Shore Excursions: I have questions

[BobCatter]

First time cruising with Viking.
Do I need to pick all my excursions as soon as they show up on MVJ?
Do they charge right away for optional excursions?
Other than the one-off "I have to try that one" do you find the included excursions good enough?
Any tips or tricks I should know about?

My excursions should be available on 6/6 so any insight much appreciated.

[Mich3554]

We pick a combination of included and optional, depending on interests.  Occasionally, DH and I go in different directions, but usually we like the same things. There have always been optional excursions that have interested us.  Not in every port, but in many.  Sometimes it is difficult to choose.

 

We tend to book as soon as they show up on MVJ, because there is a risk they’ll be full/sold out.  Yes, you need to pay when booked.

 

[janetcbl]

4 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

First time cruising with Viking.
Do I need to pick all my excursions as soon as they show up on MVJ?
Do they charge right away for optional excursions?
Other than the one-off "I have to try that one" do you find the included excursions good enough?
Any tips or tricks I should know about?

My excursions should be available on 6/6 so any insight much appreciated.

If you want a certain excursion it is best to sign up as soon as they are released  to your MJV. You are charged right away. Excursions can be canceled once you are onboard (2 days in advance?) and your account is credited. We use the dollars from canceled excursions to help pay Gratuities which we do not prepay. If Viking cancels an excursion, that money is also credited to your account.

[BobCatter]

Another question: for the included excursions, how many departure timeslots are usually offered? Are some times more popular than others? 

[basenji56]

37 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

If you want a certain excursion it is best to sign up as soon as they are released  to your MJV. You are charged right away. Excursions can be canceled once you are onboard (2 days in advance?) and your account is credited. We use the dollars from canceled excursions to help pay Gratuities which we do not prepay. If Viking cancels an excursion, that money is also credited to your account.

If dollars from cancelled excursions are not used, are they refunded to you at the end of the cruise?

[Peregrina651]

2 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Do I need to pick all my excursions as soon as they show up on MVJ?

 

Under normal conditions (i.e., pre-Covid),  shorex loaded in around 120 days prior to Day 1 of the cruise for all to see. Booking then opens for pax on a schedule based on your stateroom category. The date is shown on your Viking invoice (scroll down till you find it).  If you are working with a travel agent, make sure that they have sent you a copy of your Viking invoice, not just an agency invoice. There is important information on the the invoice that will help you as you plan your cruise.

 

If you are in PV or higher, you don't need to be in front of the computer the moment your booking period opens unless you are planning on booking one of the tours that has very few spaces to begin with -- like helicopter rides or other limited access type tours.

 

If you are in a DV or V, then absolutely be in front of the computer when booking opens. These two categories account for the majority of cabins on board and spaces will go quickly.

 

12 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Do they charge right away for optional excursions?

 

Even if a tour is in your shopping cart, it is not yours until the transaction is complete. You can not put a tour into your shopping cart while you make up your mind; it will be sold. Therefore, if there is an optional tour that you really want, make it the first thing you put into your cart and then go immediately to check out. Once you plunk down your credit card and complete the transaction, it is yours. The go back and do the rest of your shopping.

 

You do have to reserve seats for the included tours as well and even though you you don't have to pay for them, you have to complete the transaction process and get a receipt.

 

Save the receipts! Print them to PDF and put them on your mobile device, just in case there are problems.

 

26 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Other than the one-off "I have to try that one" do you find the included excursions good enough?

 

It depends on where we are going and what the included tour covers what we will choose to do. The included tours tend to be short -- half day or less -- because many people want to do other things during the day -- explore on their own, take an optional tour in addition to the included -- or enjoy time on the ship. 

 

Personally, we decide what it is we want to see in a given port and then see what is being offered. We will do the included only if it is doing things we want to do. Life's too short to take the included tour because we already paid for it when it is what is on the optional tour that we really want to see.

 

36 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Any tips or tricks I should know about?

 

You got 'em already in the first 3 sections. 😉

 

PLUS one more: if you are closed out of an included tour, meaning no space in any of the time slots, contact Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com. Tell them that it is sold out and ask if they will be adding more spaces. then start watching MVJ for spaces to open up.  If you get just one seat, take it. It is always easier to another seat when you already have one.  The same goes if you are sold out of an optional -- but i always add a bit of sob stuff, like how disappointed I am that a tour I really wanted to do has sold out (honey not vinegar!)

 

14 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Another question: for the included excursions, how many departure timeslots are usually offered? Are some times more popular than others? 

 

Differs from port to port depending on the provider and their resources.  It also depends on how many people are on board and how many slots they have to offer.

