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Viking Star: Reviews of Viking Oceans Paid Excursions


avonglen
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Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to write reviews on this forum of their experiences on "Viking Star". It has been very informative & enlightening. I now feel well versed in what to expect when on board.

However, given that I booked the "Star" on the 50 day "Viking Empire" in 2016 on the basis of land tours out of the various ports of call, rather than the ship itself, I would dearly love to hear of the experiences of those who bought & undertook Viking organised (not privately organised) excursions. While I accept that Viking offers a free excursion in each port of call, I am more interested in the paid offerings & whether those who undertook them felt they got value for money.

The Viking organised paid excursions are not cheap - most are over the $100 mark & many much more than that. I have done a great deal of research into the paid excursions on offer & though I cannot, as yet, access My Wish List to enter them online, I know which I wish to do based on my research. The amount of money involved over the 50 day cruise runs into several thousands - this on top of the cost of the actual cruise. However, I am prepared to spend the money if the excursions fulfil my expectations & that I feel that the money was well spent.

Because I have been to many of the ports of call before (when driving through Europe), my emphasis is on tours out of the port cities. So I would be very interested in any comments/reviews of excursions away from the relevant port. The relatively few comments on CC have been invaluable in making my personal choices e.g. the excursion into Berlin is, from my point of view, a definite no no. I might add that, in some cases, the paid Viking excursions out of some ports do not meet my needs & I will be booking private tours on line (Capri out of Naples & Tivoli Gardens out of Rome/Civitavecchia, to name a couple).

Should anyone take the time to undertake a review of any of the paid Viking excursions they have experienced, you have my eternal gratitude :D

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I would probably give this Viking "Star" tour 3 1/2 to 4 stars. ($109 pp) (Unfortunately Helsinki was right in between Stockholm and St. Petersburg and suffers a little in comparison.)

 

Relaxing bus ride out into the countryside. Visited a family-run horse farm and were welcomed into their lovely, very comfortable, large home. Very different from the palaces we would visit in St. Petersburg! The berry pie, ice cream, and coffee/tea were delicious. The owner then walked us down to the horse stables where the special treat was a teeny colt that had been born a few days early and was still very wobbly. He was very curious about us but his Mom wouldn't let him come over to the fence. Close enough though to get great pictures.

 

Tour of the tiny, ancient Church of St. Sigfrid was interesting but our guide missed pointing out some of the features - perhaps because she was trying to get her speaker to work with our headphones. There was one other bus with guide and I wound up eavesdropping on that talk. You may want to pick up a free brochure as you leave - filled in the gaps for me.

 

Back in Helsinki, we stopped off at the "Rock Church" for a short visit. That was one of the sights we particularly wanted to see and it was included in the 1/2 day tour. The bus passed by other landmarks and we had an opportunity at the end to get off the bus in the Senate Square where we could have visited the Helsinki Cathedral. Afterwards, we could have met the Viking shuttle to get back to the ship, but it was raining lightly and we decided to call it a day.

 

Our other choice for a ship's tour would have been to the Helsinki Ice Bar but we had been to one in Stockholm already on our own. Heard some good things about the Helsinki Ice Bar tour, but we enjoyed the one in Stockholm so much we didn't need to do this again. Plus wanted to be able to see more of Helsinki which were covered by the "Highlights and Visit to Sipoo".

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I would probably give this Viking "Star" tour 3 1/2 to 4 stars. ($109 pp) (Unfortunately Helsinki was right in between Stockholm and St. Petersburg and suffers a little in comparison.)

 

Many thanks OBX Cruisers for taking the time & effort to respond to my request for info about paid tours. To tell the truth, Helsinki was one port of call where I have struggled to find an appropriate /interesting tour. On an earlier visit there many years ago, we visited the "Rock Church" & also went to Sibelius Park to see the Monument erected in his honour. However, the trip you did out into the country to meet the locals sounds interesting. So I will keep this tour in mind when doing my final bookings. Again, many thanks:D

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I will give more detailed reviews of the Viking tours we paid for later. I am still on board and quickly report that our tour to Pitti Palace and Florence was really good with a great tour guide Sam. However, on the way back to the ship we were stopped in traffic due to another accident that closed the freeways and had traffic backed up for a long time. We returned much later than the scheduled departure of the ship. So happy to see Viking Star upon entering the port. The staff greeted us with champagne after our bus returned (the last one) and then the ship we departed.

