This is our second cruise with Viking and we were delighted to see that the wonderful customer service continued on this trip. Before we left we were informed that our boat had been changed from the one originally listed. (not a problem as all the new ships are the same). This had to do with logistics as there had been extensive flooding in the area - certainly not their fault. We also missed some ports due to the high river levels which prevented the boat from getting under the bridges. Everyone on the staff did their best to overcome these obstacles and we were able to see all of the included and optional sites with minimal bussing. Towards the end of the cruise we had to stay in Lyons instead of heading north, but they did a great job of - as the cruise director diplomatically stated "making sure that anyone who wanted to have a good time would be able to do so." As the boat was too far for us to return for lunch they arranged for a meal at a lovely local restaurant. They even set up an unscheduled excursion for those who wanted to spend less time on a bus (although our bus ride was through lovely countryside). It is unbelievable that one person talked about the mundane towns visited as we are seasoned travelers and thought that all the villages were beautiful and our tour guides entertaining and informative. There were 3 wine tastings, but each was totally different. One of our stops was at the factory outlet store of a major chocolate company where we could have unlimited access to samples of every type of chocolate imaginable. On another day we toured a small art museum in a beautiful old building - I am not even an "art" person but the experience of meeting the owner and taking in the atmosphere made us feel as though we were in an old movie. Most of the guests understood the problems caused by the flooding and appreciated how things were handled. We also discussed how some - in the minority - would be posting horrified reviews on the internet. Having now read some of these I felt the need to respond. True travelers realize that part of the experience includes the unexpected and nobody guarantees perfection because you are on vacation. When something does go wrong you just want to know that the company is doing their best to handle the situation and we absolutely felt that in term of Viking in general and the staff on the Viking Buri.

One addition - they actually had a staff member accompany our bus to the airport at the end of the trip. She stayed with our group and did not leave until we were all checked in and about to go through security.