We booked our flights through Viking and 2 days before departure, we were informed by Viking that our flights had changed from SAS to Lufthansa. (SAS gave us the same information 1 DAY before departure!) Times were very similar, we arrived :15 later than the SAS flight. The reason for the last minute change was due to an SAS strike. I mention this because when I tried to contact LF to select my seat, the airline said I had to do it at the airport. It was a bit stressful. I called Viking Air. They immediately jumped into action and got all our seats together! We were a party of 4. Great service by the Viking Air staff!

When we arrived at the airport in Copenhagen, there we Viking Staff available throughout baggage claim to help direct us to the busses. At the Pier, we checked in relatively quickly and our rooms where available right away. Our bags were in our room within an hour of our arrival! We made reservations for Manfredi's and The Chef's Table on line before sailing. During the 11 days, we were able to get into both restaurants a couple more times! We were not interested the the evening shows, so I can't really comment on them, however we did like Matthew, the guitarist who played :45 sets around the ship. Included shore excursions were OK. I think it was hit and miss with the tour guides and they tended to be larger groups than the optional excursions. The best optional tour we took was the Soviet Flashback in Estonia. Although I have to add that if you are more interested in visiting the old part of the city, you should do this tour in the AM instead of the afternoon. I would have liked more time in Estonia. We used Alla Tours for our 3 day St Petersburg tours. I can't say enough about them! Svletlania was a great guide for our 3 days! I would use them again and again! The service on the ship was wonderful. It was our first Viking cruise. We have cruised other large ships and have not received the same service as we did this last 11 days. Great job by all! Vlad, Alex, Vickie, Shelia. All FANTASTIC!