 

I am happy to have booked a Viking tour for this port! Really the tour, guide, sights and pace were just right!

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Glad to see people are finding this thread. I haven't been on Star yet, and haven't even taken all that many ship's excursions (too cheap and too independent), but thought I'd post my two cents' worth just in case it helps you with your planning. I'd be going a little crazy if I had to research and plan what I wanted to do on a 50 day cruise!

 

There's a section of Cruise Critic devoted to port and excursion reviews. It may not have anything specific to Star's excursions, but it might help narrow down what you want to see and do, and then perhaps you can find feedback on the particular excursion Viking offered and how it went. Go back to the main CC page to find Reviews, then Port Reviews, and select a port you'll be visiting. Also, some people post in the "Ports of Call" section of CC, asking for feedback on various excursions. While the feedback may be specific to a particular cruise line, I've found that often you can get clues as to what might suit you, what excursion is described in more glowing terms than it should be, etc. In most cases, all the cruise lines draw from the same pool of local vendors, so even if someone is writing about an excursion on, say, Norwegian, it's likely to be similar to the one offered by Viking.

 

I'm only going on one paid excursion on my upcoming cruise, but I'll let you know later how it went. I'll also keep my ears open and report back on any comments I receive on the Venice to Istanbul excursions. Also, just in case it helps, I'll give you some opinions on some of the cities you'll be visiting, although of course everyone's likes and dislikes are different, so take them with a grain of salt.

 

Places we’ve been to & comments:

Athens – We are doing the $49 Cape Sounion/Temple of Poseidon tour, probably the only paid tour we’re taking, mostly just because the free tours are so tempting. Feedback from one person in April was that it was a good tour, but of course it’s basically just a 45 minute drive down, see and hear about the temple, and drive back type excursion – nothing unusual. You can see a similar temple in Athens, just without the waterfront setting. With the Athens excursions, I assume you’re aware that viewing the Acropolis/Parthenon and going up to the Parthenon are 2 different things. Also, I remember a comment from April which mentioned that if you wanted to go to the very top, more steps were required than were reported in the description. One of the paid excursions (Elegance & Style) you can probably do on your own if you’re willing to take the X80 express bus from the port to Athens and then find the “land train” Viking is using. It only runs in the morning, though. As you can imagine, it’s hard to do Athens justice in one day – large, spread out city with lots of traffic & people.

 

Santorini – I love Oia, just beautiful. Pyrgos is supposed to be a more authentic (not so pristine) town, so I give thumbs up to any tour that goes there. If you want to see more ruins than what you’ll see in Ephesus & Athens, I’ve read Akrotiri is nicely presented (and sheltered, so no sun overload). Fira is pretty touristy on the surface, but you can find some bits of beauty if you know where to look. The smaller towns like Exo Gonia and Megalochori all have blue domed churches, and some have cave houses and ruins that are interesting. I’ve read the volcano tour is not a showstopper; I’d only do that if you have a special interest in that type of thing and/or have a fear of heights (cable car down or switchbacks up on bus ride).

 

Places we haven’t been to yet but will visit soon:

Kotor – I’ve read good things (in general, don’t know about Viking tour) about the road up the mountain (Highlights of ME tour), but it does require some riding & switchbacks. Viking passengers seem to have a low tolerance for bus rides. (Oh, how river cruising spoils us!) I’ve also read good things about Perast (Baroque Palaces/Seascapes). Some people love Budva and some people say it’s no big deal – Kotor is similar. Perhaps it depends upon when you go – popular summer destination but maybe less busy in shoulder seasons. As you’ve probably read, there are several good tour guides in Kotor who are very reasonable, so it’s easy to get outside of Kotor on your own. I had no trouble finding 2 people to share a 3 hour tour with Milo. He’s willing to tailor to your interests, and offers a variety of tours. I just wanted a short one so I could explore Kotor in the afternoon. Be aware that sometimes you have to tender, though, which will reduce your time there a little bit.

