Viking, can you please change the opening time to sign up for excursions?

I realize that there are people all around the world who take Viking cruises, and so it can't be a convenient time for everyone. However, I suspect that the majority of cruisers are from the US, Canada, and the UK. With a sign up time that starts at midnight Pacific Time, those of us on the east coast of North American need to get up at 3:00 AM to compete with those on the west coast who can sign up at midnight. In the UK, they can sign up at 8:00 AM.

Isn't there a time that would work better for most everyone? What if it was 7AM on the west coast, making it 10 AM on the east coast, and then 3:00 PM in the UK? (Sorry to the Australians!) Is there a drawback that hasn't occurred to me?

My sign up is tonight ( or tomorrow, actually) and I am getting too old for this, especially when I do have to go to work tomorrow. I know I could just wait until a later hour, but I am already a Veranda cabin dweller, so selections are limited as it is.

I second the motion.

Totally agree, and we're on the West Coast, but in retirement we never see midnight any more.

Agree!!! I just got home and am ready for a nap after getting up at one this morning to book all the excursions for the 2019 world cruise. Definitely too old for this!

I'm not a big fan of the time myself but I suspect that a more convenient time might draw too many users at opening.

I'm not a big fan of the time myself but I suspect that a more convenient time might draw too many users at opening.

Are you telling us that we should be careful what we wish for??:D

Dear Fellow Cruisers:

I live on the East Coast of the United States. I am in a DV cabin on the Orient. Last Wednesday morning at 3:00 a. m. I booked all of my optional and included tours in less than 15 minutes and then went back to sleep. It was real and it was fun but it "wasn't real fun". Not a major issue!

Joel Barry

Dear Fellow Cruisers:

 

I live on the East Coast of the United States. I am in a DV cabin on the Orient. Last Wednesday morning at 3:00 a. m. I booked all of my optional and included tours in less than 15 minutes and then went back to sleep. It was real and it was fun but it "wasn't real fun". Not a major issue!

Joel Barry

If I could suggest that my husband get up and book excursions, that would work, as he also would be able to go right back to sleep. Some of us, however, are not quite so lucky! I am the one who handles all travel arrangements, and chances of falling back to sleep afterwards are pretty slim for me.

I'm not a big fan of the time myself but I suspect that a more convenient time might draw too many users at opening.

I bet you are right, and that may be the answer. However, they do break it down by cabin category and most times one person would be booking for a couple, so I guess maybe at most a few hundred people each opening day. I wonder if that would make the experience much more difficult if everyone in DV or V cabins logged in at the same time?

I bet you are right, and that may be the answer. However, they do break it down by cabin category and most times one person would be booking for a couple, so I guess maybe at most a few hundred people each opening day. I wonder if that would make the experience much more difficult if everyone in DV or V cabins logged in at the same time?

On one cruise yes. But now there are 6 ships and 6 categories (really 5 but I included Owners suite) so they need to spread the pain so to speak.

Just how selfish can one get? It’s going to be an inconvenient time for somebody somewhere! Next thing, you’ll be wanting all the air travel schedules to be changed just for your convenience!

Pardon the phrase but we’re all in the same boat;.

Don’t treat this minor thing as a problem, look on the bright side and embrace the opportunity to enjoy the wee hours.

In modern phrasing, stop being a grump over such a small thing.

Ive not sailed with Viking yet. Are you telling me that if you do not get up at 3 am you will not get a spot??

While mine is only one experience I can tell you that we were able to book every tour that we wanted for our upcoming cruise (in a DV). The interesting part is that because we were out of town on the day that bookings opened for our category I had totally forgotten that "our day" had come and wasn't aware of it until a follow up email from Viking arrived late that afternoon telling me that excursions were now available for booking.

After I got my heart started again believing that I had totally "blown it" I logged on and in each and every case was able to book our tours so at least by my experience, the herd mentality to stampede to the booking site at Midnight Pacific time might be a tad overblown.

Dear Lackcreativity:

I appreciate your comments regarding the 3:00 a. m. Viking "cattle call". Next time my wife complains about something that I failed to do, I will show her a copy of your e-mail as support of my good qualitie(s). Tonight I will perform the same task for our restaurant reservations. This time back to bed by 3:05 a. m.

