I ended up on this cruise by accident really, I invited myself on a cruise that my friend's mom and travel buddies were taking. Here sister had wanted to go but needed a roomie so I volunteered to "take one for the team" and join. By the time we were all booked we had a massive crew of 14 women to travel with. It was maybe some of the most fun I have ever had. It was my first cruise of any type, so I can't speak to anything else comparatively, but I was completely happy with the whole experience. Viking booked all of our flights, and they were great. They arranged transportation from the airport to the ship, also great. The staff were all incredibly friendly, the food was always great. Because the river boats are on the smaller side, and there are only about 200 people on board, you get to know your shipmates and the staff really well. Our rooms were small, but there was plenty of storage and closets and everything was very comfortable and clean. We were in a room with a sliding glass door and it was just wonderful to sit and watch the scenery while we were cruising. So many beautiful homes and also very interesting industrial/businesses to see. I appreciated that there were no children on board. Our whole group felt that Viking did a wonderful job with the included excursions and we also booked quite a few extra excursions which were equally well done. We felt that the extra excursions that we took were a reasonable price as well. One of the really nice things about traveling in such a large group is that there is always someone who was willing to do exactly what you wanted to do as well. We also stayed an extra 2 nights in Lucerne and took the Pearls of Switzerland excursion and it was phenomenal. All in all it was a WONDERFUL experience, I could not recommend Viking more highly. The Rhine river where we sailed was gorgeous and full of incredible history. I would sail with Viking again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'm hoping to take my daughter back for her graduation in a few years. 10/10, don't hesitate, just book it. :)