We chose the cruise because we wanted to see the fjords and enjoy some of the cities. Everything was excellent. Even though we booked our own airfare and arrived 2-3 days before the cruise began, Viking staff were there at the airport, recognized the tags on our bags, and were extremely helpful. This was true throughout: everything was extremely well organized; we felt very well taken care of throughout. It was great not having to worry about any logistics. Information about activities, embarkation, etc. was very clear, delivered to the rooms.

The cruise was rather sedate, which is exactly what we wanted. On a prior cruise we took, the loud speaker was always interrupting our peace, mostly trying to get us to gamble or spend money on something. We liked the fact that everything was included; we did what we felt like when we felt like it. I actually enjoyed the books that were scattered on shelves throughout the ship: I read an wonderful collection of short stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that I never would have encountered else where. Food was excellent; service excellent; ship was beautiful but not ornate--very Nordic in aesthetic, which we liked. Cabin was comfortable--bed was so comfortable that we realized we needed to replace our bed at home. Every detail of the cabin was well thought out. The excursions overall were great: we felt a bit rushed in one or two of them, but overall their timing and rhythm were good, the guides very knowledgeable.

We did explore Copenhagen before the cruise, which was great. It's a beautiful, interesting city, so it was great to explore it ahead of time. We plan to do that again on our next cruise. We also had time for a quick visit with relatives in Sweden. On the return, we also extended the visit one day--also a good idea. Read more