Only supposed to be 1 night at sea but due to weather we had 2 consecutive days and could not go outside. Ship could not visit Gdańsk. Been with Viking river cruises before And delighted with professionalism of the staff. Visited places we wanted Togo Outstanding staff and food with a variety of restaurants to choose from. Our favourite was the world cafe. No rigid seating in any restaurant and plenty of tables for two.the drinks flowed at dinner and lunch too. Beautiful floating palaces. The evening entertainment was of a high standard and varied.matthew singing during the evening in the explorer lounge was excellent too. The enhancement programme was rather high brow for our tastes, however. Excursions were well arranged with no queuing to get on and off. Included excursions were orientation tours of each city. There was a large variety of additional excursions but we considered these expensive and only did ones in St Petersburg. Viking is an outstanding company but you do need to be aware that customers are predominantly Americans. Read Less

We chose Viking, because of the ships being smaller and less passengers. It makes it easier to run into guest that you’ve made friends over the course of the trip, also no long line ups for the restaurants or for the shore excursions. They offer all types of shore excursions to meet all expectations of the passengers, from ones that need easy access to those that are there to see as much as possible. The staff are vary friendly and are constantly asking what they can do to help in making the cruise more comfortable. Our cabin staff where always asking what else we needed and kept the room spotless and when ever they passed in the hallway, they always stopped to talk. The maintenance staff are constantly cleaning and maintaining the ship inside and out, so they are obviously proud of their ship. Dining was superb, with options that will satisfy any body’s taste. I would definitely choose Viking again. Read Less

Viking came highly recommended by several friends and I now know why! From the ship to the service level, everything was first class!!! Viking is now our cruising choice!!!!!! They far exceeded our expectations and offer a far superior cruising experience than what we found with other cruise lines. The educational programs were exceptional! The food was amazing and we loved how they aligned menu items with the ports of call. The entertainment was fantastic! Typically the embarkation and disembarkation are the worst part of the trip! Viking has this down to a science and managing getting on and off the ship was a breeze! We appreciate the attention to detail each and every staff member showed. We loved our Viking experience and highly recommend it to all!!!! We are already looking our plans for next year and you can be sure a Viking trip is tops on the list! Read Less

Travel agent suggested Viking. Not disappointed at all. Great time with cabin steward, Jaya, to waiters and kitchen staff, and bar staff. Anything we needed or asked was delivered or answered right away. We got to know some of the waiters - great sense of humour and great memories! Tour guides were very knowledgeable. Highlights for me were the Russian ballet - Swan Lake - and a kayaking tour. The Port Talks were great as arranged by Heather Clancy and Javier, then Tiago. So much information was given. The Quiet Vox headsets were an asset when they were working! I missed half of two tour talks when they quit - one on a tour with a local guide who had no way to zap it. We went to several lectures with excellent speakers - one was the history of Faberge eggs, another was about the Romanovs. Music nights were very well done - Beatle songs, Abba. Great entertainment. Read Less