 

Venice – Very confusing to navigate, but with a vaporetto pass and good map (and compass – maybe on your phone?) plus good legs, knees and feet you can do much on your own, including colorful Burano and Torcello, plus Murano. Then again, there are a couple of intriguing paid excursions that are tempting me. Most people don’t ever get to see the Arsenale, for example, as it’s off limits most times.

 

Dubrovnik – You can do a lot in the city itself on your own with a guide book. The cable car only requires a short walk outside the Old Town walls (take a credit card). All of the excursions outside Dubrovnik sounded good to me, but I haven’t been to Dubrovnik, plus I’m a bit cheap, so we’ll pass. I’ve seen the Konovorski restaurant website; the place looks very nice. On the oyster excursion, I heard some comments in April that there were parts of the tour that were a little mis-represented. I don’t remember the details, but maybe it wasn’t really oyster season or something.

 

Ephesus – tempting to see it all, but we’re just sticking to the included tour as it DOES cover the main sights. I haven’t done a 50 day port intensive cruise, but if I did, I would probably have to pace myself and relax a little. It’s easy to over plan and get burned out. However, I HAVE heard the ruins of the Roman homes in Ephesus are very worthwhile.

 

Istanbul – The evening visit to the Basilica Cistern sounds really cool, as it is always crowded during the day, with lines, and never open to tourists at night. We will probably pass on it due to cost, but it’s really tempting. I guess many people line up private tours if they have some time in Istanbul. There are lines for the sightseeing venues, and I think a private tour guide helps with those. The “Amazing Edifices” Viking tour includes Blue Mosque and Topkapi, but if the timing is right and you don’t mind a tram ride (and have Turkish lira), you could do those on your own. I don’t know if you get to skip the lines on a Viking tour, however. If so, that might be a reason to take the ship’s tour. Of course, I hear Topkapi takes hours to tour, and the Blue Mosque, while famous, is just one of many amazing mosques in Istanbul. With the mosques, you have to be aware of prayer times: see http://www.namazvakti.com/Main.php?WSLanguage=EN as you can't go in half an hour before or after the call to prayer.

 

Pula – I read up on the Brijuni Park excursion but it just didn’t sound all that worthwhile, plus it’s expensive. As you know, some of us on the upcoming “Empires of the Med” cruise are interested in Rovinj. I did consider taking Viking’s $49 excursion. With that you don’t have to have kunas, know anything, walk much to bus stations, etc. However, I'm fearless, and the bus is cheap and reasonably easy, so that’s what we’ll do. Rovinj is mostly just a resorty Italian-influenced city in which to walk around and enjoy. Pula is more of real city and less resorty, but it does have its well-preserved amphitheater and other Roman ruins, plus some lesser known things like the ancient Roman mosaic. “Hill Towns and Truffles” tour sounded good to me, but at $139 per person, I decided against it. I see it’s now sold out for our September visit. By the way, it has been my experience on other cruise lines that even if something is sold out, if you go to the Destinations folks early on in the cruise, they can often get you on the excursion you want. People always drop out – or book at the last minute! It’s a real shuffle from what I can tell.

 

Can’t comment much on excursions in other cities, since I don’t know what Viking’s offering. However, here are general comments:

 

Yes, Berlin requires a lot of effort. We rented a car and had plenty of time, but Warnemunde was quite nice, so you might want to just take it a bit easy that day. Don’t know much about Rostock, or the castle that some people visit near Warnemunde, but there is information on those two places in the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic.

 

Gdansk was a sleeper city that I enjoyed a lot. It does require time on a bus or commuter train, however, but I don’t remember how long. I liked the old town area, mostly just walking around, but some people concentrate on the shipyards with their history.

