We chose this so we could end in Barcelona to spend Christmas there. Also I liked that I had never been to any of the cities that the cruise was porting and I wanted to have a child free experience.
This was my second cruise ever and so I do not have a lot of experience with other cruise companies or itineraries. My other cruise as to Alaska and on a large ship which was nearly 15 years ago and I swore never again.
However I am more than pleased with the cruise with Viking. Very small by comparisons but large enough that you do not see the same people over and over. The ship was very quiet and only announcement made in the rooms was the safety briefing. The rooms are small but well appointed. The cities where we ported were small enough to walk right off the ship and explore. Mainly you would wake up in a different city every day. Service on board was exceptional. The food was decent but they did not cater to special diets well. One woman I met was extremely allergic to milk and dairy and she said they had not milk alternatives like almond or soy milks. I am gluten sensitive and they were not that flexible.
The rooms are small and cramped. If you are a large person you may want to upgrade. The beds are very small. My husband and I are not large in weight but in height. We did a lot of bouncing off each other. I think they would better putting in a larger bed and taking out the two chairs. There are plenty of plugs and mirrors in the room. The closet is of decent size and the steward will bring more hangers if needed. The room steward was excellent - cleaned it twice a day which I told him he did not have to do but did. Always a full mini bar with non alcoholic drinks and chocolate. Anything you need it was there. Nice robes with slippers. Nice toiletries. Only thing to note is that the toilet paper on the entire ship is very rough. Probably so it can bio degrade but if you are sensitive be aware.
Loved this town. We decided after the previous day's tour to go it alone. We walked the old town and then went up to Erice on our own. It is easy to do. You can take a taxi from the port or the public bus right to the sky lift. Erice it beautiful especially at this time of year.
We did the included tour and booked another for the afternoon. Save you money and time. Not much to see here. The excursion was $150 and was not worth a penny of it. It was the Casbah tour with Bahia House. The Bahia house was good but the Casbah is not what they describe. There is no market. There are dirty streets and a lot of poor curious people. They have heightened security but still not sure if we were being protected or the citizens of Algiers. View from the ship will be enough. They really should cancel this port.
We went on our own again and did not do the city tour. The port of Valencia offers a shuttle service and then you can walk around the old city. I loved it. It is a nice clean city. Beautiful green belts and many biking routes. If I went again I would rent a bike to see the sights. Loved the market in the old town.