The Viking experience was our best yet. We took another company's river cruise last year and thought we had experienced the best until this cruise. While still on a fairly small ship, the Viking Star was elegant as she was equipped with the finest staff, cuisine, lodging, and excursion choices. We look forward to our next Viking cruise!!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Awesome- we arrived later as the port if about an hour from Davinci Airport in Rome. We were greeted by a friendly staff with champagne and smiles.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Every meal was an experience; we looked forward to what the next meal would bring whether it was in the cafe or explorer's lounge.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Played Scrabble in the library, visited the spa (the snow grotto was spectacular), enjoyed a deep massage, relaxed in the exporer's lounge coming in and going out of port with a delicious cocktail, walked the outdoor track with the views of what ever beautiful city we were in, danced in Torrshaven, enjoyed tantalizing meals in all of the restaurants including Chef's Table, Manfreddi's, and The Restaurant.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was personable and always surprising us with their memory of our names and choices of wine. I never saw 1 staff person not smile- they all were very professional and on the top of their game. We are very impressed with their overall service and attention to detail.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was the most beautiful vessel we have experienced. The decor, architecture, art, furnishings were something I wish I could have in my own home and made our experience with Viking so meaningful. The artifacts throughout the ship were like being in our very own museum.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We highly recommend a veranda even if the weather isn't fabulous as the ability to stand out from your room and view the scenery is second to none. Our bed was very comfortable as well as the design of the whole cabin. The bathroom was roomy; the shower was good sized and beautiful.
Ship tip
Take advantage of exploring all of the nooks and crannies as you will be amazed of all the surprises this ship has to offer. Also arrange a tour of the bridge; the staff was welcoming to us during our visit and went into great detail about the state of the art equipment that drives this beautiful ship.
We left early by train (quick taxi ride to train station) and met a guide that took us on a 6 hour tour of Rome. We saw the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, stopped for Gelato and Pizza to die for, and enjoyed the countryside of Rome back to Civitavecchia from the train window.
Next to Rome this was by far our favorite excursion. We had no idea what to expect from Pompeii- our guide was a local and was very well versed on the history and current city information. We took a bus to this indescribable place. The tour of Pompeii was enlightening, informative, and beautiful. We had time after the tour to hang out in the small town and enjoy the best pizza in the world. ( We tried pizza in every Italian city and by far Napoleon Pizza wins hands down- the secret is the tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil of Mt. Vesuvius)
Loved this darling town even though it was a dreary day we carefully walked the narrow cobbled streets up to the most beautiful castle and church. We enjoyed the local delicacies of Marsala wine, Sicilian Pizza, pastries made only in this town in a very tiny restaurant.
Unfortunately this tour was a bus tour of the city only letting us off to see the veteran's memorial at the top of the hill providing a beautiful view of this diverse place. It was very interesting to see the town and people-we would have loved to experienced a snack/meal and shopped a little in this city.
We took the tour and then were able to spend the afternoon in the busy city center. We enjoyed pizza at a little place standing room only. We would have liked a little more time on the tour to explore and shop on our own. The cathedral was worth seeing as there is still part of the Roman wall on the outside of the building.
We disembarked in Barcelona and opted to stay on our own for 3 nights. We highly recommend staying in this wonderful city as a pre-stay or post stay as there is so much to see here. Aside from all of the Gaudi architecture, Olympic Stadium, shopping in the city center one should take the day trip to Montserrat Abby 1 hour north of Barcelona. A small town built around a church nestled in the mountains- home of the Black Madonna and beautiful cathedral. You can opt for the 5 minute tram ride, bike, hike or train up the steep mountains of Montserrat.
We are used to packing our bags the night prior and stowing them in the hall way for pick up. Keep a few necessary items with you for the morning you leave. We had a quick breakfast and said our goodbyes. We were off of the ship early; the disembarkation was quick. We easily found our luggage and summoned a taxi to our Air B&B in Barcelona.
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