Jim and I along with another couple sailed from Bergan to Montreal earlier this summer. We did a 3 day precruise in Iceland.
I don't know what it is but precruise are never that great. Some of it is that you're so tired from getting there that it takes some of excitement out of it. The Hotel was ok but no a/c and the rooms were hot and small. Not near the downtown. The bathroom was almost as small as an airplane and we did get them to give us a room with a bigger bathroom. The excurisons were ok but the land leaders for the tour company were not very helpful.
The Viking Sea is a lovely ship and I would put it at the same level as Oceania. The food was good. The service was very good. Lots of smiling faces and knowing ones name fast. Maybe its because they give the crew FREE internet which by the way worked ok. Booking late we ended up with an Explorer suite which was lovely in a Scandinavian decor as was the whole ship. We got two large rooms at the front of ship with the best bathroom we have everhad. Hugh,with gret lightng and a tv at foot of tub. We got drinks in our room (4 singles )replenished everyday. They had these really neat drawer refrigerators so no bending down to get in them. Excursion included one free in each port and than you paid for the rest. Most free were overview tours. Lots of lectures that were ok . Entertainment ran the range from very good to ok. Some shows were done twice an evening. The show room could not hold everyone at one time. There were always seats. The singers were better than usual. The best part of the ship was a covered pool with lots of great seating around it and in an area near it with comfortable seating areas to curl up with a book and watch the sea. A promenade deck down low and covered that went all the way around. Even on a cold day you could still use it. The tenders being new seemed more spacious. The observation room was two stories and felt very much like a living room.
Things that might be a drawback for some people. No casino. The regular rooms are really small which might be the reason for great seating areas around the ship. The tables in dining room are close. I think they do that so people will talk to each other which did happen. The ones along the window were more private. The specialty Chef table is a set menu but changes every few days. The Italian one was just ok though some people loved it. One thing I noticed were few fresh flowers. Electronic pictures which change. Hard to explain but I found likeable. Happy to answer any questions. Would we do it again? Yes if it was going someplace we wanted to go, The price was right even at the upper end.
