This was our first cruise and we were not sure what to expect. Our prior experiences were all inclusive ocean cruises with Silversea. Overall, the river cruise was fabulous and exceeded our expectations. Great experiences in most ports, energetic staff and excellent cruise director (Barry) who found creative solutions to issues that arose and was always there with us, making sure everything went well. The Alsvin Longship was beautiful and we enjoyed our balcony room on the middle deck (200 level). The restaurant menu was different every night and all dishes were delicious and nicely presented by staff who did everything they could to please guests. Wine and beer included with lunch and dinner and they were generous. The chef was also fabulous and we enjoyed going with him to market for an excursion in one of the ports. The cruise itinerary was engaging and provided some interesting options that we enjoyed, such as the amazing concert in Vienna. We would have liked more time in Vienna, it is truly amazing! Less time in some ports might provide this extra time. We even think a day not in a port might be nice as you are always on the go for the shore excursions, but some people just skipped a tour which is worth considering, but we hated to miss anything. It turns out we were very lucky because we were able to stay on the same ship throughout the cruise, but many people on other cruise ships (Viking and others such as Uniworld) had to switch ships mid cruise due to low river conditions. Thanks to our very resourceful Ship Captain, we were able to make it through when other cruise ships did not! People we talked to in towns during excursions grumbled about being bused around and having to pack and unpack to switch ships. For us, the most disappointing thing on the river cruise ship was the limited lounge music genre. Only one person provided lounge entertainment and he provided 90% slow songs even when faster music was requested by numerous guests. The entertainment that was brought on for some evenings (opera singing, cultural music, etc) from local entertainers was outstanding however. All in all, it was a fabulous experience and we look forward to another cruise, but will consider a different time of year to avoid the low river conditions in late August, early September.