 

St. Petersburg – don’t know what Viking offers; however, my favorites from our 2 day tour with Alla were Catherine’s Palace and the Church on Spilled Blood. Very, very crowded with tourists, even on a paid tour with a guide, but a wonderful experience.

 

Lisbon – there two days; stayed in the city; did a half day not horribly expensive sidecar bicycle tour with Daniel of Bike My Side (reserve early) & loved it. Most people go to Belem, which I DO recommend, but there are also great viewpoints, crowded tram rides, etc. I loved the unusual stuff like the “elevador” funiculars and the rather pretty graffiti, although I doubt the cruise lines offer that stuff as an excursion. I wanted to go outside the city to the touristy but colorful castles in Sintra, but we couldn’t fit it in. Try to be outside for Lisbon sail in or sail out – you’ll go by the Belem sights, the long bridge, a statue of Christ on the other side of the river, etc. You dock right in the city. If you’re lucky enough to be there early morning, the city looks really pretty from the ship.

 

Barcelona – Wish I had spent more time at the Gaudi sites, especially the rooftop of one of his famous buildings.

 

Malaga – very, very nice city, not overrun with tourists. I just took a bus around, up to the bullring and castle, etc. There are nice beaches around there, too, I hear. Some cruise lines offer an excursion to the Alhambra, which we visited last year from Motril. It was pretty amazing, but I don’t know if I’d want to take a bus ride from Malaga to see it. Besides, Malaga is so nice….

 

Cadiz/Seville – been there twice now. To Seville requires a bit of a bus or train ride, although at this point I forget just how long (maybe 1.75 hours?) We felt it was worth it, but some may not. First time we did the usual tourist stuff (on our own); last year we visited the Plaza Espana and “the mushrooms.” I wanted to go to Ronda and some of the white villages around there, but didn’t want to pay Oceania big bucks for the excursion, and couldn’t find a way to DIY it on a Sunday. There’s also the horse school, but it’s closed on certain days, so may not be offered as an excursion. Cadiz is very nice, and if you’re there on a summer evening, go to the end of the beach promenade near the dinky lighthouse for sunset. The vacationers bring beach chairs, wait for the sunset, cheer when the sun goes down, and then walk back to their rented houses or to restaurants to have their late Spanish dinner. It’s an authentic and fun experience. Both times we’ve been to Cadiz I’ve come away with some great evening memories. I love evenings in port cities – kind of rare, and you feel less like a tourist and more like a local.

 

Helsinki – I took a short ferry ride to the nearby island of Soumenlinna. Helsinki is not a blockbuster city, but I DID enjoy it. All of the Baltic cities are different.

 

Copenhagen – Some people consider Tivoli a must see, and while we enjoyed it, I wouldn’t consider it that, especially during a daytime visit. There is SO much else in CPH, from a hippie free city to water bus rides to churches and the beautiful Nyhavn harbor.

 

Hope that helps. May not be exactly what you're looking for, but I figure too much info is better than too little.

Edited by roothy123
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Many thanks to those who have responded to my request for reviews of the Viking paid excursions - Roothy in particular for posting such a comprehensive review of her experiences of many ports, some of which I will be visiting on my cruise.

However, still would like to see many more posted. At last count, I think those of us crazies doing the 50 dayer will be visiting 30-40 ports, so there's lots more tours to think about, research & eventually book.

As I said, keep 'em coming (it will help others doing shorter legs on the "Star" too).

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My husband stumbled onto part of a program today on public television which focused on Croatia. I only saw brief reviews of Mali Ston & Dalmatian Coast (great seafood), Korcula, and Split, but all 3 of those places looked quite charming. The show was part of a series called "Rudy Maxa, Smart Traveler, Europe." If you ever see it listed on public broadcasting, see if they're covering Croatia. Looks like a lovely country.

