Our trip on the Grand European tour from Budapest to Amsterdam was our first river cruise and set the standard for all future river cruises. We will do another with Viking because they could not have done a better job of communicating, assisting, arranging, preparing, and executing. Friendly, accommodating customer service was a hallmark of this cruise. If you needed money changed, they helped. If you missed a connection (which we didn't), they helped. On rainy days, golf-size umbrellas were available at the entrance, or if you forgot yours or had a small, size pocket one, you could avail yourself of the large size.

At meals, the wait staff got to know our needs because we sat together every night in a particular place and had the same server. She knew who wanted decaf at the end of the meal and who was going to order ice cream with whatever dessert was on tap that night. Wine was poured in abundance throughout the meal, and they remained attentive to us throughout. If we wanted another drink from the bar, she would get it with a smile. It's those little customer service efforts that made this cruise so enjoyable.

One issue - no workout room on the ship. Read more