Chose this cruise primarily to see the Amazon River in Brazil, bucket list, if you will. Had a good experience on a Viking river cruise and looked forward to similar amenities and an older, mature passenger group. The cruise turned less than idyllic when we were delayed several hours leaving Barbados due to late supply deliveries to the ship. Up shot was that we did not make up sufficient time at sea to complete a planned port call in French Guyana, for which we had spent time and considerable money to receive required yellow fever vaccinations. Second disappointment came with the port calls on the Amazon, where each city was much the same with many areas of extreme poverty, drugs, gangs and crime. In Manaus where we had an overnight stay, the tour operator warned us not to venture into the town after 5:00P, because it was so unsafe that the local residents do not go out. There were also some very annoying aspects about the ship itself. Viking's hallmark description of "no casino, no kids" needs to be expanded with "no cover." If you're a smoker there is no cover underway from the elements, sun and rain, in the one and only designated smoking area (no bar service either). If you have a fantail cabin, like ours, the overhead deck provides essentially no relief from those elements, including the cabin stewards washing down the glass panels on the verandas above. As for service from the ship's staff, cabin stewards and bar people were attentive and friendly, but the dining room staff was not adequate to serve a full dining room without significant delays between courses (20 minutes plus) and getting the signature wine with dinner service took even longer. The food quality in the dining room was consistent, if not adequate, but not superior to the buffet selections, where we chose to eat most nights. With so many sea days we did take advantage of the onboard movie selections on many nights with multiple viewings and late morning sleep ins, which highlighted one last annoyance. Unlike many other ships we've sailed, where the daily message from the Captain and/or Cruise Director is only broadcast to the public spaces, the policy on the Viking Sea is to use the emergency system which broadcasts directly into each stateroom making for an alarming wakeup call. Haven't decided whether we'll spend the extra money for another Viking Ocean cruise, but we are booked to do another Viking river cruise this May.