Viator in the Mediterranean

[mcdkaty]

Hi- I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with a company called Viator for shore excursions. We will be on a Mediterranean cruise in June and were thinking of using them. Thanks

[jdymiller]

We have used them several times and they are very reliable. Judy

 

 

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[VegasCrossfire]

Hi- I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with a company called Viator for shore excursions. We will be on a Mediterranean cruise in June and were thinking of using them. Thanks

 

We have used them several times and they are very reliable. Judy

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks so much for asking.....and thank you for answering. We have a Mediterranean cruise in October and I spent most of today looking at tours. I saw Viator (along with others) and wondered how they were. So many tour choices.....

[jannandjohn]

We find them very reliable,and have used them in Spain, China, Hong Kong, and the US,

but be aware that viator bookings require you to contact the ACTUAL tour operator, by phone,

no less 24 hrs ahead of the tour for confirmation, and the pick up instructions , as they sometimes change...

it is not always easy to do this if you are on a ship.

And they often have an accent that is diffcult both ways for the conversation.

When we have known that we could not ring due to being at sea etc, I ring them before we leave home,

even if its 2-3 weeks ahead, and even though its an overseas call, and reconfirm then..

i always give them our email for any changes, at least then I can check my emails.

But you must ring or they will consider you not going.

 

eg..this pic below is part of one we are doing in April in San Fran

 

another example of how reliable they are..

we had to get the Maglev train in Shanghai to the airport.

the Viator guy picked us up in the hotel.

he took us to the station

he took our luggage and boarded the train with us, so we got on the right train.

he took our luggage off the train,.

he took our luggage to our airline check in desk

and he waited till we were checked in..before he left us.

now thats service!!!

Edited January 5, 2014 by jannandjohn

[CathyCruises]

Not to burst your bubble, but Viator is a reseller; that means they add a fee on top of the actual cost of the tour to make their profit.

 

There is SO much information available now, thanks to the internet, that it is very easy to avoid that surcharge.

 

After multiple Med cruises, we have found the best solution is to join with other members of our roll call for shared excursions; this allows us to tailor the excursions to our liking while keeping the price down and the participants to a manageable number, usually 8.

 

There are also any Med ports that are easy to DIY; I use a combination of cruise critic port-of-call info (which is usually excellent) and my own research to determine what I want to see in a given place. If it is easily accessible by public transport, we do it on our own. If not, we team up and go with a group. We have made some excellent friendships that way too, another benefit.

 

Different strokes for everyone, I know, I just hate to see people pay more than they need to!!

[jannandjohn]

Not to burst your bubble, but Viator is a reseller; that means they add a fee on top of the actual cost of the tour to make their profit.

!!

 

Not always, the tour I booked through Viator in San Fran , was cheaper than the actual tour operator.( on my pic)

It was $20 each cheaper in fact through Viator,., and they often have discounts if you are a past user.

Edited January 5, 2014 by jannandjohn

[alcpa1]

You can check out Viator on Trip Advisor.

I had investigated them about 6 years ago for a Med cruise but ended up booking with others from our Roll Call for hassle free touring.

[jocelysue]

Have used them quite frequently. Always professional , honest & willing to adapt to clients' wishes provided these were reasonable and within time frame.

[newport dave]

We find them very reliable,and have used them in Spain, China, Hong Kong, and the US,

but be aware that viator bookings require you to contact the ACTUAL tour operator, by phone,

no less 24 hrs ahead of the tour for confirmation, and the pick up instructions , as they sometimes change...

it is not always easy to do this if you are on a ship.

And they often have an accent that is diffcult both ways for the conversation.

When we have known that we could not ring due to being at sea etc, I ring them before we leave home,

even if its 2-3 weeks ahead, and even though its an overseas call, and reconfirm then..

i always give them our email for any changes, at least then I can check my emails.

But you must ring or they will consider you not going.

 

eg..this pic below is part of one we are doing in April in San Fran

 

another example of how reliable they are..

we had to get the Maglev train in Shanghai to the airport.

the Viator guy picked us up in the hotel.

he took us to the station

he took our luggage and boarded the train with us, so we got on the right train.

he took our luggage off the train,.

he took our luggage to our airline check in desk

and he waited till we were checked in..before he left us.

now thats service!!!

