Paid Excursions & Biz Air: Viking vs Regent

[Fogfog]

So comparing Viking to RSSC...

We need some help from Viking experienced cruisers...

A couple of things stand out and we are trying to figure out apples to apples since the cruiselines "offers" are anything but straight forward

 

1-- the airfare (which is a hard question to nail down.)

 

RSSC "includes for Biz air (int'l legs)  and the domestic leg is economy (We'd have to pay to upgrade) IF we are doing it on our own-- they subtract $3k. Depending on the sailing.. $3k may or may not cut it to the Embarkation airport/port/nation.  We would pay the$150 fee pp to have the bigger flexibility and chose airlines etc further out than the "assigned" air. 

 

For Viking we see a $1k allowance and it is from a gateway airport...and would be economy. We'd have to get ourselves to that gateway airport AND we would have to pay the upgrade to Biz for the it'l leg, correct?  Does anyone have success with this? Does Viking have relationships with many airlines for bang for your buck.

 

In our limited experience, we had a one way biz ticket after a TA to Barcelona. We paid about 25-30% of a one way fare ticket (as per Kayak) by doing the flight through Celebrity. We picked the flights--they did the booking, It was a huge savings.  Does Viking have strong Air relationships? 

 

2-- Excursions. RSSC offers several "included" excursions per port. Many of the others are for fees-- $150-500 depending on the excursion, if it includes flights etc.  For example--at an AK port, a float plane flight and then "crab feast" is between $150-200. A  helo flight to a glacier with activities may cost upwards of $500.  Viking offers 1 "included" excursion per port that we can see. We cannot see on the website the for fee excursions. WHAT are the fees looking like for Viking?  We realize these are port specific... we are trying to get a feel. 

For example-- IF a Regent float plane and crab feast is $150-200...can we expect Vikings to be similar? More?  

 

The reason we ask is this--

We sailed RSSC about 9 yrs ago and Inclusive WAS Inclusive. We pulled our RSSC receipts etc and our float plane w crab feast was included.. not $180 pp or whatever it is showing today. Whale watching boat trip, included, Helo and dog sled, included...and so on. Now all of those excursions are for fee. So no so much "inclusive"

 

We had been leaning towards RSSC thinking that by the time we factor in the flights and paying for excursions with Viking--that Viking would be more than Regent..and with Regent--we'd be "all in".  Drilling deeper--we have found that the Regent we knew is not so inclusive and Perhaps.. Viking can be an equal or better option.

 

Viking has an itinerary we find very attractive..and we were willing to do the reverse with Regent for the "all in" comforts .... If Regent isn't really all inclusive now.... then it opens up the question.  And Viking can be a real contender.

 

Clear as mud?

 

TYIA for your advice/thoughts. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

AND we would have to pay the upgrade to Biz for the it'l leg, correct?

 

Correct.

 

Viking says it has 150 gateway cities, so I don't think you will have to worry that much about getting to a gateway airport.

 

Viking's pricing is straight forward. Cruise fare and airfare are always shown separately. You can let Viking assign you your flights or you can pay the AirPlus fee and have a say in the process plus be able to book flights before they are assigned. If you wish to deviate from the arrival and/or departure dates of the cruise, there is an additional fee as well and transfers are not available if you do this. (Our personal choice is to pay the fees and have a say in our flights)

 

Here are a couple of links to the Viking website that explain some of their policies:

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/air-services/index.html

Booking Terms & Conditions >

 

It is helpful to go to one of the big online booking sites just to get an idea of what the cost would be were you to book the flights yourself. Depending on when and where you are flying from, getting your air through Viking may or may not be a savings. Since exact flight information is not usually available  when making reservations a year or more in advance, we usually book air through Viking knowing that we can change our minds later and delete it.

 

Right before I contact Viking Air to deal with flights (usually around 275 days before departure) I will go online to look at available flight plans and decide which ones I like best and see how much they cost. I will compare it with what Viking is offering and I will make my decision.

