My husband and I chose a Viking cruise because it combined Paris and Normandy. We travel internationally at least once a year and have taken many cruises. Through Viking, we arrived three days early for an optional, pre-cruise stay. Although we stayed in a suburban hotel 30 minutes Metro travel time from the heart of Paris, it was a quiet, clean hotel close to Metro, train, and excellent restaurants. Viking has a desk at the hotel to answer any questions and to help guests plan optional outings on the optional days before and after the cruise. The Viking ship was only three weeks old. The staff was attentive and enthusiastic; the excursions were outstanding with excellent guides who spoke flawless English. The average age of the passenger was 60+, and most guests were seasoned, international travelers. There were two families on board with well behaved teenagers. Our only criticism is in reference to the cabin, where there are under cabinet lights shining 24 hours a day in the bathroom; we managed to cover them fairly well with a towel. I would suggest that travelers sensitive to light bring eye masks. One of the best parts of the cruise was embarkation and disembarkation. A Viking representative met us at the airport and quickly, efficiently took us to our hotel. On the day of our departure, our flight did not leave until four pm. We were allowed to stay on the ship for both breakfast and lunch. A van took departing guests to the airport, where a Viking representative guided us through the baggage check-in process and did not leave us until we were in the actual line to check in ourselves. On many other cruises, the included, round-trip air trip ended up with air connections too close together in time, our running from terminal to terminal, and then no assigned seats with our having to beg for seats together on the particular air trip. Viking leaves the traveler with wonderful memories.