Friends invited us to accompany them as they celebrated milestone birthdays. We were leery, as all our prior cruising had been at the helm of a sailboat. However we were more than pleasantly surprised not to have cabin fever and to let ourselves relax and be taken care of. The ship itself is beautifully appointed, the staff is incredibly helpful and impeccably trained, the food is fantastic, and the on-board enrichment is first-class. Not only did we learn about the countries and cultures we were visiting, but also the speakers were engaging and personable. From geology and oil to the history of the Russian revolution, the talks were both varied and enlightening. The one criticism we had was that the occasional odd port times did not lend themselves to enlightening excursions. For example, 6:00 am to noon in Gdansk was an odd hour and little was available. Nevertheless, we would definitely take another cruise onboard the Viking Star.