snookie1 Posted July 8 #1 Share Posted July 8 We are taking the 33-day cruise to Hawaii and French Polynesia in October. We are in San Diego the day before disembarking; only 2 excursions are offered: the included (a panoramic which we have already done) and one to the San Diego Safari Park. This last one is very expensive -- $279. I went to their website and see that there are several safaris you can take. From Viking's description of the excursion, it is not clear to me if any of these is included in our fee. It seems as if it should be, since it is so expensive. Does anyone have any idea about this? We love San Diego, but Viking is really not offering much there. Any advice would be appreciated.🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dd57 Posted July 8 #2 Share Posted July 8 The Safari Park is pretty amazing, but it is about an hour out of town. If you don't want to spend all that time getting there, some other options would be the San Diego zoo, which is also pretty famous, or some of the museums in Balboa Park. They are much closer to where the ship will dock downtown, about a 15 minute ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sunflower & The Scientist Posted July 8 #3 Share Posted July 8 4 minutes ago, dd57 said: The Safari Park is pretty amazing, but it is about an hour out of town. If you don't want to spend all that time getting there, some other options would be the San Diego zoo, which is also pretty famous, or some of the museums in Balboa Park. They are much closer to where the ship will dock downtown, about a 15 minute ride. That is a really good suggestion....another that would be only about 15 min by cab, is Coronado. It is a charming little town with an incredible beach. The historic Del Coronado Hotel is there and a beautiful place to walk through. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dd57 Posted July 8 #4 Share Posted July 8 1 minute ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said: That is a really good suggestion....another that would be only about 15 min by cab, is Coronado. It is a charming little town with an incredible beach. The historic Del Coronado Hotel is there and a beautiful place to walk through. If you ever watched the movie Some Like It Hot, it was filmed at that hotel. And then for military buffs, there is the USS Midway also nearby. So much to do in San Diego. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 8 #5 Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, snookie1 said: From Viking's description of the excursion, it is not clear to me if any of these is included in our fee. It seems as if it should be, since it is so expensive. Does anyone have any idea about this? We love San Diego, but Viking is really not offering much there. I don’t think any of the paid safaris are included. This excursion, described for our April Pacific Coast Explorer cruise, says it is a seven hour tour that is “self-guided.” It also says you can pay to take the tram. So I think you are basically paying for the transportation and admission. That said, I’ve been several times and it it worth going. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OneSixtyToOne Posted July 9 #6 Share Posted July 9 (edited) 3 hours ago, SantaFe1 said: I don’t think any of the paid safaris are included. This excursion, described for our April Pacific Coast Explorer cruise, says it is a seven hour tour that is “self-guided.” It also says you can pay to take the tram. So I think you are basically paying for the transportation and admission. That said, I’ve been several times and it it worth going. 4 hours ago, snookie1 said: We are taking the 33-day cruise to Hawaii and French Polynesia in October. We are in San Diego the day before disembarking; only 2 excursions are offered: the included (a panoramic which we have already done) and one to the San Diego Safari Park. This last one is very expensive -- $279. I went to their website and see that there are several safaris you can take. From Viking's description of the excursion, it is not clear to me if any of these is included in our fee. It seems as if it should be, since it is so expensive. Does anyone have any idea about this? We love San Diego, but Viking is really not offering much there. Any advice would be appreciated.🙂 I concur with @SantaFe1. We are members of the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and are about 30 minutes away. You are paying for transportation and general admission only. I would suggest a visit to the Zoo in Balboa Park. The new Pandas just arrived from China this week. They are not on exhibit yet and no date has been announced. My guess is September or October. Take the opportunity to see them. The zoo is more compact than Safari Park so you will see more there in a short time. You can spend days wandering around the Zoo and the museums and gardens in Balboa Park. One hidden gem is the San Diego Model Railroad Museum on the Prado. It’s the largest model railroad exhibit in North America and the museum is fully accredited with the American Association of Museums. It’s pretty unique and amazing place. (Full disclosure, I’m a former president of the museum so I will plug it every opportunity I get.) https://www.sdmrm.org Edited July 9 by OneSixtyToOne 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 9 #7 Share Posted July 9 2 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said: I would suggest a visit to the Zoo in Balboa Park. Yes. Although the excursions aren’t up yet for our trip in April, we will do the behind the scenes at SD Zoo if offered. We used to be members when we lived in LA. I have been going there since I was a little girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frisky070802 Posted July 9 #8 Share Posted July 9 15 hours ago, dd57 said: If you ever watched the movie Some Like It Hot, it was filmed at that hotel. And then for military buffs, there is the USS Midway also nearby. So much to do in San Diego. My wife and I are not especially military buffs, but we do enjoy a good military museum. We were shocked to find out how riveting the New Orleans WWII museum was, and the Midway in San Diego was almost as good. The San Diego Zoo is quite nice as well. I've never been to the safari park. The only attraction we regretted seeing in San Diego was Sea World. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OneSixtyToOne Posted July 9 #9 Share Posted July 9 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Frisky070802 said: The only attraction we regretted seeing in San Diego was Sea World. Sea World has morphed into an amusement park after all the bad publicity about killer whales in captivity. Unless you want to ride roller coasters, you are not missing much. We support the zoo, which is non-profit, Sea World is the opposite. If interested in marine life, I suggest Birch Aquarium on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. It’s part of Scripp’s Oceanographic Institute and UCSD. The view is amazing as are the exhibits. The new trolley line will take you from downtown to the UCSD campus. It’s a bit of a walk from the trolley station to the Aquarium but the campus is beautiful. https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/about Edited July 9 by OneSixtyToOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie1 Posted July 9 Author #10 Share Posted July 9 Thank you all for your advice. I think we will probably forgo the Safari Park, and maybe take a bus or whatever to the zoo for the day -- much less expensive, and I think we will enjoy that just as much! