Thinking about trying Viking

[Fred321]

My wife and I have approx. 800 sea days on Holland America, including 3 and a half world cruises. (The half was this year's when we got as far as Australia where we were told the cruise was over and we had to make our own way home since we hadn't used Holland America air to get to the ship) Needless to say we were less than amused by this.

 

I have been intrigued by Viking mostly because of the size of the ships and the fact that children and scooters aren't allowed. Not so much of a fan of paying for excursions which I probably will not use (like to do my own) , the "class" system of boarding and making reservations and the ridiculous lead time they use for full payment. 

 

That being said we are kicking around booking a b2b on the Star for the fall of next year starting in NYC and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. (We live in Fla.) We would use this as a test run for whether we might want to try a Viking world cruise since HAL left a bad taste in my mouth this year. Would appreciate any insight into pros and cons of the line itself and this particular ship and any other useful info. Thanks in advance.

[TayanaLorna]

I have only taken two cruises and both with Viking (Jupiter & Star).  When i was researching cruise lines/ ships it was between Holland America and Viking.  Some of the HAL ships carry 1500 or so passengers and that was my limit.  I don't like Casinos, jewelry, loudspeaker announcements, being pushed to buy anything, children on my vacation or windowless staterooms as the least expensive option.  I do like wine with lunch & dinner, going to any restaurant I want with no extra charge, I use Internet for communication and photos, I love using a Spa, I love a ship with big windows on most decks, I want a balcony room, and its nice having included excursions if i want.  As all of the above is included at no additional charge, Viking won hands down.  We loved both the Star and the Jupiter and they were mostly identical.  The Star was the first Viking Ocean ship and some improvements have been made to the later ones.  Most notable to me is the addition of 3 drawers to the closet in Veranda and Deluxe Veranda cabins starting with the Viking Sun.  If you do not pack light and have a V or DV, bring a hanging 3 shelf unit for the closet.  More recent ships have less shop space and more gym area.  I never saw crowded shops but did see the gym well used.  The Jupiter has a Planetarium on Deck 8, the upper level of the glorious Explorers Lounge.  While a novelty to attend 3 different shows, we found we used that space much more without the Planetarium.  We did see one Scooter when we were on the Jupiter.  They must have gotten special permission and I hope it does not become ths norm.  I have some mobility issues so thats not coming from prejudice.  Also if the ship has to tender to shore, there is no waiting in line for tender tickets.  If you have a private excusion and need to be on first tender, you just tell guest services and you will accommodated.  The boarding according to cabin level is no big deal as anyone can board at 11 am, have lunch on board, check out the ship etc.  There have been no long lines or waiting when we boarded and our stateroom was usually ready early.  

 

This is my opinion.  Others who have sailed HAL may have a better comparison.  If you want to learn how the Viking Sun World Cruise passengers were treated during Covid19, check out Andy's blog at andyandjudi.com. The cruise was to be London to London and i believe they boarded in Los Angeles.  They were the last passengers to disembark.  It is a brilliant photo journal.

Edited May 31, 2020 by TayanaLorna
Adds

[Peregrina651]

23 minutes ago, Fred321 said:

the "class" system of boarding

 

 

There is no class system of boarding. Everyone checks in as they arrive at the terminal, first come, first served. There is one line and no one asks what category cabin you have booked. Once you check in, you may board immediately.

 

This is what it says on the website and you will note that embarkation time for all categories is 11 am:

 

 

In truth, even this information is not quite accurate. Viking will start checking in and boarding pax as soon as it logistically possible -- and many times that is earlier than the stated 11 am.  Cabin access  is on a sliding scale but Viking aims to have all of the cabins available by 2pm (Viking will make one announcement about accessibility when all of the cabins are available) and if you board before that time you are welcome to check to see if your cabin is accessible. Access to the cabins is not blocked as is done on some other cruise lines. In the meantime, The Living Room bar and the Explorer's Lounge are open and at minimum have continental breakfast available.  Food services starts in the buffet and Pool Grill around noon.

 

Payment in full date is negotiable at the time of booking, before you make your deposit, but the best you will be able to do is 12 months in advance -- and even this is not always possible.  Viking has its own way of doing things and for those who have a history of sailing with other companies the transition may be difficult. But, it is worth noting that even with its odd business policies, Viking has no trouble filling its ships and filling them well in advance of sailing, even for cruises on ships that have not been built yet.

