Octanis Canadian Discovery

[PRH]

We board October 1, 2022 in Toronto to NYC.  Already I am disappointed as most of the included tours are already “sold out” but more so because the Viking “advertising” for this cruise shows more nature and native peoples tours.  And why are the not included tours so expensive when this expensive cruise was touted two or three years ago  as being all-inclusive far as excursions?  For anyone who did this cruise this spring, were there particular tours which were memorable?  Having difficulty justifying the cost of this cruise.  Thanks 

Edited August 15, 2022 by PRH

[gbldcl]

I logged in as soon as excursions were available (noon PST today) only to see all included excursions "sold out," plus some pay for excursions we wanted gone. I know I have read many times on these threads to not worry about it and book on board, but why can't we book now if Viking knows they are going to add excursions later? Why make it a hassle? Last cruise in April on the Orion I had to stand in line with MANY MANY others for over an hour just to get included excursions and restaurant reservations that never showed up as available in MVJ. Yes, I did eventually get what I wanted but the process to do so was a lot more difficult than it needs to be. The OP is correct, when we paid for this cruise over two years ago the marketing hype was "excursions included."

 

[tsakishuman]

We also logged in at noon PST today to book our excursions. Miraculously, we got all that we wanted but we are doing things like kayaking and cycling which seem to be less popular. I was disappointed that the only included excursion in Saguenay (and the only one I was remotely interested in) was sold out so we have nothing planned for that day so far. I also thought that due to the high cost of this cruise that the excursions, with the exception of some very expensive ones like helicopter rides, would be included. Alas, not. Even our kayaking adventure in Halifax is $400. Fortunately, we had over $1600 pp in two year old voucher money to spend so all of it went on the excursions and I still have some left over so we will likely use it towards Silver Spirits and pre-paid gratuities as we must use it or lose it. I am hoping we will get to make use of some of the watercraft on the ship like the zodiacs and the RIB's as they were mentioned for each port but mysteriously disappeared when the excursions became available to view. 

[PRH]

Glad to hear we aren’t the only ones to wonder about the excursions!  I called Viking yesterday and was told they hope to add additional included excursions soon—but probably more of the same.  It is frustrating when you are asked to pay $99 to hike!  Especially when many of the included tours are ye old panoramic bus tours!  And who knows what the zodiac or kayak situation is onboard.  Again, this was billed as a far more inclusive cruise with the price tag to go with it.  

[tsakishuman]

Today received an email that our bike excursion in Toronto has been cancelled. Just booked it last weekend. Hard to believe they can’t find another bike tour. Very little left to choose from now and nothing that interests us. It also put $300 pp back into our voucher account which we are struggling to spend before we board. 

[Peregrina651]

20 hours ago, tsakishuman said:

Hard to believe they can’t find another bike tour.

 

I'm not making excuses for Viking, but...

 

The private tour industry was devastated by Covid.  Contract workers with no tours to lead found jobs elsewhere. They needed a steady income.  Companies shutdown and have not reopened -- some may not open at all, especially in  ports of call with sporadic traffic.  Guiding tours and driving busses is skilled labor and training new workers takes time.  Demand far outstrips supply, especially in areas where cruise tourism is just restarting. 

 

This environment is a lousy one in which to be starting up new itineraries.  Viking can't contract seats on tours where none exist. Things are not back to pre-Covid standards and won't be a while.

 

[Heidi13]

20 hours ago, tsakishuman said:

Today received an email that our bike excursion in Toronto has been cancelled. Just booked it last weekend. Hard to believe they can’t find another bike tour. Very little left to choose from now and nothing that interests us. It also put $300 pp back into our voucher account which we are struggling to spend before we board. 

 

In addition to Peregrina's reply, I also note that bikes are one of the supply chain issues and are hard to find, at least locally. We just sold 3 bikes in a couple of hours with multiple offers on each bike.