Viking Star

Cruise was great, but the pre-cruise excursion to Iceland was not worth the money. Viking should have planned an excursion of some sort on the day we all arrived and made arrangements for us to get into our rooms early. We sat in the hotel lobby for over 6 hours with nothing to do until we were finally allowed into our rooms. Most of us had traveled overnight and were extremely tired.

The sites were fantastic. The ship was very good. The food was very good. The service was excellent. The shore excursions left a lot to be desired. Some were cancelled and the there was little concern by the on board shore staff.

Favorite part and the reason for selecting this one was the cities it stopped at to visit.  Improvements on this itinerary would be (1) Notify early on that a Gondola Ride would be available on the first evening in Venice.  Had a frustrating time trying to find out how we could get one on our own.  And then when it was announced on the website, it was more frustrating making a reservation as it indicated space available but wouldn't accept the credit card.  Finally, after numerous tries, we were confirmed.  (2) Included excursions/tours were not very desirable.  When Florence is listed on the itinerary, one would expect an included tour there.  The included tour of Toulon was a waste of time.  We bought more excursions than anticipated.  It was a very good cruise but recommend not going over Easter weekend as the crowds are overwhelming; example, impossible to walk through the streets of Corfu on Good Friday.

This was our first small ship cruise. We enjoyed be able to move around easier because of fewer people on board and hardly any waiting lines. Also enjoyed not being asked to buy something all the time i.e. Photos, drinks,art etc. The ports on this cruise were outstanding and the included tours were good.We took three optional tours that were excellent. The service was great by the crew. We did feel like the gratuity was too high $15 per day per person ,based on the price we payed for the cruise. Viking should be able to lower the gratuities with out taking anything away from the crews pay. We did appreciate the upgrade on cabin. The Viking air cost too much, was not good connections and we paid $100.00. each for flight deviation and lost a transfer we paid for in the process.

The onboard experience was excellent...the food, the service and especially the staff were the best.  All dinning areas were excellent, The Restaurant, Manfredi's, The Chef's Table and the World Cafe buffet.