We were first time cruisers, first time winter in Europe, first time to Hungary, Austria or Germany. If you love Christmas, like we do, you will be in heaven.

First, let me say we were very fortunate- the weather was 35-40 every day, no snow, no sleet, no rain, no ice. The entire itinerary ran on schedule, and the river behaved. There were no stomach bugs, no lost luggage or missed flights, no bus-instead-of-river substitutions.

Overall- I am not sure the cruising experience is for me. I wanted a whole lot more time in the cities/ towns. I was very happy we did the Budapest pre-extension. Wandering around for hours exploring neighborhoods, markets, churches and shops into the nighttime is for me. Forced conversation with strangers on a ship cruising on the river all night with nothing to do s not for me. We were very fortunate to become very friendly with one other couple and would definitely travel with them again. My husband loved the cruise experience, so I would perhaps do another river in the future if we had companions to go with. Read more