We have traveled extensively in our lives, for work and for pleasure, but there were still places at least one of us had not seen. . .including Venice, Dubrovnik and Athens! The Empires of the Mediterranean Cruise gave us a chance to experience several of our life-long destinations. Also, we had traveled already on a half dozen Viking River Cruises to our great satisfaction and we were curious to try one of Viking's' new "ocean" cruises. Of course the ship was beautiful, and meals in the various restaurants were outstanding. What amazed us was that, despite the 800 plus passengers, the group shore excursions retained a sense of intimacy (never more than two dozen in the tour). Never did we feel a sense of being lost in the crowd. Staff were as attentive as we have come to expect from Viking. And the entertainment on board was outstanding! Do not hesitate to sign up for Viking's new ocean experiences!