 

TIP OF LAST RESORT:

 

If worse comes to worse and there is a tour that you just can't on no matter how hard you have tried. Show up on the dock (ready to go) and talk with the Shorex team that is counting people and loading. Ask if there is room for two more. They well sell you a ticket and get you right on the bus if there is room.

[Peregrina651]

6 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

If dollars from cancelled excursions are not used, are they refunded to you at the end of the cruise?

 

It depends on the source of the money that was used to pay for the shorex.

 

If you paid by credit card, you will get your money back.

 

If payment by vouchers is involved, it is more complicated because voucher money from cancelled cruises had to be used before boarding the ship.

 

 

48 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

You are charged right away.

 

Be careful here. The Viking process is very specific. You have to check out before you are charged. Putting a tour into your shopping cart does not complete the transaction -- and a tour is not yours, even if it is in your cart,  until you complete check out.

[BobCatter]

7 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

It depends on the source of the money that was used to pay for the shorex.

 

If you paid by credit card, you will get your money back.

 

 

OK. A previous reply said it went to their account - I was hoping that meant their CC account, not some shipboard account. I just want to know that if I change my mind, I get my actual money back. We will be using cc, not vouchers.

Edited June 2, 2022 by BobCatter

[BobCatter]

 

28 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Under normal conditions (i.e., pre-Covid),  shorex loaded in around 120 days prior to Day 1 of the 

 

If you are in PV or higher, you don't need to be in front of the computer the moment your booking period opens unless you are planning on booking one of the tours that has very few spaces to begin with -- like helicopter rides or other limited access type tours.

 

If you are in a DV or V, then absolutely be in front of the computer when booking opens. These two categories account for the majority of cabins on board and spaces will go quickly.

 

 

 

We're 80ish days out and no sign of the shorex; I was told 6/6 they would be available to book. doesn't give us a lot of time to look them over.  We're PV, so at least that gives us a bit of cushion.

How accurate are the descriptions that are on the regular viking website? They don't include cost, but are they good representations  of what will be actually offered?

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, BobCatter said:

 

We're 80ish days out and no sign of the shorex; I was told 6/6 they would be available to book. doesn't give us a lot of time to look them over.  We're PV, so at least that gives us a bit of cushion.

How accurate are the descriptions that are on the regular viking website? They don't include cost, but are they good representations  of what will be actually offered?

 

Sorry to say, if booking was supposed to have opened already, then all bets are off. Viking has been having great difficultly with this since the start up and things are not yet back to normal. I keep saying that we are ready to cruise but the industry infrastructure isn't ready for us.

 

Things will not go according the normal plan. Booking will open for everyone at the same time and it will be first-come-first-served regardless of room category. Plan to be at the computer when they say things will open -- but check even before that time to see if they have opened.

 

THEREFORE, it's time for PLAN B.  Sit down now, with the information you have available to you, which is the tour descriptions that are found on the Viking website -- not MVJ.

 

If you haven't found the tour descriptions already: Go to the Viking website and find your cruise. Make sure you are on the page with map and the pretty pictures. Scroll down to the section called Day by Day and on Day 2, click on the right side where it says READ MORE. This will take you to the information you want: descriptions of the tours. Note: not all of the tours shown on this page will necessarily be offered on your sailing.

 

Before you start scrolling down Day 2 to see the tours, note the  navigational arrows on either side of Day 2. If you are going thru the days in order, it is easier to use these arrow than go back to the list of days.

 

Now, scroll down Day 2 and you will see the tours for that day. Click anywhere in the tour box to get a description of the tour including duration but not including price.  I suggest you start a document with the tours that you are interested in. Tours are not listed in price order. At least now, you have an idea of what you might see when the final selection of tours is posted. You have time to read the descriptions at leisure and make some tentative decisions so that when you finally do see pricing you are ready to act.

 

About pricing. It depends on where you are how much you are going to be paying for tours. In general, tours that include meals or exotic equipment are more expensive.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Peregrina651

[duquephart]

Very good advice above. All I can add is:

Research thoroughly, prioritize and be ready. Check MJV often.

[molymoo]

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

Very good advice above. All I can add is:

Research thoroughly, prioritize and be ready. Check MJV often.

You got it!  And best to “check MVJ often” every day!

 

[Jazmyn49]

And don't panic if your excursion is sold out.  Just keep checking daily as they DO pop up as people change their minds.  When you get on the ship, check with the desk where you might get a ticket or at least a place on the wait list. 

