We chose this cruise because of a previous outstanding experience on a Viking River Cruise, the itinerary offered, and an excellent off-season price on a brand new Viking Ocean Liner (Viking Star). Our cruise was Barcelona to Barcelona for 15 days with 12 ports of call.

We love the Viking model of having an included tour in each port to use or not use and we did both. If you go to Naples, however, we would recommend taking the Pompeii Tour or somethings outside of Naples. Naples with all the graffiti was a huge turn-off for us.

Everything onboard the Viking Star is stunning. The décor, the food, the facilities. The food choices were amazing and varied enough to please any pallet. My wife is gluten free and has several other food allergies. The food service staff bent over backwards to insure she was well taken care of at every meal. In one instance the chef went ashore and bought special flour to fix her the lasagna they hadn't been able to give her two nights earlier. It was the first lasagna she had been able to eat in ten years and it was wonderful (I slipped a taste). Read more