Viking Rolf

Our whole experience from start to end was exceptional. We chose to do a pre-extension in Amsterdam and it was great. Viking was there to meet us at the airport in Amsterdam, they took us to the hotel. We were at that Okura and it was a first class hotel. Very clean, modern, and wonderful service. The location was convenient to everything. On the day of the cruise, Viking took us to the ship and we were greeted and escorted to our room. The room. Once underway, we were surprised how quiet and comfortable the ship was. At each port the process of disembarking was organized and went smoothly. Our tour guides were very informative and friendly. Onboard the service was exceptional, every member of the staff was friendly and professional. The food was very good and we enjoyed meeting fellow passengers. We enjoyed traveling on Viking, and will do another trip on the future.

The itinerary was tops! Relaxing cruising on the river Seine, Paris by day and another visit by night! Visit to Monet's Garden at Giverny was absolutely fabulous while paying homage to WWII memorial on the Normandy beaches was a most emotional encounter. We enjoyed walking tours of the quaint towns and charming villages along the river Seine as well as the palaces and summer retreats of French kings and emperor. I would say it was an equally relaxing and exciting vacation.

Staff were excellent. Certainly spoil the passengers at every opportunity. Meals were excellent. Cabins worked out great and cabin service was excellent. Viking provided the best tour/cruise experiences I have had. Had done one previous Viking cruise and was very pleased to experience their consistent high quality of performance. I was particularly impressed that Viking provides for a wreath ceremony at the American Cemetery (an emotional event for many) during the Normandy Beaches tour. It was exceptionally well done by the ship’s Program Director.

Good cruise. Weather at end was mostly cloudy and this negated the great scenery that we had hoped for in Lucerne. This will be minor to many folks but it just bugs me to the point that we probably will not take another Viking Cruise. We will cruise with their competitors. The issue was one of drink pricing. A vodka tonic was $8.50 (high but ok) and a shirley temple was $10.00 (ridiculous). I went to guest services to explain that a shirley temple was a non-alcoholic drink and the pricing should be less than the vodka tonic. Guest services indicated that the pricing was set by headquarters (not sure this was true since we had to explain to crew how to make one) and could not be changed by them (another pet peeve - no ability to correct an error by the staff actually working with the customer). So Viking can keep on charging $10 for their shirley temples and we will sail with other cruise companies.

Generally the small towns on this cruise are not particularly worthwhile to visit.