 

Please note, that when Viking's World Cruise and other cruises were canceled earlier this year, Viking made sure that all of its passengers could get home, whether they had booked their air with Viking or not. As I said, Viking has its own way of doing things.

 

The tiered system of booking shorex and advanced dinner reservation is not as onerous as one would think; in fact, it is the only time when what cabin class you have chosen matters. Once on board the ship, everyone is treated as if they sailing in the Owner's Suite. The are no restricted spaces on board the ship-- no private lounges for suite dwellers or frequent flyers.  Everyone waits in the same line -- to check in, to board the ship, to be seated at dinner, to board the tour buses -- and no one asks what cabin you are in. As to reservations in the specialty restaurants (which are free), the limitation is on advanced books. Once you are on board, you can make as many additional reservations as they will let you -- if they do limit you, it is so that everyone can have a chance to dine in those venues.

 

The included extras -- the excursion, the mini-bar, the free wine and beer with meals, etc. -- are great but we aren't big drinkers of spirits or soda and we might not do a single included excursion -- and we don't care that we are leaving perks on the table. We sail with Viking for reasons that can't be handed out as perks. We sail with Viking because of the serene atmosphere on board, because Viking is taking us to the places we want to see and because were are treated like respected guests, not potential problems or cash cows.

 

The bottom line is that reading the website and the brochures does not tell the whole story. Here are some threads that might help you decide if Viking is right for you, told by the people who sail with Viking, not by copy-writers.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2381846-tell-me-why/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2691518-ultimate-world-cruise-245-days-and-all-the-parts-ongoing-review-questions-opinion/?do=getNewComment   (very long thread about the latest World Cruise; the posts at the end detail the end of the cruise)

Andy and Judi's Blog: www.andyandjudi.com

 

 

[Fred321]

Thanks for the time and thought that you both have put into your reply. They were very helpful. One thing I did notice in looking at the cabin drawings is what seems to be a minimum of storage area in the rooms. We usually book an ocean view cabin aboard MS Amsterdam on world cruises not so much for the cost but for the location of low deck and in the middle of the ship. We have found that location to have much less movement during long rough passages. Having said that these OV cabins have an amazing amount of drawer and closet storage. I don't see much more than one closet in the drawings of the DV rooms on Viking even though they are supposed to have more volume than the HAL stateroom. Am I missing something?

[Heidi13]

As a fellow longer cruising, especially World Cruises enthusiast, we are extremely happy we found Viking.

 

We were long time Princess pax, so obviously had reached Elite status, which is the equivalent of your status with HAL. Our 2015 WC with Princess was our last ever cruise with them, as their standards have dropped way below the minimum we expect. We considered HAL, Celebrity & all Premium/Luxury Lines before selecting Viking. FYI - HAL was discounted, as since the last Carnival re-org both HAL & Princess have the same management team in many areas.

 

The recently concluded Viking WC was our first cruise with them and even though we missed most ports, it was an amazing experience. However, as with any company, I doubt you we find any product that meets all of our needs, so a few of our thoughts with respect to Viking:

