MY wife and I were on a Viking river cruise when we found out that Viking also did ocean cruises. The river cruise was fantastic; well managed, the accommodations were very nice, the food and wine was great, and the port tours were wonderful. That is a lot of superlatives, but all justified. We found the Mediterranean Odyssey cruise in our cabin catalogue and made an instant decision to try it. The ocean cruise was, if anything, even better than the river cruise. We like smaller cruise ships with fewer passengers. The Viking Jupiter is a very nicely appointed 900 passenger ship. It does not have all of the bluster and glitz of some other major cruise lines, no casino, shopping mall, roller coaster or rock climbing wall, just a very tastefully and thoughtfully designed ship. The room was very nice, the staff was both efficient and engaging, the food was great. The port tours were well thought out, and the times in port were generally longer than on other cruises we have taken, leaving plenty of time to enjoy additional time ashore on our own.

Viking does an excellent job of greeting passengers and facilitating airport transfers for both embarkation and return.