Thought of trying river cruising in early 2017 and the Rhine River with castles along the way seemed enticing. Compared prices of different river cruise companies and Viking stood out as the more affordable one, without sacrificing quality of accommodations, food and excursions. Chose early November sailing when price is a bit less (definitely still not cheap), booked cabin with balcony and chose to stay 2 days in Amsterdam prior to cruise. Got flight arrangement from Viking too and it really turned out to be a good deal for us. Loved every minute of this trip -- Viking reps met us at the Schipol airport early in the morning and drove us in a comfortable van to the Movenpick Hotel, where other Viking reps gave us a short briefing, then we checked in our room at around 9 a.m! Our room had a good view of the harbor and Central Station.
My husband and I were already having breakfast in the cafe nearby after an hour of checking in and off we went to explore Amsterdam. The things we planned to do in Amsterdam were all accomplished, thanks to early online reservation for Anne Frank House and Van Gogh museum. We got the I Amsterdam Card for 48 hours which allowed us to go to the other museums without waiting in line and use the tram. Amsterdam has a great public transportation system but too many bikes for our comfort.
Embarkation was simple and easy on day of sailing, our cabin was very clean; all places of the ship were spic-and-span actually. All the Viking crew were very welcoming, shout out to Nelly, Gil, Michael and of course to Morgan, our cruise director.