Viking Cruise or …?

Hello!

We were recently married, but put off honeymoon planning until after the wedding. We are looking to honeymoon around our 1 year anniversary (June 2026). We are in the NYC area.

Initially we were thinking of a Viking Cruise. We are in our mid-40s so the appeal of the smaller ship, older crowd, outstanding food and service really appealed to us. We have not done a lot of European travel either and thought this was a good way to see a lot. We are considering an ocean cruise around Italy or a cruise from Barcelona to Rome with stops inbetween. We have heard Viking experiences are worth the cost. Awesome. No issues.

However, are we being short sighted? Are there other travel companies that would allow us an experience of seeing a lot, enjoying the warm weather and eating good food?

For $12K+ (Viking pricing) what else should we consider? We would like warm weather, good food, beautiful scenary and things to do other than just sit on a beach. We have done all inclusives in the Caribbean so at this time that is not appealing as a honeymoon. We would like to travel 7-10 days.

We are truly open to all suggestions as we want to make sure we consider everything since this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

TYIA!