The Elbe River was beautiful. Berlin, Prague, Krakow and Warsaw as the pre-and-post cruise portions of the trip were very interesting and good places to visit. The stops on the cruise itself were, for the most part, great--especially Dresden. The local guides were very informative and friendly. The Beyle is a smaller boat, built especially to cruise the Elbe River. Therefore, there aren't as many passengers. We made good friends with many of the people. We went out to dinner in groups in the post-cruise cities because we had become acquainted on-board. The staff of the Viking boat were very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Cocktail hour was a lot of fun. The food during breakfast, lunch and dinner was great. The wine was a good quality. We have gone on a number of Viking River Cruises, and have enjoyed them. We will definitely go on more of them in the future.