My wife and I have enjoyed many cruises with a variety of cruise lines and since we’ve retired we’ve been cruising even more. Some cruises were better than others but we brought a good attitude and enjoyed them all. Having said that, our recent cruise on the Viking Jupiter took our experience to a new level. We got off to a rocky start no fault of Viking when our flight from Phoenix was canceled at the last minute so we had to stay over there by losing one of the two precruise days in Stockholm. We let the Viking office know about the change in our arrival time which they acknowledged. We were disappointed that no transfer was waiting for us despite having booked our air with Viking. The hotel in Stockholm was less than impressive especially for the cost of the extension. We made the best of things and found our way to the Vasa Museum and Skansa. Both were worth seeing especially the Vasa. Both sites were easily reached by public transportation from the hotel.

Despite a rocky start, the ship made up for things. Embarkation was smooth but nothing exceptional. The ship itself was beautiful and free of the clutter of casinos, photo galleries, art auctions, and dare I say it, kids. We had a penthouse veranda cabin which was amazingly large with more storage than I knew what to do with. The shower was almost as big asmy one at home. There was a minibar which was kept filled with complimentary beverages and snacks. Our two cabin stewards were wonderful and attentive servicing our cabin twice a day. All the service personnel we encountered were extremely pleasant. Everyone seemed to be committed to making sure the guests feel special..

We ate in the MDR, the specially restaurants, the World Cafe, and Mamsens. All venues were excellent but Manfredi’s was truly outstanding. The Chef’s Table seemed a bit affected and the service was perfunctory. My wife was happy with the wines that were provided with meals. I don’t drink so I can’t comment. Read more