Can we board at the second port or disembark before the last port?

[Commasense]

We are looking at a Viking Ocean cruise one of whose terminal ports we are not interested in. (Been there, too expensive.) So we'd prefer either to board at the second port, or if we take the reverse itinerary, disembark at the next-to-last port. 

 

Does Viking allow that? Although they wouldn't lose anything (we'd be paying the full fare, or course), I can imagine they might have some rule or objection to the practice that I'm not aware of. Of course, we could falsely claim that some emergency required us to do it, but I'd prefer to be above board. 

 

Anyone know? 

Edited February 17 by Commasense

[millybess]

4 minutes ago, Commasense said:

We are looking at a Viking Ocean cruise one of whose terminal ports we are not interested in. (Been there, too expensive.) So we'd prefer either to board at the second port, or if we take the reverse itinerary, disembark at the next-to-last port. 

 

Does Viking allow that? Although they wouldn't lose anything (we'd be paying the full fare, or course), I can imagine they might have some rule or objection to the practice that I'm not aware of. Of course, we could falsely claim that some emergency required us to do it, but I'd prefer to be above board. 

 

Anyone know? 

Last year in Florence we disembarked and re-boarded in Naples.  We had to have permission to do that.  However, when we re-boarded in Naples, our key cards had been erased and we had to wait for someone to bring us new ones before we could board.

 

It was explained to us, that it is standard procedure that a departure be treated like the departing passengers have left the ship for the duration, and they might, or might not, be back. That makes sense to me.  And your preference also makes sense to me.  You might want to ask tellus@vikingcruises.com.

[LindaS272]

36 minutes ago, Commasense said:

We are looking at a Viking Ocean cruise one of whose terminal ports we are not interested in. (Been there, too expensive.) So we'd prefer either to board at the second port, or if we take the reverse itinerary, disembark at the next-to-last port. 

 

Does Viking allow that? Although they wouldn't lose anything (we'd be paying the full fare, or course), I can imagine they might have some rule or objection to the practice that I'm not aware of. Of course, we could falsely claim that some emergency required us to do it, but I'd prefer to be above board. 

 

Anyone know? 

You will definitely want to get permission from Viking. It also sometimes depends on permission from the country (via Viking). We had a terrible time trying to leave the ship for two nights and return on the SE Asia cruise in 2019 to go to Siem Reap. The Viking agent who sold us the cruise said we could do so. Then when we called about a month before to let them know our plans, they said we would have to get permission from the port authority in Cambodia. Weeks later, and with much tearing of hair, permission was granted. But we didn’t do it; we were too exhausted from the process!

[Commasense]

Thanks for the quick reply. The ports we're considering are in Europe. Is it reasonable to assume that they'd be more amenable than Cambodia? 

[OneSixtyToOne]

7 minutes ago, Commasense said:

Thanks for the quick reply. The ports we're considering are in Europe. Is it reasonable to assume that they'd be more amenable than Cambodia? 

It probably has a lot to do with visa requirements. A lot of countries have different requirements if arriving by cruise ship vs air or land. Some make accommodations in their requirements for day trippers only spending a few hours (eg. Turkey). If the ports in question are all in the EU, your chances are better than elsewhere.

Edited February 17 by OneSixtyToOne

[CurlerRob]

1 hour ago, Commasense said:

We are looking at a Viking Ocean cruise one of whose terminal ports we are not interested in. (Been there, too expensive.) So we'd prefer either to board at the second port, or if we take the reverse itinerary, disembark at the next-to-last port. 

 

Does Viking allow that? Although they wouldn't lose anything (we'd be paying the full fare, or course), I can imagine they might have some rule or objection to the practice that I'm not aware of. Of course, we could falsely claim that some emergency required us to do it, but I'd prefer to be above board. 

 

Anyone know? 

 

As stated by previous posters, there is no blanket answer. Visas can be one issue, as can customs facilities at your penultimate stop and/or simple bureaucratic rules - even in the EU.

 

You'll need to seek confirmation from Viking prior to making your decision. Of interest, if your concern is expense levels in the terminal port, could you not avoid those by taking the reverse route,  disembarking there and flying home? Clearly that doesn't work for embarkation in the same place if you arrive early. 🍺🥌

[Commasense]

21 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

[snip] 
 if your concern is expense levels in the terminal port, could you not avoid those by taking the reverse route,  disembarking there and flying home? Clearly that doesn't work for embarkation in the same place if you arrive early. 

Because we want to spend some additional time in the second/next-to-last port. 

 

Thanks, all for the advice. Now that we know that Viking is amenable to such changes, we can proceed accordingly and make sure we have whatever other permissions we need. I was just concerned that Viking might treat it the way airlines treat skiplagging: semi-tolerated, but not officially allowed. 

 

Thanks again. 

[Heidi13]

In addition to Rob's post, you also need to identify if you would be contravening any cabotage laws, as penalties are passed on to the pax.