We were celebrating a family event and wanted to experience something new. We wanted to visit multiple countries and explore new experiences. We've never cruised before so we chose the river as it's a smaller boat and not too intimidating. This cruise met all requirements as we visited 5 countries and toured multiple Christmas markets. We had a great time enjoying the local foods and customs. We typically plan and book our vacations on our own, so also having the itinerary pre-built made the trip relaxing.

From the time we booked with Viking the communication and materials provided made everything quite simple and easy. They handled all our transfers flawlessly and check in was very simple. We had two cabins as we travelled with our teenage and adult children. The one advice on cabins is to book in the middle of the ship to avoid the engine noise.

From the moment we stepped onto the ship, we were made to feel comfortable. The crew was outstanding, personable, accommodating, helpful to every detail. They truly are the stars of the cruise. The cabins were clean and new and the amenities just fine. The food was exceptional (always a bit much). It's amazing what they do on quality and quantity with such a small kitchen! Local foods were featured at all stops. The one advice for Viking is to provide local wines vs just the house brand. Tours were simple and overview driven. To go deeper, you have to plan ahead and book your own tour guide, but that said, it was just right. Being so close to city centers we finished the tours and headed back out to do what we wanted. We also decided to stay on an additional 3 days in Prague and that was worth it. What a great city and booking through Viking they handled all transfers and provided hotel staff to handle requests like dinner reservations.