We started off the cruise with two additional days in Rome. The hotel was situated in the diplomatic area of Rome and a convenient walk to many attractions. We embarked on Viking Sky and settled into our Penthouse Veranda stateroom which was very spacious. Our cabin steward made us right at home and briefed us on everything we needed to know. He took great care of us for the entire cruise. The ship is just the right size with plenty of amenities but not so big that you feel like a number. Dining in the main dining room and in the World Café was always excellent and our favorite specialty restaurant was Manfredis.

The itinerary included Rome, Naples & Pompeii, Heraklion Crete, Israel including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, The River Jorden, Nazareth, and Haifa, Limassol Crete, Rhodes Greece, Mykonos Greece, and Athens. With a few exceptions we selected upgraded shore excursions and were never disappointed. Our favorite was the two day Grand Overland tour in Israel. Our Israeli guide was fantastic and he provided us with a very balanced view of his country. The enrichment lectures were excellent as was the evening entertainment. The service was superb and it did not take much time for our wait staff to recognize us and remember our drink preferences. My wife and thoroughly enjoyed our first Viking cruise and have already booked a March 2018 transatlantic cruise ending in Barcelona Spain and the Grand European River cruise in July 2018.