My husband and I had been planning to take a cruise to Norway for quite some time and we finally decided that a Viking Cruise Line cruise would be the best option for us. Our experience with Viking was excellent. We met our ship in London where (because of it's smaller size) it was docked along the Thames River at Greenwich. Embarkation went smoothly and our stateroom was available to us as soon as we arrived on board. We spent the night on the ship and then took an included walking tour of Greenwich the morning of departure day. In all ports, Viking provides one included tour all were excellent with tour guides who were very personable and informed.

The Viking Sea is simply gorgeous. The decor is a relaxing palette of cream, beige and warm wood tones. We spent evenings with a glass wine as we relaxed in the living room area following a day of touring. There are several comfortable locations to sit and read undisturbed, though I would have to say that the ship never seemed crowded. Wine and beer are included during meals, however, drinks ordered at other times were not overly expensive. The house Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio were in the $6.00 to $6.50 range and they were very good. We did not order mixed drinks, so I am unable to attest to their cost and quality.

The meals were very good. The World Cafe buffet provided and excellent variety of well prepared foods and the wait staff were always friendly and efficient as they cleared tables quickly and readily refilled a wine glass. Three sit down restaurants, The Restaurant (the main sit down restaurant) and the two specialty reservation only restaurants, Manfredi's (focus on Italian), and The Chef's Table (with menu theme that changed daily) were all excellent. However, we found that there was often a 30 min to 1 hour wait for a table at The Restaurant during the peak hours 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Daily breakfast was served in both the World Cafe and The Restaurant. Both were very good. Read more