This was our third Viking cruise and was the best yet. The ship was spotless, the crew genuinely friendly and helpful. Note that the busses used are exclusively dedicated to Viking excursions and the bus drivers are very skilled and safety conscious. Maneuvering through narrow European streets and on highways is a challenge and their drivers are up to the task. I was especially impressed by Viking's ability to seamlessly move passengers from ship to shore to excursion and back again. Embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly. Any problems that occurred were dealt with quickly and satisfactorily resolved. Everything was well organized.

I appreciate Viking's approach to not charging for every minor thing. On other cruise lines it becomes ridiculous to be charged for small incidental items (bottled water, for example) and so many things are "extra charge".

One small issue in Zurich: our excursion was to be a "gentle" walk through town. Unfortunately our local guide, Maria, was not willing to keep a slower pace to accommodate some of the older people in the group. This resulted in people falling behind and struggling to keep up. Despite several requests, she failed to slow her pace. Read more