A river cruise provided the perfect medium for my wife and myself to visit some of the beautiful and iconic cities of this region. The concept of typically traveling from location to location at night and visiting our destinations during the day provided the most economical means of maximizing our time. We were very pleased with the extreme organization of every aspect of our trip: the flights; the transportation to and from the airports; the excellent accommodations at our book-end city stays; the comfortable and efficient buses during our on shore visits; and the excellent tour guides who were very friendly and exceptionally knowledgeable. The information that they provided at each of our tour locations was thorough, interesting and very informative. It was nice that they shared stories of their life experiences in their home areas during our tours. We were extremely pleased with the quality, quantity, and variety of food that was available. We especially found the availability of the optional "light" lunch very pleasing. We enjoyed the coffee machines and pastries/cookies always available in the lobby. With open seating available at all meals, we were able to dine with so many fellow passengers which provided the opportunity to meet so many new people. All of the waiters & staff were very friendly, helpful, and accommodating in responding to special requests. Our cruise director, Boris, did a terrific job of reviewing the available activities, both on and off of the ship, for each day. The Entertainment available on the ship was enjoyable and often added the perfect finishing touch to the end of the day. This cruise provided everything we had hoped for and set the standard for any of our future cruise tours.