This was our second Viking cruise. The first was from Switzerland to Amsterdam a few years ago, and it was wonderful in all respects.

The Paris to Normandy cruise was not as good. No issue with the room, which was nice and well maintained (except for difficulty flushing the toilet). The onboard entertainment was sparse but of good quality, the ports of call were interesting, and the excursions also were fine and well run. However, the ambiance on the ship was bland, the staff was not particularly ingratiating, and the food was certainly nothing special. Nothing was dramatically bad, but it was not particularly welcoming or positive, and certainly not up to the standard set on our prior cruise.

Now that we are a few months removed from the cruise, I realize that it just was bland and not exciting, although Normandy was moving and the excursions along the way were enjoyable. Read more