[orchestrapal]

It is very hard to compare “premium” if that is what Viking is, considered to luxury

which is what Regent is. After two Viking cruises we would not consider it even close to luxury.

[Fogfog]

TY @Peregrina651

 

Will take a look

When we looked at the gateway cities for the sailing-- they were clear across the country from us...and it seemed like the $1k included airfare would scarcely get us across the ocean from the US to the destination/embarkation port in economy

 

TY @orchestrapal

 

Interestingly Regent is pushing back against Viking as there is a page on Regents site that "compares" the two

Can you share what worked/what didn't for your Viking sailings please?  

Do you like/prefer Regent

 

TYIA  

 

[Peregrina651]

26 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

TY @Peregrina651

 

Will take a look

When we looked at the gateway cities for the sailing-- they were clear across the country from us...and it seemed like the $1k included airfare would scarcely get us across the ocean from the US to the destination/embarkation port in economy

 

Okay, you have to be careful. Sometimes Viking gives a flat fare and sometimes the fare says from$$$$. That is a question you will have to ask Viking directly. For example, we are booked on a Far East cruise in 2021. When we booked, we got the same airfare for our flights from Boston as was shown on the website.

 

In any case, Viking will fly you from your home airport to the embarkation port and back. Sometimes it will be the same price you see on the website and sometimes it will be a couple of hundred more. 

 

You don't necessarily need to fly to one of the gateways named on the website. There are direct flights from the East Coast to the Orient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fogfog]

FWIW

DH called Viking to discuss a sailing and asked about excursions

The agent was VERY reticent to tell us what the excursions would cost...

DH said that looking to spend $10ks of thousands per person on ansailing--we want to have an idea on excursion prices

We do not ascribe to the "if you have to ask, who cannot afford it" mentality!

DH gave them an example--Misty Fiords plane and got a price. So he said..can we reasonably assume $400 pp per port for excursions. Agent comes back saying..well.. there are excursions for $500, 600 etc etc...

 

 

Going to look at "gateways" etc.

 

Honestly this makes RSSC look better and better. At least I can excursion prices on current sailings

 

We are looking at sailings for 2021 and 2022. We know the prices will change--however.. tryingt o compare these two has been a challenge

 

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Fogfog

[Hanoj]

9 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

FWIW

DH called Viking to discuss a sailing and asked about excursions

The agent was VERY reticent to tell us what the excursions would cost...

DH said that looking to spend $10ks of thousands per person on ansailing--we want to have an idea on excursion prices

We do not ascribe to the "if you have to ask, who cannot afford it" mentality!

DH gave them an example--Misty Fiords plane and got a price. So he said..can we reasonably assume $400 pp per port for excursions. Agent comes back saying..well.. there are excursions for $500, 600 etc etc...

 

 

Going to look at "gateways" etc.

 

Honestly this makes RSSC look better and better

 

 

 

 

 

On the last two VO cruises, we've noticed most optional excursions range from $49 to $249 pp depending on the mode of transportation, duration, meals, and included admissions. None of these involved air transportation, which are higher priced, but some involved boat rides. One obvious exception was the 2 day St. Petersburg (in 2018) that was $500 pp. Many book private excursions for considerably less than the cost of Viking optional excursions.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Hanoj
typo

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

FWIW

DH called Viking to discuss a sailing and asked about excursions

The agent was VERY reticent to tell us what the excursions would cost...

DH said that looking to spend $10ks of thousands per person on ansailing--we want to have an idea on excursion prices

We do not ascribe to the "if you have to ask, who cannot afford it" mentality!

DH gave them an example--Misty Fiords plane and got a price. So he said..can we reasonably assume $400 pp per port for excursions. Agent comes back saying..well.. there are excursions for $500, 600 etc etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a work around for this. We go to the current and recent past roll calls for the itinerary we are interested in and ask if someone could post pictures of the list of shorex that is in the cabin when we arrive. Sometimes we get an answer and sometimes we have to ask a couple of times to get it. Eventually, someone will share the information. You can also do the same in this forum if there is a hot thread  featuring your  itinerary.

