Information on Viking's INCLUDED shore excursions

[cruise101]

We are considering booking a Viking Ocean cruise.

Although we have never sailed with Viking before, one of the motivating factors for choosing Viking is their included shore excursions at every port of call.

I am looking for some guidance on these shore excursions. Are these INCLUDED shore excursions limited to only a few select ones or can one choose any of the shore excursions offered by Viking. I tried to get information on this through their website but found some very generic statement to the effect that information on the shore excursions would be provided once booking is confirmed.

Any advice/guidance on Viking’s INCLUDED shore excursions is much appreciated.

BTW, we are considering the Iceland itinerary.

 

[Hockeyump]

There is only one included excursion at each port and this is indicated when excursions are published.  You cannot select your own 'included' from all the choices.

[Jaea]

16 minutes ago, cruise101 said:

We are considering booking a Viking Ocean cruise.

Although we have never sailed with Viking before, one of the motivating factors for choosing Viking is their included shore excursions at every port of call.

I am looking for some guidance on these shore excursions. Are these INCLUDED shore excursions limited to only a few select ones or can one choose any of the shore excursions offered by Viking. I tried to get information on this through their website but found some very generic statement to the effect that information on the shore excursions would be provided once booking is confirmed.

Any advice/guidance on Viking’s INCLUDED shore excursions is much appreciated.

BTW, we are considering the Iceland itinerary.

 

 

 

I cannot speak for all their cruises, but on the Iceland cruise, you have a choice of 1 free excursion per port stop. Usually it is a walk and/or bus ride about town with a guide for 1-2 hours. The truly exciting excursions will cost you $59-$299pp and can last up to 8 hours.

[SoccerMom#3]

I've always found most of the included Viking tours top notch.  They are done with local guides via walking or bus rides with a few stops.  I have found that the tour guides share lots of info about the local culture, customs, and cuisine.  We've done mostly the included excursions and a few extra cost optional excursions.

[JeriGail]

Go to the Viking Ocean cruises page and click on any cruise - for example - 

West Indies to Iberia Ocean Cruise Overview | Viking (vikingcruises.com)

Make sure that itinerary is highlighted and then select "Read More" for any port (Choose Valencia for the cruise above).  The first shore excursion is the "Included" one.  Click on the shore excursion for more information, such as duration, activity level, and specifics about what you see.  Note that these excursions are subject to change, especially in these times.  Although the final excursions may change, you'll at least be able to see a sampling of what was offered in the past.

[cruise101]

Many thanks for all the very prompt and detailed responses. Truly appreciate your help and guidance. Have a wonderful day.

[lackcreativity]

It is a challenge to provide you with information that can be guaranteed, since most of what we have to offer is based on what used to happen before Covid. Back then, we took mostly the included excursions, with a few optional each trip.

 

Often, Viking provides free shuttle bus service to a central location several times during the day. We would use the shuttle to extend our time in port after the included excursion for some time on our own. Right now, with the current use of bubble excursions and the inability to go off on your own, so much is different. Our next cruise is April of 2022, and I have fingers crossed that there will be more flexibility by then. Since then it will be almost three years since our last cruise, I will enjoy whatever we are able to do!

[JaniceWilcox]

We are also considering a Viking Cruise.  I have been reading the included excursions, and many of them say at the end, "You will then return to your ship."  The longest of those is four hours, and it made me wonder if we were required to return.  The only cruise we have ever taken was in 2005, which was an Alaska cruise-tour with Holland America, so I am clueless!  How long are we allowed to stay in port?  I assumed it would be pretty much all day.

[Clay Clayton]

18 minutes ago, JaniceWilcox said:

We are also considering a Viking Cruise.  I have been reading the included excursions, and many of them say at the end, "You will then return to your ship."  The longest of those is four hours, and it made me wonder if we were required to return.  The only cruise we have ever taken was in 2005, which was an Alaska cruise-tour with Holland America, so I am clueless!  How long are we allowed to stay in port?  I assumed it would be pretty much all day.

Typically you can stay in port until 30 minutes before departure.  Depending on the excursion itinerary, you may be able to stay in town at the excursion's end and either make your own way back to the ship or take a viking shuttle if offered. Of course, the included excursion's plan may not go to a place that will easily allow you to continue on your own at its conclusion. 

[Peregrina651]

55 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Typically you can stay in port until 30 minutes before departure.

 

Can we re-phrase this? Typically, with Viking, you have to be back on the ship no later than 30 minutes before departure.

 

If you do leave a tour in the middle, be sure to let your guide know that you are leaving the group (so they don't hang around waiting for you to return).

[deec]

15 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Can we re-phrase this? Typically, with Viking, you have to be back on the ship no later than 30 minutes before departure.

 

If you do leave a tour in the middle, be sure to let your guide know that you are leaving the group (so they don't hang around waiting for you to return).

Very Irritating to be on a bus waiting for people who never SHOW only to learn later that they just left the tour!!!

[Peregrina651]

33 minutes ago, deec said:

Very Irritating to be on a bus waiting for people who never SHOW only to learn later that they just left the tour!!!

 

Irritating?  Now there is an understatement! 

[JaniceWilcox]

Thank you, Clay!  We usually take our tours with Rick Steves, so are used to being able to explore the cities without a deadline to "get back to" wherever.  Do they often depart from a port early in the day?

This is an awfully expensive way to travel to not get to see much!  However, my husband is 82 & I am 76, so we've decided that it may be time to switch to cruising.

[formernuke]

It varies by port and itinerary of course, but typically 8-10 hours in port. 

[TiiiSailor]

1 hour ago, deec said:

Very Irritating to be on a bus waiting for people who never SHOW only to learn later that they just left the tour!!!