• Viking do not follow industry norms with their onboard experience and also their business practices.
• Pre-cruise - in addition to the regular Customer Service, about 9 months before the cruise Viking provide access to the World Cruise Desk, who are specialised Customer Service agents dedicated to WC'ers. About 4-6 weeks before the cruise we received a call, just confirming Visa's were complete, flights booked, WC jacket ordered and to review our preferences for bedding, pillows, robes, cabin drinks, etc. We requested a bottle of Rum & Grand Marnier, which were delivered per request.
• Early payment - this is a Viking norm and we all have choices. As Peregrina mentioned you can negotiate a better final payment date. If you can't get a suitable date, you can always hold off booking until the date you wish to make final payment. However, the 2021 WC was already fully booked before we boarded Viking Sun on Jan 4th 2020. Based on my heritage, I don't part with money easily, but paying 6 months out for the WC wasn't that much different than 3 months on Princess. 
• Boarding - Viking does not use a "Class" system. We were picked up at the San Pedro hotel and dropped off at the terminal. Photo ID checked at the entrance, so we had a short queue of about 4 couples. Once inside the terminal we walked to check-in, finding lots of stations open, none of them had a queue. Passports scanned and we were handed our key cards. Again no queue at Port Security and annoying photographers and even on boarding, no photo taken, just tap the card. Viking use you passport photo. Time from being dropped off to sitting in World Cafe enjoying a beer was < 20 mins.
• Cabin Key Cards - all are identical regardless of cabin category, so again no "Class" system based on cabin category. You only use the cards to access the cabin and tap on/off the ship. Never required at other times.
• Suite/JS/PV benefits - Viking does provide some benefits for those paying more money for the cabin. The Suites have included laundry, shoe shining, dry cleaning, etc. Higher grade cabins can also book ship's excursions earlier, but in a DV we booked every ship's tour we wanted and mostly at our preferred time. They also get more pre-cruise bookings in alternative restaurants - personally we couldn't care, as we wouldn't make them anyway. Onboard we booked that day on the telly, or just turned up and never had a problem. Also booked the private rooms without issue.
• Between Sydney & Bali, due to port closures, Viking provided the option of disembarking in Bali with a refund of the unused days. They also arranged flights for the WC'ers, regardlesss of using Viking Air. In Dubai, when they finally had to cancel the cruise, they again arranged all flights, regardless if you used Viking Air.
• Since the USA would not permit Canadians to board the Viking Charter flight, we remained aboard the ship with 6 other Canadians and 460 crew. Viking looked after us extremely well, even sending a crew member with us when we disembarked in Gibraltar to London. She flew to London with us and stayed in the same hotel, remaining with us until we were in T2 heading to the departure gate. So Viking treated us extremely well, even providing a refund or FCC for the days we remained aboard from Dubai to Gibraltar.

 

TayanaLorna & Peregrina both provided our Blog address, so suggest checking it out to see how Viking addressed the virus issue.

[vslparis]

56 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

There is no class system of boarding. Everyone checks in as they arrive at the terminal, first come, first served. There is one line and no one asks what category cabin you have booked. Once you check in, you may board immediately.

 

This is what it says on the website and you will note that embarkation time for all categories is 11 am:

 

 

In truth, even this information is not quite accurate. Viking will start checking in and boarding pax as soon as it logistically possible -- and many times that is earlier than the stated 11 am.  Cabin access  is on a sliding scale but Viking aims to have all of the cabins available by 2pm (Viking will make one announcement about accessibility when all of the cabins are available) and if you board before that time you are welcome to check to see if your cabin is accessible. Access to the cabins is not blocked as is done on some other cruise lines. In the meantime, The Living Room bar and the Explorer's Lounge are open and at minimum have continental breakfast available.  Food services starts in the buffet and Pool Grill around noon.

 

Payment in full date is negotiable at the time of booking, before you make your deposit, but the best you will be able to do is 12 months in advance -- and even this is not always possible.  Viking has its own way of doing things and for those who have a history of sailing with other companies the transition may be difficult. But, it is worth noting that even with its odd business policies, Viking has no trouble filling its ships and filling them well in advance of sailing, even for cruises on ships that have not been built yet.

 

Please note, that when Viking's World Cruise and other cruises were canceled earlier this year, Viking made sure that all of its passengers could get home, whether they had booked their air with Viking or not. As I said, Viking has its own way of doing things.

 

The tiered system of booking shorex and advanced dinner reservation is not as onerous as one would think; in fact, it is the only time when what cabin class you have chosen matters. Once on board the ship, everyone is treated as if they sailing in the Owner's Suite. The are no restricted spaces on board the ship-- no private lounges for suite dwellers or frequent flyers.  Everyone waits in the same line -- to check in, to board the ship, to be seated at dinner, to board the tour buses -- and no one asks what cabin you are in. As to reservations in the specialty restaurants (which are free), the limitation is on advanced books. Once you are on board, you can make as many additional reservations as they will let you -- if they do limit you, it is so that everyone can have a chance to dine in those venues.

 

The included extras -- the excursion, the mini-bar, the free wine and beer with meals, etc. -- are great but we aren't big drinkers of spirits or soda and we might not do a single included excursion -- and we don't care that we are leaving perks on the table. We sail with Viking for reasons that can't be handed out as perks. We sail with Viking because of the serene atmosphere on board, because Viking is taking us to the places we want to see and because were are treated like respected guests, not potential problems or cash cows.

