Lovely cruise on the newer Viking Hlin Longship from Basel to Amsterdam. Cabin was with a French Balcony (picture window with a bar across). Accommodation was just a bit smaller than the cabin on our Danube cruise on an Avalon ship a couple of years ago, but everything was top notch. Bathroom floor was heated, which was a nice touch.

Food was okay some evenings and spectacular on others. Never bad. Breakfast was buffet with eggs and omelets and sausage as well as a selection of cereal, fruit, cheeses, etc. Dinner consisted of regional specialties, and always had a steak and fish choice. I don't drink alcohol, but my wife said the wine served at meals was adequate, nothing to write home about. Soft drinks and beer are also offered with the meals, but cost extra at other times. A few people purchased the drink package, but said unless you want to drink constantly all evening it was not worth it. Many purchased bottles in town and brought them back to their cabins. Some people complained that for the price they expected everything to be top shelf.

As with any river cruise, it is like having a very nice hotel each night which moves to a different city while you sleep. The day-time cruise through the Rhine Valley with its spectacular castles and scenery is almost worth the entire trip. The included shore excursions (mostly walking tours - longer bus tour to the Black Forest and into Heidelberg) were excellent. The guides were very knowledgeable at each city. I especially enjoyed the WWII Colmar Pocket additional excursion and the visit to the Audie Murphy site. Plenty of free time to shop and explore or to have a meal in town on your own. We ate most lunches and couple of dinners in town and the ship's concierge was very helpful with recommendations. Read more