[CDR2001]

FYI, we were due to book excursions today, June3, and according to Viking it would open at 12noon PST. (Aug9 Homelands). However, I saw on multiple Viking chat sites, including CC, that it might open at midnightPST.  I checked last night before bed, not ready. But when I woke around 1am EDT, and logged back in, I saw the excursions open. I booked a few that we really wanted then finished up this morning. Tip, if you use an already saved  e-check account,  the booking is faster, and 3.3% less. I couldn’t get MVJ to save my credit card. So…. Check often before your actual booking day!  Hope it works for you.

[deec]

Yes, putting in your credit card every time is time consuming!  Thanks for the tip on the e-check! 

[Twitchly]

The included excursions are often “panoramic” tours, which translates to riding around in a bus to take in the sights. We took these when we wanted an intro to a place before exploring it on our own, or when we had a second excursion afterward. Some included excursions were walking tours, which were more to our liking. Other than that, we tended to book other excursions, including some not run by Viking. 

[kkapaldo]

The tours also have whether "easy, moderate or demanding" listed.  So if you have any physical disabilities keep that in mind when choosing your excursions.  We just disembarked from the Star on the Scenic Scandinavian - and some of the included excursions were walking tours of the small towns/cities.  Keep in mind that in many of the European countries walking in town is on cobblestones which is a lot different then here in the US walking in the local malls

[BobCatter]

Twitchly and kkapaldo: We're not concerned about the activity levels - we're both fairly fit and walk everyday - on and off pavement. We're open to the overview included excursions, but we do want to explore on our own. Hopefully there will be time for both. I fundamentally don't want to spend extra money on places I can explore on my own.  For example, Bergen is a lovely compact city. Why would I pay $$ to walk with a tour to a museum I can access on my own. We don't need (in most places) that kind of hand-holding.

[Azulann]

1 hour ago, kkapaldo said:

The tours also have whether "easy, moderate or demanding" listed.  So if you have any physical disabilities keep that in mind when choosing your excursions.  We just disembarked from the Star on the Scenic Scandinavian - and some of the included excursions were walking tours of the small towns/cities.  Keep in mind that in many of the European countries walking in town is on cobblestones which is a lot different then here in the US walking in the local malls

I will be taking this same cruise  in June of 2023. Which of the  the  included walking tours were the most strenuous with walking up hills or lots of stairs?  Which was your favorite excursion? 

I am still in the  research phase of what I want to see on this  cruise.

[FolsomMike]

Does Viking require mask wearing on the buses on their included tours and/or do most folks wear them? I would be freaked if I was seated near a coughing unmasked passenger for hours. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by FolsomMike

[CCWineLover]

33 minutes ago, FolsomMike said:

Does Viking require mask wearing on the buses on their included tours and/or do most folks wear them? I would be freaked if I was seated near a coughing unmasked passenger for hours. 

We've been on excursion buses where masks were supposed to used, but many refused to use them and it was not enforced.   We faced just what you say (sitting across from unmasked people or in front or in back, who are either talking constantly or coughing or both).  We've been fortunate to be able to move seats to a better place.  Sometimes though, it was difficult to find a seat away from unmasked people on the buses.  Guess you just have to hope they don't have the big C.

[kkapaldo]

RE Mask wearing on the excursion buses - I'd say between 25-50% wore masks on the buses - but of those 1/2 wore them as chin straps so it really doesn't matter.  FWIW - our cruise had 374 passengers and a full crew - of those we "heard" by the end of the 11 days about 40 people were being quarantined - but who know's the real number - someone might've said 36 then the next person just rounds up to 40 - so who knows.  

[kkapaldo]

@BobCatter - I understand about the activity level being fine for some - but the issue with some is that even tho the description says "walking" tour people don't realize it could be anywhere from 2-5 miles of walking - and because it's largely on cobblestones in these old cities that's just so much different from walking on nice pavement here in the US.

 

@Azulamm - the included _____ by foot tours like I said above can be strenuous like the ones in Copenhagen and Karlskrona - whereas the included tours in Mariehamm and Ronne were almost totally on the buses.  Berlin was a 2.5 hour train ride, then about a 1-1.5 hour bus tour with getting off at the Brandenburg Gate and riding past Checkpoint Charlie and a couple other highlights, then having about 4 hours to explore on your own and get back to your bus, then 2.5 hours back to the ship via train. Hope that helps 

[Azulann]

kkapaldo.  thank you for your helpful post.

 I am not going into Berlin but doing a  trip closer to port. We will be staying in Copenhagen after the cruise, so want to do a museum or something on the water  while on ship.   A bus overview  excursion is ok if we can still have time to walk around on our own a get a floor of these towns.  

Not taking any  Viking excursions that say demanding, add read the moderate ones very carefully.  

[kkapaldo]

@Azulann -I think every port we were in there was always a shuttle bus for you to get into the center of town and return to the ship