My wife and I had always wanted to take a Baltic Cruise. We have been on 8 Caribbean cruises and The size of the ship, the ports of calls, the excursions and the food were only surpassed by the staff and crew of the Viking Star. Having included walking tours added to the cruise guaranteed that there was something to do at each port visited. I believe the on board entertainment matched or exceeded what we have seen on other cruise ships and the smaller more intimate settings made the experience much better than expected. The local talent brought on board in several ports was a unique twist, loved it. Open dining and speciality dining restaurants offered good variations of menu's, and guaranteed wonderful selections for even the most finicky eaters.

One negative,We should have planned a few days in Stockholm before the cruise as the day (almost 24 hours on the trip out) of travel left us out of sorts when we arrived. Not being able to get to the cabin until 3pm (we arrived at 8:30 am and got on the ship at 10:30am) left us somewhat confused as to what we could have done on the first day. A walking tour would have been great instead of being on our own. Loved the "quiet box " system used during walking tours. Made it easy to tour with larger groups and still be able to hear the guide speaking.

We made friends with many of the other passengers and the laid back atmosphere of the ship lent itself to conversations over drinks each evening. Our cabin could have used a little more storage space, but it was very comfortable and the bathroom has to be the largest I have seen on any cruise ship. Read more