We decided to take the Mediterranean cruise because we wanted to see the ports of call (they ended up cancelling the Tunis stop which was very disappointing) especially Barcelona. We went there first for 5 days prior to the cruise...then flew over to Rome to catch the ship on our own. The embarkation area was very confusing and no one seemed to be able to help us when we first got to a Viking station. The meals in the main dining room (The Restaurant) were so bad, we only ate there 2 times and both times left feeling great disappointment with the preparation of the food and the service from the wait staff. We did enjoy the 2 specially restaurants but ended up eating all the rest of our meals at the World Grill. The included excursions were short (we rode on the buses almost as long as we were on the actual tour) and poorly planned. We felt that after paying so much for the cruise, we would just take the included tours...bad choice. The guides were limited in their knowledge of the ports and we had very little time to shop or explore on our own.

We have been on Viking River Cruises and loved them (have 2 more planned in the next year) but we will probably not go on another Ocean Cruise...trust me there is a big difference. The common areas never seemed crowded and the ship was beautifully appointed but the whole experience lacked the kind and friendly service we have had on the river cruises. We hope Viking is not getting too big too fast and leaving behind their personal service and attention to detail that we felt on our prior river cruises.