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LilaC123
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Darling husband and I are booked on the August 8, 2020 Iceland's Majestic Landscapes Tour.  We are so excited to book the pre-extension tours offered by Viking; 2 nights in Oslo with train to Bergen and then 2 nights in Reykjavik, Iceland after the cruise.

So, our cruise is just over 300 days away.  My travel agent has tried to book these two excursions for us, but they either come up "Sold Out" or not yet available.... any body who has booked these pre and post excursions - how far in advance were you able to book them?  I think we are way, way to early, but they are advertised on the web site, so I assumed (wrongly) that they would be available for purchase.

Any help would be appreciated.  Thank yo in advance.

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I booked mine over a year in advance. We are doing the same as you but earlier. Our Pre-Cruise starts May 30. 

 

Can you call Viking directly and ask?

 

You could do it on your own it's apparently not to difficult. But we thought it would be simpler and also fun to meet people to do it with Viking. Also luggage hauling from hotel to train to hotel to boat is a benefit I believe. 

 

Anne

 

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I do have to wonder how your travel agent is following up if (s)he gets conflicting responses. I doubt it’s sold out, but it is possible it’s not yet available - or may never be for your cruise date. If you read the fine print on the web site it says “Extension is not available on all departure dates; confirm availability when booking. Activity order may vary.“


We booked a river cruise where our first date choice did not offer the pre extension we wanted, so we changed the date. 

 

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Could this be a case of confusion on terminology?  There are excursions and there are pre- and post-cruise EXTENSIONS.  

 

Your original posting ting says you have already booked a pre and post-extension.  If that is true, your invoice should show those extensions.  As has been said, some sailing dates do not offer the pre or post extensions. and when they do, they often do sell out fairly early as numbers are limited. 

 

In most of the EXTENSIONS we have done, they are usually a package deal with a set number of excursions.  A few have had an optional but not usually.  

 

It it is definitely too early for you (or anyone else) to be able to book EXCURSIONS.  That will be dependent on your stateroom category.  Sometimes your myVikingJourney might say an excursion is sold out even this far ahead and it usually is just that Viking has not yet finalized details and sometimes it might say that for an excursion is not going to be offered on your particular sailing date.  Doesn’t make a lot of sense but it seems to be a way they can keep an excursion description on file.   As you get closer to sailing date (usually around 110 days plus or minus a few) those excursions that will actually offered for your sailing should appear on your myVikingJourney.  

 

I would encourage you to discuss with your travel agent whether you are actually booked for the pre and post extensions and ask to be given a copy of the invoice.  We always work directly with Viking so get that automatically.  I have heard of lots of people who work with a travel agent who do not see that invoice and the details.  

 

 

 

 

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So sorry LeRenardrouge; I see now that my original post did not make sense... my husband and I were excited to think we could book a pre-cruise package before our Viking trip next August.  It is not booked yet, we jumped the gun and got excited about this Oslo and train idea BEFORE we tried to book it through our TA.  We were hoping to book the Oslo for two days, take the train and then board our ship in Bergen for our cruise - all through Viking.  Our travel agent has been getting conflicting answers to her questions when she has talked to a Viking agent on the phone about booking it for us.  A coupe of times, the Viking agent has stated the pre-extension and post-extension packages are either sold out or not yet available....

 

I was just hoping that the packages were not yet available for booking yet as opposed to being sold out.

As Liz Masterson mentioned, the reason we want to go through Viking with the pre-cruise package is because of the ease with luggage and transfers, as well as meeting fellow cruisers before we embark onto Viking Sky.

 

I hope my TA will keep up with phoning them to get an answer.  Did not occur to me that these two optional pre and post cruise packages would not be offered for our dates.... sad face.

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We booked the Oslo extension with the train to Bergen for our Trade Routes Cruise next September.  We booked the cruise last fall and we booked the extension at the same time - for the same reason others have given, to have Viking handle the luggage and logistics. 
 

We have found that the extension package availability does vary.  We recently booked the Paris to the Swiss Alps river cruise mainly for the Geneva/Zermatt/Glacier Express extension. We had to do a lot of juggling with the dates and we ended up going earlier than we wanted and from Switzerland to Paris instead of starting in Paris. 
 

