We had wonderful cruise with this cruise liner. I did a lot of research and found that the majority of customers had enjoyed this cruise line. I have been very wary of taking a cruise, and this was our first. I was impressed that everyone had a balcony and that there was space in the cabin. It was very well appointed and the service was top notch. I was so spoiled by being woken up every day with "tea for madam" and seeing the dawn in a new port. It was all very exciting. We were not that interested in being entertained because the four of us could easily entertain ourselves. We did book three premium meals, two of which were very good, but I was really disappointed in the "Jacques" French restaurant. I expected too much, I think, but I have made better at home. The Asian restaurant was the best by far. I read a so-so review on the main dining room but we found it consistently good. The smoked salmon was such a nice addition to the scrambled eggs. Fresh fruit and Greek yogurt? What could go wrong?

A tip I would like to give is that we booked a private tour guide for St Petersburg and it was far and away the best money spent. We booked KJoy Travel with Kseniya as our guide. She was there to meet us as soon as we went through security, she and her driver took us to the front door of every site, she had the tickets pre-purchased, and she informed us about the history and the art of the city. She is an art major graduate and so very well informed. It took all the stress out of the port and we felt like we really had experienced St Petersburg. Do visit the underground - it is phenomenal.

We fell in love with Helsinki and the open market, and we stayed extra days in Stockholm, which was a great decision.