Hadn't planned on a cruise at this time, but the combination of price, ports of call, and opportunity caused us to jump at the chance to see parts of Italy, Switzerland, France and Germany that we had not visited. We opted for the pre-cruise trip to Lake Como, which was excellent. Even though we were two plus hours late on our arrival at Milan, we were met by a Viking Representative and whisked to Lake Como in a very nice Mercedes sedan. Our guide was both knowledgeable and delightful. There were only 10 of us, which made our tours around the lake and town more enjoyable. Our coach trip through Switzerland was beautiful. When we arrived in Basel, we immediately boarded our boat, our bags were delivered to our stateroom and we attended the welcome aboard meeting prior to dinner. On the river cruise, the shore excursions were well run and informative, and service was outstanding. Our Program Director aboard the Mani was personable and very well informed about the history and customs of the places we visited. Food was very good, selections for each meal were many, and again, service was outstanding. At the end of the cruise we (on our own), stayed a few days in Amsterdam, then flew to Prague for a few days, and Viking, included in our "free air" flew us back to Kansas City. I was very impressed with the entire experience from the time we landed in Milan until we left the Mani in Amsterdam.