If we had to do again, we would add on 2 days to our stay in Prague and we would NOT have chosen the Lobkowicz Palace extension mainly because of all the steps involved which caused me to injure my hip. I actually had to opt for the LEISURE tours the rest of the trip as a result - not that that was a BAD thing, but there were some walks I just couldn't handle for fear of really hurting myself. Viking did NOT properly prepare us for the reality of this extension and the intensity of the morning and afternoon outings combined and in retrospect, we could have spent time on our own exploring Prague. We were herded from place to place from 9am till after 5 pm, which was too much. We ARE 70 years old, and I AM overweight which were also factors for the reader to consider. The Prague Hilton was magnificent.

The tour of Nuremberg could have been so much more than driving by places on the bus, but getting to the boat more than made up for this. I also felt the heaviness of visiting the stadium ruins there, but that was MY burden. My husband was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the parade grounds and museum. The boat is magnificent and the crew was very welcoming and charming. Our guide, Diana Van Tuuk was formidable and delightful. She made sure that all went well and took care of all glitches immediately and efficiently. The meals were more than pleasant and we loved the choices. We would have liked more wine choices and a better drink plan. I don't drink alcholic beverages, but we would have had to pay for BOTH of us for my husband to enjoy what he would have liked. It seemed a bit exorbitant to us. We happily survived and my husband didn't suffer unduly.

All of the other tours were really enjoyable with educated and involved tour guides who didn't just give a packaged spiel, but were truly invested in their towns and the history. Heidelberg was beautiful and I survived the FUNICULA once I realized it wasn't as scary as I had envisioned. We LOVED the winery tour in Rudesheim which was very comfortable and relaxing. The view of the river valley was breathtaking and the VERTICAL vineyards were awesome to see. But, there is SO MUCH to see in each town and learn. The castle tour in Cochem was magical!! Since my husband and I are eternal students, we were like children on Christmas morning every day. We had not gone on this trip with high expectations, although we were very hopeful of a great time. We figure we always create our own good times and enjoy our surroundings, but this Viking experience was beyond our expectations and we highly recommend them to all our friends. Read more