We chose this cruise in 2019 and waited until 2022 to take it as we wished to travel when most, if not all, of the Covid-19 restrictions had been lifted. We only had been on one other cruise, a Princess Line Cruise to Alaska six years ago, so I have very little to compare this one to.

Our first experience with a Viking Cruise was in the airport at Amsterdam, where the people meeting us were easy to spot, helpful with all our concerns as novices, and efficient in moving all the people to where they needed to be without making us feel hurried. We landed at our port early, so we had a little wait before boarding the ship, but we were given refreshments while waiting in a comfortable room, and directed to the boarding process line in small, numbered groups, so we did not wait in a long line as we did on our previous cruise.

Our cabin was roomy and well-appointed. The bathroom and shower were large for a cruise ship, and the balcony was a definite benefit of the smaller ship. We thought the size of the ship was perfect -- larger than a river cruise ship which holds under 200 people and smaller than most ocean cruise ships which hold thousands. We had about 800 people aboard. It never seemed crowded. We never stood in any lines, and always found seats when attending musical entertainment or listening to speakers. The food selections in the International Cafe were fantastic, both in number of items offered and in their preparation, presentation, and taste. We ate dinner in the restaurant, where everything we ate was absolutely phenomenal. The portions were not huge, but the quality more than made up for that. We also made reservations to eat at the Italian restaurant and in the Chef's restaurant, where the five courses are predetermined for all diners that evening and served with wine pairings at each course. Read more