We are experienced travelers, but have always flown to our destination and then set out to explore by car, train, bus or foot. Wanting to visit Scandinavia but leary of the huge cruise ships with casinos and all night action, we read up on Viking and decided to try the Viking Homelands cruise which also included ports on the Baltic. We included a pre trip which started in Oslo and took us to Bergen via the Bergen RR. If you have a chance, take the Bergen RR, a 7 hour scenic trip across Norway, climbing into the mountains. The scenery is breathtaking. The transfers to and from plane to hotel to ship were seamless.

Embarkation was a breeze. What is loved about Viking was first and foremost the staff, so friendly and can't do enough for you. I'd no sooner sit down somewhere and staff would be there to ask if I needed anything. And there are so many places to sit and relax on the Sea. Sometimes you feel you are on a cruise with maybe a dozen people, rather than 900. The Explorer's Lounge at the bow of the ship is a lovely and quiet place to relax and watch the ship head in or out of port. The restaurants are all good, but we loved the World Cafe the best as it is buffet style and one can sample different foods, without having to try a full portion. (Loved the gelato station!). Wine and beer are free with meals and we found other drinks to be very reasonable. There is a walking/jogging track around the ship which we made good use of, and my husband used the gym and sauna every day. I enjoyed the sauna pool, especially after a long day of walking. We both had massages which were excellent, and I had a lovely manicure. We regret that we didn't get to see much entertainment (Don't miss Cruise Director Heather Kelley, she is fantastic!) as we were quite tired from our daily port tours. We will try and see more shows next time. (Must learn to pace ourselves better.) We were actually glad there was a sea day so that we could unwind and make more use of the ship's many amenities. There was a wide variety of port tours and we took advantage of almost all of the included ones and also many of the optional. We had no regrets on tours and I highly recommend them. Normally we tour on our own in cities, but we found that the local tour guides were so knowledgeable that we learned much more than we could on our own in such a short time frame. The included tours were usually an overview of the port's highlights by bus or on foot, so afterwards you could stay on and explore more or go on an optional tour to another area. Staff (including senior staff) were always on hand to see you off the ship each day and welcome you back with hot towels. It reinforced the feeling that the entire staff is aware of and responds to the guests' needs.

Highlights: Edvard Munch's The Scream in Oslo. The Bergen RR and later the view at the top of Bergen City by tram. Pulpit Rock cruise and views of the fiords. Gdansk and Tallin were surprisingly beautiful old world cities. Storks in their nests on chimneys in Poland. The Amber Room and Peterhoff fountains in St. Petersburg (booked 2 day tour independently through Alla Tours and saw everything! They we're wonderful!). The art museum in Skagen, Denmark and the canal tour of Copenhagen. The quaint tea shop in Porvoo, Finland. The beauty and cleanliness of Stockholm (take the hop on hop off boat) and the spectacular Vasa Museum (a must see)! We did not do the post trip Stockholm, but wish we did. You need at least 2 to 3 days to really see this lovely city. We were so pleased with our experience that we booked another Viking ocean cruise for next spring, and are set for our first Viking river cruise on the Rhine this fall. It's such a beautiful world, I hope I live long enough to see more of it!