Just returned from a 15 day Viking Ocean tour, Empires of the Mediterranean. We took a 4 day pre cruise tour of Rome, Florence, Bologna and Verona and embarked from Venice. This is our second Viking tour, our first was a riverboat tour of China. Based on our outstanding experience with Viking tours in China, we had signed up for this cruise two years ago and were not disappointed. The new ocean ship, Viking Star is the first of a reported 10 being built. Though much smaller than other ocean cruisers, the smaller size allows access to other ports and cities. Many of the expected "hiccups" with a new ship that were previously reported had been resolved, and for the most part everything worked as advertised. Just a few points for any future travelers: 1. Okay to bring you own alcohol on board. We had packed several bottles in our checked luggage and was not sure about Viking's policy but no problem. 2. Having on board washer and dryers was wonderful. Three washers and dryers on each level and laundry soap is provided. 3. Wifi throughout the ship worked flawlessly with only occasional outage. 4. Would definitely recommend coming in a day earlier than embarkation, and there is no included tour for that city. We booked a separate city tour for Venice. Overall, great trip and experience.