The cruise was wonderful. The information we were given did not make it clear that Athens and Rome are not actually where the ship is docked. Having been to both Athens and Rome on prior trips, we understood that, but some of our passengers were a little confused that the ports were a good distance from the cities. Most of our ports were amazing. We were disappointed in Messina. There was not much to see in the city. I suppose the optional trips were better than the city tour. Overall, the itinerary was good. (Too bad the day at sea was so turbulent!)
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The embarkation was very well organized and did not take very long to complete.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We primarily ate in the World Cafe (buffet), but also had a meal in the restaurant and at the pool care. The buffet was so good, with a wide variety of options, that we found ourselves returning.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The only entertainment options we encountered were the on-board musicians in public spaces. As professional musicians, attending concerts on a vacation is not something we run to. For some reason, we always seemed to have another activity when the historian or port talks were scheduled. We could not find the recordings of historical/cultural/port talks on our cabin television.
Children's Programs
There are no children on board. The ship has a minimum age requirement of 18.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All the staff we encountered were very friendly and skilled at their duties.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was lovely. The ship looked very large and we were a bit afraid that we would be on one of the mammoth cruise ships crowded with passengers, but with the small passenger size there was no sense that we were crammed on a ship. It seemed relaxed, calm and quiet while having a variety of amenities.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin did not seem small or cramped, except at the end of the bed where the space was a little tight. The bathroom is laid out well with plenty of storage space.
Piraeus is not really Athens. We took the excursion to Delphi. The drive was long, but scenic. The provided meal was wonderful. Our guide was informative. She did keep telling us to come in and get closer. This was a bit awkward since we were still trying to keep social distancing.
Our trip to the Palace of Knossos was wonderful. The trip was a little on the long side, but worth the drive. The provided meal was great. Our guide was knowledgeable, but did tend to keep us standing in one place for quite some time while she explained things. I think her pacing could have been better. You could tell members of our group were getting restless.
Civitavecchia is just a port. It is not really Rome. We believe it should be made a little clearer that Civitavecchia is pretty far from Rome. We extended our stay in Rome on our own, since we had visited Rome recently. We did not need to take an extension from Viking. The cruise we were on ended at Civitavecchia and did not go to Rome at all.
We took a shuttle from the port to the train station. The availability of the shuttle was not in the disembarkation information. We only learned about it when we called to ask how to get to the station.
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