However, for the Trade Routes cruise we recently decided to add the Madrid extension at the end of the cruise and it was still available. I’m guessing it has to do with available hotel space and transportation options. 
 

I suggest emailing tellus@vikingcruises.com or posting the question on their Facebook page.  That seems to get things kicked up to a higher level and more definitive answers. Good luck!

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[W]e jumped the gun and got excited about this Oslo and train idea BEFORE we tried to book it through our TA.  We were hoping to book the Oslo for two days, take the train and then board our ship in Bergen for our cruise - all through Viking. 
...
As Liz Masterson mentioned, the reason we want to go through Viking with the pre-cruise package is because of the ease with luggage and transfers, as well as meeting fellow cruisers before we embark onto Viking Sky.


We did Oslo-Bergen on our own this June. It was quite easy and enabled us to do/see more than the Viking extension, including spending a wonderful night in Flåm between Oslo and Bergen. We even had a porter service transfer our luggage from our Oslo hotel to our Bergen hotel.

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19 hours ago, just_dont said:


 

 


We did Oslo-Bergen on our own this June. It was quite easy and enabled us to do/see more than the Viking extension, including spending a wonderful night in Flåm between Oslo and Bergen. We even had a porter service transfer our luggage from our Oslo hotel to our Bergen hotel.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

 

 

My wife and I finished our Trade Routes cruise last week in Barcelona, and we took the pre-trip extension package from Oslo to Bergen.  Overall, it was smooth and efficient. As you note, it seemed more expensive than what we could have arranged on our own.  With one significant exception.

 

On our Viking-arranged flight from Frankfurt to Oslo, two days before the cruise, a passenger suffered a medical emergency, requiring a diversion to Hamburg. After that was resolved, and the passenger removed by medics, the captain announced the flight would be terminated, our luggage removed, and all passengers left at Hamburg.

 

My wife stood up and asked for a show of hands as to how many people were on the Viking package. About 40-50. Several people were already speaking with Viking Air at this point.  A few minutes later, the captain came back on the PA to ask people to sit tight, as Lufthansa was trying to work things out. Later, a relief crew showed up and took the A320  to Oslo.

 

I have no doubt that the Viking Air people pushed Lufthansa to an arrangement that an individual passenger could not have achieved.

 

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On 10/12/2019 at 8:49 PM, just_dont said:


 

 


We did Oslo-Bergen on our own this June. It was quite easy and enabled us to do/see more than the Viking extension, including spending a wonderful night in Flåm between Oslo and Bergen. We even had a porter service transfer our luggage from our Oslo hotel to our Bergen hotel.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

 

 

Great advice.  I had friends recently do the extension in Oslo through Viking and were disappointed that they didn't have more time in Oslo.  The train station was very cose to the hotel for their trip.  their cruise stopped in Flam as did mine on VH.  The overnight option of staying over one night there really gives you a chance to take it all in.  Now these overnights do run up the cost but I thinking you will probably still come out cheaper than going through Viking.  My friends were also upset that they didn't get the chance to see Bergen, except for the trip   ship to the train station.  The porter service is a great option

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Great advice.  I had friends recently do the extension in Oslo through Viking and were disappointed that they didn't have more time in Oslo.  The train station was very cose to the hotel for their trip.  their cruise stopped in Flam as did mine on VH.  The overnight option of staying over one night there really gives you a chance to take it all in.  Now these overnights do run up the cost but I thinking you will probably still come out cheaper than going through Viking.  My friends were also upset that they didn't get the chance to see Bergen, except for the trip   ship to the train station.  The porter service is a great option
I agree about running up the cost - Norway is not cheap.
I'm sure if we had done the same number of days/nights it would have been lots cheaper than the Viking extension, but we were able to spend three nights in Oslo, one in Flåm, and two in Bergen before embarkation. Plenty of time to see/do everything we'd wanted to in both Oslo and Bergen at a nice leisurely pace, as well as see Flåm (which was not a stop on our cruise) in the evening after the cruise ship crowds had left. The extra time also enabled us to modify our plans around the weather.
Both planning and execution were actually quite easy.

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DW and I took the Majestic Fiords and Vibrant Cities cruise with a pre-cruise stay In Copenhagen. We are not comfortable flying into a foreign city by ourselves. Whatever the extra cost having Viking meeting us at the airport, transporting from the airport to the hotel, arranging a nice room at the best hotel in town centrally located, 2 in town excursions, and then transfer to the ship was well worth every penny we spent.

