We went on this cruise to se St.Petersberg and the Baltic. We added on three days in Iceland. The initial booking was a bit awkward as the software did not recognise the Isle of Man. A very helpful telephone call soon sorted this out. We booked the special two day trip in St.Petersburg which was fantastic and we were very lucky with most of our guides who were all easy to understand and gave a feel for their countries. Obviously some were better than others but we had few complaints and all trips were very well organised.

Iceland was fascinating again helped by a very informative guide. The only blemish on the whole trip was our departure from Iceland. We were told to meet in the lobby at 3-45 am for a 4-00am pick up. there were 12 of us . The pick up never came and the hotel had to arrange for some taxis at 4-30am to get us to the airport, This is not the first time something like this has happened and Viking need to address this problem.

The Viking Star is a superb ship. Our cabin was well designed and the ship never seemed crowded with plenty of different areas from a night club to a relaxed lounge and theatre to a swimming pool. The food was excellent. There was a good choice of restaurants. The Captain's Table was very good with a menu which changed every three days, Manfredi's was an Italian themed restaurant with a good selection of dishes and then the world restaurant which was our favourite with a good choice each day and some reliable regulars. There were also other outlets for snacks and drinks. You could upgrade for $250 for all day drinks but we did not bother. The house wine was of a decent quality and free with lunch and dinner. Read more