My wife and I and another couple took a cruise on the Viking Line Schumann in September 2011. It was a 7 day English speaking cruise starting in Melnik (near Prague)in the Czech Republic and ending in Potsdam, Germany (near Berlin). We extended our cruise Through Viking with 3 days in Prague prior to the cruise and 3 days in Berlin after leaving the ship. Both extensions were in good Hilton hotels.

The Viking ship Clara Schumann is one of the smallest vessels in Viking's fleet. It has a very shallow draft, and is propelled by water jets rather than propellers because of the shallow Elbe River. The cruise was sold out and had 105 passengers. There were lift chairs to assist passengers between the 3 decks.

We purchased a cabin in the middle of the price range, and based on 4 previous river cruises found the cabin to be more than adequate. The boat was refurbished in 2010. The washroom and shower were the largest we have ever had, but the shower and washroom floor was one sloped surface in the style of some European wash rooms. Showering got most of the washroom floor wet no matter how you adjusted the shower curtain. We dried the floor off with a towel after showering and found it a small price to pay for the extra elbow room. Read more