i wanted to check out these northern European countries as i'd never been before. we lucked out and the weather was better than expected. Viking was organized, the food was great and plentiful, service great. My only 'complaint' was that the trip cost more than we expected. many of the included tours were 'sold out' and we checked in to get tours as soon as tours were available. that being said, some of the tours we paid for were well worth it as we got to see areas we wouldn't have normally seen on a cruise. we were pleasantly surprised with the level of entertainment we experienced each evening--the staging, singing and dancing were very entertaining. and we enjoyed going to the nightclub each evening to listen to music. we used the spa 3 different times and were not disappointed in the services, especially the massages. and of course, never minded doing some shopping on board, as well as in the individual countries.