Sold Out Optional Tours/Dining Reservations Prior to Sailing

[Pegct]

I recently completed the Mediterranean Odessy cruise and realized the two most stressful experiences related to taking this cruise was trying to book optional shore excursions and dining reservations online prior to sailing.  Our group consisted of six couples who had booked different stateroom categories which made it impossible to make reservations for dining in the specialty restaurants.  We didn't expect all of us to eat together each night but it was frustrating not knowing how the online reservation system worked.  Optional shore excursions you thought you purchased disappeared from your cart if you didn't immediately purchase them prior to choosing shore excursions for subsequent days. Thankfully, specialty dining reservations were easily obtained once on board so that turned out to be a non-issue for the group.  Many shore excursions still unavailable upon sailing especially if they were sold out and lower category cabins had very late start times for "included" tours. Luckily I was able to arrange private optional tours that we wanted to do as a group.  Two companies that I would highly recommend for small groups wishing to do same excursions together that are sold out are Barcelonadaytours.com and Italydaytours.ie that were very accommodating, reasonably priced,  excellent communicators, and phenomenal experiences for all our group. 

[oskidunker]

We are doing the Northern Lights cruise March 20. Since we booked the lowest cabin category, we cant book until Jan 19. Anyone done this trip that can tell if we might have a problem getting some evening search for the Northern lights tours? My wifecwants one of these, not me. 

[Iloveketo]

33 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

We are doing the Northern Lights cruise March 20. Since we booked the lowest cabin category, we cant book until Jan 19. Anyone done this trip that can tell if we might have a problem getting some evening search for the Northern lights tours? My wifecwants one of these, not me. 

We are on the cruise just before you. We booked PV, not because of the cabin, but to have a better chance at getting the excursions we wanted. 
Fingers crossed that she gets what she wants.  

[Moonlion]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

We are doing the Northern Lights cruise March 20. Since we booked the lowest cabin category, we cant book until Jan 19. Anyone done this trip that can tell if we might have a problem getting some evening search for the Northern lights tours? My wifecwants one of these, not me. 

We did the NL cruise in January 2022.  We were in a DV cabin and had no problem booking optional excursions.  However, two factors were unique for us that likely affected the availability of optional excursions.  On the one hand, the ship was half full - a lot of people cancelled before their cancellation deadlines because of all the Covid restrictions and uncertainties at that time, which made it easier to book Viking excursions.  On the other hand, we were not allowed to go on private excursions (had to stay in the "Viking bubble" on our cruise) which may have increased the demand for Viking excursions.  I noticed that in the month or so before our cruise, the availability of optional excursions changed frequently, sometimes on a daily basis.  Make sure to check back on My Viking Journey (MVJ) frequently if there is a sold-out excursion that you want.  Also, once onboard, you can request to be put on a waiting list for sold-out excursions.  People change their minds all the time and cancel tours they booked or Viking may add more buses if there is enough demand. Finally, there are many excellent private excursions available in Tromso and Alta.  From my research, the private excursions to chase the lights were usually less expensive than the Viking optional excursions and better quality. Since the ship stays overnight in Tromso and Alta, you don't have to worry about not making it back to the ship in time.  Have fun!    

[oskidunker]

5 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

We are on the cruise just before you. We booked PV, not because of the cabin, but to have a better chance at getting the excursions we wanted. 
Fingers crossed that she gets what she wants.  

Thats exactly what the cruise line hoped you would do.

[millybess]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Thats exactly what the cruise line hoped you would do.

I’m sorry, but could you elaborate on this?  I’m confused. 

[oskidunker]

14 hours ago, millybess said:

I’m sorry, but could you elaborate on this?  I’m confused. 

The cruise line is trying to get you to buy a more expensive cabin by creating fear that you wont get the excursions that you want . Since all cabins are basically  the same, with Verandas, the incentive to pay more for a better or central location is not strong for some, including me. I would not get a suite just to better my excursion chances. I would get a suite if I wanted more room.

 

if i cant get the excursions we want, I will start looking at Private excursions. They lose. I gain because private excursions are less expensive, less people and usually better . . Recent bad experience with Viator means I would have  a search of excursion reviews from the port boards . The ship overnights in two pirts so there would be no danger of missing the ship

[Iloveketo]

22 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Recent bad experience with Viator means I would have  a search of excursion reviews from the port boards .

We are trying Viator for the first time in Barcelona on the 14th of November, because of not being able to get the excursions we wanted with Viking. What was your bad experience? We searched multiple Viking sites and Viator was one of the recommended tour companies. 

[oskidunker]

I booked 4 tours with Viator. There was a problem with every one. I booked a wine tour from SanSebastian. While at the dock they called be and said the tour starts in Bilbao. Their site  says San Sebastian. There is no city listed on any of their conformations or passes . they refunded all  my money, almost $600 but i had to argue with an idiot in the Philippines  because  what you get when you call customer service .they read a script and don’t listen to you. Its really awful.

