For my 75th birthday, I took three generations of my family to enjoy a cruise over Christmas and New Years of 2020. I could not imagine that the actual experience would be as wonderful and beautiful as the PBS Ads! It was! Every step of the journey was so easy and so well organized that I simply floated through a blissful two weeks of paradise. Each crew member from the Captain to the bathroom attendant was simply a charming person with whom I enjoyed learning about our Ship and our ports of call. Everyone was so eager to assist in any way - one afternoon our Captain carried my coffee to a comfortable spot to sit while I dodled with my cane and book. Our tour through the Mediterranean allowed my whole family to see ports we would never otherwise visit and helped my younger folks decide on which cities they would like to revisit. Although we all did quite a bit of reading about the ports before our departure, the guest lecturers (and their replay on the tv in our suite - genius idea) were so interesting and such a better use of time and entertainment than sad "Broadway" shows on other tours! Since most ports were new stops, we generally did the included tour for our ports and everyone agreed the experience was perfect. I stuck to the "easy" tours and found them to be a bit more effort than my definition of easy! I could never have done these tours without much family support. Our repeated visits to the spa was another slice of heaven. Massages and facials were all delightful and the private women's spa with sauna and cold plunge was lovely - I am not one for spa-ing with the co-ed experience! Because of the Holidays, my 21 year old grandson had plenty of young people to visit; however, I so enjoyed a more mature group of travelers. Looking like the ultimate grandmother, I am often sat next to young families with screaming toddlers - no such worries on Viking! Elegant is one word to best describe the entire journey. I did return home to the Midwest and announce that I am no longer taking long journeys. Our return from Barcelona was 30+ hours of traveling. Exhausting, even in Business Class, but I am so very glad that I topped the cake of my years of travel with this life long dream. Bon Voyage to you and yours. Read Less

We had a fantastic time over Christmas week on this cruise of the Mediterranean. We had taken a Viking River Cruise and has such a wonderful experience, I trusted the Ocean cruise would be equally great. It was - in fact, even better! The ship had so much to offer, I actually looked forward to the "at-sea" days to fully experience it all. The dining options and quality of the food surpassed my expectations; the service was top notch - everyone really seemed to LOVE working for Viking. I was so impressed with the tour guides that led us at each one of the excursions - they were knowledgeable, friendly and really captured the essence of each town/city. We did a mix of Included and Optional Tours - and all were equally fascinating and well led. I also loved all the thoughtful "extra's" on board - like videotaping the educational programs and Port Talks so we could watch them in our rooms later and didn't have to stress if we were busy enjoying some other activity. Best of all, I never felt crowded - there was always plenty of space, personalized attention and great fun to be had! The only difficulty we had were the United Airlines flights both coming and going - every leg had either cancellations or delays and resulting missed connections. Viking was able to help re-book us after one cancellation, but it made for two very long and stressful days. I will probably opt to book my own flights in the future to ensure ample time for connections and more direct routing. Read Less

I've always wanted to see Greece and this price was wonderful. The tours were handled so well. Tour guides were very knowledgeable and handled my millions of questions with patience. I would recommend this tour to anyone. We had one day at sea that was rough but we survived it okay. The Christmas decorations were very tasteful on the ship. The food was superb. I loved the fact that I could try lots of different items and did not have to clean my plate or feel too full. We could order 24/7 room service which was so nice. I liked the fact we had time at each place for a little walk on our own. I very much liked the shopping on board. The onboard shopping was something to look forward to each day one hour after the ship sailed. If I did it again, I would add on a few extra days either in the beginning or at the end. I sure liked being on an adult cruise. Most folks were our age. Read Less

The best way to learn about our history is to travel back to the places where so much began. "Disconnect and unplug" from the workaday world to learn from whence we came. As an educator, I experienced a whole lot of learning aboard the Viking cruises. This is a third cruise with Viking for me and my husband. We've been on other cruise lines before, but we truly believe that Viking is now our new "go-to" when planning our vacations! From the gentleman who met us at the airport to the very early morning service we received once we arrived on the ship, was definitely smooth, welcoming and very hospitable. The ambiance of The Viking Star was one of pristine style -- clean architectural lines and holiday decorations made it a "breath of fresh air". We stayed for the extended tour afterwards and we're so glad we did! It was first-class all the way and we're definitely planning on going on another Viking cruise again! Read Less