[Fogfog]

2 hours ago, Hanoj said:

 

On the last two VO cruises, we've noticed most optional excursions range from $49 to $249 pp depending on the mode of transportation, duration, meals, and included admissions. None of these involved air transportation, which are higher priced, but some involved boat rides. One obvious exception was the 2 day St. Petersburg (in 2018) that was $500 pp. Many book private excursions for considerably less than the cost of Viking optional excursions.

We have typically done DIY and private excursions

What became the math exercise was the "inclusive" Regent cruise vs the "inclusive" Viking

and trying to get apples to apples... 

Our St Petersburg was through Dancing Bear..TWO very packed days.. very pricey for the 4 of us.  Almost $400 pp and then we had 2 lunches and grats on top. Worth every dime

Just like to know what is included and to get past the marketing to the nitty gritty

[Peregrina651]

20 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

We have typically done DIY and private excursions

What became the math exercise was the "inclusive" Regent cruise vs the "inclusive" Viking

and trying to get apples to apples... 

Our St Petersburg was through Dancing Bear..TWO very packed days.. very pricey for the 4 of us.  Almost $400 pp and then we had 2 lunches and grats on top. Worth every dime

Just like to know what is included and to get past the marketing to the nitty gritty

 

Okay, now I understand what you are trying to figure. Viking in its advertising puts a number on what they think their included perks are worth--supposing that you use every single one of them.

 

See https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-star.html for the list of perks cabin by cabin. This is the nitty gritty.

 

 

Since Viking's inclusive package includes only one designated included tour and all others are available only as a paid option, the cost of the optional tours does not really play into the calculation you are trying to make. Viking does not sell its included tour so the best you can do is guess at what the average value will be of the included tours.

 

Personally, we find that we leave a lot on the table. We don't take the included tour unless it looks appealing to us. We don't drink soda, so we don't use the mini-bar for anything more than storing groceries. We aren't huge spa goers.  The only included perk that we make use of liberally is the free wi-fi. But that's okay with us. We like Viking for more that what is included in the price; we like it for the intangibles like its casual, laid back atmosphere, like-minded fellow passengers, port intensive itineraries, ship as floating hotel to take us from one fascinating port to the next, no kids, no casino, no butlers, no exclusive use areas, no constant sell-sell-sell.

 

[dd57]

I will be on a Viking Alaska cruise in a few weeks.  I can't answer your specific question  about float plane and crab feast because I didn't  sign up for it and it is sold out so I can't see the price.  But when I was planning which excursions to take, I looked up the prices directly with the vendors (you can figure them out because the Viking descriptions and titles are almost exactly the same), and the Viking prices were within $10 of the direct prices,  except for one.  That one it turns out was not a standard excursion but a special  one they negotiated to match the times in port.  One of the excursions I checked involved a float plane, and Viking's cost was close in price to directly with the vendor.  I don't  know if this is true for all of the excursions, or if I just happened to pick the "right" ones.

[geffric]

Is there an itinary you are considering?  It would make it easier for me..

VIKING wanted $500 per person for the 2 day tour in St Petersburg,  we went with TJ Travel and saw the same sites plus for 1/2 the price. In Jordan  for Petra, Viking excursion was $350 each including lunch and a very long bus ride..

 

I an following this and can give you other examples once I know what your talking about..

[DanBarb]

I’m following this thread too.  We are doing our first Viking RIVER Cruise April/May of next year.  Lots of good info here already.  I suspect the VR product is somewhat different from the VO product.  We are 294 days out and trying to figure out the airfare options.  We have airfare included,  but I guess there are a number of factors/upgrade options we need to discover.  The research has just started.  

I know this is a VO thread but it is the first one that popped up.  I’ll try to find a similar VR thread.   

We've done several Windstar cruises.   First Viking river cruise.   

 

 

[Peregrina651]

33 minutes ago, DanBarb said:

I’m following this thread too.  We are doing our first Viking RIVER Cruise April/May of next year.  Lots of good info here already.  I suspect the VR product is somewhat different from the VO product.  We are 294 days out and trying to figure out the airfare options.  We have airfare included,  but I guess there are a number of factors/upgrade options we need to discover.  The research has just started.  

