We chose Viking because we had excellent experiences on two river cruises (Southern France and China). We had sailed on the Viking Star earlier, but our cruise was cut short after 4 ports, so we were stuck in Tallinn, Estonia, for a week. Part of the compensation for that truncated voyage was vouchers for another voyage, which needed to be used in one year. So we used the vouchers for the Mediterranean Odyssey on the same ship.

We really like the ship. The stateroom was very comfortable, and the food was very good. Entertainment was a little lacking. Previously on the Star, the classical trio was comprised of a flute, violin, and cello. They were wonderful. This time, we had a very good violinist, but the guitar and bass just accompanied him. Some of the shows were the same as we saw on the ship the previous time, and we weren't really interested in the Get Smart takeoff. The Torshaven was usually empty. I would suggest showing the complete opening hours instead of each 45-minute act listed separately in the daily letter.

The best treat of the trip was the Rumba Catalana group which performed on board when we were in Barcelona. We also enjoyed the opera/contemporary group when we were somewhere in Italy. And the cruise director Willy's program was a wonderful surprise. Read more