This was our first cruise and we were accompanied by all our adult children. The dates were perfect in that all of us were off from work. Sailing in December avoided high temperatures and all our excursion destinies were not crowded. The ship was far beyond anything we expected with respect to the cabin, the service, the spa the food and the drinks. In the spa there is a snow room that was a new experience to us. No young kids on board was a real plus. The silver package that allows you to almost unlimited cocktails is highly recommended especially as it also can be used for wine pairing in the more sophisticated restaurants on board. Every crew member we met was friendly and accommodating. It was so enlightening to be treated that way. Our cabin was kept in perfect condition and our beds made up twice a day. The ship itself is near perfect in condition, absolutely spotless.The excursions were overall very well organized. The guides with the exception of one entertaining. We will absolutely do this again and indeed have already booked a cruise with Viking for August 2020. Read Less

This was the perfect Christmas and New Year holiday. The ship is very modern, with Scandinavian style decor of the highest quality. Every fitment is top class. Staff are excellent. Food is outstanding, particularly in the Chef's Table restaurant where it excelled. The up front cost may seem on the high side, but we didn't need to spend at all if we chose because all our drinks were included, speciality restaurants were included and even the excursions on most days. The cleanliness was second to none, with the very friendly staff working so hard to make our stay enjoyable. As an added surprise, on New Years Day, we were given a massive and spectacular buffet brunch that was unbelievable in its range of colours, flavours, types of food and layout. A real treat. Viking also game a small gift to all passengers on Christmas day. We feel spoilt now, and won't go anywhere but Viking from now on. Read Less

My mom and I opted to the Three Continent Cruise on the Crystal because of the ports visited for my mom’s birthday. We were overall pleased with the cruise and I don’t regret the extra expenditure for the Grand Suite. With that said, there were some really great features and some areas that you should be aware may fall short of some people’s expectations. Embarkation notice for suite guests: We got to the cruise terminal early and I am glad we did. Suite guests are offered priority check-in but when the boarding line opened, there was no separate line and poor sign directions for suite guests. Guests began queuing up well in advance of official boarding time and the general boarding check-in line quickly encompassed the entire entryway to the terminal, so it was impossible for suite guests to know that there is actually a separate desk (across the room from the general check-in). In fact, I asked a cruise ship security/line attendant for where suite guests should check-in and he told me to go to the back of the general boarding line. If this is supposed to be a benefit of paying extra for suites, Celestial needs set up a separate line. Once we got to the right place, check-in was quick and did not have to go through the general queue. Cruise ship positives: The dining room food was always good and well presented (suite guests receive free room service from the dining room menu and we used it a couple times and were always pleased with the quality). The on-board activities were hit or miss but the evening entertainment was good and I would rate it as just as good as evening shows on some larger mega cruise ships. The cruise director, Danny, was fantastic and entertaining. While it is a smaller ship, it offers almost all of the same key amenities as larger ships. Being a smaller ship, we never had to wait to be seated and there was always plenty of room in dining and lounge areas. The ship, while older, is also immaculately cleaned. The disembarking process (for both excursions and final disembark) was smooth and well organized. There was only one instance when lines became congested and unruly (the first port of call). Negatives: The buffet was mediocre and you could count on basically having the same choices every day. Aside from a lack of diverse food choices, I was also dismayed to find there were virtually no traditional Mediterranean choices. I heard from many of my Greek friends before taking the cruise that I would love the food (I do), but was disappointed that a Greek cruise line cruising the Mediterranean offered basic choices like rice, pasta, potatoes, spaghetti and similar foods but only once that I noticed did they offer a regional cuisine (dolmades). Suite benefits: If you can afford it, this is one time a suite may be actually worth the upgrade cost (although a lot of time is spent in port on this cruise so that may be a countering argument for some). Suite guests receive complimentary room service (all meals) and we also received a welcome basket of fruit and wine and every morning fresh cut fruit and bottled water was delivered, every afternoon canapes were delivered, and every evening cookies/treats were delivered. We had a Grand Suite room and the view and larger deck facing the front of the ship (right below the bridge) was an excellent vantage point. We had two gentlemen who were concierges and two gentlemen who were housekeeping for our room, and all of them went above and beyond to provide us with absolutely outstanding service. Excursions: One of the best features of the Celestial’s cruises are the free included excursions in some of the ports with options to purchase alternatives. We took excursions in all of the ports and the contract companies in each were all top of the line. The buses used were comfortable and the guides were knowledgeable. The excursion in Egypt was fascinating but we were late getting into port and the tour company had to cut back time at various locations. There was very little time for shopping, except and one shop “approved by the cruise line”. Beware at the pyramids there are numerous of people trying to aggressively sell merchandise and it was also sad as an animal lover to see so many malnourished stray dogs throughout Egypt. In Israel, we paid for the Jerusalem/Bethlehem excursion and got to see most all of the advertised spots except going down into the grotto at the Church of Nativity due to long lines as that excursion also got started late due to the ship docking late, which also caused the tour company to cut back on tour locations and rushed us past shopping. We were only able to stop at one “cruise line approved” store, which was terribly over-priced. A couple of the other excursions started late as well but were generally shorter days so they didn’t seem as rushed. I’m not entirely sure why so many of the port days got us in late or off the boat late, resulting in the tour companies to have to condense the tour, but it was the first visit by the Crystal on this route (3 Continent Cruise) so it may have been just working through new logistics but hopefully they get it worked out so future cruisers don’t have their tours cut short. Read Less

