A Port per Day: Fun or Exhausting?

[bigtexxx]

We're considering Viking Ocean, having cruised on a half dozen other lines multiple times. I see that Viking has carried their river cruise "port per day" philosophy over to ocean cruising. While I can see that this makes for a good value and gives one a chance to see a lot on a given trip, isn't it, well, exhausting?! I love shore excursions as much as the next guy, but if I did one a day for two weeks--tenders, buses, hiking, planning-- I think I'd end up more exhausted than when I got on the ship! Am I missing something? Is doing a port a day fun, or tiring, or does it just depend on your personal point of view? TIA for your feedback.

[cmbath]

For me, I'd rather see stuff than party or relax on a ship. The ship is just a vehicle to get me somewhere.

 

 

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[cassie cruiser]

Yes, it is a bit tiring. The way I look at it, we might never get the chance to visit these ports again, so we might as well see everything we possibly can. I'm 63, husband is 69, and we're in good health. Probably could both stand to lose some pounds. We're currently on the Viking Sea, disembarking tomorrow. We had one sea day in a 14 day cruise, Viking Homelands. We can sleep when we get home. [emoji3]

[NavyVeteran]

No one forces you to go ashore every day. If you want to skip a port and relax on the ship, that's up to you - and you shouldn't have any problem with crowded pools.

[Peregrina651]

We're considering Viking Ocean, having cruised on a half dozen other lines multiple times. I see that Viking has carried their river cruise "port per day" philosophy over to ocean cruising. While I can see that this makes for a good value and gives one a chance to see a lot on a given trip, isn't it, well, exhausting?! I love shore excursions as much as the next guy, but if I did one a day for two weeks--tenders, buses, hiking, planning-- I think I'd end up more exhausted than when I got on the ship! Am I missing something? Is doing a port a day fun, or tiring, or does it just depend on your personal point of view? TIA for your feedback.

 

I choose my trips based on the ports and I want more bang for my buck. One sea day per week is plenty for me, especially if there are a couple of days when we get into port late. Once in port, I prefer a slow pace; I want time to take pictures, to admire the view, to peek down that alley. I'm fine with two, maybe three, destinations in a day and plenty of time to get from one to another. As, previous poster said, the ship is just my moving hotel and restaurant; I'm here for the ports.

 

 

 

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[dln929]

For us, the ship is as important as the itinerary. We enjoy being on the ship as much as we do exploring in the ports. Every day Viking has morning and afternoon tours so we alternate. When we have afternoon tours booked, we stay up late and enjoy all the entertainment and eat dinner later too. When we have morning tours booked, we make it an earlier kind of night. That way it's not exhausting at all to do a tour a day. All it takes is a little bit of planning to make it work.

[Lucky Granny]

Viking advertises itself as a destination cruise line....you are there to see the destinations. I chose Viking because I don't care for sea days.....the ship is my floating and transporting hotel. As somebody said, you don't have to go ashore....you can rest a much as you chose. As somebody else said, I rested when I got home.

[roothy123]

Glad to see so many votes for port-intensive cruises, because that's the type we like and choose. Rest and relaxation for me comes after dinner each evening.

[bigtexxx]

Thanks to everyone for your well-considered replies! They remind me to accept each cruise, and each cruise line, for what it is, and to not try to wish or twist it into something it is not! Sounds like with the right mind set, Viking Ocean would be outstanding. Thanks again!

--Tex

[lastlook]

When I first started cruising, I never gave sea days a thought. By the time we did our first Med cruise in 2011, I was glad to have 2 sea days mixed in with this very port intensive two week cruise. All of the ports were too interesting to miss so it was great to have a chance to rest up on those two sea days.

 

On our upcoming Med cruise, we'll be arriving a few days in advance to adjust to the time zone and experience Barcelona. This (almost two week) cruise is also port intensive with just one sea day to rest but we've planned a land vacation afterward so will be able to slow down the pace a bit before we fly home.

[TravelerThom]

Viking advertises itself as a destination cruise line....you are there to see the destinations. I chose Viking because I don't care for sea days.....the ship is my floating and transporting hotel. As somebody said, you don't have to go ashore....you can rest a much as you chose. As somebody else said, I rested when I got home.

I haven't seen Viking advertising as a "Destination Cruise Line", but I don't spend a lot of time looking at their ads, so I'll take you at your word. BUT the words "Destination Cruise Line" to me would mean that the cruise ship IS the destination, and the ports are just an afterthought. A lot of people consider monster ships like Oasis of the Seas the destination, and don't worry that they have been to the same ports many times before. Am I the only person who would interpret Destination Cruise Line that way?

