We chose Viking to do a riverboat cruise because our first experience on Viking was this last February on an ocean cruise from London up and down the Norwegian coast to see the northern lights. That cruise was spectacular, so we wanted to try a river cruise.
The food and service were equally wonderful, and we are now avid fans of Viking! We went from Amsterdam to Budapest and saw beautiful scenery, quaint little towns and important, interesting (and also beautiful) cities. Having a excursion in every port was delightful, as were beer and wine at lunch and dinner.
Dan, our cruise Director, was wonderful in ALL ways. He not only helped carry our luggage in, but every day had a port discussion and often interesting talks about ports, scenery along the rivers, or historical figures who were noteworthy in the area. He had a great sense of humor and his organizational skills were amazing.
As we learned from an architect who we had dinner with on several occasions, marine architects are geniuses. While the room was small and we had a lot of luggage, there was an amazing amount of storage hidden away.