 

The bottom line is that reading the website and the brochures does not tell the whole story. Here are some threads that might help you decide if Viking is right for you, told by the people who sail with Viking, not by copy-writers.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2381846-tell-me-why/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2691518-ultimate-world-cruise-245-days-and-all-the-parts-ongoing-review-questions-opinion/?do=getNewComment   (very long thread about the latest World Cruise; the posts at the end detail the end of the cruise)

Andy and Judi's Blog: www.andyandjudi.com

 

 

Well said  ! Many times it is the intangible things that make a great travel experience .  

[Heidi13]

11 minutes ago, Fred321 said:

Thanks for the time and thought that you both have put into your reply. They were very helpful. One thing I did notice in looking at the cabin drawings is what seems to be a minimum of storage area in the rooms. We usually book an ocean view cabin aboard MS Amsterdam on world cruises not so much for the cost but for the location of low deck and in the middle of the ship. We have found that location to have much less movement during long rough passages. Having said that these OV cabins have an amazing amount of drawer and closet storage. I don't see much more than one closet in the drawings of the DV rooms on Viking even though they are supposed to have more volume than the HAL stateroom. Am I missing something?

 

On Viking Sun, we booked a DV 4 midships on Dk 4 (4058) for the same reasons as you. DW doesn't like the motion, especially when we moved to a suite.

 

Starting with the Sun, Viking added another 3 drawers in the closet. This provides full length in 1 half and 1/2 length in the other. We only drink tea, so when chatting with the WC Desk pre-cruise, we requested the coffee maker & tray be removed. This provided an additional shelf.

 

While the smaller cabin on Sun Princess had more storage, we did not find an issue with storage on the Sun. Although once the washing was done, the drawers were definitely full.

 

Moving to a Suite - well they have a separate walk-in closet!!!

[Roger88]

Viking is like one of those outsiders in the industry. I am not saying its bad and at the same time I am not saying its good. Its just different. I heard they are more about river cruises rather than sea cruises. To be honest I dont know anyone who went on a cruise with them but it would be interesting to know how it is anyway. I am sure it should be fine 

[SantaFe1]

I will echo Andy.  We were on the 2019 WC last year, 128 days on the Sun in a PV1 room.  That room has an added credenza with drawers across from the bed, as well as Dresser full of drawers in the closet, drawers in the desk, and bathroom.  We took two large suitcases each, a roll aboard each, and our personal had luggage, which for me was a large tote and my husband a huge camera bag.  All fit very well, and we had two drawers to spare, and all the luggage fit under the bed.  I didn’t have enough room in the closet to store my 12 pairs of shoes (yikes!) so I put them in my roll aboard, rolled it under he bed, and just rolled it our to select shoes each day.  PV gives you free pressing, which was VERY, nice, and free shoe cleaning, which was also great in some of the African countries.  They dry cleaning was so cheap, that before we came home I had everything dry cleaned on the ship, because it was cheaper than our dry cleaning at home.  We loved our WC and loved how Viking took care of us, although we had nothing like the challenges of this last WC.

[SrCruizer]

1 hour ago, Fred321 said:

My wife and I have approx. 800 sea days on Holland America, including 3 and a half world cruises. (The half was this year's when we got as far as Australia where we were told the cruise was over and we had to make our own way home since we hadn't used Holland America air to get to the ship) Needless to say we were less than amused by this.

 

I have been intrigued by Viking mostly because of the size of the ships and the fact that children and scooters aren't allowed. Not so much of a fan of paying for excursions which I probably will not use (like to do my own) , the "class" system of boarding and making reservations and the ridiculous lead time they use for full payment. 

 

That being said we are kicking around booking a b2b on the Star for the fall of next year starting in NYC and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. (We live in Fla.) We would use this as a test run for whether we might want to try a Viking world cruise since HAL left a bad taste in my mouth this year. Would appreciate any insight into pros and cons of the line itself and this particular ship and any other useful info. Thanks in advance.

 

1 hour ago, Fred321 said:

My wife and I have approx. 800 sea days on Holland America, including 3 and a half world cruises. (The half was this year's when we got as far as Australia where we were told the cruise was over and we had to make our own way home since we hadn't used Holland America air to get to the ship) Needless to say we were less than amused by this.