Just returned 2 weeks ago from 'Viking Homelands' cruise on Jupiter. Beautiful ship, WONDERFUL STAFF, very enjoyable cruise! My first cruise with Viking and won't be my last! The activities on board were WAY better than anything I've experienced on a cruise in the past. Tour guides were overall really good and tours were educational and informative. Alborg, Denmark was hands down my favorite place. A last minute excursion swap the night before we docked allowed me to go to three wonderful Viking sites, including a Viking burial location that I had so wanted to see, but didn't realize was part of one of the available excursions. Highlight of the entire trip! Flam, Norway was such a beautiful, peaceful place. I would LOVE to go back someday for a vacation just in this tiny village! Would have liked more time in nearby Aurland, as I would have very much liked to have visited a store with the Aurland loafers to find myself a pair....maybe on that next visit to the area! :) An excursion that included the Aurland shoe factory tour would be a nice addition in my humble opinion, and there seemed to have been ample free time to allow this if well planned. It was nice to be able to see so many countries and I loved that Viking themed much of the food each day to our location. It was nice being able to try foods on the ship, which were by and far EXCELLENT, from the various countries. The experience at The Chef's Table (we went 4 times and had 4 different meals) was AWESOME! Manfredi's in contrast was a let down, but Italian has limited options IMHO, and my swordfish was raw the first time we went..only went back to give it a second chance, but wouldn't bother booking it again in the future as there is little option there my nutritionist would approve! However, there are TONS of other options in The Chef's Table and the World Cafe. The Restaurant was a refreshing option at break fast as World Cafe's breakfast is the same every day, so while I don't usually eat breakfast per se, this had more options. People's opinions prior to my cruise were varied on the offerings at the Dome theater, but I saw all three presentations and found them largely education and informative. Of course, having now seen them, I'm not sure how often they change, so not sure if my cruise booked for 2021 will have new offerings or still be the same 3 seen recently. Hopefully by then it will be something new. With the exception of the resident Viking history speaker, who I found overly monotonous in his speech style, the speakers and presentations offered where really good and enjoyable and I feel like I came away with new information about countries I'd never visited before and likely would never have except for this cruise offering. So THANK YOU Viking for that!@ :) Would like to see trivia become a nightly event as it is a short (timewise) event, but a LOT of fun! Read Less

This is our first Ocean cruise experience and it was absolutely wonderful! Our cabin was roomy and I was impressed about how the storage space was designed. The bed was really comfy and the bathroom was large for a stateroom. Although electrical outlets in the bathroom were only for razors or toothbrushes, there were ample 220 and 110 outlets in the main cabin. I really enjoyed having a port to charge my phone and IPad near our bed. Our cabin Stewart's were also wonderful and serviced our cabin twice daily. The goodies in the refrigerator were a real treat! I can't say enough about the dining options. There were so many choices and varieties of food. On several occasions , they offered special buffets specializing in foods of the regions. Although the specialty Italian and Chefs table Restuarant were a great, we really enjoyed the open dining of the World Cafe. We visited the Explorers lounge several times to enjoy the music but we loved watching the scenery off the bow. Lastly, we want to thank Viking for arraigning the unique welcoming at some of the Ports. In Scotland, bagpipes greeted us on 2 stops and the crew welcomed us home with music and dancing. OUR CRUISE was the British Isle Explorer. Read Less

The Viking Homeland Cruise went to area ports we were interested in visiting. The time spent in each port gave us a good snapshot and some of the sites we would consider returning to for a longer time. We enjoyed the included shore excursions and explored on our own also. The ship was comfortable and simple elegant style with many relaxing areas to relax. We made use of the spa and workout areas. The entertainment was top notch. Our cabin had sufficient storage and comfortable bed. The dining choices were excellent. The evening we ate in Manifreds was a highlight with delicious food while sitting by the window as we cruised out of from Eidfjord. The crew of the Jupiter were outstanding; helpful and smiling at all times. Our luggage was lost and it was not tracked down till two days left on our cruise; Viking provided complimentary laundry service for our limited wardrobe. Read Less

I was highly disappointed with this cruise. We had a wonderful river cruise with Viking; this was no where near the quality. The food was so-so. I had trouble finding options for gluten free, especially at lunch. Service was great, though. The included excursions were a joke. Most of them were just bus rides. Sometimes, we were just left to explore on our own. I expected much higher quality tours. I was also very upset that by the time we were allowed to schedule tours, most morning included tours were full. The extra excursions that we took were very good, although not always as described. The cabin was good. The entertainment was mediocre with a few exceptions. The elvis show was great. Activities in the morning were almost non-existent--that after not being able to schedule included tours in the morning. I am not a night person. The new ship was wonderful, so clean. Embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly. If I travel with Viking on an ocean cruise again, I probably will not schedule any included tours. Read Less