 

An E bike tour in one port specified pick up at the ship. When we contacted the operator he said he did not do that. A cab cost me $100 round trip.

 

A wine tour in Bordeaux was supposed to start at noon, when the ship docked. They changed the time to 2 pm  without telling me. and the van did not arrive until 2:20. We had planned walking around Bordeaux . After the tour. We were unable to do that.

 

A city tour in Stockholm arrived 30 minutes late because someone was sick. 
 

Customer service with Viator is out sourced and not good. They prevent tour operators from contacting you direct. They have to go through Viator. There is no way you can email Viator if you have a question about a tour before booking. . You have to call and the reps in Washington DC are not helpful or trained right. 
 

if you go to the port boards you can sometimes get names of local tour operators. I was lazy and did not do this. 
 

Viator was bought by Trip Advisor and many claim thats when the problems started. .Be careful.

Edited October 28, 2022 by oskidunker

[SantaFe1]

34 minutes ago, Iloveketo said:

We are trying Viator for the first time in Barcelona on the 14th of November, because of not being able to get the excursions we wanted with Viking. What was your bad experience? We searched multiple Viking sites and Viator was one of the recommended tour companies. 

I’m not a huge fan of Viator either.  And I’ve never used them for shore ex, just when we were on our own.  On our upcoming cruise finishing in Barcelona, where we will stay over a few days on our own, we will do one half day trip with Tours by Locals, and one with Barcelona Day Tours, who will pick you up at the ship, stow your luggage while you do a tour, then drop you at your hotel when it is time to check in.  Perhaps check them out in addition to Viator.  

[Heidi13]

38 minutes ago, Iloveketo said:

We are trying Viator for the first time in Barcelona on the 14th of November, because of not being able to get the excursions we wanted with Viking. What was your bad experience? We searched multiple Viking sites and Viator was one of the recommended tour companies. 

 

Not sure if you are aware, but Viator is not a tour provider. They are a broker that resells tours from other companies.

 

Personally, I will only deal directly with the tour operator, only using Viator to research the name of the actual tour providers. This information is usually provided somewhere in the Viator tour descriptions. 

[millybess]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

The cruise line is trying to get you to buy a more expensive cabin by creating fear that you wont get the excursions that you want . Since all cabins are basically  the same, with Verandas, the incentive to pay more for a better or central location is not strong for some, including me. I would not get a suite just to better my excursion chances. I would get a suite if I wanted more room.

 

if i cant get the excursions we want, I will start looking at Private excursions. They lose. I gain because private excursions are less expensive, less people and usually better .

Personally, I have never heard of anyone booking a more expensive cabin so they have more excursion choices.  We always book a PS1 or PS2 (with one exception) because we like to be close to the Explorers' Lounge and we like to have more room (and no, we're not noisy chair hogs - lol).  And, we usually book private tours.

Edited October 28, 2022 by millybess
typo

[oskidunker]

So you are saying the perk never motivates anyone to buy a more expensive cabin?. Maybe its just Viking discriminating or thanking high rollers. 

[millybess]

13 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

So you are saying the perk never motivates anyone to buy a more expensive cabin?. Maybe its just Viking discriminating or thanking high rollers. 

I am saying that I have never heard of anyone paying more for a cabin for the perk of early booking. In most cases it costs substantially more and it just wouldn’t make sense. I would think that most people would book their cabin based on size, location and price. 
 

In regards to your opinion about Viking being discriminatory, I can’t think of a cruise line that is less so. I can guarantee you that once you board a Viking ship, everyone is treated the same no matter what your cabin category. That is probably what we like most about Viking!

[Moonlion]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Not sure if you are aware, but Viator is not a tour provider. They are a broker that resells tours from other companies.

 

Personally, I will only deal directly with the tour operator, only using Viator to research the name of the actual tour providers. This information is usually provided somewhere in the Viator tour descriptions. 

This is exactly what I do.  I research excursions and tour providers for my cruise on a variety of sites (Cruise Critic, Viking FB, TripAdvisor/Viator - same tours/prices now).  Recommendations from previous passengers and TripAdvisor reviews can give you a good sense of the quality of the excursion and reliability of provider.  I almost always book directly with the tour provider unless the cancellation terms are not that generous.  TripAdvisor usually allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour...but you may pay a higher price than booking directly with the provider.  

[NYU73]

On 10/27/2022 at 1:17 PM, oskidunker said:

We are doing the Northern Lights cruise March 20. Since we booked the lowest cabin category, we cant book until Jan 19. Anyone done this trip that can tell if we might have a problem getting some evening search for the Northern lights tours? My wifecwants one of these, not me. 