I know this is a VO thread but it is the first one that popped up.  I’ll try to find a similar VR thread.   

We've done several Windstar cruises.   First Viking river cruise.   

 

 

 

Air operations are the same whether you are sailing VR or VO. The same department handles flights for both divisions.

 

Airlines are just starting to load in the information for  your departure date; if you start looking today, the information will be incomplete and this misleading. I like 275 prior to my return flight to start looking. I have gotten into trouble by being impatient; the flight I really wanted to use hadn't been discontinued, it just had been loaded in yet.

 

Here are the helpful tidbits--things it has taken me multiple encounters with VikingAir to figure out and understand:

 

• Do you homework before you start talking with Viking. Have a good idea of what flight plans are out there and have a good idea of which ones work for you and which don't.
• Keep in mind that Viking does not have access to every flight plan you might find and at the price given on the website, you will be limited to the flight plans that Viking is offering at that price.
• This does not mean that you won't get non-stop flights just because they are offering a super good price on airfare. Even with free airfare on our last trip, our flight was non-stop from Boston to Paris coming and going. No detours to EWR or JFK or PHL or worse.
• Sometimes, Viking does not have the best price and sometimes it does but you won't know until you start talking with Viking. Just because you have chosen Viking Air when you booked does not mean that you can't change your mind and buy your own tickets (especially if your deal was not stellar). Just make sure that you do it more than 121 days before you are due to depart.
• Viking has fees. If you want to get involved in choosing the flights, then you will pay a $50pp fee (more if certain cities are involved). If you want to arrive early or stay longer without doing a pre-/post-cruise extension with Viking, there is a $100pp deviation fee plus transfers not available if you are not arriving and/or departing on embarkation and/or disembarkation day. There is also a stopover fee if you decide you want to break your journey along the way. Sometimes in the process of deviating, the airlines will charge more for the same flights (I don't understand the whys and wherefores of this; I just know it happens). You can say up front that you are only interested in flights with the same airfare as quoted
• Or, you can save all the fees and let Viking choose your flights for you. Personally, even if I am not deviating, I will pay the $50pp just to have a say in the flights and so that I can book my flight 200 days before Viking assign flights to everyone else.

Hope this helps.

 

 

[DanBarb]

Wow Peregrina, that is an awesome response and a lot of the info I was looking for!!

Thank you so much.  

I have done a google flights search, Alaska Airlines partner search as I have about 500K in miles with them.  We will be flying out of Seattle to AMS, then from BUD back to Seattle.   Airfares seem reasonable and with a nonstop there and a one stop coming home.  

Im wondering if economy plus is worth the 799 per person.  I’m 6’5 and 220 lbs.  

i tried some sample airfares and wasn’t able to book premium economy on the google flights.  Maybe too far out?

i have set a reminder on my calendar for 275 days out, per your rec.  Maybe I can get more answers then.  

Thanks again

[Peregrina651]

21 minutes ago, DanBarb said:

Wow Peregrina, that is an awesome response and a lot of the info I was looking for!!

Thank you so much.  

I have done a google flights search, Alaska Airlines partner search as I have about 500K in miles with them.  We will be flying out of Seattle to AMS, then from BUD back to Seattle.   Airfares seem reasonable and with a nonstop there and a one stop coming home.  

Im wondering if economy plus is worth the 799 per person.  I’m 6’5 and 220 lbs.  

i tried some sample airfares and wasn’t able to book premium economy on the google flights.  Maybe too far out?

i have set a reminder on my calendar for 275 days out, per your rec.  Maybe I can get more answers then.  

Thanks again

 

Once the conversation veers to miles, points and upgrades, I am out of my depth. I suggest that you talk with Viking about it when you start the conversation with them about flights. It is very complicated (because of the class of fare and some classes being upgradeable and others not).

 

Amsterdam to Budapest. WOW!  If you haven't seen those cities already, go early and stay late; so much to see in both places.

