Pre-Cruise Extension (Madrid): Viking offered excursion

[Kamfish642]

We are booked on the Viking Neptune Barcelona to FLL departing on December 8.  We booked the pre-cruise extension in Madrid, where according to Viking website, there is supposed to be a Viking free excursion offered in Madrid; however, I do not see anything under excursions.  Is this normal for ocean cruises, since pre-cruise excursion was posted for a recent river cruise?

[OneSixtyToOne]

Pre and Post cruise extensions will not list anything for that day in MVJ. Excursions are "baked" into the extension and there is no need to reserve a time for them.

Edited November 2, 2022 by OneSixtyToOne

[Symmes99]

I will be on the Madrid pre-cruise extension in three days for our Viking Jupiter Barcelona-to Buenos Aries crossing. I received an email from Viking on October 11th with details. Here is what it said about the itinerary: 

Your Extension Itinerary
Day 1: Your Viking representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your first-class hotel for check-in. Enjoy the rest of the day exploring Madrid at your leisure. Your Viking host will be available to help you plan your time in Madrid so you can make the most of your visit.

Day 2: After breakfast, embark on your comprehensive Madrid Tour. During a panoramic drive, see the lush Botanical Garden and the Royal Palace of Madrid. Later, disembark from your motor coach to enjoy a walking tour through the Madrid of the Hapsburgs and visit the Prado Museum. In the evening, enjoy dinner on your own, or opt to enjoy an evening of traditional tapas. Contact your Viking host for further details.

Day 3: After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer by high-speed train to Barcelona to embark on your cruise. Your Viking host will provide you with your reserved train tickets and accompany you on the train. The train ride from Madrid to Barcelona leaves at 10:30 AM and arrives in Barcelona at approximately 1:15 PM (approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes). Your luggage will be sent separately and will be delivered to your stateroom on board. (Train times are subject to change at any time without notice)

Upon arrival in Barcelona, you will be transferred to the pier for embarkation.

 

We’re looking forward to this trip!

 

[traveljkkk]

Our Madrid extension in late 2019 was a fiasco.  No one picked us up at the airport ("take a cab").  It was difficult because of the language and the small size of the cabs.  We skipped over 50 cabs before one pulled up large enough for our luggage (month trip).  Tapas tours were overbooked so they made one up for the late people - an out of the way boring, dry, plain mess.  Day 2 was fine and fun.  The train ride was good for some and bad for others.  Someone goofed up and only part of the group got first class, the rest got economy seating and had to pay for the food and drink we got free in our comfortable seats.  Be prepared to run and speaking Spanish helps. Some financial adjustments were made when we boarded the cruise, and I think the tour coordinators were fired but who knows.

 

Hope that this potentially fun extension is what it is supposed to be - a great start to a great cruise.

[Symmes99]

Wow, your Madrid extension seemed so disorganized. I hope they’ve learned from that and improved the product. Thanks for sharing. I’ll lower my expectations just a bit. 

[sugarside]

On day 2 on the included excursion we stayed on in town after the Prado tour with the knowledge of the guide.Easy to find good tapas and wander around (having researched likely visits).We  wanted to see Picasso’s Guernica which is in the nearby other big gallery.

[OKCowboy]

23 hours ago, Symmes99 said:

I will be on the Madrid pre-cruise extension in three days for our Viking Jupiter Barcelona-to Buenos Aries crossing. I received an email from Viking on October 11th with details. Here is what it said about the itinerary: 

Your Extension Itinerary
Day 1: Your Viking representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your first-class hotel for check-in. Enjoy the rest of the day exploring Madrid at your leisure. Your Viking host will be available to help you plan your time in Madrid so you can make the most of your visit.

Day 2: After breakfast, embark on your comprehensive Madrid Tour. During a panoramic drive, see the lush Botanical Garden and the Royal Palace of Madrid. Later, disembark from your motor coach to enjoy a walking tour through the Madrid of the Hapsburgs and visit the Prado Museum. In the evening, enjoy dinner on your own, or opt to enjoy an evening of traditional tapas. Contact your Viking host for further details.

Day 3: After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer by high-speed train to Barcelona to embark on your cruise. Your Viking host will provide you with your reserved train tickets and accompany you on the train. The train ride from Madrid to Barcelona leaves at 10:30 AM and arrives in Barcelona at approximately 1:15 PM (approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes). Your luggage will be sent separately and will be delivered to your stateroom on board. (Train times are subject to change at any time without notice)

Upon arrival in Barcelona, you will be transferred to the pier for embarkation.

 

We’re looking forward to this trip!

 

We had a similar experience on our pre-Madrid Tour. Highly recommend especially Prado and high speed train.