 

 

Also used Viator numerous times and have never had to confirm attendance on tours, even though it states it. We did on our first three or four tours for them to say we didn't have too, and they had all our details. Since then never bothered and had no problems. Used them loads since then. Sometimes they work out cheaper, sometimes not.

[cynbar]

We have also used Viator and were very satisfied, no need to reconfirm by phone for the ones we booked. I agree that private tours with others from your roll call are a good plan, but these aren't always available ----sometimes the roll call is really slow, sometimes you join late and everyone interested has already banded together. Viator surely adds a surcharge, they are a business after all, but sometimes the convenience is worth it. It certainly is one stop shopping, you can get a good idea of multiple tours in any given area. I would use them again if the situation is right.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I used Viator in Hawaii and have booked another tour in Japan (for May 2014) through them. I was extremely happy with the Hawaii tour- it was a bargain IMO.

[ackieboy]

Hi,

 

I booked a private guide through Viator for my port call in Bilbao, Spain this past September. We were on a 12 night Immersive Wine cruise on the Infinity and I booked a guide for the full day we were in Bilbao (we were actually docked there for a day and a half). The guide was terrific and I can honestly say that it was one of the high points of an amazing trip. I would be happy to answer any other questions you might have. Happy sailing and happy new year!

 

Regards,

 

Dean

[mcdkaty]

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. One of the many reasons I love this forum people are always willing to help and tell you their experience-both good and bad. I really appreciate it!!

[jannandjohn]

Also used Viator numerous times and have never had to confirm attendance on tours, even though it states it. We did on our first three or four tours for them to say we didn't have too, and they had all our details. Since then never bothered and had no problems. Used them loads since then. Sometimes they work out cheaper, sometimes not.

 

Glad we rang in Hong Kong as they had changed the pick up point.

Edited January 5, 2014 by jannandjohn

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

We have used Viator for both land holidays and cruises for more than 10 years across the globe from Europe, South Africa, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong just to name a few. In 2013 we used them to book for shore excursions in in Alaska and also a land holiday in Venice.

 

Cruising in Europe we completed an Italian med cruise in 2011 and used their services in Rome, Pisa/Florence and Naples. As my mother in law was not moving well on that trip, booked private trips with them. Extremely pleased and worth the extra cost. Large Mercedes van provided with professional driver and guides who all spoke English. They were very good with all of our multi-generational party (ages from 11 to 82).

 

Hope that helps.

[benjoon]

We have regularly used Viator for our holidays. We have never had a problem with them. In fact as soon as we decide on a place I'm straight onto their site to see what is available.

 

On one occasion in Rome they had to cancel at the last moment when we were due to go into the Coliseum. This was due to demonstrations taking place and all moments were shut down. We couldn't reschedule and our money was refunded promptly.

 

When I make a booking I always add a note if we wont be able to contact the tour company the day before. There has been plenty of times that we were on route and couldn't make a call. They have never cancelled tours on us because of this.

[kyriecat]

I have used them a few times for tours and mostly haven't had problems. Once our ship docked over two hours late in Livorno so we missed our tour. They do not refund your money if you are unable to be at the meeting place on time due to ship mechanical problems. Fortunately it was not an expensive tour.

 

We also had a tour start time pushed back by 30 minutes but we were not notified. We arrived at the meeting place per our original instructions and our guide was not there. After about 10 minutes, we tried calling the tour company, but no one answered. I left a message but my call was not returned. We were about to give up and do something else when our guide showed up. His prior tour had run longer than scheduled, but he was unapologetic about making us wait.

 

We had a tour that was cancelled but we were not notified in advance. We arrived at the meeting place to find a sign notifying us of the cancellation. It took a few weeks, but we did eventually get a full refund for the cancelled tour.

[JustinAllen]

We used Viator to book a tour in Rome. Very professional and reliable. We had an issue the day of our tour where there were strikes going on in Rome and it prevented us from getting into 2 places. We called Viator when we returned and told them about it and the refunded us the cost of tour. We would definitely do business with them again!