We chose this cruise because of the itinerary, which we loved, and because we wanted to try the new Viking ships. Ship was terrific, especially public spaces--spacious and wide variety of experiences. Otherwise, not so much, as we had major problems with excursions and restaurants--systems and management issues, primarily.

Excursion management is a disaster. You cannot count on My Viking Journey to be accurate--in terms of what is posted as well as keeping track of those you have requested or paid for. Although you get tickets when you board, the times are not released until the night before, and often did not match what we had reserved. These last-minute changes and cancellations made it difficult to plan effective shore time, and the excursions staff was mostly indifferent. The excursions themselves were mostly very good, reasonably priced, and met or exceeded our expectations. Review forms were inconsistently passed out, however, and didn't allow capture of reactions very well. Most reviews were based on expectations, but our expectations weren't very high, based on feedback from others.

Food was OK, not great, and restaurant management/staffing was very uneven; tables weren't bused, service sometimes very slow, dining reservations were totally messed up. The 'included' wine was mediocre, at best. Read more