We have been on 4 river cruises with Viking but this was our first 'big ship' experience. The ship is large, yes, but it is WAY smaller than so many of the gigantic, super-glitzy ships now afloat. This was classy, all the way -- everything on that boat was beautiful. And the food was terrific. We made reservations for two of the restaurants but never honored them because we so loved the cafeteria selections on the 7th deck, both inside and outside at midday. OUTSTANDING food. We enjoyed gelato with every lunch and every dinner. The stops were gorgeous and the guides well-informed and helpful. We did have one slightly negative experience in St. Petersburg with a guide who took a little bit too much delight in the confusion about 8 of us experienced when he was not at the pre-determined meet-up site for our return to the ship. He knew a side route and took it, leaving several of us furious when we were hot and tired to begin with. And the guide in Stavanger moved way too slowly -- in the rain -- when we really needed to keep moving. The wonderful sound system could have been put to better use there -- loved the fact that we could her the information offered by every guide, even if we weren't walking right behind them. Our final day of touring was really delightful -- a trip to a stave church and a concert at Grieg's lovely home. Our one disappointment was the flight arrangements out of Bergen. We paid the extra to have them route us through London so that we could meet up with family. But when we went to board the flight (the first of two after a LONG day at the Bergen airport), we were charged for our luggage. That has never happened on any Viking flight before and we were startled. Otherwise, this was an unforgettable trip. Outstanding.