We had never been to Eastern Europe so chose this cruise as a new and exciting destination. It was a huge success: 1) wonderfully attentive ship manager and maitre d', 2) excellent food and very plentiful, 3) outstanding daily excursions, most of which were thankfully included in the overall price, 4) very attentive and friendly waiters and service personnel, 5) excellent guides on the daily excursions who answered any questions we had, 6) a real cultural experience for the three of us and introduction to the history of the five Eastern European countries. Each evening there was dancing to a pianist and three folk dancing presentations, which were lively and engaging. During the excursions there were also a few folk dancing presentations and good meals. We also enjoyed the conversations with fellow travelers, most of whom had been on other Viking cruises. We were thrilled with this first Viking cruise and will be going on our second in 2017.