This was our first cruise of any kind, and it exceeded our expectations. The ship was clean and well-organized, with helpful and pleasant staff. Monika, our cruise manager, was very knowledgeable and professional, and I think her skills played a big role in how much we enjoyed the cruise. Shore excursions were well-organized, and nearly all of the tour guides were very knowledgeable and competent. It worked well to group us by activity level (or walking speed) for the shore excursions, and in general the group size was manageable for a each activity. The weather was very hot during the entire cruise, and the guides did a good job of finding shade and adapting the pace of the tour for the weather conditions. I thought the "Taste of Bratislava" activity was especially good. (Of course, on a cruise you can only get an introduction to each location, because there isn't time for a more in-depth visit.) We were fortunate about the size of the ship - the water level on the Danube was very low, but the AmaViola was able to sail all the way from Vilshofen to Budapest. (After our cruise, we talked to people who were on other, larger ships that could not complete their cruises and had to be bused back and forth.) Our cabin was comfortable, and there was adequate space for two people and our belongings. The bathroom made good use of the available space. Temperature controls in the cabin worked fine once we got used to the system. Food on the AmaViola was consistently very good, and we enjoyed the regional wines that were served with meals. The breakfast buffet featured an enormous variety of items, and the evening meals had a nice range of options. The only meal that wasn't top-notch was the barbecue picnic on the sun deck - and that was mostly due to the very hot weather. Monika and the ship's crew kept us well-informed about activities, procedures and safety instructions. We would definitely recommend AmaWaterways cruises.