An itinerary just going to Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia maybe along with Bari or one of the other Eastern Italian cities would be preferable. Maybe a day in Venice, but I know that is not really feasible
Embarkation
5 out of 5
No line at the embarkation check in - on the ship within 20 minutes of arriving
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We were surprised that the Explorer's Lounge did not have champagne at all for the first two nights and during the rest of the cruise had an inferior champagne. After asking at the Aquavit Bar, it wasn't in stock, but the bartender quickly found some and kept a stock for us the whole cruse. The onboard wine tasting was excellent. We always had lunch at the Pool Grille (tuna) but carried our plates to the Aquavit terrace. Tip - if you tell the bartender that you are eating inside, you get your wine in a glass glass. If you say you are eating outside you get your wine in a plastic glass. Maybe I'm a snob, but champagne is much better from glass than plastic. Nothing stops you from taking your glass outside if you want and if you need a refill they bring the bottle to the table. We had dinner at the Chef's table 3 times, always quite good. We had dinner at the Restaurant 2 nights, food was fine, but the first time it was full and with a restaurant full of Americans (we are too) it can be deafening. Secret is to eat later when it is calmer.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Fitness center every morning, attended all port talks and resident historian talks - all were great, resident Historian Ed Judge was superior. CJ the excursion director gave very good info - much better than our last ocean cruise.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We attended all except one of the stage shows - the best was a new show called Stage Door accompanied the the Viking Band pianist. The cruise director, Damian Sollesse was super at his job and did a solo performance which was outstanding. The Viking Band was great, but we had a hard time staying up for more than the first 30 minues of their Torshaven performances
Children's Programs
No kids allowed on Viking although some local kids with their parents were invited to eat lunch in several ports.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room stewards were superior, but at the same level as the last Viking Cruise. Bartenders in the Explorer's Lounge were somewhat unfriendly and just doing their job. Wait staff was friendly and helpful. Wine stewards at the Chef's Table were knowledgeable and well informed.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Layout is typical Viking, although where the Neptune had a wok station at the rear across from the Aquavit Bar, the Star had an entrance to the kitchen. The Star is due for refurbishment in the next year and it needs it. Many furniture items were worn, and our Junior Suite has a somewhat musty odor (my wife has a very sensitive nose) but she noticed it each time we entered the room
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Other than the worn furniture, curtains (one of the blackout curtains had a small hole in it) and the wood floor needed refinishing. The outdoor furniture on Deck 8 was nearly worn out.
Ship tip
If your are getting on the elevator in the bow and you see someone coming from Deck A with papers in their hand, might think twice about getting on the elevator with them
Could have skipped that stop with no problem - we went to an olive mill and vineyard - OK, but nothing really special. Did not see Olympia but that was because we did not take the included tour.
Uncrowded, beautiful town. Beautiful approach through narrow scenic channel' I could live there. We made the walk up to the Chapel of our Lady of Remedies (600 steps) and prayed that we would make it down. No chance to make it up to the fortress (another 800 steps)
The dock is in an industrial area, but that has it's good points. We could sit outside on the Aquavit Terrace and watch container ships being loaded and unloaded. The city made the dock very accessible by installing an elevator to take people to the main town level.
We docked at Fusina and loaded the bus at about 6:30 to make a 12:30 flight at the airport. I think the ordinary immigration and customs control station is not open at that time, so we had a 30 minute drive to the airport. Early arrival at the airport means that none of the check in desks are open, but we were lucky to be in a priority line and we asked the agent if we could get on the 9:30 flight. She said yes but we would have to go back to the ticket counter to get rebooked. The only thing hard about that is that the ticket counter serves all airlines and has two agents. No line, so we were rebooked/reticketed and sent back to the check in agent. No problem there and the lounge is nice enough.
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