 

I have been intrigued by Viking mostly because of the size of the ships and the fact that children and scooters aren't allowed. Not so much of a fan of paying for excursions which I probably will not use (like to do my own) , the "class" system of boarding and making reservations and the ridiculous lead time they use for full payment. 

 

That being said we are kicking around booking a b2b on the Star for the fall of next year starting in NYC and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. (We live in Fla.) We would use this as a test run for whether we might want to try a Viking world cruise since HAL left a bad taste in my mouth this year. Would appreciate any insight into pros and cons of the line itself and this particular ship and any other useful info. Thanks in advance.

We have taken 4 Viking cruises & booked 3 for this year. Sadly, 2 have been officially cancelled. Have our fingers crossed for our December cruise. Obviously we are fans of Viking. The pros: small ship, no children, exceptional crew & service, nicely appointed stateroom that includes a veranda, a large variety of dining options, the relaxing Nordic spa experience that is included, and the exceptional guest lecturers. They provide such a wealth of information regarding the history & culture of the various countries. Regarding the included tours, they tend to be either city walking tours or bus tours. We usually take advantage of any walking tours & then do something else on our own. The “class” system has never bothered us. We discovered that once on board it’s easy to change various reservations due to people canceling/shuffling what was booked ahead of time. As mentioned, the major con for us is having to pay so far in advance. Since stateroom location is important to us, we are willing to book far in advance & make our payment to Viking. Something that could be a con for some, but not for us, is that the entertainment is OK but not great. No lavish productions. Basically Viking fits our style of travel & when things return to “normal”, we hope to be booking many more cruises with them.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Roger88 said:

I heard they are more about river cruises rather than sea cruises.

 

Considering that they started out as a river cruise company, it is not surprising that you heard that. Viking may have been solely a river cruise company for the first 15 years of its life but in 2015 it successfully launched its Oceans division and today "more about river cruising" no longer holds true.

[Peregrina651]

Two pictures are worth a thousand words. Here is the closet in a DV cabin. V cabins are configured exactly the same way.

 

 

The hanging bar is about 5 feet long. Above it is a shelf that runs the full length of the closet that can be used to store non-hanging clothing. Your steward will supply you with as many hangers as you need. The red thing in the closet is a golf umbrella for your use; they are also available on the gangway (I like to take it from the gangway and return it to the gangway so I don't have to deal with a wet umbrella in the cabin).

 

This is the more of the storage space --the drawers with the coffeemaker above it (there are two more open shelves above the coffeemaker that you cannot see in the photo).

 

The larger top drawer is not a drawer but where the room safe hides.

 

Further storage in a DV/V includes two nightstands (with electrical and USB sockets) and a desk with a vanity section. And this does not include what is available in the bathroom.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Peregrina651

[geffric]

I book a DV cabin , love deck 3 mid ship. It is important to note that I bring much less clothes than on other lines since laundry is free on Viking if you do it yourself.  They even provide laundry detergent.   

[lackcreativity]

You have been offered excellent advice from some of our most helpful posters here on the Viking forum. That is another thing I love about Viking. While the crew is stellar, I also find the other passengers to be a generally interesting and pleasant group.

 

   I`m not sure I noticed a few things covered so far. If you find you like Viking as much as we do, once you have one cruise booked, you can book another one with a final payment date just six months prior to sailing.You can also get that option when you book a cruise on board. We always have at least one cruise booked, and often times two.

 

Someone mentioned earlier that they take the included excursions and then stay afterwards for time on their own. Since Viking often provides a free shuttle service, we do the same. We usually include a mix of included and optional excursions, and the optional ones are moderately priced, in my opinion.

 

We have always sailed in the lowest cost Veranda cabins, yet have never felt like second class citizens ! We may not always  have gotten our first choice time slot for an included excursion and a time or two were not able to initially book an optional one we wanted, but Viking often adds more spaces if a popular excursion fills up. We have never been disappointed.

 

Here`s hoping you can try a Viking cruise before too long, and enjoy it as much as we do!

Edited May 31, 2020 by lackcreativity

[Fred321]

Thanks to all of you for your very useful responses. The photos really helped. Looks like we will be talking to our TA tomorrow. Just need to start planning something soon.

[duquephart]

24 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

You have been offered excellent advice from some of our most helpful posters here on the Viking forum. That is another thing I love about Viking. While the crew is stellar, I also find the other passengers to be a generally interesting and pleasant group.

