We were impressed with Viking from our River cruise and decided to try their new Ocean cruise. We liked the small ship with only 930 passengers compared to those jumbo ocean liners. Amenities on the ship were more than adequate, especially at an age when mega pools, water slides and climbing walls are a thing of the past. Our cabin was exactly the same as the river cruise with a veranda that we now consider a must. Our room steward was always there when needed and invisible when not. Buffet meals were carried and very good. Service in the restaurants was excellent but unlike the river cruise, the wait staff shifted around so we did not have the same servers every time we ate.

We had just one port were tenders were required which also was good. The itinerary included 11 stops and only one full day at sea. As with the river cruise, the included excursions were well organized and interesting. Most of the stops required bussing into the city. But all were on time and comfortable. The service on board was as good as the Viking service on the river cruise. Some of the added excursions were excellent, especially the two day " Ultimate" St. Petersburg tour which was enough to have us wanting to return someday. Of course like any cruise one day in some of these cities is never enough. One small issue was the lack of a bursar so that with so many currencies we were forced to use euros in places that did not take credit cards and suffer poor conversion rates. We extended our stay in Stockholm and would highly recommend it to avoid the confusion and some early disembarking times. The service from getting off the ship, to the added city tour to hotel check in and final transport to the airport was exceptional as was the service when we arrived the first day in Bergen, Norway.

The other travelers were similar in age and from a number of English speaking countries. The toughest were late teens traveling with parents and grandparents. Not much there for youngsters. Read more