Viking did an amazing job. Was it perfect? No. Was it above expectations? Absolutely! This was a belated 40th anniversary celebration and it was obscenely luxurious-- fit the bill!

Ship: Flawlessly beautiful, smooth, and gracious. From the Explorer's Lounge with loads of glass to the tip of the infinity pool and from the window seating in Manfredi's to the Deck Nine ports area, the views were great and the amenities wonderful. The piped in sounds of birds in some of the public area bathrooms were a bit surprising at first. Our stateroom (Penthouse Veranda) was HUGE and had a wonderful outdoor space. Wishes: I wish there had been a few more places to sit in the comfortable lounge areas with feet up after a long day. The few wing chair/ottomans combos were snapped up immediately! Also wish I had realized they have to drop the water level in the infinity pool while underway. No pics of me "swimming" in the Baltic with the water flowing over the top of the glass. Oh darn.

Food: Incredible. The best were the surprises like Shanghai dumplings (as would be served in the Chef's Table) and specialty pastas (as would be served in Manfredi's fine Italian rest. ) showing up on mini-plates at World Cafe (buffet rest.) at lunchtime. If you kept your eyes open, the World Cafe was sometimes a sneak preview of the best dinners to come. Amazing Ravioli with lemon sauce. Sounds mundane, tastes unbelievable! Chef's Table fixed menu (every 5 days) great for foodies and wine lovers. Manfredi's is very popular for good reason: fine Italian food, impeccable service, and no huge plates full of red sauced spaghetti. The real deal for fine Italian-- EXCELLENT food. No extra cost for ANY restaurant. Make reservations early once on ship for popular nights, like last few days! We got everything we wanted just by asking, including our favorite window seat at Manfredi's. Oh, room service took no more than 5 min when we ordered (also free), though our requests were not "cooked" items. Read more