Viking was very highly rated and the cruise was going where we wanted to go. The restaurants and food was exceptional and we really liked the idea of an excursion was included in each port. The staff was very courteous and attentive. All the details were paid attention to, from the time we landed to the time we departed. I really thought that access to the laundry at no additional cost was big plus and room service also was timely and exceptional. Housekeeping also did a wonderful job. Getting to see the galley and the bridge was very interesting and appreciated . The guides on our excursions were very professional and knowledgeable.The ship was always very clean and very well attended. The lectures were informative and the entertainment was first rate. The swimming poos were very convenient. Having access to the spa was also appreciated . The steam room and sauna and the snow room and jacuzzi were a very nice option. Read Less

We have sailed Viking Ocean on 3 previous cruises. We love their ships - the size, the understated décor, no casino or sales of jewelry and other junk. This itinerary really appealed to us as we love history and the cruise covered Greek Antiquities, Crusaders Castles, Biblical locations and Pompeii. The most disappointing aspect of the cruise was the cuisine. This was our 4th Viking Ocean Cruise and with each cruise we have noted the food quality has decreased. Our 1st cruise on Viking was the Viking Homelands on the Viking Sky. Lobster tail was on the menu a couple nights. Escargot was available on the menu in Manfredi's nightly. The fruit selections were varied and top-quality - Hawaiian papaya, dragon fruit, raspberries. On this cruise the fruit was sometimes old, the Mexican papaya was poor quality and not always available. Escargot was served only once. Pieces of lobster were served rather than tails. We would rather pay more for better quality food - like the first cruise. The future cruise consultant was terrible. On previous cruises, the consultants were very enthusiastic and offered some great suggestions for upcoming cruises. They were so good in fact that we booked 4 additional cruises through them. We were excited to talk with the consultant on this cruise as we were anxious to hear about Viking's new destinations. We made an appointment to see right away. To our disappointment, all she offered was "come to my presentation" and "you can talk to your travel agent". Viking totally wasted office space on her. We booked no future cruise. Lastly, we would like to strongly commend the new Sky General Manager, Daciano da Silva. He was everywhere. Checking the kitchen, training his staff, greeting passengers, welcoming passengers back from excursions. He reminded us of the GM on our first Viking Cruise. One last suggestion would be to offer preferred embarkation for repeat passengers like many other cruise lines. When we arrived there were at least 50 people ahead of us waiting to check-in. We have 3 more cruises booked on Viking and we are hoping to see improved food quality and a future cruise consultant with a clue. Read Less

