We chose this cruise because we love Norway, and wanted to visit in winter to try to see the northern lights. Viking offered this cruise beginning with two days in Bergen, giving us time to both recover from jet lag and enjoy shopping in Bergen, We also paid Viking to arrange our air travel, so as to insure a seamless arrival in the event of any disruption.

Well, one of the flights ultimately selected by Viking Air was cancelled. When I immediately called Viking Air, they said it was not their problem, They would not discuss switching to another airline unless I "paid more money" After waiting 23 hours for another flight with the same Viking Air selected carrier, we finally reached the ship. Two days in Bergen thereby turned into two hours of rushed processing. Two more days spent in a jet lagged fog, causing us to miss our Cruise Critic reception, our night at the Chef's Table premium restaurant, and several lectures.

The shipboard staff we interfaced with were very good, the cabin was great, food was very good. Excursions, (those not cancelled) were fine if overpriced. However, we paid for a twelve night Norwegian cruise. What we got was eleven nights and a day in New Jersey. Not the same. Read more