My wife and I chose this voyage to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. The viking homelands are about as far as you can get from Australia and are a part of the world we'd never seen but read so much about. For us to get to Stockholm to embark required 22 hours of actual flying time and together with stopover times, the journey took 31 hours all told. The old joke about you don't have to be mad to do this but it helps, certainly applied to us 70 somethings. From being collected at the airport through to disembarkation, Vikings service was exceptional. I can endorse all that the previous 5 star reviewers have said about the ship, cabins, crew, food, excursions and so on. I want to make special mention of a couple great surprises. First one is about the cruise director, Heather Clancy. On day one we along with a couple of hundred others gathered in the Star Theatre to hear from her about our forthcoming cruise. Much was mentioned about their focus on art, lectures, etc but then Heather said she would now like to sign an aria from the opera Carmen. This beautiful voice emerged and people around us were saying, oh, she's lip syncing. But no, turns out Heather is a trained mezzo soprano and has appeared in many operas, including Carmen and Madam Butterfly. Later in the cruise she had her own show with songs from jazz to classical. She finished with a not too shabby rendition of Nessum Dorma. The second followed our 12 hour day trip to Berlin. Six hours on a Soviet era train is no joke (but good fun). When we arrived back at the ship, we could hear this singing and clapping and after we emerged from the customs building we were greeted by about 60 or 70 of the crew lining the pathway cheering and applauding us all the way back on board. Where we were given a glass of champagne. We will be dining out on these memories for a long time to come. It should come as no surprise that we have booked another Viking cruise, Far Eastern Horizons, for next year. Only a 10 hour flight this time! Read Less

The Viking Homelands cruise is an excellent way to visit all the Baltic countries in one trip. Most of the optional free excursions in each city were well done with local tour guides while still allowing free time to explore with the remaining time. The new Jupiter ship was amazing with quite a few dining options and amenities such as a spa, gym, pools, areas to sit and relax. The rooms are well designed maximizing storage space and a pretty large bathroom and shower for a cruise ship. I’m not big on evening entertainment - which was okay, but not important to me, Service for the most part was excellent, an occasional slip-up here and there but nothing major. This is one of those bucket list trips where the combination of a beautiful, well appointed ship and essentially daily visits to a different Baltic country with unpacking or having to arrange transportation made for a trip I will long remember. Read Less

Friends really wanted to do a Viking Baltic Cruise and I went along. We arrived in Stockholm two nights before departure and had time to stroll around the city on our own which was a great thing to do. Boarding the ship was a simple process as was disembarkation on the last day. The ship itself is beautiful, simply but comfortably decorated and the rooms were nice and roomy. I loved the Atrium area on the first and second floor with it’s cozy seating in small groups to either read, listen to the great musicians, play a game or just relax with friends in a homey and intimate atmosphere. The staff was wonderful, so caring, so helpful and so friendly. We felt like family and were sorry to leave them behind at the end. The entertainment each evening was something we looked forward to and they were very talented people. It was nice to see them throughout the ship and be able to chat with them. I loved the shore excursions and how well organized they were. Finding our group was a simple process that took little time and soon we’d be on our way with knowledgeable local guides to tell us about the places we were visiting. The only exception was the guide Ursula we had in Copenhagen. She was not very forthcoming and only gave the minimum of explanations and could not answer the questions various guests asked. All the others were excellent. I believe that for some reason, we were sent to her group despite having originally been assigned to a different group, perhaps because her group was smaller and this was meant to even things out in the end. I wished we could have been in our original group as she seemed very informative at the start before we were reassigned. I had to visit the clinic and was so impressed with their caring and efficiency. The female nurse was particularly wonderful and knowledgeable, but unfortunately I can’t remember her name. The staff at the excursions desk on the first deck were ever so helpful and so accommodating, always available without too much of a wait if at all. Mostly someone was available as one arrived to ask a question or change a booking. And the food! So wonderful and tasty both in the main restaurant and on the 7th deck. My one comment would be perhaps offering suggestions for hearth healthy items. I did find the food very rich, particularly in the Restaurant, and portions of vegetables with the main courses could have been larger. Vegetables seemed to be a decorative item on the plate. I enjoyed my lunches more because on the 7th deck, I could chose more vegetables and fruit and smaller portions of protein and rich foods. Probably in the Restaurant, it was geared more to American tastes where they eat fewer vegetables and larger amounts of protein and rich foods. But I ate there every night because of the service. I absolutely loved my cruise! Read Less