 

   I`m not sure I noticed a few things covered so far. If you find you like Viking as much as we do, once you have one cruise booked, you can book another one with a final payment date just six months prior to sailing.You can also get that option when you book a cruise on board. We always have at least one cruise booked, and often times two.

 

Someone mentioned earlier that they take the included excursions and then stay afterwards for time on their own. Since Viking often provides a free shuttle service, we do the same. We usually include a mix of included and optional excursions, and the optional ones are moderately priced, in my opinion.

 

We have always sailed in the lowest cost Veranda cabins, yet have never felt like second class citizens ! We may not always  have gotten our first choice time slot for an included excursion and a time or two were not able to initially book an optional one we wanted, but Viking often adds more spaces if a popular excursion fills up. We have never been disappointed.

 

Here`s hoping you can try a Viking cruise before too long, and enjoy it as much as we do!

 

I would disagree about optional excursions being moderately priced. One should always check if virtually identical excursions are available on the open local market. Almost always quite a bit cheaper, smaller groups, and they are well acquianted with the cruise line schedules and will get you back to the ship on time. Don't fall for Viking's hook in that regard.

[Peregrina651]

28 minutes ago, Fred321 said:

 Just need to start planning something soon.

 

 

I know exactly how you feel!!!

[Roz]

7 hours ago, Fred321 said:

I have been intrigued by Viking mostly because of the size of the ships and the fact that children and scooters aren't allowed. 

 

Is it true no scooters are allowed?  What about wheelchairs?  Crutches?  Walkers?  Just curious.

[SantaFe1]

2 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

Is it true no scooters are allowed?  What about wheelchairs?  Crutches?  Walkers?  Just curious.

On our WC we saw a few wheelchairs, lots of walkers, and maybe a scooter or two.  On our other Viking cruises that we’re just a couple of weeks I don’t remember ever seeing any of the above.

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, duquephart said:

Don't fall for Viking's hook in that regard.

 

 

What hook? I have never felt any pressure from Viking to book their shorex as opposed to booking on my own. I haven't even felt pressure from them to book an optional excursion instead of the included. Yes, they give me plenty of information about the tours they offer but not once has any Viking employee ever told me that it is unsafe or unwise or not recommended to book with an independent company.

 

I remember other cruise lines pressuring me to book their excursion but never Viking. And I remember those same cruise lines making it hard for pax not booked on their shorex to get off the ship in time to meet privately booked tours.

 

 

[duquephart]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

What hook? I have never felt any pressure from Viking to book their shorex as opposed to booking on my own. I haven't even felt pressure from them to book an optional excursion instead of the included. Yes, they give me plenty of information about the tours they offer but not once has any Viking employee ever told me that it is unsafe or unwise or not recommended to book with an independent company.

 

I remember other cruise lines pressuring me to book their excursion but never Viking. And I remember those same cruise lines making it hard for pax not booked on their shorex to get off the ship in time to meet privately booked tours.

 

 

 

They do make a point of mentioning that you will not be left behind. I believe there's a subtle inference there.

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

I would disagree about optional excursions being moderately priced. One should always check if virtually identical excursions are available on the open local market. Almost always quite a bit cheaper, smaller groups, and they are well acquianted with the cruise line schedules and will get you back to the ship on time. Don't fall for Viking's hook in that regard.

 

Although we have only completed 1 Viking Cruise, we found many of Viking's optional excursions across the 4 continents visited were generally reasonably priced, compared to industry norms. 

 

How many Viking Cruises have you completed and to what locations, where you find the optional excursions more expensive than industry norms?

 

Yes, we experienced that Viking Excursions were more expensive than comparable tours from private providers - however, this is standard practice throughout the industry and is most likely consistent across all industries. When I managed a shipyard, if the customer wanted us to purchase materials and accept the risk, then we added a percentage to the cost of the materials. When the tour doesn't go well, Viking refund - per our experience in Christchurch. If it is a private tour - good luck, not saying you won't get a refund, but it will take considerably longer than my 3 or 4 minute trip to Guest Services.

