Service on the ship is absolutely the best I have ever been treated in my life. The wait staff was superb. Most of the meals were sit down table service with tablecloth and crystal. The boat was super new and in its first year of operation so everything was very new and the boat was designed for the best sailing experience. The windows in the dining and bar areas were huge--giving an unlimited view. The planning for every day and every excursion was impeccable. Sonja was our ship director and gave a briefing in the lounge every afternoon of what was to come on the next day. She participated personally in all of the on-shore excursions and gave presentations about other Viking cruise experiences. This was in April and Europe had not warmed up much so that may be a bit early for the Rhine River cruise but the last few days of the week were sunny and it warmed up for some time on the top deck. The river was full this time of year so there was no problem with low water. The worst day was the first day in Amsterdam. It was cold--in the forties--and the wind blew extremely hard--hence the reason the place has windmills.