We chose the cruise for several reasons: husband's ancestors are Finnish, had never been to the Scandinavian or the Baltic countries, and friends' recommendation. We found the excursions to be excellent, and we learned a great deal about the Viking culture and heritage. Specifically the excursions in Norway, St. Petersburg, Aalborg, Gdansk,and Tallin gave us insight in to the culture, heritage and history. The Bergen Railway to Oslo was a scenic delight and gave us a better idea of Norway's beauty. Our first dinner experience in the restaurant was unfavorable. The tables are too close together as the couple sitting next to the four of us appeared to be listening to our conversation. The waiter assigned to us was inept and provided very poor service. We had to ask for water and wine glasses to be refilled We asked for two appetizers, he questioned the fact that we asked for two and acted as though that was not allowed. He made no recommendation for menu choices. We asked questions about several entrees and he wasn unable to describe a particular dish. The Chef's Table and Manfreddi's had excellent food and service. We were very impressed. Read Less

My wife and I have enjoyed many cruises with a variety of cruise lines and since we’ve retired we’ve been cruising even more. Some cruises were better than others but we brought a good attitude and enjoyed them all. Having said that, our recent cruise on the Viking Jupiter took our experience to a new level. We got off to a rocky start no fault of Viking when our flight from Phoenix was canceled at the last minute so we had to stay over there by losing one of the two precruise days in Stockholm. We let the Viking office know about the change in our arrival time which they acknowledged. We were disappointed that no transfer was waiting for us despite having booked our air with Viking. The hotel in Stockholm was less than impressive especially for the cost of the extension. We made the best of things and found our way to the Vasa Museum and Skansa. Both were worth seeing especially the Vasa. Both sites were easily reached by public transportation from the hotel. Despite a rocky start, the ship made up for things. Embarkation was smooth but nothing exceptional. The ship itself was beautiful and free of the clutter of casinos, photo galleries, art auctions, and dare I say it, kids. We had a penthouse veranda cabin which was amazingly large with more storage than I knew what to do with. The shower was almost as big asmy one at home. There was a minibar which was kept filled with complimentary beverages and snacks. Our two cabin stewards were wonderful and attentive servicing our cabin twice a day. All the service personnel we encountered were extremely pleasant. Everyone seemed to be committed to making sure the guests feel special.. We ate in the MDR, the specially restaurants, the World Cafe, and Mamsens. All venues were excellent but Manfredi’s was truly outstanding. The Chef’s Table seemed a bit affected and the service was perfunctory. My wife was happy with the wines that were provided with meals. I don’t drink so I can’t comment. The enrichment talks and port talks were all very well presented and very interesting. If you missed one that was of interest, it would be available on the screen in your cabin. Speaking of technology, the accessibility to all kinds of information about almost everything was incredible from the in room screen and the Viking app. Miscellaneous items of interest include a launderette on each deck, the Nordic bathing ritual (sign up quick.Very limited). Even if you can’t sign up make sure you enjoy the facilities. The Viking theater which is sort of planetarium again limited occupancy.interesting space related presentations.. Shows were entertaining but by necessity not extravagant. Plenty of nice music venues. There is a very well equipped, clean, and available fitness center. In short, this is a well designed, well thought out and well executed ship where the focus is on the guest. This is a cruise for mature travelers..Mature does not mean old necessarily. We put down deposits on two future cruises. That’s putting our money where our mouths are. Read Less

