As with many people who have already commented about the low-water situation, we also had to change boats/ships in the middle of the cruise. While inconvenient to have to pack and unpack mid-vacation, the crew handled it as well as they could, and it's certainly no cause to give Viking such low reviews have some have chosen to do. I tip my had and extend kudos to the crew who obviously had to work extra hard and even longer hours to make this as convenient as possible for all.

We did have a major disappointment, and that was with the night at the opera. Having experienced some "canned" ship entertainment elsewhere, my expectations for the evening were not very high, and I was correct. Viking should know better than to hire young American singers, put them on stage with minimal theater staging and scenery, with an orchestra who was conducted by the concert master (and therefore unable to obtain a balance between orchestra and singers), and have the audacity to advertise this as "opera in Vienna." Really really really bad!! Fortunately, Viking did not charge us for the opera as a way of making up for our having to change boats mid-cruise. We enjoyed the other excursions, however, especially those that provided for some free time in the various towns and locations.

Ben, our program director, was superb. One of the best I've experienced throughout numerous (35+) cruises. Read more