Wow! A happy medium between the huge ships that seem to dominate the industry on one end and the small super-luxury ships that cost much more on the other. The Viking Star (and its sister ships) offer plenty of onboard dining and recreation options and a staff that is clearly trained in personal service, provided in an atmosphere and scale that is a pleasure to behold.

The Viking Star has everything you'd expect from one of the world's newest cruise ships: high-tech customer interface, beautiful Scandinavian design, and a feeling that you will never want to go back to the 2000-3000 passenger experience. The Viking Ocean line also includes so many things we think of part of the cruise experience but which many (most?) lines price as extras: wi-fi, beer/wine, laundry, room service meals, basic shore excursions.

Another aspect that differentiated Viking is the focus on education rather than entertainment. They are genuinely interested in providing their guests with an experience that makes you smarter, not just happy. Our summer cruise included, for example, three talks by a former congressman about the state of politics in the US -- non-partisan and very educational. This is not a ship for children. Read more