We chose this cruise because of the excursions that were offered, and because Viking had postponed our planned 2021 Homelands cruise due to Covid and we were getting really antsy to sail. We are SO glad we did! The ship was only about half full, as cruising was just getting underway after being shut down for 2 years. That made it feel almost like a private cruise! We had daily testing and mask wearing, and no one could venture out on their own unless they were with a Viking excursion. These inconveniences were well worth it. It was a great trip. Viking and Norway treated us like royalty! Everyone was so glad to be cruising again, and to have tourists visit their ports, that they practically fell all over us to welcome us. The passengers on the ship were great, too - very friendly and down-to-earth. We had a PV1 cabin which we chose for stability and getting to choose optional excursions before they sold out. The food and service in the World Cafe and Restaurant were fantastic as usual, the local tours were some of the best we've ever had, and the optional excursions were great: hunting for the Northern Lights (we saw them two days), dog sledding, reindeer sledding in a Sami camp, snowmobiling, ice hotel, and much more. The lectures were great, and I learned quite a bit about the Vikings. Viking even arranged for us to visit two stores for shopping in Tromso. I'm not sure we could find any better set of excursions for those of us who want a lot of adventure, even if it was cold at times. In Norway they say, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." So we dressed in layers and brought our parkas, and except for standing outside waiting for the lights to appear, the cold and ice were tolerable, even to us Nebraskans who are used to this kind of weather. The only disappointment was missing the Shetland Islands port due to high winds. Kudos to Viking for putting together this once-in-a-lifetime trip, which made us devoted fans. Our 3rd ocean cruise and 2nd river cruise are scheduled for 2023.