We chose this cruise because it stopped in countries we wanted to see. We had never been to any of these countries and we liked the option of seeing all of them. We spent several days in Stockholm prior to departing. We were able to leave our luggage at the port as we were too early for arrival, and visited a lovely photography museum at the port.

We were very happy with our cabin; it was comfortable, plenty of room for our luggage. Loved the bathroom. The ship was beautifully appointed. We spent some time exploring the ship, all levels to get our bearings. The ship offers quite a few amenities: a spa, massage, two pools, quiet spaces for reading, The dining options were excellent. Two dining restaurants require a reservation, but you can go in if there are openings. The main dining room offered menu options and seating for 2-4-6 and 8. We enjoyed the company of several couples on board and hooked up with them for our evening meals.

Shipboard entertainment was also excellent. The artists were quite good, the seminars by the historian were very helpful when preparing for a shore excursion. We took advantage of shore excursions at each port. The guides, the transportation, were all first class. We were able to sign up for most of the excursions we wanted. We would especially recommend the two day excursion in St. Petersburg. It included most of the sites covered by other excursions i that city and you don't have the overhead of leaving and returning several times in a day. You head out in the morning and return in the evening. Read more