Your best bet would be to look for an outside provider in Tromso. You can get an 8-10 person mini van tour not a large bus tour, When we were ther we did this and got spectacular pictures. I cannot name toru companies as that is against this boards policy but do a little research and you will reap the benefits

safe Travels

[oskidunker]

25 minutes ago, NYU73 said:

Your best bet would be to look for an outside provider in Tromso. You can get an 8-10 person mini van tour not a large bus tour, When we were ther we did this and got spectacular pictures. I cannot name toru companies as that is against this boards policy but do a little research and you will reap the benefits

safe Travels

Please send me an email.Oskidunkerargmail.com

[Moonlion]

8 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Please send me an email.Oskidunkerargmail.com

You can go to the roll call for the January 24, 2022 Northern Lights cruise.  There was a lot of discussion before our cruise and a spreadsheet of recommended outside providers for Alta and Tromso (unfortunately, you may have to search through several pages). Several of us had booked private excursions to search for the lights in Tromso (a smaller group tour) and Alta (bus tour), but we had to cancel when Viking informed us that independent excursions were no longer allowed due to Covid. 

[dcl999]

We’re currently on Viking Venus. PV category and I logged in the first day reservations were open. We were able to book the optional tours we wanted. Spa appointments were scarce. There were no bookings available for either of the specialty restaurants-guaranteed 2 in each. Contacted Viking and got one for first day. 
When we got to the ship wanted to add the others. They would not book us a second chef’s table and insisted we cancel the one we had to get preferred menu. Only could get one at Manfredis and that is for a sharing table. There is availability some nights at 8:30 or 9:00. 
This is the first time there has been a problem getting reservations onboard. 

[Iloveketo]

1 hour ago, dcl999 said:

We’re currently on Viking Venus. PV category and I logged in the first day reservations were open. We were able to book the optional tours we wanted. Spa appointments were scarce. There were no bookings available for either of the specialty restaurants-guaranteed 2 in each. Contacted Viking and got one for first day. 
When we got to the ship wanted to add the others. They would not book us a second chef’s table and insisted we cancel the one we had to get preferred menu. Only could get one at Manfredis and that is for a sharing table. There is availability some nights at 8:30 or 9:00. 
This is the first time there has been a problem getting reservations onboard. 

Hopefully you can get the 2 in each restaurant that is part of the perks with paying more for the PV. It is a considerable amount more that you pay. Please update this is you do. Good luck!

[oskidunker]

15 hours ago, Moonlion said:

You can go to the roll call for the January 24, 2022 Northern Lights cruise.  There was a lot of discussion before our cruise and a spreadsheet of recommended outside providers for Alta and Tromso (unfortunately, you may have to search through several pages). Several of us had booked private excursions to search for the lights in Tromso (a smaller group tour) and Alta (bus tour), but we had to cancel when Viking informed us that independent excursions were no longer allowed due to Covid. 

Thanks. I went there and got some good information. 

[dcl999]

4 nights left on our cruise. We will not be able to have our 2 and 2 guaranteed specialty restaurants since we don’t like to start a leisurely dinner at 9 pm (and no availability at all some nights) - only have one each. When we inquired this morning we were told some passengers have not been able to get any reservations yet. 

[oskidunker]

5 hours ago, dcl999 said:

4 nights left on our cruise. We will not be able to have our 2 and 2 guaranteed specialty restaurants since we don’t like to start a leisurely dinner at 9 pm (and no availability at all some nights) - only have one each. When we inquired this morning we were told some passengers have not been able to get any reservations yet. 

We like 6:30. We will eat wherever that time is available. 

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

On 10/31/2022 at 12:40 AM, dcl999 said:

4 nights left on our cruise. We will not be able to have our 2 and 2 guaranteed specialty restaurants since we don’t like to start a leisurely dinner at 9 pm (and no availability at all some nights) - only have one each. When we inquired this morning we were told some passengers have not been able to get any reservations yet. 

We found this to be true on our recently completed Trade Routes cruise. There were four of us and the only times available at Manfredi’s were after 9:00. We can’t eat that late. My wife and I were able to eat at 6:00 because we had a cabin that allowed us to book before the others in our party. If one is in a regular veranda cabin they are out of luck unless they want to eat late. 

[Squawkman]

33 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

We found this to be true on our recently completed Trade Routes cruise. There were four of us and the only times available at Manfredi’s were after 9:00. We can’t eat that late. My wife and I were able to eat at 6:00 because we had a cabin that allowed us to book before the others in our party. If one is in a regular veranda cabin they are out of luck unless they want to eat late. 

Not necessarily true. We had a V1 and we’re told we would get one reservation at Manfredi’s because we hadn’t dined there yet. We we offered 6:30.