We had been on a Viking river boat cruise previously and enjoyed the cultural/historical emphasis. We had previously done Passau to Budapest and Paris to Normandy so the cities covered by this cruise (Basis to Amsterdam) were appealing. We had not traveled on a long ship previously.but that did not impact our decision. I am more interested in locations visited than ship amenities. The embarkation on a river boat is always much easier that on a cruise ship. Viking makes it easy to come anytime on the date of embarkation and stay as long on the date of disembarkation as is needed to connect with other travel arrangements. The cabin was adequate and the daily service was excellent. The staff was very friendly and accommodating with an ability to make special arrangements for on shore time, to break down large monetary denominations, and to provide excellent meal service. Obviously the choices for dining are more limited than a cruise ship but were certainly adequate. The guides on the shore excursions were very knowledgeable and most of the trips could be handled by anyone without much physical difficulty. Appropriate warnings were given when trips did involve a lot of walking or stairs. There were very few children on the cruise and probably would not recommend this experience for any child under age 15 and then only if that child has an interest in history or cultural experiences. The weather was great but the tour director said that often it is rainy or foggy during this period.