This was our fourth Viking Cruise (second River). The primary reason we chose this particular itinerary was to see the Passion Play at Oberammergau in 2022. Viking has a well deserved reputation for excellence, and this cruise was no exception. We booked a French Balcony stateroom, which to us made more sense given the relatively little time we spent in the cabin other than to sleep. Ship was Norwegian efficient and very cozy, with plenty of storage room. Heated bathroom floors were nice. The ship’s crew was very friendly and took care of anything we needed. Because of low water levels on the Elbe, there were a few times when we weren’t sure the original itinerary was possible, but several days of rain just before we sailed helped stabilize things. Excursion choices were excellent, with quality guides and just long enough so as not to wear you out. We booked the pre-cruise extension in Nuremberg (two days) and the post extension in Budapest (two days). If you’re traveling such a long distance and you can afford it, it’s something to consider. Excursions we especially liked were (1) the Hungarian Horsemen, (2) the Mozart and Strauss concert with Alma Deutsche, (3) the Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, and (4) Highlights of Budapest, which included a tour of the famous Hungarian Parliament building that’s featured in Viking commercials. And of course the Passion Play was outstanding, with Viking providing us excellent seats and dinner during the intermission. The only glitch we experienced (and there is always at least one on any trip anywhere with anybody) was our arrival at the Munich Airport, where the transfer to a motor coach taking us to Nuremberg for our pre-extension was confusing without a guide to meet us (as was usually the case). But ultimately we figured it out and got on the right bus. Hotels we stayed in for the extensions were high quality and in the central city. The Cruise Director did a great job orchestrating the trip once we boarded the ship, and every evening a meeting was held in the ship’s lounge to go over the next day’s itinerary. Food was great. I’m a very “plain” eater (meat and potatoes) while my wife likes to “explore”, and we were both happy with quality and choices available. We’re not alcohol drinkers so we skipped the beverage package, but friends who did partake found it to be a good deal. Internet accessibility was very good on board the boat but sometimes spotty on motor coaches. We met some very nice fellow guests on board, a couple of whom we intend to travel with in the future. It’s definitely an older crowd and mostly American, but we prefer the more sedate environment given our “party” days are pretty much behind us. We’re booked for three more Viking cruises (two ocean and one river) in 2023 (COVID back-up), which pretty much tells you how much we like the company and their performance. Viking targets an adult audience that wants an education based cruise experience, and they’re very successful at it.