We had wanted to see Athens and other Greek islands and this fit our interests. Plus it ended in Venice, one of our favorite destinations. We wanted to travel on Viking because the service is superior and the food is exceptional. The other feature about Viking is that the ship is a smaller cruise ship with public spaces that offer beautiful accomodations, privacy and comfort. The price of the cruise is all encompassing so that we are not faced with multiple charges along the way. The shore excursions are very good and the tour guides are quite friendly and knowledgeable. There are included excursions to choose from and excurions that are more involved due to location, time and unique experiences. These are an additional cost and worth the consideration. Additionally there are enrichment talks that I found to be wonderful. If you miss one, you can view it later. I have traveled on one of their river cruises and now two of their sea cruises and I will probably choose them again.