We accompanied my wife's sister and her husband on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Once we got through Passport Control at the Venice Airport, a series of friendly Viking representatives shepherded us to the waiting shuttle bus for the ride to the Viking Star. Check-in on the ship went smoothly, and it wasn't long before our luggage joined us in our cabin.

The Viking Star is a beautiful ship. The public areas are well appointed, with comfortable seating in small groups conducive to conversation. Our cabin was very nice, with plenty of power-points for our electronics. Not that we spent much time there when we weren't sleeping. The only negative about the cabin, which was very near the front on Deck 5, was a large spotlight hanging down from the deck above - it blocked some of the view toward the front, from the cabin and veranda. But we still had great views directly to the side.

The food was excellent. We were able to eat in the Chef's Table four times, and Manfredi's once. It was fun to try dishes at the Table I probably would not have, otherwise. I wouldn't want to slight the other dining options, as food was excellent in all of them. The entire food service crew made dining a pleasure. Even on night in the Chef's Table when the food wasn't coming up from the galley as promptly as in normally did. Our servers kept us apprised of the situation, and did everything they could to make the wait more bearable. Read more