Chose based on ratings and word of mouth remarks. Cabin was very nice and especially liked the heated floor in the bathroom. The staff were very pleasant and extremely helpful. The ports of call were very interesting and very picturesque. The evening talks before we arrived at the ports were interesting and informative and provided a great experience. The dining areas were very nicely appointed and the food was delicious. The staff were very attentive, friendly and extremely efficient. I especially liked the fact that in the evening after dinner we would go to one of the lounge areas for a nightcap and the staff always seemed to know what we wanted to drink. The only area that I was slightly disappointed in was the smoking area. The space was okay but there was no bar service nearby or no servers. If that is the only misgiving the cruise was a big hit. The only other dissatisfaction was the arrival at the airport and subsequent transportation to the hotel. We were walked through the rain to a water craft and had to wait some 20 minutes in our wet clothes for some other passengers to show up. Then upon arriving at the hotel about 10:30 am we were told we could not check in until 3:00 pm which meant we could not change out of our wet clothes and actually had no place to even sit during this time. I feel Viking should have arranged a hospitality room with enough seating.