 

When compared to cruise industry norms, we found Viking's optional excursions to be generally cheaper than equivalent tours on Princess, when all costs are converted to CAN $. We found that even when using full size buses, Viking rarely filled the buses, with about 35 being the normal on most tours we completed. Some examples from our recently completed World Cruise:

• Hunter Valley (ship's tour) - full day tour with only 4 pax, a guide and a driver. Yes a little more expensive than some available local tours, but when 60 miles from a ship that sails at 17:00, I consider the extra cost cheap insurance.
• Blue Mountains - found a local tour operator with a full day tour, at about 25 - 30% less than ship, but they couldn't work around 07:00 docking, or pick up at White Bay. They would have provided a private tour for both of us at twice the cost of the ship.
• Egypt - 4 day overland with 24/7 guide, buses, flight, hotel, meals, entrance fees for CAN $1,600 pp. Couldn't find anything from private operator any cheaper. We also considered this one very reasonably priced.
• Saigon - 2 day Mekong Delta with bus, meals, hotel, entrance fees, etc CAN $414 pp While I couldn't find anything comparable, I considered the price very reasonable
• Cochin - 6 hr city tour and river cruise CAN $79 pp
• Malaga - 10 hr tour to Alhambra Palace & Gardens which included timed tickets, lunch, etc for CAN $259. We also found a private vendor at CAN $125, but they required a minimum of 10 people confirmed and paid in full more than 4 months in advance, to purchase the timed tickets
• At no ports, including tender ports do Viking restrict non-ship excursion pax from disembarking. In Bay of Islands (tender) we were on a private tour, so went down to the Atrium, per the request. We were accommodated on the first tender.

 

Getting back to the ship in time - when booking ship's tours, they guarantee the ship waits or the cruise line schedules and pays to get you to the next port. In some ports, especially on our longer cruises, paying the extra for a ship's tour is what I consider cheap insurance. Private tour operators will endeavour to get you back on time, but circumstance outside their control can result in missing the ship. Does it happen - most definitely yes, as I recall my days on the ships receiving calls on the Bridge advising the number of pax not back on board. When visiting our son in Victoria, we met 2 couples waiting for the ship, as they were on a tour in the last Alaska port and missed the ship. Had to fly to Seattle, then Victoria, joining the ship to pack and disembark the following day.

 

During the planning process, we consider a number of ship and private tours and base the decision on a risk assessment and our interests. When the risk is too high such as considerable distance from the port (visiting Borobudur from Semarang) , crazy traffic (Java, KL, etc) or distance to next port (Nuku Hiva to Tahiti) we are happy to pay the ship a premium, considering the delta as cheap insurance.

 

I believe the majority of Viking cruisers are well travelled and can make informed decisions regarding ship or private tours. We certainly don't consider Viking's tour marketing as trying to hook us into booking ship excursions exclusively. Since the OP mentioned they have 800 days with HAL, I suggest they are also well travelled and experienced in the pros/cons of various excursions. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Heidi13

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, Roz said:

 

Is it true no scooters are allowed?  What about wheelchairs?  Crutches?  Walkers?  Just curious.

 

I seem to recall hearing scooter/wheelchairs, etc couldn't be left in the alleyway outside the cabin. Either had to be kept in cabin, or arrangements made with Cabin Stwd to stow.

[duquephart]

4 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Although we have only completed 1 Viking Cruise, we found many of Viking's optional excursions across the 4 continents visited were generally reasonably priced, compared to industry norms. 

 

How many Viking Cruises have you completed and to what locations, where you find the optional excursions more expensive than industry norms?

 

Yes, we experienced that Viking Excursions were more expensive than comparable tours from private providers - however, this is standard practice throughout the industry and is most likely consistent across all industries. When I managed a shipyard, if the customer wanted us to purchase materials and accept the risk, then we added a percentage to the cost of the materials. When the tour doesn't go well, Viking refund - per our experience in Christchurch. If it is a private tour - good luck, not saying you won't get a refund, but it will take considerably longer than my 3 or 4 minute trip to Guest Services.

