We arrived two days prior to embarkation and explored Venice. Spent another two days in Barcelona, after debarkation. Both embarkation and debarkation went very smoothly - best of all other cruise lines we have sailed on. We loved the cabin (explorer suite) and the great service provided by the ship's staff. This was the second Viking cruise we have been on. We are totally sold on Viking and their great service. The meal service, at all the different locations was excellent. We like the fact that it is not pretentious and that they don't "nickel and dime" you with side charges. Even though we sailed during the "rainy" season in the Mediterranean, we were very fortunate with only one rainy day on shore and one at sea. We also like the smaller sized ships which makes it more personable. We already made plans to cruise the Norwegian Fjords in 2020. We look forward to future cruises, both river and ocean with Viking!