We chose this cruise as we wanted to see the Holy Land and to visit places that have been around for thousands of years that we could only marvel at in books. We can now finally say we were there, we saw that, and we felt moved at being there. The trip was fabulous. This is our third Viking Cruise and the fact that there is a trip in every port makes these cruises such value for money. Its also the other inclusive bits that make Viking excel above other cruise lines. Free water in the room, free trips, free restaurant visits, free food in the cabin. Also we upgraded the cabin and enjoyed an excellent daily restocked mini-bar. This is luxury at its best. Above all the staff are fantastic. Everyone greets you whatever they are doing. The senior staff sit in the restaurant with the guests and there is no feeling of 'Us and Them' They make you feel very welcome and it is just like a big family. The ship was just right - the size and number of passengers on board makes this feel very homely and just what we look for in a holiday - not too crowded. All in all to see the Holy Land with Viking was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Read Less

We had such an amazing trip. This was our dream cruise From the minute we boarded the ship to our drive back to the airport we were treated like royalty. The food was amazing and the service was second to none. We loved it so much we booked another cruise to the Panama Canal we love Viking!! Our cabin was kept so very nice by our steward and his assistant. I actually got sick for Thanksgiving and the Restaurant fixed us dinner and delivered it to our room. The Explores Lounge knew who we were and what our drinks were after about 2 days. The ports were really great We had to do an extra day in Hiefa due to some unrest in the area. We were happy with most of our excursions. There were a couple that weren’t as good but on a whole they were good. We can’t wait for our next one in 2021!! Read Less

A brand new ship, 150 other guests, many from France and Belgium as it was a a Opera Cruise. Us Australians were adopted by all and again we could not fault Ponant. The destinations visited, the tours, the food, the wines, the cruise companions, the crew..... you name it, all lends for a perfect cruise. We visited Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Jordon. Add that to our Antarctic cruise in late 2017. We are now ready for Patagonia in March 2021 and the Kimberley in 2022. We found the cabins of a good size and the balconies on the new ships perfectly adequate. Very clean and room service, along with alcohol, all included. On this trip the 12 non French speaking people ( although our French is fairly good) were give their own tour coach along with English speaking guide. We have travelled Silversea in the past also however Ponant seems to be more relaxed. Read Less

The localized and exploring these anciant sites brought a lot of history into docs and added materially to out understanding. Guides were very knowledgeable and informative. Particularly in Israel we were treated to a perspective from the guides which cannily come from natives. The cruise was without incident and delivered with the class we expect from Viking. Food and beverages were exceptional! We traveled with a grout of 11 and ask to be served together for the evening meal. WOW! . Impeccable service and great food made the evening meal a long event which was the highlight of the trip. The staff went out of their way to make us feel like home! Our cruise was over Veterans Day and the crew put on a special ceremony in the theater acknowledging Veterans Day......and Remembrance Day! It really made the day special. Also the Captain hosted a happy hour honoring all veterans board! Again above and beyond! So having such a good time.....we booked 2 more cruises while on board. This was our first ocean Viking Cruise and while considerably different from the river cruises we really enjoyed it! Read Less

