Very Disappointed

[Canadian Sunset]

The brochure for our cruise on Viking Sea November 20 gave the impression that the included tours were more in depth than they actually will be. Now that I have found and read the proper page it feels like we see everything from the window of a bus, and need to pay more if we want to see absolutely anything close up. The trips appear long because of the distance from the ship to the city. How disappointing.

 

 

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[dln929]

I don't understand how you can be disappointed, unless you're disappointed that you didn't do your research before booking the cruise. No matter what level cabin you book, you can easily find out from Viking's website what the included tours are, where they go, what they do, if it's a walking tour or a bus tour or a combination, and how many hours long they are. Then you can book them. Or not. What's to be unhappy about since you know in advance exactly what is on offer?

 

For the record, with the exception of one excursion--where I think we must have mistakenly gotten in with the group of "gentle walkers"-- we were pleased with the guides and the subject matter. On other cruise lines we've been on, we've paid between $50-100 pp at least, and not gotten better. We're pretty happy that Viking throws in an included excursion when in port. Not going to complain!

[Canadian Sunset]

I guess we believed the wording rather than checking online. And Viking doesn't "throw" anything in...we pay for it.

I know we'll enjoy the ship though.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Canadian Sunset

[artbcpa]

Thank you for your warning that passengers need to carefully read their brochures, but isn't that true of just about every sales piece? Other than the very few 6 star cruise lines that include all (or at least most) excursions, Viking is one of the only OCEAN cruise lines that has included excursions.

 

Ocean cruises are VERY different from river cruises where more comprehensive excursions are a common practice. If you want comprehensive excursions your choice really is between the optional excursions offered by the cruise line and private excursions which you book on your own.

 

We do both and it takes lots of research or you can also use a good travel agent who knows the area and the companies doing the excursions.

 

With regard to the cost, you are correct that Viking includes the cost in their pricing. So that would be 1 factor you would consider when making your selection of the cruise line and ship. However we have found that using cost as the primary factor too often will lead to HUGE disappointment. Remember that this is your vacation. You will soon forget if you paid an extra few dollars, but you may never forget a poor vacation and will always cherish the memories from a great one.

[Canadian Sunset]

You are right. I am older, the only computer person in our family of two, and I misunderstood what I was reading regarding the included tours as described in the brochure.

We will enjoy the ship I am sure. We have been with Viking on their river cruises and found the staff wonderful. We will also enjoy the tours that are included.

 

As for our TA, we have used the same agent for over 20 years. She may not know everything, but we wouldn't deal with anyone else.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Canadian Sunset
Typo

[rjscott]

Canadian Sunset,

I am sure you will be pleased with the ship. And surely not every one of your included excursions are lengthy drives? Are there no walking tours of nearby ports? Even on those drives from the ports to the major cities, you should at least get some in-depth information on your destination by your onboard guide. That is one thing we enjoy about Viking, the knowledgeable and personable guides.

We have been on 4 Viking river cruises and we will have our 2nd Viking Oceans cruise in 2 weeks. We do participate in the included tours on Viking Rivers and occasionally also take an optional tour which we have always found worthwhile and a good value. On our Viking Star cruise, we did take a couple of optional tours and enjoyed them and found them to be very worthwhile for the money. For our upcoming cruise, we have signed up for a mix of included and optional excursions.

 

I hope this helps and I wish you happy cruising.

 

Becki

[Canadian Sunset]

Thanks Becki. We have an additional tour in mind as well, and you are right that the tours are good value. The biggest strike against us is our Canadian dollar. Everything cost 30% more. I know that once we're on board we will have a wonderful time.

[rjscott]

Ah, I should have remembered that Canadian dollar. We are not far from Ontario and we enjoy a trip to Toronto for a long weekend. I remember when I took my sister, who lives further south, there for her 50th birthday. We stayed at the Royal York and she made a small purchase at a shop in the lobby with U.S. dollars. She got Canadian dollars back in change and turned to me and whispered, " I think they gave me too much money back!". She now had more money than what she'd started with. :D

 

Becki

[comcox]

Someone commented about not doing their research and I want to add that it is not always the case. We booked a Feb. 2017 cruise in July 2015 and had to pay in full by Dec. 2015. At no time during that period were shore tour descriptions available for all our ports. So do not assume this passenger had a chance to do that.

[Fpacifico]

Someone commented about not doing their research and I want to add that it is not always the case. We booked a Feb. 2017 cruise in July 2015 and had to pay in full by Dec. 2015. At no time during that period were shore tour descriptions available for all our ports. So do not assume this passenger had a chance to do that.

 

The tours are there, both included and paid . I booked our tour to Norway a year ago and we are going in June so I have looked at the available tours before full payment and now I know what tours look interesting

[pudgey]

The tours are there, both included and paid . I booked our tour to Norway a year ago and we are going in June so I have looked at the available tours before full payment and now I know what tours look interesting

We have booked a cruise in 2018 for which not all tours are yet shown. It depends upon whether it is a new itinerary and how far out the booking is made.

 

To Canadian Sunset - as others have noted, the wording of the tour descriptions is very accurate to what you will experience on the tour. From our own experience on the Star in April, the included tours were quite good and even those largely "drive by" tours did include walking around some key areas.

 

We can also sympathise about exchange rates with our Aussie dollar also struggling. :)

[Canadian Sunset]

I just booked our excursions and one extra on a free day. Keeping my fingers crossed that there will be enough people to make that one a go. As passengers in the 'cheap seats', not all times are great, but we will manage.

Having been on the Viking river cruises I know there is walking around time and two of our ports are walkable from the ship. My husband likes to poke around, so these will be his favourites.

Yes, our weaker dollars are a pain. However, at our age (70s) we're not waiting for things to improve.

[IsanTom]

Always remember, Nothing is Ever Free!