We have been on six river cruises, five by Viking, and wanted to see if the Ocean cruise by Viking would measure up. Scandinavia was one of the last places we had not visited, and this was a chance to see a lot of it in one trip. The ship design was perfect; ergonomically, visually, seaworthiness. Our cabin was always clean and had plenty of room, even excess of storage! The cabin stewards always greeted us by name when we saw them, and all our requests were dealt with quickly, and with a smile. I am even more amazed with the food. How can you prepare 14 dinner menus without repeating much of it? Lettuce was fresh, fruit was fresh, bread was fresh. We were fortunate to get to use the private rooms for dining for our group of eight, and the service was personal and expeditious. The entertainment was ok. The four singers did not do a great job. The cruise director and her assistant were the most entertaining, even when singing! Departure was surprisingly wonderful. I have never been on a cruise that handled the departure, luggage, portage as well as Viking. Read Less

This was our First time on Viking and choose because of destination of Baltic Sea. Will go on Viking again. First rate accommodation s and staff. Only disappointment was food in restaurants was not as high quality as expected. Enjoyed all excursions we booked thru Viking and had no problems with leaving the ship and arriving back on very organized and orderly. Our cabin was very nice and comfortable. Entertainment was ok and thought some of the music at bars pretty sedate. One bar we enjoyed music didn't start till 9pm. Had very early excursions so not able to enjoy as much as we liked. We just really enjoyed ourselves met some very lovely people on board. The ports we stopped at were amazing and we felt overall we got our monies worth. Can't say enough about the staff. They were all so helpful and very friendly made us feel special Read Less

We chose biking Ocean cruise because we traveled on 5 other Viking Rivet Cruises. The staff make you feel comfortable from the moment you step on the ship. Availability of restaurants, variation of menus and service were outstanding attributes of the food and beverages. We were able to schedule a cooking class and tour of the food prep area. All was terrific. Access to fitness center was always available. Making connections on all tours and excursions were well planned and staff prepared guests on what to expect and what to bring with us each day. The entertainment provided was excellent and for our age group, heather clancy made our trip exceptional and with the 4 entertainers made the evening presentations a night to remember. Locating our ship and making connections by air was consistently on time and without flaws. Viking did everything we hoped for and more when traveling with them abroad. I highly recommend Viking Ocean cruises and River cruises Read Less

this cruise is the BEST vacation I have taken to date. The ship was perfect. the ports and excursions were better then I could of hoped for. every port just got better and better. I highly recommend traveling Stockholm to Norway. the WOW factor of sailing into Norway is breathtaking. I tried to find something I would change and there was NOTHING. The crew was phenomenal the whole trip was! Food was excellent. once you take a Viking Cruise ship you will return . As much a we liked the river cruise, the Jupiter or Viking cruise line is the only way to go. Viking reputation stands tall with this ship and the ports it choice to visit. I truly cant say enough about this ship. my high light each day was having High tea in the garden room. The pool roof pulled back on sunny days was perfect. the spa was lovely. If I had to mark one thing down. the spa needed to keep an attendant in the spa area to show people the amenities. also for a luxury line, the amenities in the womens locker room was pretty scares. spa normally have brushes and combs. hair products. and not so much here. but was not bad enough to keep me away every day. There is NO add on fee to use the spa and a beautiful spa it WAS..... Read Less

I chose this cruise because it went everywhere I wanted to go - especially Norway and Berlin. What I didn't know was how blown away I would be by the the actual process of cruising. The ship was smaller than many cruise ships but had everything we needed or could possibly want. The cabin was roomy. The veranda was wonderful for watching the world go by, especially when leaving port. The dining was incredible. My husband and I mostly went to the World Cafe. Day after day, I was able to find something to eat despite my dietary limitations. I loved the afternoon teas. I only wish I could have gone more often. I can't say enough about the wait staff. They were so friendly and got to know me because I was always down there getting iced tea. I didn't know what to expect for the entertainment but it was way above average. I must say that Elvis had to be my favorite. He is alive and sailing the seas on Viking. We also enjoyed the excursions into the various ports we stopped at. Highlights were the trips into St. Petersburg, Russia, Berlin, Germany and Bergen, Norway. We did not travel with children, this was an 18 and over cruise. I would say that unless they really were into travel, I would not even bring teenagers on this cruise. Would I go again? Well, not a repeat of this cruise but there is no question that we will be traveling again with Viking. Read Less

