We enjoyed smooth sailing in Basel with Viking River Cruises before even leaving the dock! I boarded the Viking Baldur for an eight-day cruise starting in Basel, Switzerland, and making stops in Breisach, Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Braubach, Cologne and Kinderdijk before finishing in Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve.

As I am a rather independant traveler, this trip is a bit of an experiment for me. It was quite exciting leading up to departure as the itinerary, reading materials and bag tags arrived; all of the work was done for me! But as we checked in at Philadelphia International Airport and saw three groups in front of us with the same tags, I started to fear this was just the beginning of a large group tour and not something I would particularly enjoy.

I am happy to report that as of almost 5 p.m. on our first day I have not experienced that feeling again. Most of my flight from Frankfurt to Basel was with Viking passengers, and the process from the airport to check-in could not have been simpler. Almost 50 of us boarded a bus for the 10-minute drive to the boat. Our bags were taken by a half-dozen Viking staff in red shirts, which I think are their uniforms but seemed quite appropriate for the holiday. The rest of us walked on the brand-new Baldur, just christened this year.

Though our books said our rooms would not be ready until 3 p.m. and we arrived at 11 a.m., the Viking team greeted us, saying almost all rooms were ready and those that weren’t would be soon. I have never seen a line move so fast, and in moments we were shown to our beautiful stateroom. We were told lunch was being served, and there would be two buses to town that afternoon. No more need to follow a group; we could do what we wished! When we went to the lobby for lunch, we were one of only a handful taking advantage of the afternoon sun on the deck. No jackets in Switzerland on Christmas Eve! That was a moment to remember.

“Exploring the world in comfort” is Viking’s motto. Thus far, they are doing an excellent job of delivering on that promise, in my opinion. More details to follow next week.

— Danielle Hudena Pitonyak, executive vice president