A friend suggested it because it was new and had an interesting itinerary. I had been on a Viking tour of China so was familiar with the company. I was very impressed. The ship is lovely, the service is excellent, wine with lunch and dinner was included and was very good and generously poured and the places we visited were interesting. I liked the entertainment and the lounges. We were in room 4094, a medium priced choice. Very nice and quiet as well. We ate in both specialty restaurants - the Italian themed one was very good - as well as in the dining room and the buffet. We were able to eat some lunches and dinners out on the deck and that was very nice. When I got back home I told all my friends that I wouldn't go on any other cruise line besides Viking. The good news is that they are building a lot more ships in this same style!