Our first time cruising with Viking. We were very happy that wine & beer was provided during lunch & dinner. Good wine, too. We also, liked that there was an included excursion at every port. We especially enjoyed the musical offerings-the violinist & cellist, the piano player, and the headliners. Very attentive staff-genuinely friendly & accommodating. We have cruised many times but never with Viking. We can honestly say this was the best experience so far. We enjoyed it so much that we booked a South America cruise for January 2021. The staff were very friendly & accommodating. On the 1st day our cabin steward inquired if we had any preferences. I had said we like still water bottles & ice. Every time he serviced the room morning and evening he put fresh ice. The lectures were very informative and made us feel immersed in our travel journey. Our cruise director was outstanding! Read Less

We have enjoyed numerous Viking river cruises and hoped this first Viking cruise ship experience would be equally fantastic. It was. Nothing is left to chance with Viking and everything is first class. The thought of getting on one of the many massive cruise ships with 3,000 of our closest friends is hideous. Viking does it all with a smaller ship, with all balcony staterooms, and much more space for outstanding public areas. As we expected, service is simply magnificent. Our steward/butler, Gede, did a fantastic job. Our stateroom, #6005, was always immaculate and the bathroom always shiny and clean. We had plenty of space for our clothing, including numerous drawers and a nice closet. The sofa and chairs were comfortable, and our balcony was of a generous size. Dining was very good. There were at least 6 dining options, all included in the price. The food in each was well prepared, and the variety was appreciated. The spa is perhaps the best of any cruise line. The entire spa is available for no extra charge. We did pay for massages and pedicure. The gym/workout facility consisted of three rooms with top-notch equipment and elipticals/treadmills, etc. Entertainment was varied and mostly very good, if not excellent. How nice to have no casino, no climbing walls, no water slides, and no one under 18 years of age. As Viking touts, this is a thinking person's cruise ship. There were numerous lectures about the ports/history/shopping/human interests. It is possible to wear yourself out with the excursions. Some ports had more than 15 options, with at least one included in the price of the cruise. Most of the ones we selected involved a good deal of walking...on cobblestones. We were glad we brought sturdy shoes. Except for Norway, where it rained virtually the entire time, we had good but cool weather. It was especially nice in St. Petersburg and Stockholm. Jupiter is a beautiful ship, with many places to relax, hide, and kick back. We enjoyed the lovely afternoon tea several times. Be sure to ask for a tour of the bridge, which was a great experience. We had already booked another cruise, Bali to Bangkok next April. The wonderful experience on Jupiter lets us look forward to that trip on the Orion even more. It was particularly nice to be on our smaller ship when docked next to one of the monster ships. We counted our blessings and silently gave thanks for the crew of Jupiter. Read Less

Everything (ship amenities, food, shore excursions, service people, entrainment) on the Viking Jupitor was absolutely great and wonderful. The biggest concern I had going on this cruise was eating the food as I am gluten free. The was all labeled and I did not have a problem feeling ill. The restaurant supervisor was excellent and went out of his way to make sure I was happy with the food. On the second day at dinner, I asked if they had gluten free brownies and sure enough couple of days later, i had gluten free brownies with ice cream for desert. On the shore excursion tours, the tour guides were very knowledgeable and provided excellent tours. Having the wireless earphones was great. You didn't have to crowd around the tour guide to hear. You could hear the tour guide 20 feet away. Heather Clancy was an excellent cruise director and Javier Rodriguez did a great job telling us about the shore excursions. We liked the ports of Norway the best, then Stockholm. St Petersburg was good, but is was so crowed with tourists. We really liked the St Petersburg Ballet. Great wonderful cruise. Read Less

