My husband had always wanted to do a Danube River cruise [ Grand European Tour ] from Budapest to Amsterdam. We had in previous years seen many of the land areas and decided to see the wetter side. This was our third cruise with Viking. This ship and the one we had cruised on in the Netherlands, was a little smaller than our cruise on the Yangtze river in China. Over all, the space was a little less but fine. The entire crew and service was excellent. They participated in the activities with the passengers and there was always someone close at hand when we were out on a tour conducted by a local guide. In preparation for the tour, Viking sent us a ' learn to say a few phrases ' video in each of the languages/countries we visited. Although many of the locals we met spoke English [ as a 2nd or 3rd language ], it helped in 'bonding' when we at least tried to say Hello or Thank you.