We have cruised previously with both Seabourn and Silversea, as well as Viking River and we chose this cruise because we had read superb reviews and we were curious about Viking Ocean. The Viking Sun is a beautiful ship with absolutely stunning common areas. Housekeeping and cabin service is superb. Everything is clean and shiny and new. The problem is that service elsewhere on the ship is inconsistent. In the specialty restaurant, Manfredis, service was flawless. But elsewhere, it certainly was not. Buffets are often the only option and lines are long and slow. The buffets are set up so that there is a very small serving area resulting in a single line for all. If the main restaurant is closed (or full, as it was for us on a few occasions), the lines get very long. Pool service was downright poor. It seems there are not enough staff members to provide nearly the same level of service you get on Seabourn or Silversea. While the entertainment systems in the cabins ofter lots of choices, the other amenities in the higher end cabins are disappointing in comparison to similar cabins on Seabourn and Silversea. The mini bar Viking advertises in many of their pricier cabins consists of a few airline bottles of cheap liquor, a few beers and sodas, and not much else. There are only a total of two glasses of any kind available in the cabin. There are things that Viking does very well, but overall, if you have sailed on Seabourn or Silversea, Viking really doesn’t compare.