We left one tour at the 3/4 point and notified the tour guide and three other couples before we departed.  It was a walking tour, so it wouldn't have had the same effect as a bus driving away shorthanded.

Just common sense and courtesy.

[odblnt]

38 minutes ago, TiiiSailor said:

Just common sense and courtesy.

Neither of which is always common when you're traveling. 

[Clay Clayton]

56 minutes ago, JaniceWilcox said:

Thank you, Clay!  We usually take our tours with Rick Steves, so are used to being able to explore the cities without a deadline to "get back to" wherever.  Do they often depart from a port early in the day?

This is an awfully expensive way to travel to not get to see much!  However, my husband is 82 & I am 76, so we've decided that it may be time to switch to cruising.

The ship will notify you multiple times of what time you have to be back on board which is usually 30 minutes before the ship sails. We always aim to be back at least 30 minutes before that posted "all-aboard" time to make sure we don't get left so one hour before sailing. 
 

Cruising is different than a land tour-for us we consider each port an introduction to that place.  We have a list of places we liked that we hope to go back to for a longer visit someday. But, we also love being aboard Viking's ships so for us the expense isn't just to travel to see places, but to enjoy being pampered, meeting new and interesting fellow travelers, and relaxing at sea.  

[TiiiSailor]

5 minutes ago, odblnt said:

Neither of which is always common when you're traveling. 

We've just completed our first Viking cruise and found a lot of both of these on and off the cruise.  It was a nice change from some people on previous cruise lines we've sailed on. 

[JaniceWilcox]

The lack of courtesy is something I have not run into on a tour.  All of our tour groups have been great.  But when you have 900 plus people on a ship, I'm sure it is bound to happen.  I can't imagine leaving an excursion without telling the person in charge!  (We did, however, have one scatterbrained person on one who was always late!)

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We were on our first Viking cruise last year. My advice is to not book a Viking Ocean cruise due to the included excursions. We did not find these excursions to be anything to write home about. I’ll provide an example of our free excursion in Amsterdam. It was a canal tour. We boarded a canal tour boat that was better suited for a dinner cruise. It had tables, which forced some people to face backwards. The tour guide didn’t seem to understand this as she would point out things on the right or the left, but we didn’t know whose right or left or the boat’s right or left. The tour lasted a couple hours and we were returned to the ship.

 

It was just two months prior that we were in Amsterdam with an Avalon Waterways cruise. Their included tour was also a canal tour, but it was much more enjoyable. It was a nice tour boat and we saw much more. Then we offloaded in the city for an informative walking tour. There were buses available for those that didn’t want to do the walking tour.

 

If we were to book with Viking again, we would just arrange our own excursions. 

[JaniceWilcox]

I have been on a canal tour in Amsterdam with Rick Steves, and I assumed the one with Viking would be similar, but obviously not!    Could you have stayed in Amsterdam?  We would like to see Anne Frank's home while there.  We missed that the last time around because of a storm.

Were you on the Trade Routes of the Middle Ages cruise? I would really like to know how the other included excursions were.  

Edited July 18, 2023 by JaniceWilcox

[JaniceWilcox]

On 7/16/2023 at 4:59 PM, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

We were on our first Viking cruise last year. My advice is to not book a Viking Ocean cruise due to the included excursions. We did not find these excursions to be anything to write home about. I’ll provide an example of our free excursion in Amsterdam. It was a canal tour. We boarded a canal tour boat that was better suited for a dinner cruise. It had tables, which forced some people to face backwards. The tour guide didn’t seem to understand this as she would point out things on the right or the left, but we didn’t know whose right or left or the boat’s right or left. The tour lasted a couple hours and we were returned to the ship.

 

It was just two months prior that we were in Amsterdam with an Avalon Waterways cruise. Their included tour was also a canal tour, but it was much more enjoyable. It was a nice tour boat and we saw much more. Then we offloaded in the city for an informative walking tour. There were buses available for those that didn’t want to do the walking tour.

 

If we were to book with Viking again, we would just arrange our own excursions. 

I am seriously looking at Viking Cruises because of the "inclusiveness" that people say they have, and the great food, etc.  I would like to hear more about your other excursions and how they were.  Thank you so much for contributing.

[sowhat33]

One idea for the Anne Frank House is, if the regular tickets are sold out for a particular day, (which they often are), try the tickets for the museum visit with the introductory program. My friend and I did this and found the program to be quite enjoyable and informative. We felt so much better prepared to visit the actual house.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

10 hours ago, JaniceWilcox said:

I am seriously looking at Viking Cruises because of the "inclusiveness" that people say they have, and the great food, etc.  I would like to hear more about your other excursions and how they were.  Thank you so much for contributing.

I’m sure everyone’s opinions may differ when it comes to these subjective areas of cruising. We were a little disappointed in our Viking Ocean cruise. I love good food and I had some really good meals on Viking, but also had many that were just okay. The specialty restaurants were very good. I was disappointed  in the buffet primarily because it didn’t have the variety I was expecting. My wife and I didn’t like the included excursions. I would recommend booking your own or booking the optional excursions. Some were okay, but some were a waste of time. We paid a lot to take a Viking optional excursion to Granada and the Alhambra. My brother-in-law and his wife couldn’t get on the tour so booked a private excursion for less money. They saw more and were in a smaller group. 
 

We loved the ship and it had the best service imaginable. We loved the lack of kids, no casino and no upselling. I’m happy we tried Viking, but came to the conclusion that our cruise with them didn’t justify the extra cost. Your experience may differ. I wish you a great cruise. 

[duquephart]

ALWAYS look into local tours. Why pay Viking's markup?