This was our first Viking cruise and my husband is not a lover of cruises. By the end he was a fan. I can't emphasize the great service enough. Everyone from cabin stewards to the maintance crew you might meet in the hall was friendly and helpful. The food was very good. Meet and Mingle: Since we only had 6 people for this meeting, we were invited into a private dining room off Manfredi's for dinner with two members of the crew. It was really a great dinner. The food at Manfredi's is good and the crew members were lots of fun. Restaurants: We really liked Manfredi's and The Restaurant. I was disappointed in the Chef's Table both in the food and the service. The Mexican menu was OK, the Scandinavian meal was not good at all. Although we had the Silver Drink Package, alternative wines were not offered when we declined a wine we didn't like. Pay attention to the advertised menu as that is all that will be available. In the other restaurants the staff always wanted to find what you wanted. We found the World Cafe to be a bit crowded and tended to not use it. Sandwiches (try the philly cheesesteak) at the pool cafe were good and that area isn't usually crowded. We used Room Service on mornings of excursions and was pleased. Mamsen's was good for a late breakfast. At The Restaurant you will be asked if you want a table for just your party or if you want to share. I encourage you to ask to share as we met many interesting people. Excursions: We really liked the Pulpit Rock Cruise. The boat ride was beautiful with several stops along the way and a stop for some delicious waffles on the way back. I would do that one again. The Flam Railway, although expensive and a long day, was well worth taking. I tried to find a way to book the railway separate from Viking but was unable to do it. The trip was very good. We Had lunch at a hotel restaurant on the way back and the food there was just fair. I'm glad to have taken the excursion but wouldnt repeat it. In Oslo we did the included tour and then, on our own, visited the Viking Ship Museum and the Nobel Peace Center. Dont miss the Nobel Peace Center! In Copenhagen we did the included tour and then walked around the city by ourselves. In both citied, you can easily see what you want without a tour. We didn't go into Berlin as we had been there for several days earlier in the month. Those that did go complained lots about the long hot train ride and seeing very little of the city. Be aware that you spend most of the day traveling. For the most part, we heard many compliments on added excursions from those who took them. Other than Berlin, I didn't hear any complaints. The included tours were mostly an overall view of the area. By the end, most of them seemed alike. My advice is to take them if you aren't taking an optional tour. We only had one bad experience where the tour guide was terrible and the a/c on the bus wasn't working. Others had great tour guides and were short enough to not feel as if you had lost the entire day. Many of the smaller ports begin to feel alike by the end of the cruise. Silver Drink Package: I really went back and forth and finally bought this the week before sailing. Although we don't drink lots, I didn't want to think about the cost everytime I ordered a drink. I would definitely buy it again. We were able to try lots of wines off the wine menu at meals (except at Chef's Table) and were able to specify what brands we wanted when we had a night cap. Before we left I saw a drink brand menu and didn't see Maker's Mark, our favorite brand. However, Maker's was there as well as several other brands not listed. Try Beluga vodka if you haven't already done so. It was a new brand for us but very good. The best coffee is at the Bar on Deck 1. Cabin: We had a PV1 cabin on deck 6. It was very roomy and had all ammenities we could ask for. I loved the heated bathroom floor. We used the balcony quite often. I might consider a less expensive cabin on a future trip but would try to get the highest deck possible. I suspect all cabins are very comfortable. I had though the alcohol in the mini fridge might be worth the upgrade but we never used it. Note that you don't need electrical adaptors. Before the cruise I had read complaints of not enough storage. We had plenty and didnt even use some of the drawers in the cabin. Laundry: I have had a laundry package on another cruise and missed it on Viking. However, twice we took laundry down the hall and it really was no problem. Sometimes the laundry with only 3 washers and dryers can get crowded. Entertainment: We went to several shows and really enjoyed them. However, Lorile's piano playing in the Living Room and other venues may have been our favorite. At night you will enjoy strings, piano, etc in many of the public areas. We found it better to tune in to port talks on the tv rather than live. We went to one "expert talk" and found it terrible. The others could have been good but we never went back. Overall: The trip was excellent. Even with over 900 guests, the ship really never felt crowded (other than the buffet at certain times). I will mention that the guests were an older crowd. I'm 66 and felt very young! We found many couples in our age group and enjoyed meeting many new folks but there were certainly a large number of older and less able folks on the ship. One thing to note is although thre was a staff member available to book another cruise there was absolutely no pressure to do so. You had to go to her office to do so and never felt any pressure to book. I will take another Viking trip in the future.