How long does it take to get off once you arrive in port ?

[teach3]

If this has been asked before, I apologize.

 

I just needed to know what previous cruisers on Viking Ocean experienced as far as getting off the ship.

 

I am making arrangements for private excursions. I do not want to pay for time if I can't get off the ship.

 

If I arrive in port at 8AM about how long (what time) would I be able to get off the ship without any tender ?

 

Also, how much time if I do have to tender, how long would it take to get off?

 

Thank you for your shared experience, so I can plan better.

[Peregrina651]

If this has been asked before, I apologize.

 

I just needed to know what previous cruisers on Viking Ocean experienced as far as getting off the ship.

 

I am making arrangements for private excursions. I do not want to pay for time if I can't get off the ship.

 

If I arrive in port at 8AM about how long (what time) would I be able to get off the ship without any tender ?

 

Also, how much time if I do have to tender, how long would it take to get off?

 

Thank you for your shared experience, so I can plan better.

 

You will be allowed off the ship just as soon as the local authorities have cleared the ship and how long that will take will depend on the port and the time of day you actually arrive. Each port and each arrival is different and not even the ship's captain can guarantee you at exactly what time you will be allowed to disembark. I have been in ports where we have started disembarking in 20 minutes and I have been in others where it has taken twice that long or even longer.

[Heidi13]

As per the previous response, this is an impossible question to provide an accurate response, due to the number of variables. I have seen clearance issued almost as soon as the gangway is ready to waiting up to 8 hrs. Arriving in the port for Beijing, we had a good percentage of pax with Noro-virus and it was over 8 hrs before anybody got off the ship.

 

Private tours may be cheaper than the ship's equivalent tours, but you carry the risk of the ship being late, missing the port, etc.

[eylarson]

"Tender Ports" can have many delays and Viking like most cruise lines give a priority to those on Viking tours. My experience has been that most private tour companies are aware of the delays and will wait. One even refunded our fees when we were delayed for hours due to rough seas that delayed all tender operations.

[G. GIRL]

Having just returned from our first Viking cruise I will agree that until an announcement is made over the tannoy that the port Authority has given clearance no one goes anywhere.

In ports where tenders are needed passengers on excursions are called group by group to go to the tender. Passengers doing their own thing must wait until all the excursion tenders have gone. They then run a shuttle tender throughout the day informing you of the time of the last one back.

So if you fancy going solo on a tender day you will have to be flexible time wise.

[stretchcruz]

I've booked private tours on over 50 cruises. I would never pay in advance. They will meet you at the port and if the ship doesn't come in for some reason it's ok. I've never missed a ship. They track the cruise and know when you are coming in (or not). In St Petersburg 6 of us booked private with Alla. We were to be met at 8 (if I remember right). We had all decided to get off the ship as soon as we could just in case of passport control...so we were there at 7. Alla was there. We had extra time. We have had some ports (other times) that we missed and we emailed our guides to let them know. Usually they knew before we knew.

We did not have any tender ports on our most recent Viking cruise. In the past on other lines we always had priority boarding because of our status so that could be a problem if you were tendering. However, all private tour guides understand and wait for you.