Staff was excellent and we enjoyed socializing with some of crew such as chef, seu chef, Bursar. We met many fellow travelers we enjoyed. We had a strange experience with a cooking lesson in Lyon where we did not have the chef we were scheduled for. The results of the dish were not good, and we both are experienced cooks. We had paid extra for this excursion and felt it was not worth the price. Also, disembarking was very early with a long plane ride home. We both came down with Type B flu which we felt our resistance was down from too little sleep for older people. Port and shore excursions were very good. Dining was lovely and very varied in the menu. Entertainment was very nice, as well. This was our first River Cruise, but we plan now to take others. Recommend this one very much.