We wanted a smaller ship (900 people) to explore the Scandinavian countries and St Petersburg Russia. The ship decor was wonderful......no detail spared! The food was magnificent and portions were perfectly sized. Everyone of the staff was warm and friendly. We learned so much about these countries (onboard through lectures as well as on our excursions). Out cabin was comfortable and the bathroom was roomy and bright. I was always amazed at the consistent temperature of the hot water and how fast the steam from the shower was vented away. I never had to wipe the mirror with a towel! We also enjoyed the educational programs offered on our cabin’s television. There were electronic game tables if you cared to play a game and a nap on the lounge chairs by pool side was always a treat. I pampered myself with nice massage and a lovely facial from the spa. I was also impressed at the artwork around the ship (the Viking tapestry wallpaper on the staircases amazed me....I had to touch it too see that it was wallpaper) and the book Viking made up to explain it all. One of the things that always put a smile on my face was going into the public restrooms and hearing beautiful chirping birds piped in! Such a great memory and so glad we enjoyed this Viking experience. Read Less

We celebrated our 45th and wanted the best for this event. Great cabin and fabulous cabin stewards. The entertainers were awesome, especially Matthew. Bartenders were total service and personable, especially Carlos and CJay. Interesting excursions and we had a wonderful time in each port. The food!!! Oh my, we didn't have anything that wasn't fantastic. My husband was especially happy about the Alaskan King crab legs, we went for those, then went for a drink At the Explorer's Lounge for drinks, then to dinner. Our favorite dinner was the Chef's table Mexican night. Loved Ivan for wine and Mario for service! The spa was wonderful and we ended up getting massages which is just what we needed after all the excursions. Excellent masseuses! Cruise director, she was amazing. "See you around the ship." Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the reputation of Viking cruise line and the itinerary. The Jupiter is a magnificent new ship, with soothing, understated, but beautiful Scandinavian decor. I actually liked the lack of "glitzy" finishes. My favourite part of the ship was the Winter Garden, where tea is served every day at 4 p.m. I am not someone who goes to tea, but I chose to sit in there to read because of how beautiful this space is. We had a verandah stateroom on the 8th deck and it was beautifully and thoughtfully appointed. Our stateroom attendant, Precious was so conscientious and kept our stateroom immaculate. The food on the ship is good and sometimes excellent. We opted for the beverage package and were glad we did because we didn't think the wines offered with the basic cruise fare looked very appealing. The service from many of the restaurant staff was excellent overall, but we did experience inattentive service from time to time. While we are not focused generally on entertainment while onboard, we did see a number of the shows and thought they were superb and just the right length. More than anything, I was impressed with how efficiently the ship's crew dealt with everything from the mandatory emergency drill to getting everyone off and on the ship to and from excursions. I loved how the emphasis, stated at the beginning of the cruise, was not to be intrusive and, therefore, to limit announcements which reach the staterooms to those which are critical. We have been on another cruise line on which announcements were made constantly which reached the staterooms and it was beyond annoying. Read Less

We always wanted to cruise the Baltic Sea with the timeframe and ports identified. Viking was highly rated for service and luxury which was proven by others and now by us. Everything was incredible including the food and entertainment - we had so much fun and met so many people on this cruise. Some friendships will continue well after we have arrived home and unpacked . The staff was exceptional friendly and most courteous we absolutely enjoyed the entertainment in the Star Theatre and the classical music proved in the various areas of the atrium . In fact everything went smoothly ! We will plan to travel again with Viking and will not hesitate to do so. We were able to select additional excursions to add to our enhanced enjoyment. We especially enjoyed the Ultimate St. Petersburg experience with a very professional and first rate guide . Viking was exceptional providing everything in detail to make this a pleasant voyage . We will not hesitate to recommend this amazing trip to friends and our family. Read Less