We have traveled with Viking before, on a river cruise, but this was our first ocean cruise. We spent several days in Venice and Rome before embarking and several days in Barcelona after disembarking. Once on the ship, we found the staff courteous and helpful, the food delicious, the excursions well-executed. We liked that the cabin was larger than the one on the river cruise. Our stewards attended to our cabin several times a day. We did lots of walking on our shore excursions and enjoyed relaxing by one of the two pools on our return to the ship. We enjoyed eating in the several restaurants and meeting with friends in the lounge or going to a show afterwards. The ports we visited from Rome to Barcelona -- Livorno, Monaco, St. Tropez, Marseilles -- were beautiful. We tell everyone how great Viking is. We are already planning our next cruise!