The ship is magnificent with the finest attention to detail. The crew was so attentive that many of them learned our names. I appreciated not being hounded by photographers and time by the pool could simply be relaxing with the roll back roof depending on the weather. There were plenty of times to simply ENJOY....the marvelous pianist, the stringed quartet, the band, the lectures. With this itinerary being very port intensive (only one day "at sea") there was not that much spare time, but we did manage to enjoy the marvelous Nordic spa complete with it's snow and ice room! What a treat!

Having included shore excursions at every port and no extra charges for using the spa, the two specialty restaurants, or having wine at meals was another plus.

The most special thing about the cruise to me was when all were invited to the Captain's Reception toward the end of the cruise This treat began with the beautiful singing of Nessun Dorma by one of the talented female vocalists. After words of gratitude from the very accessible captain, each staff person was recognized by group and paraded down the stairs in the beautiful atrium to more music and heartfelt applause. Passengers enjoy recognizing the staff but are only in contact with some of them. I really enjoyed seeing the people from the laundry or the ship's boiler room as well and felt that Viking must value all of its people. The cruise director was an added bonus and it was obvious that he was very knowledgeable of the itinerary and made people feel welcomed and valued at every turn. Read more