Information on Viking's INCLUDED shore excursions

[Mountain Traveler]

In my limited experience, the included tours are often a "panoramic bus tour"with a couple of stops or a walking tour.  The experience varies greatly depending upon the quality of the guide.  The extra cost excursions have always been good and in one case excellent. 

 

In my opinion, the extra cost ones are very reasonably priced.  On other cruise lines, I always book independent excursions, but I found Viking's offerings to be price competitive.  I suppose one reason is that since you are on an extra cost excursion you therefore are not taking up a seat on the included excursion.

[millybess]

9 minutes ago, Mountain Traveler said:

In my limited experience, the included tours are often a "panoramic bus tour"with a couple of stops or a walking tour.  The experience varies greatly depending upon the quality of the guide.  The extra cost excursions have always been good and in one case excellent. 

 

We did the included tour in Katakolon in June called "Ancient Olympia".  It was 4 hours in duration and was one of the best tours we've ever been on, paid or included.  Yes, we had an amazing guide, but the tour itself was also really good.  We were surprised it was "included".

[lackcreativity]

26 minutes ago, millybess said:

We did the included tour in Katakolon in June called "Ancient Olympia".  It was 4 hours in duration and was one of the best tours we've ever been on, paid or included.  Yes, we had an amazing guide, but the tour itself was also really good.  We were surprised it was "included".

I would say the same about our included tour of Dubrovnik (very good guide, really memorable setting).

And Barcelona (our best guide ever in one of the world's great cities).

And Santorini (guide was easily forgettable, but the Star was the only ship in port, and Santorini itself took my breath away!)

 

I think excursions are influenced by a myriad of factors: the location itself, the guide, the administrative details, your companions, and even the weather. In my opinion, based on four cruises, most of our Viking excursions (both included and optional) have been good to great, with a few satisfactory and two real clunkers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[charmed1959]

We are on a Homelands cruise right now and the free excursions range from great to not good.  It often depends on luck of the draw, as some buses on the same excursion have much better guides than others.

 

The ports are busy, and having a hard time hiring buses and guides.  We had a guide in Longyearbyen with a very heavy Italian accent that was hard to understand, though some folks had great guides.  Going to CapeNord we had tag team room mates that worked out who was covering what and were wonderful, while others said their guides on the way up and back did not coordinate, so they heard the same things twice.  

 

In Tromsø they brought in extra buses, and ours was a city bus that was not comfortable for the long bus ride.  Neither the driver or guide knew the route.  The guide was either struggling with English or what she was supposed to say.  And the tour didn’t reflect the description of the tour we signed up for.  Others had better buses and guides.  Others had worse (one couple changed to our bus halfway through and said our guide was much better than theirs, who said nothing on the tour and then cut it short.)

 

If we paid for these tours I would be disappointed when they don’t go well, but either way you do get a lay of the land for what else you want to do in port.

 

 

[madmedic]

Do Viking provide shuttle buses to city centres in each port and is there any cost? We prefer to do our own thing. 

[LindaS272]

2 minutes ago, madmedic said:

Do Viking provide shuttle buses to city centres in each port and is there any cost? We prefer to do our own thing. 

Yes, Viking does provide shuttles to cities, but depends on the port; some are small enough to be walkable on your own. There’s no cost when shuttles are provided.

[madmedic]

On 7/26/2023 at 6:28 PM, millybess said:

We did the included tour in Katakolon in June called "Ancient Olympia".  It was 4 hours in duration and was one of the best tours we've ever been on, paid or included.  Yes, we had an amazing guide, but the tour itself was also really good.  We were surprised it was "included".

I think that one is listed as"moderate". Could you give me some idea how much walking was involved. I'm 56 but have some health issues although fairly active. Difficult to know whether I will be able get the value of the included excursions.

[madmedic]

2 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Yes, Viking does provide shuttles to cities, but depends on the port; some are small enough to be walkable on your own. There’s no cost when shuttles are provided.

That's good news Linda. 

[KTRaveller]

I took all the included tours on the West Indies cruise and though they did get a little repetitive, given the islands' history and cultural connections, that wasn't surprising.  I was glad to get driven around and see the islands' highest viewpoints in most cases.  I was also glad to meet at least one person from the island who seemed interested in sharing his or her culture.  The two paid excursions I took were for snorkeling and were disappointing because the recent hurricanes (this was February 2019) had scoured the ocean bottom.  My husband was very unhappy with his catamaran sailing excursion to another island because it turned out to be with a hard partying group -- loud music, lots of free rum punch.  It all depends on quality of the guide (most Viking guides have been excellent in our experience on 2 ocean and one long river cruise) and the other passengers.  Most people we've met on Viking tend to be like us -- interested in history and culture -- less interested in loud partying or gambling -- but you never know.  

 

Depending on the tourist infrastructure and general level of development of the country, I would take care making private arrangements.  The greatest advantage of Viking tours is that you will never miss the ship sailing!  I wanted to go snorkeling at other beaches during the Caribbean cruise, but felt uneasy about a taxi returning to pick me up.  It wasn't worth being nervous all day about missing the ship!

[millybess]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:52 AM, madmedic said:

I think that one is listed as"moderate". Could you give me some idea how much walking was involved. I'm 56 but have some health issues although fairly active. Difficult to know whether I will be able get the value of the included excursions.

