It could not have been MORE wonderful! The ship is simply spectacular! The food was fantastic. Every area of the boat was beautiful. I am affected by beauty and this made me so excited that the love for it was almost painful. My favorite was the Explorers Lounge.. at the bow of the ship, with glass all around, sides and ceiling, so it felt completely open to the vast panoramas of nature and sky, with comfy chairs for front viewing, and fur throws on the sofas, and a 'fireplace'.. It was there that I had my berries and full cream (!!!) for breakfast, along with my cappuccino. Our friends had the other pure norweigan fare for breakfast there. And afternoon snack as well.. Our room was wonderful. Built with storage everywhere, including a bed that allowed the suitcase to fit under it. Very smart. Everything was put away, so the room was always neat. Another wonderful thing was the many lounges set along the all glass bulkhead facing outward, allowing for the fabled seagoing lounge with a book and a cup of tea as the sea passes by. And speaking of books, there are bookshelves everywhere, with a variety of books for every taste, free for your enjoyment. Really, I hated to EVER leave. The excursions were wonderful though. The highlights for us were the Norwegian stops.. A must see. And St. Petersburg of course. We were never rushed or crowded. The guides in each area were very good.The food was fantastic. We tried the restaurants and while they were wonderful, we preferred the World Cafe where you could choose from the large selection of regional dishes, The service was exceptional too. Everywhere. I would go anywhere on a Viking ship now. We have done 3 cruises on another very good shipping line that I thought was wonderful at the time, but Viking is so superior to that one that there is no question for us any more. This one cannot be topped. In anyway.