Cruise Extensions: What Does the Host Do?

[austinetc]

We’ve booked our first Viking pre-cruise extension. How helpful is the Viking Host? Can I get examples of what they’re done (and not done)? Our extension includes no excursion options.

[philw1776]

If excursions, the host is usually your guide or accompanies your guide. Plus the following.
If no excursions the host is like a concierge and should advise you of restaurants, attractions, make reservations, provide maps and additionally address problems.

Edited April 16, 2022 by philw1776

[TayanaLorna]

We were on a pre extension and the host checked us in while our luggage was taken to our room, checked our Covid documents (test and vaccinations) provided maps, answered questions, recommended restaurants and how far it was to walk, organized the bus numbers and who was on which bus for the included excursion before we boarded ship, and organized a couple of small group optional excursions we could take on our free day.  My only criticism was that Viking did not indicate in advance that there would be any optional excursions that we could have paid for.  We didn't find out until we got to the hotel.  I am a big planner and already had our free time scheduled.  I would never visit a city and have no clue of what to do until I got there.

[austinetc]

13 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

My only criticism was that Viking did not indicate in advance that there would be any optional excursions that we could have paid for.  We didn't find out until we got to the hotel.  I am a big planner and already had our free time scheduled.  I would never visit a city and have no clue of what to do until I got there.

Though I didn't write it, this is exactly my problem! I know people who enjoy NOT planning, but I'm not one of them. I want a host that can do things I don't know how to do. I already know how to check into a hotel and carry my bags. The situation is unusual because it's Venice, but the hotel is on a separate island. We want to be on the first water taxi to Venice. I am having trouble understanding how helpful a Host can be at the hotel.

[longterm]

1 hour ago, austinetc said:

We’ve booked our first Viking pre-cruise extension. How helpful is the Viking Host? Can I get examples of what they’re done (and not done)? Our extension includes no excursion options.

We just returned from a trip from Rome to Athens; we did our own 5-day pre-extension, and also did a 4-night post extension that was through Viking.

I've spent most of my adult life touring as a professional musician, so I'm probably more used to itinerary planning than most folks (I was also the bandleader for one of the groups, and was responsible for itineraries for the band, sound crew, drivers--lots of things to consider). So, planning our pre-extension in Rome wasn't too bad, but it did involve coordinating with 4 different private tour guides, taking care of transfers from airport to hotel, then hotel to ship, and other ancillary tasks like pre-ship Covid tests.

In Athens, the tour host took care of a lot of things, and we found her to be extremely helpful and informative. She made sure to let us all know about all the particulars each day, and on the night before departure she laid everything out for us so that there weren't any questions.

The day before our flights home, Viking arranged for Covid testing; we each had a nice little breakfast box for us (it was 3am when we left the hotel), and there was coffee and juice for us at the hotel lobby, provided by Viking. The transfer bus was on time and got us to the airport without delay.

Also, my wife and I bought some items that required an additional suitcase; we wanted to find a cheap rolling bag, and the Viking host, who knew Athens very well, sent us to the perfect shop to buy a cheap rolling suitcase. Had we not asked her, we'd have paid twice the amount for more than what we really needed. She also arranged the cab for us, told the driver (in Greek) where to take us and to wait for us while we made our purchase; again, this would've been a bit more difficult if we'd been left on our own.

The host also told our group of about a dozen about a local restaurant, which almost all of us visited, and which turned out to be quite good.

Was the price worth it? Well, let's see: we paid $2000 for 4 nights for 2 people, and got 3 tours. So if the tours are $100/each, that's $600; then, the hotel could be priced around $1000. Add transfers at another $100, and that leaves about $300 that I haven't accounted for. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I have done the same in Rome and used their pre-extension instead? Probably not, because I had a better idea in Rome about what we wanted to do and how to go about it.

 

[CILCIANRQTS]

We have had hosts take us on a short orientation tour.

It’s better to have a host to answer questions than be in a strange city with no idea of what to do and how to get around.

Let’s face it - the only reason you pay extra to Viking for extensions is to have someone to hold your hand.