 

When compared to cruise industry norms, we found Viking's optional excursions to be generally cheaper than equivalent tours on Princess, when all costs are converted to CAN $. We found that even when using full size buses, Viking rarely filled the buses, with about 35 being the normal on most tours we completed. Some examples from our recently completed World Cruise:

• Hunter Valley (ship's tour) - full day tour with only 4 pax, a guide and a driver. Yes a little more expensive than some available local tours, but when 60 miles from a ship that sails at 17:00, I consider the extra cost cheap insurance.
• Blue Mountains - found a local tour operator with a full day tour, at about 25 - 30% less than ship, but they couldn't work around 07:00 docking, or pick up at White Bay. They would have provided a private tour for both of us at twice the cost of the ship.
• Egypt - 4 day overland with 24/7 guide, buses, flight, hotel, meals, entrance fees for CAN $1,600 pp. Couldn't find anything from private operator any cheaper. We also considered this one very reasonably priced.
• Saigon - 2 day Mekong Delta with bus, meals, hotel, entrance fees, etc CAN $414 pp While I couldn't find anything comparable, I considered the price very reasonable
• Cochin - 6 hr city tour and river cruise CAN $79 pp
• Malaga - 10 hr tour to Alhambra Palace & Gardens which included timed tickets, lunch, etc for CAN $259. We also found a private vendor at CAN $125, but they required a minimum of 10 people confirmed and paid in full more than 4 months in advance, to purchase the timed tickets

 

Getting back to the ship in time - when booking ship's tours, they guarantee the ship waits or the cruise line schedules and pays to get you to the next port. In some ports, especially on our longer cruises, paying the extra for a ship's tour is what I consider cheap insurance. Private tour operators will endeavour to get you back on time, but circumstance outside their control can result in missing the ship. Does it happen - most definitely yes, as I recall my days on the ships receiving calls on the Bridge advising the number of pax not back on board. When visiting our son in Victoria, we met 2 couples waiting for the ship, as they were on a tour in the last Alaska port and missed the ship. Had to fly to Seattle, then Victoria, joining the ship to pack and disembark the following day.

 

During the planning process, we consider a number of ship and private tours and base the decision on a risk assessment and our interests. When the risk is too high such as considerable distance from the port (visiting Borobudur from Semarang) , crazy traffic (Java, KL, etc) or distance to next port (Nuku Hiva to Tahiti) we are happy to pay the ship a premium, considering the delta as cheap insurance.

 

I believe the majority of Viking cruisers are well travelled and can make informed decisions regarding ship or private tours. We certainly don't consider Viking's tour marketing as trying to hook us into booking ship excursions exclusively. Since the OP mentioned they have 800 days with HAL, I suggest they are also well travelled and experienced in the pros/cons of various excursions. 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't talking about industry norms, etc., just suggesting that blindly choosing whatever Viking offers without considering the alternatives might not be the best way to go. Why do so many choose Alla, etc. in St. Petersburg rather than whatever Viking offers? Maybe they think a dozen people in a minibus easily avoiding traffic is preferable to a busload of people looking for a bathroom? In Stavanger the Viking offered cruise to Pulpit Rock is $180pp or you can walk a few yards after leaving the ship and book Rodne for $60pp. Same cruise, same boat, same everything except, of course, the waffle that Viking provides. Plenty of other examples. My only point is that it doesn't hurt to check.

[Clay Clayton]

It is my understanding that Viking changed their no scooter rule in the last year or so. We had one or two on our recent Covid shortened (half) transatlantic.  
 

Regarding excursions, while we have only taken the included excursions (some great, some not so much), it appears to me the markup is significantly less than what we have seen on other cruise lines. This is the same as for the bar prices. For those times that you don’t want to mix a drink in your stateroom with the provided mixers using the alcohol you are welcome to carry aboard, a typical mixed drink is $6-8 as opposed to the $10-13 we paid on HAL last December. 
 

We have always been light packers so with the ability to do our own laundry, we have found we have plenty of space in the closets and drawers. 
 

As others have mentioned, it just wasn’t World Cruisers who were taken care of when their cruises were canceled.  Viking offered to book everyone’s air home after our cruise ended early (back) in Miami rather than Barcelona as had been expected. While it didn’t cost them a lot (based on the points we earned it appears $39 per person) it sure made a big impression that they were taking care of everyone. 
 

During your discussion with your TA, be sure to ask what amount of OBC they can provide. If it isn’t Viking’s maximum allowable-$300 pp for under 14 nights, $500 pp for 15 or longer then I would suggest shopping around for an agent who does. This pays for our gratuities and leaves enough for pre-dinner cocktails. Also, based on a quote we are currently reviewing, it appears Viking is throwing in some additional OBC as enticement to get folks back aboard some cruises. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Clay Clayton