We truly enjoyed our cruise but were very glad we brought along three things: a deck of cards, raincoats, and our dear friends.

The ship, staff, and food is all great. The itinerary was fine. The problem we had was at just over 50 years old we were the second and third youngest on the ship (a daughter who went with her parents beat us for youngest). By far. This meant that all excursions were with a more “senior” group-lots of bathroom stops and endless questions. Please, please, please Viking-have an app for each city so that not everyone has to be in groups. This is not difficult nor expensive technology! This also meant meals and entertainment was always with “seniors”. Believe me when I say by 9pm (no typo) the ship was asleep! We got to know the excellent bartenders. They could not have gone out of their way, been more professional, or more fun. Besides the tulips they were the highlight! We had ordered the beverage package (order before you leave US or it is more expensive) so the bar tenders knew us well. There was nothing they wouldn’t get us-even at dinner they brought wine “they thought we would like better and enjoy”. Terrific.

Unfortunately, we were not docked in downtown Amsterdam. We were about 15 min away in at a very industrial dock. So much for the view from our veranda! However, this also was a hassle for us because we like to do things on our own (a huge shock to the crew who could not believe we would rent bikes, see the tulips, go to dinner, go to Belgium all on our own). This meant cabs or taking the shuttle bus offered. Not convenient but it is in your brochure literature- not that that makes you feel better when spending so much money on a cruise. Read more