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Roothy:

 

We have been to Kusadasi twice. Our first time with Oceania we had a private group and a guide to Ephesus. Ephesus is great and the highlight in my opinion is the Terrace Houses. Make sure your tour goes there as it is an additional cost from the main entry fee to Ephesus. The second time we were in Kusadasi was with Azamara. They arranged a private event at night in Ephesus to listen to a concert. It was wonderful seeing the ruins at night. During the day we walked down the dock and jumped on a boat that took you swimming along the coast.

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Roothy:

 

We have been to Kusadasi twice. Our first time with Oceania we had a private group and a guide to Ephesus. Ephesus is great and the highlight in my opinion is the Terrace Houses. Make sure your tour goes there as it is an additional cost from the main entry fee to Ephesus. The second time we were in Kusadasi was with Azamara. They arranged a private event at night in Ephesus to listen to a concert. It was wonderful seeing the ruins at night. During the day we walked down the dock and jumped on a boat that took you swimming along the coast.

 

Thanks. That boat and swimming sounds great, although we won't have a lot of time there, as the ship leaves at 2 for the long haul to Istanbul, so I assume we'll be due back on board by 1:30. I know there are shops there, but I'm not a shopper - although my husband may want to find the "genuine fake watches" I've heard are sold there!

 

The thing on Azamara sounds pretty cool, too. Evenings in port are so nice. At least Viking seems to be big on overnights in port, so I can count on at least one or two views of cities in the evening. As for Ephesus, I've read that people love the Terrace Houses. My husband isn't a big walker, though, so for now, we're just taking the included tour.

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I am just back from the September 3 sailing. I had a wonderful time. As you've already heard from many others, the ship is gorgeous, food fabulous and service wonderful!

 

Regarding excursions, I'll report here both paid and included for all reading this.

 

We did not take any excursions in Venice. It is such a magical city I believe you can do much on your own without guidance. (I'm going off topic here for a moment.) The hardest part for us was figuring out how to get to the ship from our hotel since we were not staying via Viking. I knew there were vaporetto stops at the terminal, but no one could tell us which vaporetto stop we needed. In the end, we took the Alilaguna boat from Zattere stop (only steps from our hotel in Dorsoduro) to the terminal for 8 euros per person. The Alilaguna line is separate from the regular vaporetto line. From where the Alilaguna boat left us we had to walk (no exaggeration) about three-quarters of a mile to the luggage drop-off point. (Seriously, Viking, what were you thinking?) It was hot and very humid and we were not happy campers by the time we got on the ship. We were told at the terminal it is up to each cruise line if they want to have bus transfers and that Viking chose not to have one. An alternative to getting to the ship is to take the people mover from the bus station (I forget the name of the vaporetto stop) however that would have been inconvenient from where we were staying and still awkward with luggage. I mention this because we chose to leave the ship the day they were offering excursions and taking the people mover or walking that distance is the best way to get into the city from the ship on your own without going on an excursion. I've only been home 12 hours so I hope I'm making sense.

 

Our favorite time in Venice was the time spent on Burano. I also wish I had shopped more in Venice/Burano and I usually do not shop while traveling. Take the time in Venice to get lost and discover small alleyways. There is no way you will get to do that on an excursion. While in Venice we attended a concert one night at a church, buying our tickets only hours prior to the event. Take a gondola ride and ask the gondola to take you through the small canals -- magical. Personally, I think you lose something with six people on a boat. It won't cost more for two people alone -- I think we paid 60 euros each for 45 minutes. I would have negotiated for either a lower price or a longer ride but my friend accepted the price. We requested he drive us around the back canals in Dorsoduro. Find a gondola away from San Marcos where it is overrun with tourists. This was my fourth time in Venice and is one of my favorite cities in the world.

 

In Split we took a paid excursion to Krka Falls with a visit to a small town (Skradin?) that included lunch. I think it was $149 per person. We enjoyed this tour very much. The falls are nice, not extraordinary, but the walk through nature was perfect for us. The town was nothing to speak of. Lunch was quite enjoyable. Our guide was great. You can take the Viking walking tour of Krka Falls without the small town visit and lunch for (I think $89). I think that would be a better value. Lunch was not worth $60 extra.

