We had been looking at Viking Cruises for a year before we went on this cruise and selected Russia because it is a unique destination. It was just my wife and I with no children. The crew was fantastic and we really felt cared for. I particularly enjoyed the various lessons that we had each day on history and the language. That was a great aspect for a country like Russia where we didn't feel we knew a lot about it before going. Now we really would feel a lot more comfortable there if we went back.

Food was excellent, in fact better than any ocean cruise we had ever been on. Excursions were very enjoyable and interesting. The Moscow and St. Petersburg excursions are longer and the days more packed with things to do, which was great, but we also very much enjoyed the small town/city visits where we had more relaxation time overall. We would have enjoyed more time to browse the crafts and local items available on many of the excursions but we also felt that if we hadn't been interested, the tour guides were helpful to some degree in keeping us unmolested. The shipboard tour guides were excellent and good people. We had a cabin with a balcony which was a reasonable size. The balcony was very usable for us on this trip because the weather cooperated so well, the temperature was crisp and cool most days and dry. Internet connection was adequate throughout the trip.

Overall, we loved the trip. The cruise exceeded our expectations particularly in terms of the service and the food. We will do another Viking Cruise in the future.