First, we chose this cruise because we wanted to visit ports in the Mediterranean and felt we would do better on a tour than alone. Let me add that our MO was to arrange our own travels through other EU countries but Greece and Israel was a little different because of language and cultural differences. We heard a lot of firsthand complimentary reviews about Viking from friends so choosing Viking and the Antiquities cruise really didn't take a lot of consideration. When our friends (who were Viking alumni) presented us with the opportunity, we were quick in our response to join them. Lets start with the ship: the Viking Star was lovely. We loved our cabin and all of the amenities that came with Deluxe Veranda status. Loved the free all-ship internet, heated bathroom floors, down comforter, over-sized bath towels and comfy robes. The room service was beyond reproach; starting with the on-time morning delivery of our breakfast to the evening turn-down while we were at dinner. We couldn't have asked for nicer accommodations or better service! As far as the dining experience, I wouldn't give it an "A" but I would give it a solid "B" as far as quality, taste and selection. For the most part, we ate breakfast in our room; lunch in the World Cafe and dinner in The Restaurant (or Manfredi's or Chef's Table). Breakfast was OK (bacon was always crispy as ordered). Lunch choices were fresh (though the salad bar was somewhat lacking in "diversity" and locale). The dinner menu was nothing special and somewhat predictable. Loved Manfredi's but not Chef's Table. What I can tell you is that the service at all food venues was fabulous! Servers were very attentive and friendly and quick with drink service. Bottom line, food could improve. (BTW, The Restaurant hostess, Ann, was fabulous! She began to expect us every evening at 8:15 and had a lovely window table waiting for us.) Nightly, we did enjoy cocktails before and after dinner. Pricing was fair/reasonable, drinks were generous and, again, service was always excellent. As far as the ports and shore excursions, I have a few mixed feelings. First of all, all of the guides/docents were amazing (except for one in Mykonos; can't remember her name but she was awful!); they were smart (in some cases, brilliant), approachable and excellent storytellers. My biggest complaint about the tours is that we didn't know what to expect re the time on the bus; we would have appreciated a heads up re the time it took to get from one place to another. Also, the 12-hour tour days, demanded more than just a bottle of water and lunch. If possible, I would suggest a glass of wine and some nuts/fruit for trips that go beyond 5pm. I would also suggest a little less aggressive agenda for the time in Israel; the preference would have been two days in Jerusalem and two days in Haifa. Finally, with regard to the extension tour in Athens, WOW! Our tour guide, Barbara, was fabulous! We spent three days in her company and her guiding was excellent! We also have nothing but good things to say about our hotel (in Athens). The room, food and location was five-star! We did have some "issues" with our air travel. We chose to upgrade to First Class and the people who we were routed to for reservation assistance were not always the most helpful. In closing, would we go again? YES! We are giving serious consideration to the Americas/Caribbean cruise next Dec. There was also mention of a Mississippi River cruise that interested us. Finally, if you could make Cuba happen for US residents, we would sign up in a heartbeat. Thank you for the memories! Read Less

Our experience with Viking includes 4 prior river trips, so we wanted to try the ocean and see how it compared. For those Viking Veterans who have come to expect a certain standard of service and comfort during river voyages, the ocean (at least on Star) will not disappoint: the ship is clean and well maintained (in fact the crew are often seen working at various maintenance tasks during the cruise); the staterooms are small (as on all ships) but comfortable and the staff are very conscientious and professional in maintaining a clean and serviceable cabin; both the food and service on board are excellent and certainly meet the Viking standards; for my experience, the entertainment aboard was superb, although I must confess I spent most of my time sampling the musical offerings in the Explorer Lounge and sampling the libations (which were also excellent). The major difference between ocean and river cruising is the ocean ports are usually at some distance from the attractions one wants to see, so bus rides (often lengthy) and such are required, whereas on the river the Longships stop in the heart of the city and it is (not always but) usually an easy walk from the ship to points of interest.If you're not prepared for this difference it can be a bit of a distraction from the experience. The excursions were generally good-to-great with a couple of exceptions and that owing to the quality/fluency of the guides - I think Viking missed a couple of real opportunities for interesting excursions but one can't expect them to cover all the possibilities. Overall a superior effort and great value for money. Read Less