 

We took the included tour in Dubrovnik. We did not enjoy it. First, the town is overrun by tourists. Yes, I know I was one of those tourists, but I was not expecting it to be so extreme. Our guide gave us lots of history/information -- so much so that we could not wait to get away from her. We were in a small monastery for 40 minutes -- about 30 minutes too long. We enjoy our time after the tour wandering the back streets and wished we had not taken the tour at all.

 

Corfu. We took a private taxi tour with two other people and had an enjoyable day. Our taxi driver was terrific.

 

Naples. We took a private excursion with six other people to the Amalfi Coast. In 2009, I spent four nights in Amalfi. I'm sorry I went back -- Amalfi has found the tourist trade. Instead of a quiet village atmosphere the city was overrun by tourists. What made Amalfi special did not exist any more, at least for me. Should you decide to include a stop in Amalfi, take time to visit the cathedral, especially stopping into the interesting crypt underneath the building. Ravello is a special place and I recommend taking what time you have there to visit the Villa Cimbrione (I know I'm spelling that wrong). It's about a 15 minute's walk from the town center, but worth it for the stunning views. Positano was also busy with tourists, but worth the stop if you can get near the beach where the best views are. Otherwise, Positano is most about shopping (that's not a complaint as we like to shop).

 

Rome. I took the included tour and I will not vent extensively here (or maybe I will), but will tell you that I hated this tour. I've been to Rome a couple of times and I know that Rome has much to offer. Viking, if you are reading this, please change this tour!!! The short of it: we stopped for 40 minutes in front of the Colosseum where there was nothing but scaffolding. The local guide did a good job explaining what we were not seeing inside and even brought diagrams with him. The only thing we saw of the Colosseum was scaffolding. We were given exactly eight minutes for photos and were on the wrong side of the Colosseum for a good shot (looking into the sun). Then to the Vatican City where we were given one hour and 20 minutes -- not enough time to do anything. The line to get into St. Peter's was at least an hour long and the museums were out of the question. So I went for lunch. Then we were dropped off at the bottom of the Spanish Steps by Via Condotti (kind of like Beverly Hills) and given two hours. We were told we were too far from Piazza Navona or the Pantheon for the allotted free time. The Trevi Fountain is under renovation, so nothing to see. My favorite time here was the 30 minutes I spent at a cafe with a glass of wine. This tour, for me, was a complete waste of time. For those who are adventurous, you could take a train from the port to the train station near St. Peter's. The ride is about 40 minutes. We were planning to do this but for reasons I won't get into, we needed to change our plans.

 

Livorno. I took the paid excursion to Lucca and Pisa. It was a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Lucca. We had a tour that was not too long and then give free time to wander and have lunch. In Pisa we visited the Basilica then were given free time. I highly recommend this tour. I also heard that the tours into Florence were also good.

 

Monte Carlo. We took a private excursion with two other people and visited Antibes and St. Paul-de-Vence. We also spent a short time in Monte Carlo. It was an enjoyable day.

 

Toulon. Not my favorite port. We wandered through the town's market (mostly fruits and vegetables) and took the rest of the day as a sea day. Obviously we were not alone in our thinking as the washing machines/dryers were very busy on this day. If Toulon is looking to become a tourist-friendly port, they have a long way to go.

 

Barcelona. We took the included panoramic tour and both enjoyed it very much. I stayed in Barcelona for an additional three nights and enjoyed this bustling, lively city. I could easily stay here a week. We reserved tickets for La Sagrada Familia for first thing in the morning before the tour groups arrived and I purchased a premium ticket for Casa Mila allowing me to arrive whenever I wanted. Both Gaudi sites are worth visiting. I particularly enjoyed wandering around the Gothic Quarter. The big market off La Rambla in the Gothic Quarter is huge and I enjoyed wandering through with my camera.