We didn't have a problem booking it ahead of time. Just something to consider.

 

Perhaps the message you're getting is that the excursion you're looking for is sold out.

 

Enjoy your cruising days.

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Bergen enjoys a main line train station with direct service to Flam and Oslo, as well as points up and down the coast.  It also has a direct tram connection between the airport and the huge downtown pedestrian plaza.

 

Oslo has a connection between the airport and the main station downtown. One hotel used by Viking, the Thon Opera, is adjacent to the train station.  The rail service terminates next to the airport baggage hall.

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21 hours ago, Cienfuegos said:

Bergen enjoys a main line train station with direct service to Flam and Oslo, as well as points up and down the coast.  It also has a direct tram connection between the airport and the huge downtown pedestrian plaza.

 

Oslo has a connection between the airport and the main station downtown. One hotel used by Viking, the Thon Opera, is adjacent to the train station.  The rail service terminates next to the airport baggage hall.

There are no train services from Bergen “up and down the coast”, only East to West and West to East. To go north or south by train you have to return to Oslo.

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On 10/6/2019 at 6:57 PM, LilaC123 said:

Darling husband and I are booked on the August 8, 2020 Iceland's Majestic Landscapes Tour.  We are so excited to book the pre-extension tours offered by Viking; 2 nights in Oslo with train to Bergen and then 2 nights in Reykjavik, Iceland after the cruise.

So, our cruise is just over 300 days away.  My travel agent has tried to book these two excursions for us, but they either come up "Sold Out" or not yet available.... any body who has booked these pre and post excursions - how far in advance were you able to book them?  I think we are way, way to early, but they are advertised on the web site, so I assumed (wrongly) that they would be available for purchase.

Any help would be appreciated.  Thank yo in advance.

We did Oslo to Bergen independently May 2019 rather than use Viking, we got 3 nights not 2 and Norwegian Rail is half price if older than 67. Fabulous trip

 

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On 10/6/2019 at 1:57 PM, LilaC123 said:

Darling husband and I are booked on the August 8, 2020 Iceland's Majestic Landscapes Tour.  We are so excited to book the pre-extension tours offered by Viking; 2 nights in Oslo with train to Bergen and then 2 nights in Reykjavik, Iceland after the cruise.

So, our cruise is just over 300 days away.  My travel agent has tried to book these two excursions for us, but they either come up "Sold Out" or not yet available.... any body who has booked these pre and post excursions - how far in advance were you able to book them?  I think we are way, way to early, but they are advertised on the web site, so I assumed (wrongly) that they would be available for purchase.

Any help would be appreciated.  Thank yo in advance.

 

If you are interested in the pre- and post-cruise extensions with Viking, do not give up trying to book them. Ask your TA to find out if there is a waiting list for cancellations and then ask them to check on a regular basis to see if any spaces have opened up.

 

On the other hand, if you are comfortable with it, it is possible to do these extensions on your own -- and usually, for much less than what Viking charges. 

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Thank you all for the suggestions.  I phoned Viking and they are definitely sold out.  We are going to book our own pre and post extensions as suggested. 🙂  I have found a hotel in Oslo that I am impressed with and will book it tomorrow.  I have not decided on Reykjavik yet, some options are very expensive! 

The lady on the Viking phone mentioned that Viatour would be a good place to look at for excursions.  I am impressed with their selections.  I'm thinking of also booking a couple excursions with Viatour instead of the Viking ship.... I just have to wait and see what Viking charges for certain excursions - like the Circle Tour and the Southern Iceland tour.

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2 hours ago, LilaC123 said:

I have not decided on Reykjavik yet, some options are very expensive! 

 

We will be OYO in Reykavik in June. The island is expensive; everything has to be imported!

 

My brother did the Viking extension and when I asked him for advice about where to stay, he said to choose something that is close to the downtown where all the hotels and restaurants are. It was cold and raining while they were there (July); cabs were hard to get to take them the mile to the hotel where Viking had them and they did not want to walk the distance in the driving rain. They ate in the hotel, which was very expensive by US standards and they were not happy campers. Nonetheless, DB raved about the Golden Circle.