In the past 3 years we have sailed with Silversea 4 times, with Regent 3, with Oceania 1 and with Seabourn 2 times. We had heard excellent comments about Crystal when their Mediterranean cruise caught our attention. We booked a penthouse suite and it was an overwhelming experience. After the other cruise lines we had become familiar with our expectations of Crystal were high, but the Crystal exceeded our expectations by far. For us no other cruise line comes even close. They are simply the best! If you really want to spoil yourself to a cruise of a lifetime, book a penthouse suite on Crystal. Before we left on this cruise we had already booked a cruise with Seabourn in January, but now that we have experienced Crystals Serenity, we are no longer excited to cruise with any other cruise line. Crystal is a whole new experience. Embarking with the penthouse suite ticket is like flying first class, within minutes your are on board, you are accompanied to your suite. All is ready and our luggage was delivered before we had a chance to admire the tastefully designed suite in delightful light colors, wow! We choose to have our lunch not in the main restaurant Waterside but in the Marketplace where a sumptuous buffet awaited us. This was the way to travel. Announcements over the public address system were practically non existent. We always were annoyed by the frequent PA announcements on other lines, too often in a phoney British accent. Soliciting for future cruises was prohibited, if you are interested in future cruises you were of course welcome to so on beard. This all added to a totally relaxed and comfortable and unique cruise experience. The food was divine, there were options for everybody, even for health food nuts like us. Personally we are vegetarians but do eat fish. There was always something new and delicious on the menu. Starting with the amazing breakfast buffet at the Marketplace. The fresh fruit selections, especially mangoes, papaya, pine apple and strawberries were of the highest quality and always perfectly ripe. What a better way to start a day. The lunch buffet at the Marketplace was always a special treat, unfortunately we were mostly on an excursion at lunch time and too often missed the feast. We always had the choice of freshly steamed rice and vegetables. If you prefer the buttered kind, of course that was offered too. After our first nights dinner in the Waterside restaurant, where we were spoilt by the best waiters Raj and Ewa we knew that was going to be our dinner table for the entire cruise. There was absolutely no reason to try a different table we were so much at home. Soon we started talking that this was the only ship so far, where we could imagine to sail into the perpetual sunset. Seriously, instead of moving into an old folks home, why not spending the last years aboard Serenity. We are still talking about it, maybe one of these days. This was the only ship we have ever felt we could sail on forever. Our Med. Cruise had so many interesting landfalls that we couldn't really appreciate all the amenities. One of the great pluses on the Serenity are the possibilities to move and walk a around freely. On deck 7 there is a wide teak deck all around the ship offering the best walking in addition to the possibility to walk on the top deck. There was an internet lounge with iMacs and a differnt lectures could be followed about working with apple computers. Of course internet was free and of a good quality considering the fact that we were on a moving vessel with a satellite link. The entertainment on board was first rate, we missed most of the shows as we were very busy during the days and went to bed early. But our fellow cruisers were enthusiastic about the shows. Often I had watched other people soon falling asleep during lectures, not on board Serenity. The lecturers captured their audience and even you could watch the lectures on live TV in the privacy of your suite, most guests went to the lectures including ourselves to enjoy the lecturers. Ken Walsh, a long time White House correspondent and Dr. Jim Rowe talking about our destinations more than enriched our cruise experience. Booking a Med. Cruise at the end of October is always picking a wild card, the weather can change suddenly and summer just a memory. Still the touristic hot spots during our cruise like Santorini, Sorrento, Rome, Florence, Monaco, Marseille and Barcelona were still extremely crowded by fellow tourists. Still it is more pleasant to experience the world famous sights without the heat of summer but, rainy and cool days are not rare late in the fall. Much too soon our 13 day cruise came to an end, we hated to leave. The disembarking process was so perfectly organised, not one P.A. announcement, no pushing or shoving, just a relaxed walking off the boat and the luggage so cleverly arranged that finding our luggage was so easy. Thank You Crystal. We can't wait to come back. Read Less