 

 

[Cyber Kat]

I can’t compare Viking to Regent as we haven’t yet sailed with Regent - though I have been looking at their itineraries. But I can tell you about our experiences with Viking. 

 

We have done 2 river cruises, 1 ocean and are booked on 2 more ocean cruises with one coming up soon.

 

On both river cruises, we booked our flights through Viking, paying the $50 pp fee for Air Plus and the $100pp deviation fee to come in early.  We have found the Viking Air people a bit easier to deal with than the ones who answer the phone when you call for info, though that might have been the luck of the draw. 

 

For our first river cruises we were novices. It had been years since we’d been to Europe and we had no experience with booking flights involving multiple cities.

 

At the time we, wanted to fly out of Newark/EWR on United because we were mileage club members with them.  I did look at potential flights so I had an idea before we talked to them. We booked economy knowing we could upgrade to premium economy and were able to get non-stop flights at decent times. But the more we thought about it, we wanted business/first. This trip was a retirement gift to ourselves. 

 

I called back and we were able to get the same flight over, but the return would involve Air France to Paris/CDG. I started doing more research after we booked this arrangement and I heard horror stories about changing planes at CDG.  I found a non-stop flight to NYC/JFK - doable for us, but not a preference.  I called again and we switched to that. We ended up on Delta for both flights and we were perfectly satisfied. 

 

When we booked the flights for our Grand European, we were working with a TA, but again I looked up the flights I wanted. We were able to get the ones I wanted going over but I was looking at Delta flights operated by Delta. Viking offered the same times but they were code share with KLM - new experience for us. And the return flight from Amsterdam to NYC involved changing planes in  Munich. I was not flying east to go west, so I found a direct flight which was also Delta/KLM.  It cost us an additional $125, but it was worth it. 

 

This cruise included “free” air. The upgrade to first was $3000 pp. I checked the prices for these flights and if we booked on our own they would have cost in the $7000 range. 

 

For our first ocean cruise, I booked the air with Viking and the price was $45 pp from EWR or JFK but Air Plus was not an option. I asked why and was told that there were very few flights available - from the NY airports to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I said, you’re kidding me, right. The rep didn’t quite get it.  Flights from NY to SJ leave once an hour 😝

 

Anyway when it was time to book the flights, I asked again about Air Plus and the answer was the same, so I cancelled and got our $90 refunded, plus an “air allowance of $600.  Worked out well.

 

For our upcoming ocean cruise from Montreal to NYC. We only need a 1 way ticket, so I just booked it on my own. I should have asked if there was an air allowance!

 

As far as excursions, we book a mix of included and optional. My husband doesn’t like the “panoramic” bus tours, which is what the included frequently are. We usually book the walking tours. 

 

I’m attaching a file with the excursions we are considering for our upcoming cruise. Should give you some idea of pricing. Most of the nicer ones seem to be in the $90 to $100 range or thereabouts. 

 

Well I thought I was. I downloaded it but I can’t find it. I’m on my tablet, not my desktop computer. I’ll see if I can find it and attach it to another post 

[Krisval]

We have done 3-4 VRiver and 3 VOcean with 2-4 more booked. Our next cruise is the Australia and New Zealand one and the air arrangements were very important to us as my husband had a pulmonary embolism a few years ago and a 15hour flight could literally be life threatening. I did my over compulsive research on flights, came up with what I liked, and our TA simultaneously checked with Viking to get their business class  flights and cost. Viking had the exact flights I had found and their price was less than I could find on my own. 

As Peregrina and others have said, I like knowing I’m covered by Viking if anything goes wrong (Peregrina and I know all about that!). I also like the transfers to/from the ship (we are going in early, so on our own to get to the ship, but no big deal). 

As for excursions, we do a combo of Viking and ones we find on our own. We will do several in Sydney in advance of getting on the ship, but will likely do the included “panoramic “  bus tour just to see the overview again. I’m making other tour arrangements in some of the other ports, but will wait to see what Viking has before booking (the Viking excursions will be posted Sept. 8). 

