Heard from previous passengers that Viking Cruises were second to none. Decided to book the cruise along with several tours that Viking offered. All tours were conducted by locals who were well versed in local culture, history, and background of the area. We took advantage of the pre-cruise excursions in Budapest, and the post cruise excursions in Prague. The timing of everything, from dining, to tours, to both embarkation and disembarkation, including pick-up at Budapest airport, and our return to Prague airport were exactly on time. We never worried about time schedules. There was plenty of free time to simply relax, take in the sights as we cruised along the river, or just converse with fellow passengers. The fact that Viking advertises "no umbrella drinks", "no photographs upon boarding", "no casinos", and "no pools" was a huge positive for us. (Casinos and pools would be a waste of time given all there was to explore at each port). The lounge was just the right size and intimate, and Viking offered several small entertainment shows most evenings, in conjunction with the local area. Dinners included specialty dishes prepared by the chef that was fare from the area (i.e. Hungarian dishes, Austrian dishes, German dishes) in addition to the nightly menu. We were so pleased and confident that we'll return, we purchased two cruise certificates that afford us discounts for our next cruise.