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OneSixtyToOne Posted July 9 #11 Share Posted July 9 (edited) 32 minutes ago, snookie1 said: Thank you all for your advice. I think we will probably forgo the Safari Park, and maybe take a bus or whatever to the zoo for the day -- much less expensive, and I think we will enjoy that just as much! The zoo is next to downtown so an Uber is reasonable. Southern California doesn’t have the best bus service. San Diego’s trolley line is fantastic and great to go to the waterfront, Convention Center, Petco Park, and the Gaslamp District but it doesn’t go to the zoo. There is also a hop on hop off tourist bus service. Note: they call themselves Trolley Tours but are a bus that looks like an old fashion trolley car and are not affiliated with the MTA Trolley system. They also have several tours you can take. https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego If you can get to the parking lot closest to Downton, the city offers a free tram that goes throughout Balboa Park. https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/balboa/tram Edited July 9 by OneSixtyToOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydn12 Posted July 9 #12 Share Posted July 9 Balboa Park is great! We hit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum every time we go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frisky070802 Posted July 10 #13 Share Posted July 10 16 hours ago, haydn12 said: Balboa Park is great! We hit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum every time we go. I saw that in May. It was quite a treat! Love the way the volunteers really love what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie1 Posted July 10 Author #14 Share Posted July 10 18 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said: The zoo is next to downtown so an Uber is reasonable. Southern California doesn’t have the best bus service. San Diego’s trolley line is fantastic and great to go to the waterfront, Convention Center, Petco Park, and the Gaslamp District but it doesn’t go to the zoo. There is also a hop on hop off tourist bus service. Note: they call themselves Trolley Tours but are a bus that looks like an old fashion trolley car and are not affiliated with the MTA Trolley system. They also have several tours you can take. https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego If you can get to the parking lot closest to Downton, the city offers a free tram that goes throughout Balboa Park. https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/balboa/tram Excellent information! I will definitely look these up so we can see the zoo at our leisure. Thank you so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 10 #15 Share Posted July 10 18 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said: Diego’s trolley line is fantastic and great to go to the waterfront, Convention Center, Petco Park, and the Gaslamp District but it doesn’t go to the zoo. Where is the trolley line in relation to the ship? We’ve never been to San Diego without a car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OneSixtyToOne Posted July 10 #16 Share Posted July 10 (edited) 7 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said: Where is the trolley line in relation to the ship? We’ve never been to San Diego without a car! The closest stop is Santa Fe depot, a couple of blocks from the pier. Good food in Little Italy and right at the Seaport Village stop is Kansas City BBQ where the bar scene in Top Gun was filmed. Great BBQ and reasonably priced. Lots of Top Gun memorabilia on the walls. Edited July 10 by OneSixtyToOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 10 #17 Share Posted July 10 Excellent. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Barracuda Posted July 10 #18 Share Posted July 10 While in SD last Nov/Dec on that same itinerary they offered the Kitchen Table excursion where you spend a couple of hours on shore shopping with the chef and later enjoy a wonderful 4 hour dinner back on board. DW absolutely loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 12 #19 Share Posted July 12 (edited) On 7/10/2024 at 9:01 AM, OneSixtyToOne said: The closest stop is Santa Fe depot, a couple of blocks from the pier. Good food in Little Italy and right at the Seaport Village stop is Kansas City BBQ where the bar scene in Top Gun was filmed. Great BBQ and reasonably priced. Lots of Top Gun memorabilia on the walls. Well, this has become a moot point, as Viking has canceled all Pacific Coast explorer cruises, as well as West Indies cruises, on Sky. But thanks. I’m really unhappy with Viking right now. Edited July 12 by SantaFe1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 12 #20 Share Posted July 12 20 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said: on Sky. I’m sorry, on Sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeabodyMa Posted July 12 #21 Share Posted July 12 (edited) Why were the Pacific Coast Explorer cruises cancelled? Edited July 12 by PeabodyMa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 12 #22 Share Posted July 12 6 hours ago, PeabodyMa said: Why were the Pacific Coast Explorer cruises cancelled? Viking is redeploying the Sea to other areas of the world. All its cruises in N America are canceled through 2026. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frisky070802 Posted July 12 #23 Share Posted July 12 38 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said: Viking is redeploying the Sea to other areas of the world. All its cruises in N America are canceled through 2026. That really stinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare May B Posted July 13 #24 Share Posted July 13 12 hours ago, SantaFe1 said: Viking is redeploying the Sea to other areas of the world. All its cruises in N America are canceled through 2026. With all those ships, they can’t give us just one? Seems strange. But what do I know? Bummer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFe1 Posted July 13 #25 Share Posted July 13 (edited) 8 minutes ago, May B said: With all those ships, they can’t give us just one? Seems strange. But what do I know? Bummer. There seem to be some W Indies cruises left, and we might book one. But we booked this a year ago because it is domestic, and it just gets harder and harder, at our age, to fly to Europe. Once there we are fine. But 24+ hour flights and transport are just really hard, although we have two more coming up. Yes. I am really disappointed, and disappointed in Viking for not acknowledging that people have booked non-refundable flights, as we have. The cancellation is only for Sea. But apparently all Pacific Coast Explorer cruises were on Sea. They don’t exist anymore. Edited July 13 by SantaFe1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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