[DanBarb]

15 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Amsterdam to Budapest. WOW!  If you haven't seen those cities already, go early and stay late; so much to see in both places.

 

Thats the plan. 3 days early in Amsterdam and then 2 extra days in Budapest.  

[Jim Avery]

I might be wrong on this but we have done bookings and had them held for up to a week.  At that point you have a booking number and can go to My Viking Journey and see all the shorex and prices.  At the end of the week, if you have not deposited it disappears.  That's one way to see the shore excursions and pricing.🍸

[Peregrina651]

49 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

I might be wrong on this but we have done bookings and had them held for up to a week.  At that point you have a booking number and can go to My Viking Journey and see all the shorex and prices.  At the end of the week, if you have not deposited it disappears.  That's one way to see the shore excursions and pricing.🍸

 

Jim, it might be that everything you have booked has been within 4 months of departure?

 

Shorex and prices don't load until about 120 days prior to sailing -- and sometimes they don't make it until after booking has actually opened. This has been the SOP all along--and yes it really is a pain in the *** not to have this information available at when we are doing our initial research.

 

This what it says on the MVJ shorex page for our June, 2020 sailing. Until the 120 day mark, the only place you can see the potential shorex is on the Viking website. :

 

[philw1776]

Viking Ocean & River satisfied customer here.  I chose Silversea for Alaska because that area is Terra Nova for Viking.  Wanted an experienced cruise line expedition style cruise.  630 passenger ship.  Regent is experienced there as well.

[Clay Clayton]

Two additional data points. 

1. We have never (three tries) in getting Viking to credit us anything when we book our own air. In all cases they were offering free or reduced airfare in economy. We wanted to book flights ourselves (as biz was cheaper than through Viking) but since they wouldn’t offer us any portion of what they were paying, we ended up with the economy booking and were able to buy our way up to premium Econ directly with the airline when booking seats. 

 

2. If you pay the deviation fee you can also fly in or out of a city different than the port city. For example our Soring 2019 TA terminated in Barcelona. We flew back to the US from Rome after spending several days there. It’s my understanding that you can delay your return flight up to 30 days.

 

As always, YMMV

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Two additional data points. 

1. We have never (three tries) in getting Viking to credit us anything when we book our own air. In all cases they were offering free or reduced airfare in economy. We wanted to book flights ourselves (as biz was cheaper than through Viking) but since they wouldn’t offer us any portion of what they were paying, we ended up with the economy booking and were able to buy our way up to premium Econ directly with the airline when booking seats. 

 

2. If you pay the deviation fee you can also fly in or out of a city different than the port city. For example our Soring 2019 TA terminated in Barcelona. We flew back to the US from Rome after spending several days there. It’s my understanding that you can delay your return flight up to 30 days.

 

As always, YMMV

 

Hi Clay - good points to know.  A couple questions further:

- Could you have done the Viking economy and bought your way up to Biz Class (instead of Prem Econ)?  or is this dependent on the airlines themselves?

- Can one every use Viking for Biz Class?

- If one books a Viking Ocean Cruise initially (as a placeholder) while onboard a VOC, then late wants to add the Viking Air, can that be done?  Or do you have to commit to Viking Air and/or Viking Air Plus immediately when you first book the cruise?

 

Thanks!  And anyone else out there who might have had experience with this.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

- If one books a Viking Ocean Cruise initially (as a placeholder) while onboard a VOC, then late wants to add the Viking Air, can that be done?  Or do you have to commit to Viking Air and/or Viking Air Plus immediately when you first book the cruise?

 

Easier to take the air deal at the time of booking and cancel if you decide not to use it. My understanding is if you add the air later that you do not get the current air deal but the deal was in effect when you booked, if seats are still available at that rate as it is a limited offer, or you get the standard fare. In other words, you cannot book the cruise now and then hope to add free air or deeply discounted air at a later date.

 

You can buy into AirPlus at any point more than 65 days prior to departure. BUT why wait. The earlier you book the more choices you have (especially if you are looking at EconPlus or First/Biz) --which is why you are using AirPlus in the first place, right?