We went on the Viking Star--Scandinavian Homelands cruise which included the Baltic as well, with the following stops--originated in Bergen, Alborg, Flam, Stavanger, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Talinn, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. This was our first cruise and chose the itinerary largely because we wanted just a "taste" of most places new to us, and to re-visit St. Petersburg since we had already been there on a previous vacation.

We felt entirely pampered on this trip--terrific restaurant choices, hospitality that deserved an "extraordinary" rating, wonderful entertainment including a singer who starred as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" and Christine in "Phantom of the Opera" in London, a concert pianist, Mariinsky singers, and talented Viking singers and dancers. We had lectures on the Hanseatic League, Catherine and Peter's reigns in Russia, art and architecture in Finland, and more. We met some interesting people on board, and the cruise director Steve who was fluent in Scandinavian languages, achieved his goal--making us enjoy the trip to the hilt! The stateroom was large with a comfortable veranda.

We wish to put a plug in for the Chef's Table restaurant which, in our opinion, was the best eating venue and delightful every time we went for dinner--five course gourmet meals with very good wine pairings and wonderful service. Read more