We had no intention of taking a river cruise. In fact, we had several other vacations planned for summer of 2016 - backpacking in the mountains, camping extensively, and canoe tripping in northern Canada. When my husband ruptured his Achilles tendon, all of our plans were cancelled and we started trying to figure out how to enjoy our summer. A timely brochure arrived in the mail and, before we knew it, we were on our way to the most amazing consolation trip anyone could experience.

Everything was outstanding - our veranda room was spacious and well appointed - we loved sitting on the veranda enjoying the view as it passed by. We were enamoured with the Aquavit Terrace and ate every single meal there. (I'm sure the dining room was lovely but, as you might have gathered, we're outdoorsy people :) ) The food was of exceptional quality and beautifully, expertly prepared. We purchased the Silver Service option and enjoyed a lovely selection of wines, beers and spirits.

The decor and ambience of the Viking Longships is excellent - we loved our time on board which was considerable given my husband's ambulation issues. There are SO many excellent shore tours included in the trip (we felt the whole thing was an incredible value) but we opted to stay aboard some days so my husband could rest his foot. Read more