My husband and I chose the Elbe river cruise as it coincided with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation and we liked that the itinerary, among other ports, would visit Wittenberg, the home of Martin Luther. We also liked the precruise days in Prague and postcruise days in Berlin, and we added an additional 2 postcruise days in Berlin. We were traveling with one other couple; friends we met on our first Viking river cruise.
The Viking Astrild is the smallest ship we have been on, but still very lovely.
The meals on the ship were all outstanding, as was the service. This was our 5th river cruise with Viking and somehow with each cruise the already terrific service goes up a notch. And, when we returned from a tour, we were greeted with a nice treat, maybe a small pastry or a warm cider, often offered by the Captain himself. The captain of the Astrild was more visible and approachable than any we have sailed with before.
Our cabin was a bit smaller than others we have had, but we had room to store all our luggage and clothing. We had a French balcony cabin and that large window was great for viewing the scenery as we cruised along. The chilly weather mostly prevented use of the upper deck, but for those brave souls who wanted to try, cozy lap robes were provided.
The bathroom had the lovely heated floors and there were lots of shelves for storage of personal items. There is a mini fridge under the counter across from the bed and complimentary mineral water is provided daily.