Edited April 16, 2022 by CILCIANRQTS

[TayanaLorna]

I agree with @longterm.  There are places where i am comfortable arranging our pre or post extension and there are those where I am not.  Some of the Viking extensions of multiple days with included excursions, local dinners and a guide with you at all times are well worth the $$ especially if they are far from your ship boarding city.  But For a 2 night stay with hotel and transfers in the same city or near the ship not so much.  When we went to Santiago, Chile i arranged our 2 day pre completely.  Our airport transfers, lodging, meals, 2 full days of private excursions with drop off at the ship 2nd day, and all our wine consumption was much less then Vikings 2 nights in a hotel, transfers and host.  But I live in Puerto Rico and am comfortable with the Spanish language.  We did the 2 day pre in Barcelona last fall, again in a Spanish speaking country but chose to do it with Viking because of the constantly evolving Covid conditions.  Financially i could have done it much more economically even in the same hotel but we went with our decision and enjoyed it.  Our flight arrived at a time where no other guests were arriving so they sent a private Mercedes car and driver.  He did not speak a word of English but gave us a delightful tour in Spanish on our way to the hotel.  He was excited to have Spanish speakers aboard.  We never touched our luggage from the moment we identified our bags on the airport belt until we found them in our room.  The restaurant recommendations were delightful local places.  Upon departure our luggage was picked up outside our room and next we saw it was in our stateroom.  The excursion on the way to the ship was comprehensive.  And because we did the pre extension with Viking, the negative Covid test was only required 72 hours prior to check in with Viking at the hotel and was also good for the ship at check in even though it was beyond the 72 hour time frame.  So its all up to a persons comfort zone, language skills, sense of adventure and mobility.

[longterm]

My only critique of the post-extension we did in Athens had to do with Guest Services on VIking Sky. 
 

We booked a private guide for 2 tours in Athens that were scheduled for times that wouldn't conflict with the 3 Viking excursions on our 4 days there.

Less than a week before arriving in Athens, Viking swapped one of the excursion days, putting their excursion on the same day as one we had already scheduled. I only found this out by looking at the schedule, which we got only a few days before arriving in Athens.

 

I had to call our private guide and move her to a different day; fortunately, she was easy to work with and this was accomplished, but Viking shouldn't have done this to us at the last minute.

I repeatedly went to Guest Services to find out excursion starting and ending times; finally the clueless rep told me I'd have to wait to find out when I got to Athens--the day of. Again, not good.

I asked, "Will we check into the hotel first, then do the 1st excursion, or will we go on the excursion and THEN go to the hotel?" I got 2 different answers on 2 different days. One rep told me our luggage would go with us on the first excursion. That turned out to be wrong too.
 

[austinetc]

29 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

And because we did the pre extension with Viking, the negative Covid test was only required 72 hours prior to check in with Viking at the hotel and was also good for the ship at check in even though it was beyond the 72 hour time frame.  So its all up to a persons comfort zone, language skills, sense of adventure and mobility.

The Covid testing thing was the primary reason for booking the extension with Viking. Normally we'd just do our own thing. Another reason was that, unlike other Viking extensions, this one appears to be competitively priced. $1,600 for two nights at a resort that charges $1,000 a night. No excursions are included, but transfers are, plus the mysterious Host. I just don't know what the host can do for us. But since we're getting Host services for essentially nothing, I won't be disappointed if it's in fact nothing.

[Mr Beans]

For us it seemed to be a matter of who the rep was.  In Nice the guy was great, restaurant recommendations that were spot on, help with understanding local transportation especially since we encountered a transit strike.  In Budapest there was little assistance other than accepting our luggage to transfer to the ship so we could spend our day sight seeing.  On our upcoming cruise we booked on our own, the Viking price seemed extremely high for a short bus trip overview, a hotel that was farther out than what we were able to book and the trip to the airport should be a minimal charge. 

[Let Me Travel!]

I have just a little twist on this…the Viking Host in Amsterdam was much too busy to answer our questions, so we just did our own thing…the Viking Host in Budapest was soooo helpful..referred us to wonderful restaurants, arranged for our transportation to those restaurants…set us up with tour guides that provided some of the most compelling excursions that I have ever been on… sometimes good…sometimes uhhh….I honestly believe that it depends on the personality of the host