We had heard great things about Viking Ocean cruises and we had always wanted to see Scandinavia and Northern Europe. The Viking Homelands cruise was our post-retirement celebration and it was well worth it! We saw 8 countries and 11 ports of call over 15 days. We saw historic cities we had always wanted to see such as Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Berlin and Copenhagen and we had three scenic stops in Norway before the cruise ended. The Viking Sea is an amazing vessel that for a small ship had everything and more---great public spaces and sitting areas; excellent and varied dining experiences; well prepared food with some regional specialties added at different times; great entertainment; experts on board to provide enrichment presentations on history, culture, and architecture of the places we were visiting; an outstanding spa including Nordic style hot and cold therapy; and an indoor/outdoor pool as well as an infinity pool looking off the back end of the ship! The staff from the housekeepers to waiters/servers to the officers were all friendly and approachable, always striving to provide excellent service. Many excursion choices at each port of call and both included and optional excursions were well done with excellent English-speaking guides. The stateroom was spacious and well appointed, and with a veranda, which is standard for all staterooms. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and will definitely be looking to go on future Viking ocean and river cruises! It was more expensive than some other cruise lines, but the entire experience was well worth it!
Stateroom was well appointed and spacious, with plenty of storage space. Veranda very nice, with table and 2 chairs. TV provided a number of different information and entertainment options. Bathroom was very nice with heated floors, plenty of storage room, and a nice shower.
Visited Viking ruins and museum. Saw "day in the life of a Viking" Excellent tour guide!
Took a self-tour of museum of natural history.