 

I hope some of this information is worthwhile. I know I'm rambling and reliving the trip as I type. All in all, it was great. The ship is amazing. My only complaint is that the air conditioning in all the common areas was meat-locker cold. I saw many people wrapped in sweaters, jackets and even blankets. They received many complaints about the temperatures but choose to ignore them. I would have enjoy spending more time in the cozy nooks reading/relaxing, but my cabin was warmer.

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Wow! Thank you so much for this and for taking the time to post, especially since you just got back. I'll respond more when I have time, but glad you're reinforcing that if you're staying at a hotel and need to get to the port on your own, it's not a simple thing. You need to plan ahead of time, and no, there are no vaporetto stops right at the port, so no wonder nobody could help you on that! "Bus station" is the bus area at Piazalle Roma, and there are vaporettos near there, plus the People Mover. I have a couple pictures that might help; will provide a link later today. (I haven't yet figured out how to post large pictures on Cruise Critic.) And no, the cruise lines don't always know where the ship will dock until the night before - up to the port and very variable. We're also doing a turnaround (disembarking and embarking pax same day), which usually results in a far location to be close to access to cabs, trucks for provisions, etc.We dock with a large number of ships, so I'm expecting a bit of a mess and people everywhere (just like Dubrovnik) and that's one reason I've been learning all I can before I leave.

 

Glad you had a great trip. If you've got some time and inclination to respond: Did the ship leave at midnight the same day you embarked? If so, when was the safety drill? Also, were you in Dubrovnik late? If so, were there shuttles to Pile Gate running at night, as someone else posted?

 

Thanks for the warning about the AC. That's one reason I always pack something warm, even if I go to the Caribbean! For that matter, I have a fleece thing in the car for cold grocery stores at home! I don't tolerate the blasting AC some find comfortable...

Edited by roothy123
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Sorry, I didn't realize this report of excursions was (correctly) posted in this thread on excursions. Diane (and others) please just ignore my questions and comments. I was thinking you posted in our Roll Call thread. I just tried to edit or delete my post, but it's past the time to do that, so was unable to do that.

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I agree DianeLikesTo Travel, it was very cold especially in The Restaurant on deck 2!! Our food was cold too! The warmest place was on either side of the inside pool near the Winter Garden.. I was told there was a problem with the ability to regulate the air conditioning.....

 

I was confused as to why our life jackets were not in our rooms. So I asked and was told they were kept in lockers on the tender deck to keep them in good condition!!!

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Wow!!! Thanks, DianeLikesToTravel, for such a comprehensive review of your excursion experiences - a magnificent effort so soon after your return home. Needless to say the info you have so generously provided will be a great help to those of us yet to embark on the "Star". Just can't thank you enough....but am hoping others will contribute similarly re other ports on the "Star's" itinerary.

When I travel, I always keep a written diary mainly to help with photo identification. However, when it is my turn on the "Star", I intend to keep a detailed account of the excursions, particularly the paid Viking ones, & my assessment of them, so that I can post them on CC either as I cruise (WiFi permitting) or asap when I get home. I feel it is only right that my experiences help those who come after me as has been the case with those who have cruised & undertaken excursions before me - just a way of saying thanks:) to all who make the effort of posting on CC:D

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Have just been reading the latest reviews on CC's "Reviews & Ratings" site. Praises loud & long for the on board experience but it seems the Viking is still falling down in the excursion department. As most, I would suspect, have booked their cruises on the "Star" for the land content, this is such a pity as Viking does the river cruise excursions so well. Those reading the comments could be very easily put off from booking an "Ocean" experience - AND word of mouth, if it is negative can be very damaging. Come on Viking, lift your game to the "Viking" standard!!!

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Dear avonglen,

 

We appreciate your comments and suggestion to improve upon the execution of our shore excursions. As our inaugural season comes to a close, we remain very interested in guest feedback and find all comments instrumental in making improvements to our ocean line moving forward.

