We selected this cruise as a last minute getaway from the cold weather, the itinerary was very appealing and we had heard wonderful comments about Viking. The ship is beautifully decorated, spa is outstanding and cabin very clean. We did have a few issues, however, some of the dining was not up to par - fish overcooked, service slow, steak too tough, which are not huge issues, just disappointing. We found The restaurant to be quite loud - very hard to converse, perhaps the acoustics should be addressed. Our favorite was Manfredis - servers were wonderful and very nice menu. Entertainment that we experienced was top notch. Sad to say, the excursions were not what we had expected from Viking. A couple of the excursions were such a waste of time, taking away from the precious time you have at each island. Viking should be placing guests in tour groups according to mobility, as for those less able need to struggle to keep up and those quite able are spending a lot of time standing around. The cabin and balcony are rather small, we did not have an issue with the amount of storage, just the space. We did rearrange furniture to make the space more useable.( We do not have a lot to compare to as we have only experienced jr suite and suite on other lines) Staff were all very friendly and seemed to enjoy their positions. Is it worth the higher cruise fare? I cannot really say for sure - we did like the fact that there are no casinos and no children, no fighting for a lounger and a quiet environment.