This was our first experience with a river cruise and we are already booked for another this summer. We enjoyed the guides, the meals and meeting new friends. We loved the laid-back atmosphere and especially valued the day we spent simply cruising the Danube gorges. We found Nuremberg to be a fascinating historical stop. We also found Regensburg to be a historic gem. Budapest was a trip favorite from the nighttime cruise to the walking tour - a city we want to spend a week in sometime in the future. We liked being able to split our time between the early morning time on the prow before a second fuller breakfast in the dining room. I loved the on-ship library to augment the choices we had brought with us. We took advantage of the Viking flexibility and flew in early to travel around Austria, Germany and Slovakia before we boarded in Budapest. The range of food items was great, with the emphasis on diversity and local options. The crew was simply fantastic - enthusiastic, engaging and eager to serve. Our cruise director George was a bundle of energy and a font of witty jibes and "groaners."