Shore excursions, included versus optional

[wine-wine-wine]

2 hours ago, dlh015 said:

That is interesting. On our Egypt river cruise, a couple ports have two 'included' excursions and we've been able to reserve both. They are, of course, at different times and don't cancel each other out.

 

I shall keep this in mind when our VO cruise excursions open up...

I think river and ocean cruises are very different in this regard. We don’t care too much if it is only one on ocean but would be very disappointed if only one per day on the Nile. 

[CDNPolar]

6 hours ago, wine-wine-wine said:

I think river and ocean cruises are very different in this regard. We don’t care too much if it is only one on ocean but would be very disappointed if only one per day on the Nile. 

We went on multiple on River with Viking.

 

When we booked in advance we chose one or two per day depending on what times were available, but when we boarded we were on more...  more meaning that they just put us on additional excursions without advance notice.  We just received the tickets.

 

Not sure if they were additional included, or what they were.  We did not investigate, we just went. 

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

On the May 31, 2024 Into the  Midnight Sun, there are three ports with 2 included excursions:

Bergen: Panoramic Bergen (bus), and Bergen on Foot (walking)

Lofoten: Panoramic Lofoten by Land & Sea (boat tour and bus), and Panoramic Lofoten (bus)

Tromso: Panoramic Tromso (bus), and Tromso on Foot (walking)

 

[2cruisecats]

18 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

The day before at the Port Talk, speak with the Shore Excursions manager right after the talk - don't wait until the day of.

 

If there is room, the port talks generally foster some interest and you may lose a spot if you wait.  They will sign you up immediately and charge your stateroom account.

Thankfully, all our Iceland excursions are booked. I was just surprised when there were two included tours in Heimaey & they would only allow one to be booked on MVJ.  When talking with our Viking TA, she said that this is common & may change as we get closer to sail date.  (We did have an early booking slot).  She also suggested checking with the shore excursions desk once onboard if I wanted to do both. (In reality, it might become a spa afternoon.)

Edited May 12 by 2cruisecats

[2cruisecats]

23 minutes ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

On the May 31, 2024 Into the  Midnight Sun, there are three ports with 2 included excursions:

Bergen: Panoramic Bergen (bus), and Bergen on Foot (walking)

Lofoten: Panoramic Lofoten by Land & Sea (boat tour and bus), and Panoramic Lofoten (bus)

Tromso: Panoramic Tromso (bus), and Tromso on Foot (walking)

 

Yes, we had the same excursion options on our Midnight Sun cruise. It was nice as it allowed those with limited mobility to enjoy those ports with the panoramic option, v little walking. I was still recovering from a broken ankle when we did that cruise & switched to the Panoramic Lofoten to give my ankle a rest -- it was a great excursion, nothing "lame" about it!

[Islander500]

On 5/12/2024 at 11:00 AM, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

On the May 31, 2024 Into the  Midnight Sun, there are three ports with 2 included excursions:

Bergen: Panoramic Bergen (bus), and Bergen on Foot (walking)

Lofoten: Panoramic Lofoten by Land & Sea (boat tour and bus), and Panoramic Lofoten (bus)

Tromso: Panoramic Tromso (bus), and Tromso on Foot (walking)

 

This thread has been so helpful for us newbies.  I'm delighted to learn that on your cruise there were 2 included options in Lofoten Islands. I had started to research/contact a few private companies to evaluate "small group" tour options there. If not too much trouble, would you share the descriptions of the 2 included options, either here or on the cruise port thread?  Would love to see the details. Thanks all!          

[slewis7]

On 6/11/2024 at 12:41 PM, Islander500 said:

This thread has been so helpful for us newbies.  I'm delighted to learn that on your cruise there were 2 included options in Lofoten Islands. I had started to research/contact a few private companies to evaluate "small group" tour options there. If not too much trouble, would you share the descriptions of the 2 included options, either here or on the cruise port thread?  Would love to see the details. Thanks all!          

When we were in Lofoten with Viking we had an absolutely fantastic 6 hour tour with Lofoten Lights.  If I remember correctly, the Viking included tour just went into town.  We were so glad we got a more expansive tour as the traveling around the island was stunning.

 

We have been on quite a few Viking cruises and we have very low expectations for their included tours.  We typically book outside tours when they are available or otherwise pay the premium Viking charges for their optional offering.  Every once in a while the included tours are good though.

[Islander500]

23 hours ago, slewis7 said:

When we were in Lofoten with Viking we had an absolutely fantastic 6 hour tour with Lofoten Lights.  If I remember correctly, the Viking included tour just went into town.  We were so glad we got a more expansive tour as the traveling around the island was stunning.

 

We have been on quite a few Viking cruises and we have very low expectations for their included tours.  We typically book outside tours when they are available or otherwise pay the premium Viking charges for their optional offering.  Every once in a while the included tours are good though.

Thanks @slewis7 

On the prívate excursion, did you have enough cruisers in your travel group or did you find others to join you on the roll call? I’ve done that often but have never been on Viking.  Is it mostly the same with other cruisers willing to join a small (6-8) private tour group? 

[slewis7]

1 hour ago, Islander500 said:

Thanks @slewis7 

On the prívate excursion, did you have enough cruisers in your travel group or did you find others to join you on the roll call? I’ve done that often but have never been on Viking.  Is it mostly the same with other cruisers willing to join a small (6-8) private tour group? 

We just booked for the 2 of us.  It was well worth it, but we had splendid weather which helped,