I just completed my 5th Viking cruise. This was my 4th river cruise. My daughter selected this cruise to celebrate her 45th birthday. She had not been to France, so we added the pre-extension in Paris. A Viking rep and private driver were waiting for us when we exited baggage claim at CDG. Springtime in Paris is beautiful with all the chestnut trees blooming in shades of white and pink. I pre-arranged a Skip-the-Line tour of the Eiffel Tower, followed by a Batobus Hop-on, Hop-off boat cruise from the foot of the Tower. It was good for 24 hours, so we went the first afternoon and again the next morning, hopping off at a couple of sites. Viking also took us on a Panoramic bus tour with some short walks along the way. As usual, the guide was very good. Paris is preparing to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. Viking arranged our train transportation from Paris to Lyon. They picked us up at the hotel, guided us through the train station, and made sure we were in our correct seats. This was a high-speed train that whisked us comfortably to Lyon in 2 hours. Of course, Viking was there to meet us and transported us by bus to our ship that was docked in front of the university with a beautiful view of Lyon. The ship was spotless, the crew was very accommodating, food wonderful, and Program Director the best yet. While docked in Lyon, we took a tour of the city the first morning and had the afternoon and evening to ourselves. The second morning we ventured by bus to the Beaujolais region with an excellent tour guide to visit a winery and sample the wines. Back at the ship, Viking arranged a taxi to take my daughter to a ballet store to buy my granddaughter her first pair of pointe shoes—from France. So exciting! We sailed that afternoon and experienced our first locks. We toured Vienne the next morning and had time to do a little shopping. Vienne was very clean, and we were docked right downtown, so we could see a lot of the Roman sites illuminated at night. The train ride in Tournon was so much fun! Vivier was enchanting at night, Arles was so historical with its still-operational Roman coliseum and theater. Avignon was our favorite, but we were there on a holiday, so most stores were closed. All of our dockings were right downtown with easy walking access to sites and shopping. Viking had a small shuttle take us to Marseille Airport, where a Viking rep walked us to the AF checkin. We had 2 connections flying home and had no problems with flights, or connections. The best part of this cruise, and all the other river cruises I have taken, is the people you meet—both the staff and the fellow passengers.