 

BTW I like sea days (I have sailed as many as 3 TransAtlantics in the same year), but if I am doing a European cruise I want a lot of ports.

 

Thom

[Host Jazzbeau]

Viking's website uses the term "destination-focused," which should clear up the confusion.

[cmbath]

Here is another thing to consider. We are currently on the Sea and some ports of calls are very short. We have had some port calls of only about 5 hours. Not much time to get tired.

 

 

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[fnewman]

We like to sleep late, so tend to like sea days on other cruise lines. On Viking we schedule the late morning included excursions. Best of both worlds!

[molymoo]

We are just back from the 15 day Viking Homelands itinerary (with a three day Iceland extension) and yes the port a day can be tiring ... but many of the days in port are relatively short and you are back on the ship with time to relax, read, or take a nap before dinner. The longer days are spaced out enough to allow for recovery time if needed.

 

We love Viking's "destination focused" cruises and generally feel that unlike the bigger lines the ship is NOT the destination. We did one big line cruise years ago and although we had a nice time the ports seemed little but "afterthoughts" to the activities on the ship. The theater productions, casino, midnight buffets, and alcohol fueled limbo contests were the focus more than the ports of call. Probably an age thing but I prefer to focus on the wonderful and culture rich destinations that are the focus of Viking's itineraries.

[FM]

That's what we love about cruising ... you can do as much or as little as you want. What better way to travel than to wake up in a new destination each or every 2nd day without having to pack/unpack, drive to the hotel, restaurant, attraction etc.

 

For us, the cruise ship is just as important as the itinerary ... probably even more so than before, particularly when a party member isn't able to be as active as they used to be before due to health. Now we enjoy the perks of a "balcony cabin" as opposed to an "inside" ... specialty dining venues such as Blu (Celebrity) vs the MDR ... even the 5 days at sea to get to Hawaii followed by 5 ports in a row ... then the days at sea to get back ...

 

Thus we are exploring Viking Cruise Line for it's Caribbean itinerary and for its ship(s). The port intensive itinerary is nice ... but since we've been to most of the islands multiple times, we don't feel the need to do a full-court press to see all of the island, so may actually just pop off and back on after a quick visit.

 

But in this case, the key part for us is how we see the ports. The chance to experience the uniqueness of a Viking Cruise Line ship, as a destination and a way to travel, is just as important. If Carnival was offering the same itinerary (nothing wrong with CCL as we have cruised with them before), we would not be interested.

 

So for us, it's both :) ...

[gimp1956]

We just returned from Viking Homelands and in some ports such as St. Petersburg had 2 excursions per day. That can be very tiring.

It also depends on the excursion. If it's a coach tour overview type, that's pretty easy. The walking tours are more tiring, depending on the distance and the pace.

 

As an alternative you can usually walk to town and explore on your own, or if the port is farther from town, Viking provides a shuttle that runs on the 1/2 hour.

 

We had one sea day in the two weeks, and I was grateful for the rest, but I didn't want to waste the chance to see as much as possible.

[shipnc]

In searching for a cruise I always look for an itinerary that has interesting ports AND some days at sea. One of the reasons I cruise is because I like ships and the sea and I enjoy days at sea as well as in port. I was on Viking a year ago in their maiden season and found a nice cruise with both. Yes you can wear yourself out trying to maximize shore destinations so give yourself a break a find a cruise with some relaxing sea days.

[CharTrav]

We just returned from Viking Homelands and in some ports such as St. Petersburg had 2 excursions per day. That can be very tiring.

 

It also depends on the excursion. If it's a coach tour overview type, that's pretty easy. The walking tours are more tiring, depending on the distance and the pace.

 

 

 

As an alternative you can usually walk to town and explore on your own, or if the port is farther from town, Viking provides a shuttle that runs on the 1/2 hour.

 

 

 

We had one sea day in the two weeks, and I was grateful for the rest, but I didn't want to waste the chance to see as much as possible.

 

 

Agree. And let me reiterate as I posted elsewhere, remember to carefully check the passport/visa reqmts for each port country if you want to jump off the ship and do tours on your own. A case in point is Russia. It is NOT an option in Russia to do tours on your own without a visa. What you don't want to have happen, as I learned in a conversation I had with a couple I met as we returned from day 2 of our ultimate St Petersburg ShoreEx, is to find yourself stuck on board ship for 2 days because you didn't have a visa and hadn't signed up for any ShoreEx - included or optional from Viking or with a private company, e.g., Alla.