Joel Barry

I like the current system, it works very well for us, but we are in the UK.

Sign in at 08.00 with our list of included and then "pay" excursions, all sorted in a few minutes.

Ive not sailed with Viking yet. Are you telling me that if you do not get up at 3 am you will not get a spot??

I don't have enough experience to make that claim, as this is just our second cruise. Also, do be assured that everyone is guaranteed a place on each of the included excursions, though not necessarily at your preferred time. The optional excursions are the ones that may sell out.

On our first cruise, that was not a problem. We had no problem booking what we wanted even though I only woke up around 5 am. With our upcoming cruise, there were eleven optional excursions that were sold out before booking even opened for our cabin category. Several of those were optional ones that I would have booked. I woke up around four as we were really determined to get to Bruges, and looking now, I could have waited.

Whether or not you want to get up early depends on how flexible you are in your plans, how early in the cabin hierarchy you book, and the luck of the draw.

It is funny. I laugh about those so call freestyle lines where every dinner and show one wishes to do must be booked months in advance.

So I book an all inclusive cruise line and now realize that it will be a 3 AM log in time for me for excursions (and speciality restaurants?).

"The Colonel's lady and Judy O'Grady are sisters under the skin" seems to be an applicable quote for the situation.

I live in the Midwest of the USA. I make my bookings at 2AM and it works fine. I would rather be up early than be at my work trying to book tours and dinners which frankly would be impossible for me to do as I work in a "public" setting. It would mean that I would have to do this much later at home and would probably be shut out of some of my choices. A slight inconvenience of missing an hour or so of sleep is worth it to me

I agree with the intent of this thread [as a fellow east-coaster], but my guess is that the Viking website is programmed to turn these things on at midnight – that's a typical IT time, and if you think that CC members are set in their ways you might be surprised that IT nerds are exactly the same! So good luck with this ;p

I agree with the intent of this thread [as a fellow east-coaster], but my guess is that the Viking website is programmed to turn these things on at midnight – that's a typical IT time, and if you think that CC members are set in their ways you might be surprised that IT nerds are exactly the same! So good luck with this ;p

Well, at least it gives us something fun to talk about between serious questions. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

With all the time zones that are affected I just don't think it is feasible. I see one group of people happy if it changes and then another group will be mad it changed. You just can't make everyone happy on this one.

I can live with the 3am for booking. I had my list, set my alarm, picked up my iPsd, booked my excursions, checked out and went back to sleep. Got everything I wanted.

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With all the time zones that are affected I just don't think it is feasible. I see one group of people happy if it changes and then another group will be mad it changed. You just can't make everyone happy on this one.

I don't entirely disagree with what you say but 75% or more of pax live in the US and Canada, so why did they choose midnight Pacific time instead of midnight Eastern time in the first place (other than US headquarters is in California)? Agreed you can't make everyone happy but but from a customer service point of view, why choose to inconvenience a larger group of people over a smaller group in the first place? I know that they aren't going to change things but I still don't accept the logic (or lack of logic) of the original decision.

Maybe it’s nothing to do with midnight, but daytime shift start in Switzerland where the operations main office might be based? Now, if that’s the case, it sounds sensible to me.

Activities always feel a bit more worthwhile if one puts a bit of effort in. There’s no absolute pressing need to get up hugely early to book stuff; try and learn to be flexible you might have a pleasant surprise!

Also, it’s a cruise; ports etc can get cancelled- don’t wear your heart on your sleeve, and stop complaining.

I don't entirely disagree with what you say but 75% or more of pax live in the US and Canada, so why did they choose midnight Pacific time instead of midnight Eastern time in the first place (other than US headquarters is in California)? Agreed you can't make everyone happy but but from a customer service point of view, why choose to inconvenience a larger group of people over a smaller group in the first place? I know that they aren't going to change things but I still don't accept the logic (or lack of logic) of the original decision.

I agree. Honestly, I was not registering a huge complaint, and not trying to inconvenience the majority of cruisers just to suit me. I just thought that perhaps there was a way to make it less difficult for a pretty large segment of the Viking passengers without making it hard for those on the west coast and in the UK.

Registration is available 24 hours a day, and I imagine that the opening time is automated, so I'd be surprised if the schedule is linked to work hours for Viking either on the west coast or in Switzerland.