We chose Viking because it offered a Baltic cruise and the Viking Ocean Cruise reviews were so good. We had an amazing cabin, the food was excellent, we enjoyed a couple of lectures and a concert on board. The ports were pretty much what we wanted, though I could have skipped Helsinki and a third day in Saint Petersburg would have been nice. We loved having our laundry done for us, a benefit of our cabin. I got tired of loading on and off buses, but I guess that's a necessary evil. Most "extra" excursions involved lunch and at first I thought I'd rather see more of whatever city we were in. But the restaurants were excellent and dining with others gave us a chance to get to know other cruisers. Two excursions involved hokey "Viking" actors and I could have done without that. I was super Impressed with how gracefully Viking helped cruisers with mobility problems. I was surprised at how old the vast majority of the cruisers were and that virtually all were native English speakers.