Don't understand about free port excursions

I have done a couple of cruises, Disney once and NCL once, so I understand booking excursions through the ship vs independently. Now I am looking at Viking and just don't understand how booking excursions would work. It seems like there are a limited number of "free" excursions available to book at different dates depending on which class cabin you have reserved. Are there then other excursions available through Viking that are not free? Are there a variety of offerings? If one advantage to sailing with Viking is that most things are included in the price, it doesn't seem to make sense that the included excursions would possibly not be available and you wouldn't know it till after you had committed to the cruise.

I have done a couple of cruises, Disney once and NCL once, so I understand booking excursions through the ship vs independently. Now I am looking at Viking and just don't understand how booking excursions would work. It seems like there are a limited number of "free" excursions available to book at different dates depending on which class cabin you have reserved. Are there then other excursions available through Viking that are not free? Are there a variety of offerings? If one advantage to sailing with Viking is that most things are included in the price, it doesn't seem to make sense that the included excursions would possibly not be available and you wouldn't know it till after you had committed to the cruise.

The included excursions have multiple times, not sure if there are four or five time periods that you can choose from. The optional excursions sell out, one time period. If optional is sold out then you can keep coming back to see if it's open.

There will be enough included excursions for every passenger. The preferred time might not be available, however.

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Thank you

I have done a couple of cruises, Disney once and NCL once, so I understand booking excursions through the ship vs independently. Now I am looking at Viking and just don't understand how booking excursions would work. It seems like there are a limited number of "free" excursions available to book at different dates depending on which class cabin you have reserved. Are there then other excursions available through Viking that are not free? Are there a variety of offerings? If one advantage to sailing with Viking is that most things are included in the price, it doesn't seem to make sense that the included excursions would possibly not be available and you wouldn't know it till after you had committed to the cruise.

I would say pick a cruise on their site and when is appears, the itinerary will be on the left column. Pick a city and the excursions will show. The included will be identified. All the others will be available for a fee( the exact price and times will appear the closer to sailing). All excursions must be booked that's why you have to pick the time for the included. By the time you book, some time slots maybe sold out but everyone will be given an included excursion if it is booked--it's included. All other excursions listed at that port are for a fee. Viking says you get an included excursion at each port (they are usually a panoramic or walking tour to hit the highlights and still have time to do other things of your choice) but they do not say,"excursion of you choice". Hope that clears things up.

I don't see prices listed for the excursions. When will those show up? Are the tour prices pretty comparable to the ones on the other cruise lines? We're scheduled on the 11/26 Panama Canal cruise.

I don't see prices listed for the excursions. When will those show up? Are the tour prices pretty comparable to the ones on the other cruise lines? We're scheduled on the 11/26 Panama Canal cruise.

The finalized list of shorex along with prices will be posted in the Shore Excursions section of MyVikingJourney about 120 days before you sail. Yours should be posted at the end of July, beginning of August, so that they will be available to all before booking opens for the suites at 97 days out. The shorex shown on the website are a work in progress and the pages are a generic page for that port of call and not itinerary specific (the same page is used for every itinerary that calls in that port and not every sailing will have the same final choices of shorex).

I have done a couple of cruises, Disney once and NCL once, so I understand booking excursions through the ship vs independently. Now I am looking at Viking and just don't understand how booking excursions would work. It seems like there are a limited number of "free" excursions available to book at different dates depending on which class cabin you have reserved. Are there then other excursions available through Viking that are not free? Are there a variety of offerings? If one advantage to sailing with Viking is that most things are included in the price, it doesn't seem to make sense that the included excursions would possibly not be available and you wouldn't know it till after you had committed to the cruise.

In each port of call, you may take one included tour. If you are in a port for two days, you still get just one included tour. As has been said, the included tours don't sell out; some time slots may sell out, but they have to accommodate everyone who wants to take an included tour.

What has not be explained is that you must book your seats even for the included tours, in advance, or if your prefer-- but definitely not recommended by those who have been through the process--once you board the ship. Tickets are required for all tours, included or optional, and to get a ticket, you must go through the booking process

Booking in advance will be done through a separate passenger service website that Viking calls MyVikingJourney.com. (Once you have your first booking number, you can register for the website). About 120 days before sailing, the final selection of tours for your sailing will be available on MyVikingJourney to read over before booking begins. You will be able to see prices and time slots at this time but you will not be able to actually book until booking opens for your category.

The other heads up is that your spot on a given tour is not yours until it is paid for or for including the included tours. If you are still deciding and leave a tour in your shopping cart for a few days or weeks while you decide, it might not be there when you get back to it. Better to book it and then cancel it if you have to. This goes for the included as well as the option tours.

When you board the ship, your tickets will be waiting for you in your stateroom. On the included tours, there are multiple buses in each time slot.