 

We are flying into KEF, staying for two nights before continuing on to Bergen to board the ship. I found a hotel in my price range but I can tell you now that the bathroom on board the Viking Sea will be bigger and better equipped. I think that this will not be uncommon in the less expensive Reykjavik hotels. But as long as the room is clean and the hotel close to enough restaurants, we have dealt with such bathrooms in the past and can deal with it for the two nights we are staying.

 

In the meantime, if you really want to use the Viking extensions, don't make any reservations that you can't cancel and keep calling Viking looking for openings. You may get lucky.

 

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Edited by Peregrina651
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Peregrina651, I have a few options considered for Reykjavik accommodations - all near downtown.  I always look for hotels with buffet breakfasts included, at least we can fill up in the morning and hopefully keep us going for awhile. 😄  We will be cruising in August so hopefully the weather will be fine.  I have been to Norway and know about the high prices for food and bevy's.  I will just keep on going with my plans and not worry about the Viking packages.  We have planned our own pre and post visits before - I was just thinking that the Viking pre and post packages would be easier to book and do it all with just one payment.  LOL.

 

I agree with you on the bathrooms - we've had our fair share of doozies, but as long as the water in the shower is hot and the toilet flushes - we are happy.  

 

Please let us all know all about your trip next June, I always look forward to peoples travel stories on cruise critic.

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On 10/6/2019 at 6:57 PM, LilaC123 said:

Darling husband and I are booked on the August 8, 2020 Iceland's Majestic Landscapes Tour.  We are so excited to book the pre-extension tours offered by Viking; 2 nights in Oslo with train to Bergen and then 2 nights in Reykjavik, Iceland after the cruise.

So, our cruise is just over 300 days away.  My travel agent has tried to book these two excursions for us, but they either come up "Sold Out" or not yet available.... any body who has booked these pre and post excursions - how far in advance were you able to book them?  I think we are way, way to early, but they are advertised on the web site, so I assumed (wrongly) that they would be available for purchase.

Any help would be appreciated.  Thank yo in advance.

Hi My wife and I travelled on the Viking Homelands cruise. May June of this year. We nearly booked the Viking Pre cruise trip. flying into Oslo then the train to Bergen. Can I suggest you did what we did try it independently . We  had 2 nights in Oslo then took the train (first Class) to Bergen with 1 night in Bergen  boarding our ship at 1100hrs on the day before embarkation. Its  worth noting that rail travel for persons older than 67 yrs is half price in Norway, this concession also extends to wife or husband of the 67 yr old even if younger. The train from the airport is fast clean and simple. Just walk out of airport into station and buy a single ticket on the Standard train no need to use the Airport special train "Flytoget". We stayed at a hotel in Oslo that was in the Station with views of the harbour. The Journey from Oslo to Bergen is spectacular with snow and ice on the mountain tops in May. The train is clean, warm and very comfortable  with space for cases. The onboard food is also good and inexpensive when compared to prices generally in Norway. On balance 1 more day than the Viking trip and get to join ht ship earlier and more to the point considerably cheaper than Viking

Have a great time in Norway so much to see in Oslo 

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3 hours ago, Johnymcc45 said:

Hi My wife and I travelled on the Viking Homelands cruise. May June of this year. We nearly booked the Viking Pre cruise trip. flying into Oslo then the train to Bergen. Can I suggest you did what we did try it independently . We  had 2 nights in Oslo then took the train (first Class) to Bergen with 1 night in Bergen  boarding our ship at 1100hrs on the day before embarkation. Its  worth noting that rail travel for persons older than 67 yrs is half price in Norway, this concession also extends to wife or husband of the 67 yr old even if younger. The train from the airport is fast clean and simple. Just walk out of airport into station and buy a single ticket on the Standard train no need to use the Airport special train "Flytoget". We stayed at a hotel in Oslo that was in the Station with views of the harbour. The Journey from Oslo to Bergen is spectacular with snow and ice on the mountain tops in May. The train is clean, warm and very comfortable  with space for cases. The onboard food is also good and inexpensive when compared to prices generally in Norway. On balance 1 more day than the Viking trip and get to join ht ship earlier and more to the point considerably cheaper than Viking

Have a great time in Norway so much to see in Oslo 


Our reason for booking with Viking for extensions that involve trains is that they take care of the luggage. I’d rather spend the money, than be carting luggage through train stations and up into trains and worrying if there will be room for it on the train. 
 

