This was our first cruise. I did not want to join one of the large ocean going cruise ships with hoards of travelers and this cruise was ideal for someone wanting a much smaller environment. From our original contact with Viking to our final good-bye, the trip was all I could hope for and definitely more than I had imagined. The crew were amazing, the ship was great, the food was plentiful, always hot and provided lots of daily options, and the tours away from the ship (both offered through the package and optional ones) were terrific, as were the guides. We loved our cabin steward and all the towel animals that kept appearing on our bed. We met many nice travelers too. The tours were well planned and executed and gave us an excellent sense of the city or place we were visiting. The welcome back to the ship was always fun too! We did miss seeing a little of Basel because of lock issues but that change was handled very efficiently by VIking and we made up for it with more time in Breisach. We had chosen not to add on a pre-trip or post-trip excursion. Another time I would consider doing that and checking out the arrival or departure city a little more. We had Viking set up our airline flights as well and were very pleased with those. We have told our friends and acquaintances about the trip and encouraged them to check out Viking if they are looking for an amazing European river trip. We would highly recommend to anyone.