Although I had been on another cruise line before, which left me not wanting to go on another, my wife and I had heard so many great things about viking cruises we decided on this trip a year in advance. The flights were the most enjoyable ever and when we arrived in Bergen the embarkation was so easy and not at all stressful, unlike my other cruise where there were thousands of people crowed in a small space trying to hurriedly getting on board.

This time the embarkation team was the most polite I have ever experienced anywhere. Our bags, because we booked our flights through Viking, were delivered right to our cabin door from the airport, no need to drag them to the ship and check them in at the gate. Once on board, we were awestruck by the exceptional and fabulous decor that surrounded us. The crew greeted us as we entered the ship and the room crew met us at our door and told us that whatever we needed just let them know and they would get it for us. Our room was huge, compared to my other cruise, and plenty of space to put all the clothes we brought with us. As our flight was long and we were getting hungry, so we decided to go up to the World Cafe for an afternoon snack and were overwhelmed by enormous selection of food that was offered, all of it delicious. Every meal we had, whether it was in Manfredi's, the World Cafe, or the Chef's table or the Restaurant, were exceptional, with never a wait in getting our food or a table. As the number of passengers onboard were small, the ship never felt crowed. Getting on and off for excursion was very easy, as viking would get us into the theater depending on when our excursion was leaving, and then send us out an excursion at a time. The excursion groups were small,which made the trips very enjoyable, and the guides were excellent. While on board, we enjoyed the spa often. I especially enjoyed the Snow Grotto and sauna, which felt good to kick the day off or at the end of the day and it was never occupied by more than 6 or 8 people at a time. We met and enjoyed a lot of people during the cruise and had a great time at the shows, in the Torshoven. Overall this was the most pleasurable trip my wife and I have ever taken.