IF YOU MISS OUT BOOKING YOUR DESIRED TOUR try again onboard. Viking Ocean told some folks pre-cruise that a particular shore excursion they wanted that we were on was full. Bus was not half full. Felt sorry for the wonderful guide missing out on the extra tips.

IF YOU MISS OUT BOOKING YOUR DESIRED TOUR try again onboard. Viking Ocean told some folks pre-cruise that a particular shore excursion they wanted that we were on was full. Bus was not half full. Felt sorry for the wonderful guide missing out on the extra tips.

Even before you depart, keep checking for openings. People book and then cancel or Viking adds more buses. But there is no waiting list and no one will call you to let you know that spaces have become available. So, keep checking and then, if all else has failed, do as phil has suggested, try again on board.

As for pricing, I consider them to be reasonable, given what you get, and the convenience of not having to worry about anything (knowing how to get where you want to go, whether taxis will be available, having correct money for admission charges in some places where credit cards aren't readily acceptable, etc.) Compared to Oceania excursion prices, Viking's seem to be about a fourth or third less. However, I've never cruised on NCL or Disney, so can't tell you how prices on Viking compare.

Viking "included tours" does NOT mean that they are available to all passengers. When I tried to sign up for tours on the first day available to outcategory before the cruise, I was shocked that most of the tours were sold out,even the included ones. After I let our cruise agent know about myconcerns, he called Viking and was assured that we (and all passengers) would beaccommodated on the included tours and suggested that we see the Explorersdesk upon embarkation if we hadn't been able to book before then. Iperiodically called Viking myself to check on this as tours continued to be full, and was always told the samething: "We know how many people will be onboard and will have aplace for everyone." I was even told at one point that it was acomputer glitch that they were working on. My last call was just beforewe left when I received the same assurances, so I was stunned when I was told atthe excursion desk, with a total lack of concern, that the tours were sold outand there was nothing that could be done. The only option was to come earlytoa tour that we wanted on the slight chance that someone wouldn’t show up. After being contacted by a customer service representative upon ourreturn, I was told that Viking does NOT guarantee availability of included toursto all passengers. My husband's response to me after thisconversation was "They just should make it clear that when you reserve alower category cabin, you are just buying a lottery ticket for a freeexcursion!" After our very frustrating experience before, during,and after the cruise, we will not be cruising with Viking again, nor will webe recommending this cruise line to our friends. Their true"included tour" policy should be clearly stated in their advertisingand literature, made know to their customer service agents answering thephone pre-cruise, and to travel agents so that passengers don't have anasty surprise after embarkation and can only try to see port cities on theirown with no easy way to do this.

Oh no! The guarantee of free excursions in each port was one of the main reasons we decided to go with Viking!

Oh no!!!!! This is very concerning. I would like Viking to make a definitive statement on this site. Do you or do you not guarantee a place on the free excursions. Thank you Chaco for bringing your experience to the attention of this board and I am so sorry that you had to experience this. We are travelling with friends who booked at my recommendation also with the assumption that the free tours would be available.

Viking "included tours" does NOT mean that they are available to all passengers. When I tried to sign up for tours on the first day available to outcategory before the cruise, I was shocked that most of the tours were sold out,even the included ones. After I let our cruise agent know about myconcerns, he called Viking and was assured that we (and all passengers) would beaccommodated on the included tours and suggested that we see the Explorersdesk upon embarkation if we hadn't been able to book before then. Iperiodically called Viking myself to check on this as tours continued to be full, and was always told the samething: "We know how many people will be onboard and will have aplace for everyone." I was even told at one point that it was acomputer glitch that they were working on. My last call was just beforewe left when I received the same assurances, so I was stunned when I was told atthe excursion desk, with a total lack of concern, that the tours were sold outand there was nothing that could be done. The only option was to come earlytoa tour that we wanted on the slight chance that someone wouldn’t show up. After being contacted by a customer service representative upon ourreturn, I was told that Viking does NOT guarantee availability of included toursto all passengers. My husband's response to me after thisconversation was "They just should make it clear that when you reserve alower category cabin, you are just buying a lottery ticket for a freeexcursion!" After our very frustrating experience before, during,and after the cruise, we will not be cruising with Viking again, nor will webe recommending this cruise line to our friends. Their true"included tour" policy should be clearly stated in their advertisingand literature, made know to their customer service agents answering thephone pre-cruise, and to travel agents so that passengers don't have anasty surprise after embarkation and can only try to see port cities on theirown with no easy way to do this.

This is absolutely disconcerting! Which cruise were you taking? Sounds like a glitch that I hope will soon be corrected. It also sounds very unlike the usual customer service that one experiences when sailing with Viking (though we have never done Ocean -- only River Cruises with them.)

In June 2017 on the star, a few of our optional tours were cancelled so we opted for the included tours and I never had a problem, I always had a choice of the included tour.

In June 2017 on the star, a few of our optional tours were cancelled so we opted for the included tours and I never had a problem, I always had a choice of the included tour.

