We will celebrate our 25th Anniversary this year so wanted to take a special trip. We chose this cruise because it visited areas (countries/cities) we wanted to see. Even though we went in the off season, weather was good overall and crowds were much smaller, making the sightseeing very enjoyable. We took some of the included shore excursions and chose a few that were extra. All were wonderful. We were especially impressed with the overall impeccable organization with which each excursion was managed. Buses arrived early, staff were early, every detail was managed without ever a hint of a problem. (If there were any problems at all, guests were never aware of them.) Loved cruising at night and awakening in a new port. Watched the sun rise over Monaco as the cityscape changed from the lights of night to a daytime vista. The sun first hit the mountain to the west of the city and traveled down into the city. The ship itself was beautiful, our stateroom lovely, the food choices and quality were terrific. There were many activities onboard that we did not check out but the ones we did were very enjoyable. We’ve done quite a bit of traveling though this is our first Viking cruise. It won’t be our last! The trip was really the best we’ve ever enjoyed.