Our cruise was a terrific learning experience! We try not to investigate the destinations so the we can absorb all of the details of the excursions and enjoy each location to the fullest. I choose this trip because I wanted to photograph the “onion churches” in Russia. Our travel to the initial port of departure, although a long journey, went without incident. It was the same for our return home. Our ship, the Jupiter, was fantastic! The staff could not be more attentive and helpful. Our cruise director and staff were very accessible. Our starboard cabin always seemed to be docked with the most spectacular views of each port. The housekeeping staff was delightful and always kept our cabin in tip top shape, even hanging up our clothing when we were in a rush to make an excursion. The restaurants and buffet had delicious offerings with local fare as well as standard choices. My husband enjoyed the never ending scoops of gelato! The entertainment was always fabulous and full of surprises! Opera, Elvis, and so much more! We enjoyed the shore excursions that we chose and hope that more can be enjoyed with the time allotted in each port (we would have liked to have taken one in the am and one in the pm, if possible). The evening port talks really helped us to plan for the excursion on the following day, i.e., footwear, clothing, rain gear, etc. We thoroughly enjoyed our Viking Homeland journey and will be a guest of Viking again some time in the future.