I don’t overpack - at least by my standards - but I’m not packing my needs for a 2 or 3 week trip into a carry on. I do not do laundry on vacation, nor do I trust a third party with my clothes. 
 

In these cases the Viking extensions are worth it. When our trip will only require getting from the airport to the hotel and from a hotel to a ship, porters and taxis work fine!

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32 minutes ago, Cyber Kat said:


Our reason for booking with Viking for extensions that involve trains is that they take care of the luggage. I’d rather spend the money, than be carting luggage through train stations and up into trains and worrying if there will be room for it on the train. 
 

I don’t overpack - at least by my standards - but I’m not packing my needs for a 2 or 3 week trip into a carry on. I do not do laundry on vacation, nor do I trust a third party with my clothes. 
 

In these cases the Viking extensions are worth it. When our trip will only require getting from the airport to the hotel and from a hotel to a ship, porters and taxis work fine!

I believe that someone already mentioned the availability of luggage transport service.  Few cruise travelers who took the scenic train ride between Bergen and Oslo carry large luggage with them.  The night before we took the one-way scenic train ride from Bergen to Oslo, we had the luggage transport service who picked up our luggage at our Bergen hotel and delivered to our Oslo hotel by 8PM.  We took the long scenic route which included bus, train, and cruise.  All we carried were our valuables and light clothing in our backpacks.  You can sign up for the luggage service online.  Communications about luggage pickup times are through email.

Per our experience, we find doing everything on our own is much better than the Viking extension in terms cost and flexibility.  Since that the points of interests in both Bergen and Oslo are within walking distance or with short public transport rides, that maps/instructions are readily available (information center), and that English is spoken everywhere, we do not need someone to guide us.  It is easier to tour Bergen and Oslo than my own neighborhood/town/city.  We enjoyed all the Oslo museums, especially that we could take our time doing so, in whichever order, and whenever (within opening hours).

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9 hours ago, Johnymcc45 said:

We nearly booked the Viking Pre cruise trip. flying into Oslo then the train to Bergen. Can I suggest you did what we did try it independently . We  had 2 nights in Oslo then took the train (first Class) to Bergen with 1 night in Bergen  boarding our ship at 1100hrs on the day before embarkation. Its  worth noting that rail travel for persons older than 67 yrs is half price in Norway, this concession also extends to wife or husband of the 67 yr old even if younger. The train from the airport is fast clean and simple. Just walk out of airport into station and buy a single ticket on the Standard train no need to use the Airport special train "Flytoget". We stayed at a hotel in Oslo that was in the Station with views of the harbour. The Journey from Oslo to Bergen is spectacular with snow and ice on the mountain tops in May. The train is clean, warm and very comfortable  with space for cases. The onboard food is also good and inexpensive when compared to prices generally in Norway. On balance 1 more day than the Viking trip and get to join ht ship earlier and more to the point considerably cheaper than Viking

Have a great time in Norway so much to see in Oslo 

 

Thank you Johnymcc45 for your encouragement on a DIY from Oslo to Bergen on the spectacular train. 

We are doing the Midnight Sun next June 27 and finish in Bergen, but are thinking of doing a DIY from Bergen to Oslo, where we are staying at the Thon Rosenkranz.   I am glad to hear about the senior tickets available.   I also thought it to be MUCH cheaper than the Viking extension, but there were some pros with Viking (special car, transportation to/from train, etc).

Quick Question:   How far ahead did you book the train tickets?

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5 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:


Our reason for booking with Viking for extensions that involve trains is that they take care of the luggage. I’d rather spend the money, than be carting luggage through train stations and up into trains and worrying if there will be room for it on the train. 
 

I don’t overpack - at least by my standards - but I’m not packing my needs for a 2 or 3 week trip into a carry on. I do not do laundry on vacation, nor do I trust a third party with my clothes. 
 

In these cases the Viking extensions are worth it. When our trip will only require getting from the airport to the hotel and from a hotel to a ship, porters and taxis work fine!

Cyber Kat -

We are staying at the Thon in Bergen and Thon in Oslo and with those hotels, the luggage transfer service is included in the train ticket price for the DIY'ers.  We only knew this because our friends did this a few months ago.

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