We had cruised before with APT from Budapest to Amsterdam. That was a great cruise although quite expensive. I was talked into trying CroisiEurope with their Duoro River cruise in Portugal. I thought that there would be reduction in standard and quality given the reduced price we were paying. Also, I was concerned that the passengers would be mostly French and German leading to language difficulties.
Well I was very mistaken in my concerns. The ship although over 11 years old, was in immaculate condition. We were lucky to get a cabin with a balcony at the rear of the ship.
Our welcome was very nice and allayed a lot of fears. We were traveling as a group of 4 (New Zealanders) and we were told that they only one other couple who spoke English as a first language. They were a lovely Danish couple. We were to be seated together at meal times. At all times announcements were made in English, German and French. On the ships tours, we were either provided with an english speaking guide or the guide commentary was also given in English. The crew also spoke English. So language was never an issue.
Cabin was well appointed with an ensuite. We also had a large balcony that faced over the stern of the ship. the TV had a lot of channels with 4 English language channels.