges. The included city tour of Prague also exceeded our expectations. The optional Prague by night was not worth the expense. With this one exception, the shore excursions throughout the cruise met or exceeded our expectations.

We knew from the time of booking that depending on water conditions some segments of the itinerary might be covered by land. Given the news about the dry conditions in Europe, we were not surprised that the Rhine was not navigable. What we were unprepared for was the disorganization of the bus segment. Read more