This was our first cruise, and we are sure we have been spoiled by the amazing staff, ship, and destinations! From Barcelona to Venice, we enjoyed our beautiful ship, variety of activities, entertainment and lectures, shore excursions, and (of course!) dining. Our cabin was much larger and more luxurious than expected. We experienced a couple of minor issues with excursion destinations (no fault of Viking or our guides) but overall, we were quite satisfied and happy with the level of expertise of each of our guides, the information provided, and the selection of activities from which we selected our shore excursions. The staff always greeted us with a smile (and sometimes a glass of champagne!), and our deck assistant was pleasantly responsive, gracious, and eager to make our cabin as comfortable and extraordinary as possible. The food and included wine selections surpassed our expectations, so we were thankful for the fitness machines and fitness class options offered. We enjoyed a couples massage, and I splurged for one of the best manicures of my life onboard -- thank you! In all, we would recommend without hesitation Viking ocean cruises, and most especially, the lovely Viking Star. We hope to book a river cruise soon! Viking, you have us hooked!