 

 

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[inborn traveler]

Most included tours are 3-4 hrs. That leaves plenty of time for on ship relaxing. Ladies, be sure to take your swim suit, even if you are nor one to usually swim and sun. The infinity pool on the Sea is a must and I used it several times, along with the jacuzzi next to it. Always someone to visit with in both. When I sat in that warm water ovelooking the Med, I was in awe that I was there. What an experiencw! We also used the sauna downstairs, and braved the snow grotto for a few minutes. When again will you have the chance to do either again? Beauriful dressing rooms and showers are in the spa, then walk back to your cabin in your provided robe and slippers! Viking has incuded all of this in yoour cruise .

 

 

 

 

When I first started cruising, I never gave sea days a thought. By the time we did our first Med cruise in 2011, I was glad to have 2 sea days mixed in with this very port intensive two week cruise. All of the ports were too interesting to miss so it was great to have a chance to rest up on those two sea days.

 

On our upcoming Med cruise, we'll be arriving a few days in advance to adjust to the time zone and experience Barcelona. This (almost two week) cruise is also port intensive with just one sea day to rest but we've planned a land vacation afterward so will be able to slow down the pace a bit before we fly home.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

When I travel, I am on vacation. I do not need to run around and do everything as if I'll never ever ever be back. I like to relax.

 

People who run around are on tour. They want to get their money's worth. They want the biggest bang for the buck. They have to get everything. They love buffets. Good for them. I love it when they're off the ship at the Port. I have the ship to myself: the pools not crowded the staff have more time. It's just so relaxing. The spas usually have some good sales also.

 

So some people get off at every single port; some stay back and enjoy the leisure. I am a relaxer.

 

No right answer; no wrong answer.

 

I take it easy and watch the people running, running, running. ;)

[Rotterdam]

We've been looking at sailing on longer cruises(30+ days)and Viking Ocean came up because of their beautiful new ships....the itinerary was the problem for us. We love the sea days & the r& r of just sitting on deck in the fresh air or in that infinity or any aft pool. with so many ports we find that there is no opportunity to really relax as most days the ship docks early & things ... announcements etc also start early.

 

WE were looing at the carib itinerary for 2017...we'll see but the port intensiveness is a minus. But we will sail Viking Ocean at some point because they look so great.

[Peregrina651]

We've been looking at sailing on longer cruises(30+ days)and Viking Ocean came up because of their beautiful new ships....the itinerary was the problem for us. We love the sea days & the r& r of just sitting on deck in the fresh air or in that infinity or any aft pool. with so many ports we find that there is no opportunity to really relax as most days the ship docks early & things ... announcements etc also start early.

 

WE were looing at the carib itinerary for 2017...we'll see but the port intensiveness is a minus. But we will sail Viking Ocean at some point because they look so great.

 

Viking is not big on announcements and certainly not those hourly announcements telling that bingo or trivia is about to begin. On port days, they announce when the ship has cleared for pax to go ashore and maybe there is a daily greeting from the Captain (around lunch time) but other than that, they figure we can read the daily schedule on our own. The only other time that there may be an announcement is when the ship is sailing by some important landmark (such as when we sailed by the Arctic Circle marker or as we sailed past Mt. Torhatten).

 

I never found early morning noise to be a problem. In fact a couple of mornings, I thought it was hard to tell if we were underway or docked because of how quiet the engines were. I thought that the staterooms were fairly well sound proofed and we didn't hear much from the corridor until we were up and about. The tenders are outside the Atrium and away from most of the cabins so unless you are in a cabin near the Atrium, you won't hear them being lowered.

[Redtravel]

If you think a port a day excursion is too demanding for you, allow yourself to skip an excursion. Just because they are included, you are not reprimanded if you skip some excursions. I have done many 14 night cruises. I like to do a mix of ship excursion, independent exploring, and relaxing. I do what I want. If on some days, I want to stay on the ship and relax, I will ditch the ship excursion. Let the ship know that you aren't going. While some people have lots of energy and are in great physical shape, many cruisers are not in shape. Know the requirements of your excursion before going. I always skip anything labeled as demanding. Too many people go on demanding trips only because the excursion was the one that was included. Big mistake. It would be a good idea if all the included excursions were not demanding or if a demanding excursion is included, also have an alternative mild excursion. On a recent cruise, a man went on an included excursion listed as demanding and died. Don't be that guy. Know your limitations.

[CharTrav]

One couple we met on Viking Homeland last July (previously met on a Viking River cruise 2 yrs ago btw!!) didn't go on ANY excursions as far as I know. They made the decision to stay on board each day and just enjoy that experience. The ship itself and life onboard is very welcoming -- like being in a really big house. With all kinds of nooks (many with books nearby) for you to just be whatever you want to be. All without the distraction of frequent announcements of imminent events (except for major ones - like when passengers are free to leave the ship). As stated earlier, Viking publishes all you need to know in the Daily the night before.

 

 

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