But clearly that isn’t always the case.

Chaco, since you have tried to book and have been closed out, contact the folks at tellus@vikingcruises.com and explain your problem to them. Include your booking number and a phone number (if you would prefer them to call you). These are the people to talk to when you have a problem.

But clearly that isn’t always the case.

Not saying that it is, just giving my experience

Chaco, what Viking cruise were you on since the the post before yours was back in June.? What were your ports of call?So you never got to go on any included tour in these ports. I thought they offered both morning and afternoon and multiple times for each port. All these were full.

I can see where the optional tours that you pay for could be sold out, but no one pays for an included tour separately. when guest services says that they were sold out, they were not talking bout the included one? It was also hard to get to the port city from the pier too?Sound like a terrible cruise in this regard for all concerned.

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My mother-in-law is having the same experience. They sail in a couple of weeks and have been told some of the excursions are sold out and that is too bad. we are hoping they will find the capacity once on the ship; otherwise why bother going with Viking?? They are famous for their included excursions. If one can't get them then you might as well go with another cruise line! :o

Dear chaco,

We regret to learn of this disappointing experience, and assure you that this is not typical of our shore excursion booking process. While the times may vary, Viking does indeed guarantee each guest an included shore excursion in every port of call.

Along with aquidneck1 and A&D Cruising, we’re concerned with what transpired, and hope for the opportunity to fully investigate the matter and further our conversation with you.

Accordingly, and as Peregrina651 helpfully pointed out, we welcome you to contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com with your booking information, where a Viking Agent may address these concerns directly.

We sincerely apologize for the missed shore excursion, chaco, and look forward to speaking with you soon.

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

Viking "included tours" does NOT mean that they are available to all passengers. When I tried to sign up for tours on the first day available to outcategory before the cruise, I was shocked that most of the tours were sold out,even the included ones. After I let our cruise agent know about myconcerns, he called Viking and was assured that we (and all passengers) would beaccommodated on the included tours and suggested that we see the Explorersdesk upon embarkation if we hadn't been able to book before then. Iperiodically called Viking myself to check on this as tours continued to be full, and was always told the samething: "We know how many people will be onboard and will have aplace for everyone." I was even told at one point that it was acomputer glitch that they were working on. My last call was just beforewe left when I received the same assurances, so I was stunned when I was told atthe excursion desk, with a total lack of concern, that the tours were sold outand there was nothing that could be done. The only option was to come earlytoa tour that we wanted on the slight chance that someone wouldn’t show up. After being contacted by a customer service representative upon ourreturn, I was told that Viking does NOT guarantee availability of included toursto all passengers. My husband's response to me after thisconversation was "They just should make it clear that when you reserve alower category cabin, you are just buying a lottery ticket for a freeexcursion!" After our very frustrating experience before, during,and after the cruise, we will not be cruising with Viking again, nor will webe recommending this cruise line to our friends. Their true"included tour" policy should be clearly stated in their advertisingand literature, made know to their customer service agents answering thephone pre-cruise, and to travel agents so that passengers don't have anasty surprise after embarkation and can only try to see port cities on theirown with no easy way to do this.

Oh no!!!!! This is very concerning. I would like Viking to make a definitive statement on this site. Do you or do you not guarantee a place on the free excursions. Thank you Chaco for bringing your experience to the attention of this board and I am so sorry that you had to experience this. We are travelling with friends who booked at my recommendation also with the assumption that the free tours would be available.

We were on the Sky Eastern Seaboard Explorer leaving NY on October 5 and going to Montreal.

My cruise agent talked with Viking about our experience after we got back. They, then, called me to discuss what happened. The woman told me that Viking does not guarantee included tours to all passengers. Included tours are available until full, but no more spaces would be added. This is not at all what was said when I called several times before we left. I wasn't surprised the the optional tours were full, but to have all tours (in some ports) full 60 days before departure isn't right. If we had known before we left, we could have gotten independent tours; however, this would have been at additional cost. We booked this cruise because of our fantastic experience on the Star (Barcelona to Rome) in January 2016. We had no trouble getting tours, both included and optional, and found no difference in quality in them. These tours were much better than any we took on the Sky. I wonder if this might be because they have a lot of river boat tours in Europe so have the connections they need?

We did try to get on the tours (yes, there were multiple time, but all were full) once we got to the ship, and even went down to the tour in case someone didn't show up. Very frustrating!

By the way, I typed my comments in Word and then copied into cruise critic. Somehow, doing this didn't copy over all the spaces. So sorry.

I have printed out Viking's "guarantee" in post #22 above, and will bring it with me on our August cruise to show Shore Excursions if they try to pull this.

We are sailing on Viking Sea in the Caribbean in January. Our window for tours opened this past weekend. I was surprised to discover that only the earliest time slot for every included tour was still available. Alhough each one had a box indicating morning or afternoon, it did no good to click on the boxes. Only one time was shown to be available at each port.