We spent two nights in Barcelona before the cruise and two nights in Rome at the end of the cruise. Both cities have so much culture and good food. The Viking reps at the hotels helped set up excursions, gave us maps, set up dinner reservations. We have always been very pleased with Viking; this was our second ocean cruise with them. The staff on the ship was wonderful; our cabins were clean and comfortable; the food was delicious, as always; the excursions were informative and fun. We did a lot of walking, which is what we like. We used the gym on the ship three times, but we used to pool only once, because we were so busy on excursions and staying in town. We didn't see any entertainment for the same reason. We are already planning a river cruise for fall 2018 and an ocean cruise for 2019. We have been on three river cruises w/ Viking. We have never had a complaint w/ Viking, it is a wonderful company.