This was kind of a last minute choice for us--the price was right and they threw in free air fair. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way and move on to the good things.

Our documents were sent in error to some address in Florida (we live in Virginia). My travel agent had to pay $35.00 to have Viking correct THEIR error! Having cruised since 1980 we have learned NOT to fly down on the morning of a winter cruise--too much stress over weather and mechanical issues so we always stay at our own expense at a hotel. Viking charged us EACH $100 for being responsible passengers! Boarding was supposed to start at 11:00 am so we got to the assigned pier (J) in MIA at 10:15. Turns out it was the wrong pier on the paperwork. We finally found the ship on the other side of the port. We got to the building and there was no one around--no porters, no Viking staff--only a couple of security guards and a group of travel agents being shown the ship. Not even any passengers. Finally we found someone in a Viking uniform and they managed to get us a porter to take our luggage. We got checked in and were placed in a room away from the check in desks. No one came to tell us they were checking in until some of us just wandered over there to see for ourselves. They had 4 agents and hundreds of passengers. So we tagged onto the end of the line and eventually more check-in staff came out. We got our key cards and got right aboard the ship. Once aboard it was truly a grand experience. The best thing about Viking is their outstanding choice of staff. They hire for personality and teach them the job. Everyone smiled genuine smiles and remembered our names and preferred beverages. Food was OK--nothing special except for the Beef Bourgenioun. Absolutely perfectly cooked. We were not impressed with the Chef's Table (too much foam on everything) but the Italian restaurant was quite good. I got a pedicure at the spa that was done very well by a personable young lady from Finland. Afternoon tea in the Wintergarten was a popular pastime--get there early to get a seat. Belize was an interesting port with a lot of shops but our favorites were Key West and Merida. We had been to Cozumel several times so we did not do much. The "free" excursions were pretty basic but many of our fellow guests raved about the additional cost ones and felt they were well worth the investment. One thing I would recommend to Viking--my spouse and I are both linguists and appreciate seeing the nation of origin on the staff name badges. All of the food and beverage venues were clean and attractive. It was mentioned to us that if the line for The Restaurant seemed a little daunting to fly up to Deck 7 to The Café and enjoy the exact same meal without the wait. Great idea. All in all I think we have a new favorite cruise line!