We wanted to get an overview of the Nordic countries. I had been in the US Merchant Marine and sailed the Baltic many years ago. My wife is Dutch, so that most of our European trips have been to the Netherlands, France and England.

We selected Viking because of praise from many of my academy classmates. Since Oslo wasn't on the itinerary, we spend two days there prior to taking the train from Oslo to Bergen (a trip that I highly recommend), and spent an overnight in Bergen prior to boarding. The boarding was effortless and welcoming.

The ship was well planned. Although there were over 900 passengers, we never felt crowded. There were many nooks where you could have private conversations, play games or read. Read more