This was our fourth Silversea cruise in an Owner’s Suite. All four were on different ships: Silver Shadow, Silver Muse, Silver Spirit, Silver Whisper. This cruise was the Mediterranean at the end of October. This was Silver Shadow's last cruise before its refurbishment. So, it still had the u-shaped bar which I prefer (see pictures if you are unfamiliar). I hope they don't pull it out during the drydock. Even though it was the final cruise, we did not note any major deficits. We were generally very happy with this cruise. We had the best butler we have ever had. At this point we know how we want our room stocked (we make a list of our needs before the butler introduces himself). One need I have is San Pellegrino. We asked once and were thereafter never without three bottles. He even brought a new bottle of Bourbon we he noticed that my first bottle was getting low. Coincidentally, it turned out that a guy I had worked with years ago was on the same cruise. We became reacquainted, and my wife and I thought it would be nice to host a little cocktail party. Our butler did a magnificent job of organizing it: Caviar, other canopies, champaign. We turned planning our dinners over to the butler. Every day, I simply asked him where and when we were eating, and he told us. I don't know if that fell into his job description, but it worked well for us. That solved my frustration with the Silversea reservation process (which basically is, set your alarm for midnight on the day online reservations open--months before your cruise--or you will miss the window of opportunity). I am in the process of adjusting my expectations of cruise ship luxury dining experiences, from what I expect at a land-based restaurant. Here is an example of what I mean. We frequent a fine dining Italian restaurant near our home. (For level setting purposes, fine dining means we expect to spend about $250 on dinner.) Last time we visited our local restaurant, I told the waiter that I wanted one of the veal dishes, but that I was craving some fettuccini Alfredo. The waiter's response, "I will make that happen." I got veal with a side of fettuccini Alfredo. Rather than bore you with a transcript of the same exchange on Silversea, suffice it that I have finally accepted that such personalized service cannot be expected on a cruise ship. But there were some minor lapses that fell below Silversea standards. One night at dinner the waiter didn't bother clearing our table before thrusting the dessert menu into our hands. Thirty seconds later he was standing there asking for my dessert order. I hadn't even glanced at the menu. Silversea offers its own sparkling water, which is fine for me, except that on this cruise, it was consistently flat. So, I started asking for San Pellegrino. I had to remind every waiter, every time I needed a refill what I was drinking. One amenity that Silversea offers in its Owner’s Suites is free laundry service. (The other three, Seabourn, Crystal, and Regent don't seem to include that.) We only bring carry-ons (yes that is correct, an 11-night cruise, and 5 extra nights with only two carry-ons--if you want to know how that is done, message me). Free laundry service makes that easier. Nonetheless, we have decided we should not become married to Silversea without at least having a baseline. So, we have booked a Seabourn cruise for next March. Seabourn does not include laundry service with their Wintergarden Suites. We have guesstimated that paying for laundry will add $300 to the cost of the cruise. Read Less

This is our fourth, and now last, Windstar cruise. The ship, the Windstar, is run down and tacky. The food was awful. The equipment in the “gym” creeky and poorly maintained. Lastly the shore excursions were often boardering on worthless. Internet? $245 a week for minimal and often nonexistent service. And all this for a premium price. Windstar needs to up its game considerably if it want to play in the premium market. Right now it a mid level experience with a too high price tag. Maybe it’s that the smaller ships aren’t as profitable but they have ignored the Windstar. When I complained, it took many tries to get an answer. The food was not fresh because we never docked in a port only anchored. Really? The poor satellite reception for the TV and internet was due to ground and sea interferences. Isn’t this 2019? All in all, it’s time to move on from Windstar. Read Less

Smaller cruise line, very attentive crew, nothing was a problem,this was the second of the seabourn ships we have been on, the year before we were on the Oncore but prefer the Odyssey, so much so we have booked our trip for next year on the Odyssey, she is just a bit smaller than the encore and we felt more at home. Our cabin on both ships was fabulous, really roomy and great bathrooms. We loved the selection of dining and ate at The Thomas Kellar when we were able, Could not fault the crew, always very happy and there for our enjoyment, ports and shore excurtions also great. We don't think it is a ship for children as there is nothing for them to do, which is another reason we chose Seabourn and have told so many of our friends all of the wonderful treats on board. The ship was very modern and very clean. Judi and Alan Read Less

We liked the venue: Athens to Venice. The accommodations were good. Cabin nice and clean. Balcony and pools were great. Food wasn’t what I expected is all. I’m not fond of cafeteria style. We ate at The Restaurant was good. As was The Chef table. Manifrdis was ok. The Explorer bar was our favorite! Great bartenders and view! We felt service was slow even with so many employees mulling around. Many times we would have to go find someone. Excursions were excellent, though places were extremely crowded especially Dubrovnik. Too many cruise ships allowed at a time so guided tended to rush you through so other guides could get in. We would of signed up for our third cruise but thought down payment was high. We want to go on another river cruise possibly Portugal/Spain. Hopefully in 2 years. We loved the river cruise Paris to Zurich 2 years ago. More personal. See you in 2 years Viking! Read Less

