We chose this itinerary so we could see parts of Germany and Amsterdam. We had frineds who had sailed this trip and highly recommended it. We also did the pre-cruise extension to Lake Como with Viking and the Amsterdam post-cruise extension with Viking.
Viking handled everything well. We had a bit of a hiccup in Lake Como when our tour director fell in Bellagio and they had to get a last-minute replacement to travel with us to Basel. It was a seamless transition. The hotel in Lake Como was small and right on the lake. However our room was also quite small and on the alley so there was a lot of noise from the restaurant behind us using the dumpsters.
Once we boarded the Kara, we felt at home. We have cruised on the Danube twice with Viking, so the ships are the same. We met nice people at dinner and always felt comfortable asking others to join us at meals. The service in the restaurant was fine, some days a bit slow. Housekeeping was very prompt.
We were in room 203. It was close to the lobby, but still very quiet. Bathroom is small, especially the shower. Bed is very comfortable. We made use of the balcony many times.