There is a lot of walking, but more standing around.  We had a great guide which made all the difference.  We would definitely recommend this tour.  But, as has been pointed out on this forum numerous times, the guide can make or break a tour and our guide made the tour really interesting.  

[Mosey1]

Can anyone comment on the included tours for the Viking Panama Canal cruise?  Any really good ones or any to avoid?  No mobility issues. Also any optional tours that were especially good and you felt were worth the extra $?

[formernuke]

12 hours ago, Mosey1 said:

Can anyone comment on the included tours for the Viking Panama Canal cruise?  Any really good ones or any to avoid?  No mobility issues. Also any optional tours that were especially good and you felt were worth the extra $?

I don’t remember which were included or optional, but the ones I would highly recommend include Miraflores Locks, San Gervasio, Gumbalimba Park, LamanaiRuins and New River Cruise..

[Mosey1]

That is so helpful - thank you!

[knoxclone]

On 7/29/2023 at 10:52 PM, Mosey1 said:

Can anyone comment on the included tours for the Viking Panama Canal cruise?  Any really good ones or any to avoid?  No mobility issues. Also any optional tours that were especially good and you felt were worth the extra $?

We really enjoyed the Tortuga Canal boat tour, and the sloth sanctuary.  We did the snorkeling in belize as well.

[Mosey1]

Thank you.  I am making a list for when we can sign up.  We are hoping my husband's passport renewal arrives in time to meet our target date of 90 days before the cruise (regular veranda cabin).

[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. 

We are considering taking the "Trade Routes of the Middle Ages" cruise with Viking, and would like to know if there is an opportunity to get off the canal cruise anywhere close to the Anne Frank museum.  We were in Amsterdam several years ago, and didn't get to go there because of a storm.  I'm assuming that if we did that, we would have a shuttle that would take us back later?

[deec]

There was no shuttle in Amsterdam the three times we have been there with Viking ( the last was Spring 2022).  When we did the included canal tour I do not remember anyone getting off the boat.  However, there is a canal boat that works much like a hop on hop off bus and there is a stop near the Anne Frank house ( you can use the same ticket to get back ).  Make sure you buy tickets before you leave for the Anne Frank house.

[LindaS272]

Trade Routes is not showing an Anne Frank excursion but it’s easy to get there on your own. Most likely there will be a shuttle in Amsterdam and you can just navigate from the drop off point, either by walking or taking a tram. The canal boat excursion would not be your form of transport.

 

We toured the Anne Frank Museum during a seven hour layover. Transit into the city, tram & walking. I think now you can get your ticket in advance for a timed entry.

 

Someone who has done this recently can weigh in with their experience. Trip Advisor or a Rick Steves guidebook are good resources.

 

Dee posted just as I did—thanks for confirming the lack of a shuttle & other forms of transit.

Edited August 9, 2023 by LindaS272

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

3 hours ago, JaniceWilcox said:

We are considering taking the "Trade Routes of the Middle Ages" cruise with Viking, and would like to know if there is an opportunity to get off the canal cruise anywhere close to the Anne Frank museum.  We were in Amsterdam several years ago, and didn't get to go there because of a storm.  I'm assuming that if we did that, we would have a shuttle that would take us back later?

We didn’t have such an opportunity, but did see a long line waiting to get in. We had been to the Anne Frank museum several years earlier. I would suggest that you make a reservation at the museum in advance and then make your own way to it. 

[JaniceWilcox]

3 hours ago, deec said:

There was no shuttle in Amsterdam the three times we have been there with Viking ( the last was Spring 2022).  When we did the included canal tour I do not remember anyone getting off the boat.  However, there is a canal boat that works much like a hop on hop off bus and there is a stop near the Anne Frank house ( you can use the same ticket to get back ).  Make sure you buy tickets before you leave for the Anne Frank house.

How did you get to the canal tour?  Maybe we could sign up for that and leave before getting on the boat?  After the cruise, did you have time to see other things in Amsterdam?

[deec]

We were staying in Amsterdam and there was a stop close.  I do think there is a stop very close to where the ship docks ( but I did read perhaps that convenient location will not be used in the future). 

 

Trade Routes is a great itinerary.  We added Viking Shores and Fjords ( ended in Amsterdam) and the combination was OUTSTANDING. 

[JaniceWilcox]

Thank you, deec.  I do hope we get to take that cruise.  Not willing to tie up that much money for a whole year, so we're waiting until closer to book.  I did notice that this year they have a summer sale, so hope to get in on that next summer.  We hope to do the Norway in a Nutshell in Bergen.

[JaniceWilcox]

On 8/10/2023 at 12:05 PM, deec said:

 

Trade Routes is a great itinerary.  We added Viking Shores and Fjords ( ended in Amsterdam) and the combination was OUTSTANDING. 

Did Viking provide a shuttle to Bruge from the port?

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, JaniceWilcox said:

Did Viking provide a shuttle to Bruge from the port?

I believe the shuttle was from the port to the train station. We took the included tour but I recall the port talk saying you could take the train to Bruges. The port is very large and requires transportation to exit.

Edited August 28, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[downsmead]

33 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

I believe the shuttle was from the port to the train station. We took the included tour but I recall the port talk saying you could take the train to Bruges. The port is very large and requires transportation to exit.

You can get a taxi from the terminal building into Bruge. If you get the train, the city itself is ~15 mins walk from Bruge train station.

Since the taxis take 4, we asked another couple at the terminal if they wanted to share the taxi into town, so we split the fare