 

That said, we sincerely thank you for your recommendation and, if you wish to discuss further, would encourage you to contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

We are looking forward to welcoming you aboard next year!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Have just been reading the latest reviews on CC's "Reviews & Ratings" site. Praises loud & long for the on board experience but it seems the Viking is still falling down in the excursion department. As most, I would suspect, have booked their cruises on the "Star" for the land content, this is such a pity as Viking does the river cruise excursions so well. Those reading the comments could be very easily put off from booking an "Ocean" experience - AND word of mouth, if it is negative can be very damaging. Come on Viking, lift your game to the "Viking" standard!!!
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Dear avonglen,

That said, we sincerely thank you for your recommendation and, if you wish to discuss further, would encourage you to contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Dear Viking Cruises,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about the quality of the land excursions. However, I will not be contacting you at TellUs@vikingcruises.com as I believe it would simply be a waste of time. Please note that when I e-mailed you several months ago, I did not get a response - not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

However, as it is apparent that you are reading my CC comments, you will be aware that I am a solo 50 dayer who not only has committed considerable funds to the cruise but who will be also spending similar considerable funds on the paid excursions. Given this, is it any wonder that I am concerned about the feedback on CC as to the quality of the paid tours? I'm sure that you are also aware that, having experienced Viking Rivers in both Russia & China, I am not only a loyal Viking customer but have sung your praises re the quality of the rivers tours loud & long. Hence my reason for booking "Viking Empire" with the expectation that the land content would be of similar standard to that I have experienced with Viking in the past. Furthermore, I intend to undertake a Viking Rivers tour in 2017 from Amsterdam to Budapest & possibly more with Viking Rivers in the years following.

I look forward to a rewarding & enriching experience next year but, if, in the meantime, you wish to contact me to discuss this matter further, my e-mail is avonglen@tpg.com.au - I promise I will respond.:)

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Interestingly, I have received the following response (but not from TellUs@vikingcruises.com):

"I have just received a copy of your post from Cruise Critic and was concerned to read that you had not had any response to your previous emails. I apologise for that and hope that you correspond with me directly from now on and I can assure you I will respond.

 

Please let me know about the land excursions that you would like more details or are concerned about and I research them in details for you and get back to you with more information.

 

Kind regards,

 

Sue Neels I Viking Cruises I Customer Retention Agent

(reservations AU) 1800 131 744 x6210 I (reservations NZ) 0800 447 913 x6233 I

sue.neels@vikingcruises.com I vikingrivercruises.com.au"

Wonder why the Viking Head Office in the US is ducking for cover & fobbed off my concerns to Viking AUS????

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Many thanks to all who have posted on this thread. We are on the November 26th Venice to Barcelona Mediterranean Odyssey and have booked a number of paid excursions including the following:

 

Venice - evening gondola

 

Venice - Venetian Islands - looking forward to Murano for the glass

 

Naples - Ancient Herculaneum

 

Rome - Private visit of Vatican City Museums - my wife who was in the museum field worked with the Vatican Museum for an exhibit

 

Monte Carlo - walking tour of Nice and Musee Matisse

 

Toulon - A day in Aix-en-Provence

 

Barcelona - Gaudi Architecture tour

 

We will post our impressions after the cruise. We have also done two River cruises with Viking (Danube Waltz and Waterways of the Tsars) and thought they generally did a great job. I expect there have been some kinks to work out with the larger number of passengers and multiple tour offerings. We are really looking forward to our trip.

 

James and Anne

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Lagunajames,

 

Very much looking forward to your reviews of your excursions as I am taking the same cruise next year and am considering the same excursions that you will be experiencing. I hope you post them in the general thread as opposed to the roll call forum.

 

Great travels to you

Jeffrey

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Lagunajames,

 

Very much looking forward to your reviews of your excursions as I am taking the same cruise next year and am considering the same excursions that you will be experiencing. I hope you post them in the general thread as opposed to the roll call forum.

 

Great travels to you

Jeffrey

 

I plan to post them here on this thread. Seems appropriate based on the title.

 

James

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