Viking's reputation was paramount to our decision. We actually booked both a 2015 river cruise and 2016 ocean cruise at the same time albeit had never traveled with Viking. Our 2015 cruise assured us our 2016 cruise would be memorable. We were not disappointed. Recognizing the ships are brand new, of course everything was in immaculate shape. Accommodations are very important to us and the crew worked tirelessly to keep everything clean and functional. Equally important is the quality of the food. Particularly enjoyed the options to either dine buffet style, casual restaurant or fine dining, all being inclusive in the price. However, absolutely most important is the staff. All the ship's staff were extremely well trained and entirely customer service focused. Anything you need, any time, any place, and they will assist. Ironically, the least customer service oriented personnel were the ship's captain and his crew. All their social interaction with guests, if any, always was strained or forced. As long as we arrived safely, I guess they met their job expectations, but certainly did not exceed such expectation.