We chose this cruise because we loved the Riverboat cruise that we took back in 2017 and though we would try the ocean line. The food and service was amazing -- rooms were lovely -- and I enjoyed the free wi-fi The entertainment is geared to an older crowd - there wasn't enough entertainment and with a lot of wasted space on the ship -- I felt there should have been more to choose from. Spent most of my time watching TV in the room. One of the most popular ports was missed due to weather -- not the ships fault -- but we didn't get any extra time at any other port -- The included excursions were very boring and the timing left you with no time to do any other ones -- which was extremely disappointing - because the included excursions with the Riverboat cruise were amazing -- Finally we traveled with a group of people -- which 6 of us was escorted to the airport when it was time to leave -- but the last person traveling with us was told to leave an hour past us - then was just left to find her own way to the airport - having to take a train and a bus - not knowing where she was going and was extremely upset -- In closing - I will never travel with Viking Ocean line again - This was the most I have ever paid for a vacation and was left very underwhelmed Read Less

Having loved our Viking River Cruise in 2017, we decided to try the Viking Ocean Cruise. So glad we did. Everything about the ship and the crew was exceptional. The atmosphere, the food, wine, shore excursions, on board activities, it was all marvelous. With only 930 passengers, one never felt crowded and we never had to wait for a table or any type of service. The crew was super professional, courteous and friendly. They helped to create an atmosphere wherein it was easy to make friends with fellow passengers. The cabin design was streamlined and gave a sense of space. Having all cabins with balconies is a huge bonus. Having room service breakfast on our balcony a couple of time was a lovely luxury. The staff in all the restaurants, bars and spa were fabulous. We attended several shows, all of which were fun and entertaining. We have already booked our next Viking Ocean cruise and can't wait for it. Thank you Viking! Read Less

We wanted to visit this part of the world and this itinerary gave us the perfect opportunity to see several places in one holiday. We enjoyed all the stops, and loved everything about the onboard experience. The ship design, decor and upkeep are excellent. Food and drink are fabulous. We especially loved Manfredis restaurant, but we enjoyed the Chefs Table too although we selected our menu carefully because not all of them appealed to us. The Restaurant was consistently high standard, Mamsens deli has a limited selection but us great for a simple breakfast or lunch. There are bars everywhere so you don’t have to go far for a drink. The Explorers Lounge bar was our favourite spot because of the stunning views. There is a main pool with covered and uncovered loungers and sofa style seating, and and aft infinity pool with loungers that shares space with the Aquavit terrace. We hung out at the aft pool. There is a sun deck too. Absolutely no problem finding somewhere to chill out. Every staff member was great to interact with. Read Less

Wanted to try Viking Ocean after having enjoyed their river cruise but when the captain chose to not stop at Santorini due to high winds even though the Holland America ship did stop I decided that I would probably not choose Viking Ocean again. The rest of the cruise was more enjoyable and the service like on most cruise ships was superb. The ship was well laid out and our cabin was quite spacious.We really enjoyed the explorer lounge and the bartender there. There was nothing exceptional about the entertainment. The included shore excursions we generally nice but the viator excursions we booked were outstanding. My favorite port was Koper, Slovenia where we booked an excursion through Viator and visited the castle and cave. We wanted a small group and it tuned out to be just the two of us and our guide and was far beyond our expectations. One of the main reasons I booked this cruise was to tour the ancient Akrotiri ruins which didn't happen as the Captain felt the wind was too high for all the old folks onboard. He warned us the night before that this was likely to be the case but rather than have an alternate port chose to go there and then steam right by allowing us to wave at the Holland America ship that was able to stop. Read Less

Friends of ours told us about this Viking Cruise and asked us if we wanted to join them. Well the cruise was, absolutely AMAZING! From the time we landed in Athens, Greece for our 3 day extension at the Hilton, Athens to the time we had to board our flight home from Venice, we were treated to an experience like nothing we had experienced before. Athens was everything it was described as, but even more, to actually set foot on the soil in Greece was incredible and breathtaking. The ship, all its personnel, the food and entertainment was top notch. All the ports of call were so full of sights and sounds of each country and the excursion guides were very professional and courteous and gave a very good account of the history of each attraction as we walked through the Historic remains in all ports of call we visited. The on ship laundry facility came in handy on the day we could not drop anchor to tender into Santorini due to extreme weather conditions. This was disappointing, but not the fault of the cruise line. The remainder of the ports of call were each very unique and beautiful. This was our first Viking cruise and we booked another cruise, a Viking River Cruise - Grand European Tour- in the Fall of 2020. Read Less