I've always wanted to do a river cruise. Loved the idea of pulling into port and being able to walk into a nearby town. Also enjoyed watching the castles and villages go by as we floated down the Rhine, it was a highlight of the trip. The ship was a lot smaller than our previous ocean cruise. We also had a cabin with a window just above the water. I would not recommend, upper deck with a view is much better. They were much smaller than the ocean cruise. Disappointed that they were not king beds but queen. Its a much smaller ship and the only place to sit and visit with friends and family was the lounge. It was rather loud because there was always a pianist playing for nightly entertainment. The crew and Captain were the best we have ever had, especially the Captain. Never saw a captain the interact with the guests as much as he did, he was phenomenal. We started in Lucerne, Switzerland and I wish we had longer than the 2 day extension we already had. It was not long enough. Absolutely stunning view when we walked out our hotel. Our hotel was top notch. Excellent service and rooms and the included breakfast was good too. Once we boarded the ship we stopped each day in a different town with an included sightseeing excursion. Let me just say, Viking hires the best guides, each one we had was so knowledgeable and personable. They made the experience so much better. We also extended our stay in the Netherlands. Stayed at The Hague in a very nice hotel a block from the palace. Viking books the best hotels on the extensions. I will say that the food was a little disappointing on the river cruise. It was a pretty basic menu each day with little or no deviation. Maybe 5 choices for lunch and dinner. Dinner offered one new item that would be relative to the area we were docked in at the time. German food for Germany, etc. We were disappointed that there wasn't the late night snacks offered like the ocean cruise. My favorite things were being able to walk into a town from the ship, (no long bus rides), and sitting on the top deck and watching the beautiful landscape of the Rhine River. Would definitely do another River cruise.