This was out first river cruise and we truly enjoyed it. We met pretty much everyone, crew and guests alike. Made friends. Tours were spot on and treated us to the very best at each port. The food was great, fresh and well prepared. Dining was a real highlight as we enjoyed the fresh food and the dining companions. We were on the 3rd floor in a balcony room. When we travel again we will do the 2nd floor. We never sat out on balcony and it was much better being on upper deck mingling with guests if we were cruising. Viking keeps you so busy that I would never miss going out on balcony. We did have rainy days since our cruise was end of April first of May. Umbrellas were provided and wee planned ahead so had rain gear. We didn't want to miss a thing. We liked Viking so well that we are going on a Viking Ocean Cruise in the Baltics in 2019.