Late for excursion!

Has anyone had experience or know what happens if you are late for an included excursion? Can you take the next departure?

Mia

I have never had that experience so couldn't say for certain but Viking is generally very accommodating and I am pretty sure they would do what they could to get you on one of the later excursions.

What happens? The passengers who have arrived in good time for the included excursion get very hacked off at having to wait for latecomers who have not the manners or consideration to do likewise. (Plural personal experiences. Some latecomers don't even seem bothered that they have held up a tour.) That's what happens.

What happens? The passengers who have arrived in good time for the included excursion get very hacked off at having to wait for latecomers who have not the manners or consideration to do likewise. (Plural personal experiences. Some latecomers don't even seem bothered that they have held up a tour.) That's what happens.

For the included tours, Viking usually fills the buses as passengers arrive at the meeting point. They fill one bus at a time and when the bus is full, it pulls out. Then the next bus is loaded. The only bus that might wait for stragglers is the last bus in the group. So, if you are concerned about having to wait, get there early and be on the first bus. Of course, this doesn't mean that your bus won't be the one with that one person who is always the last one back to the bus and always by at least five minutes after everyone else has returned.

What happens? The passengers who have arrived in good time for the included excursion get very hacked off at having to wait for latecomers who have not the manners or consideration to do likewise. (Plural personal experiences. Some latecomers don't even seem bothered that they have held up a tour.) That's what happens.

It never happened on our Viking cruise but if it did, I know my husband (and more than likely me) would be livid.

I have been told that if the Viking excursion was to leave at 9:00 then 9:00 it takes off. It doesn't wait. That's what we experienced....thankfully. A late couple would completely through off the tours at their destination.

Ha --we are on Viking now. We, along with several other hapless passengers, did not understand how to read the untimed tickets and relied on the tour desk for (unreliable) info.

We were quickly shunted aside and chastisef for our stupidity. No tour for us!

I am quite surprised that the employees at the tour desk were unable to explain how to read your tickets ( they were always very helpful and well informed during our cruise)...Times for the following day excursions were always in our Viking Daily.....letter of tour =corresponding time and where to meet! I am very sorry to hear that Viking fell so short on this one. Hope it was NOT the most important port of the entire trip!!!! Hopefully you complained and the UNRELIABLE were chastised and now are informed!!!

Now that you understand how to read the tickets hopefully you can put this behind you and have a great time!!!

Just remember your quiet boxes!!!

We leave next week on Eastern Seaboard cruise. I have booked several excursions and know their times, but have no tickets. Do they give you tickets once you embark?

For the included tours, Viking usually fills the buses as passengers arrive at the meeting point. They fill one bus at a time and when the bus is full, it pulls out. Then the next bus is loaded. The only bus that might wait for stragglers is the last bus in the group. So, if you are concerned about having to wait, get there early and be on the first bus. Of course, this doesn't mean that your bus won't be the one with that one person who is always the last one back to the bus and always by at least five minutes after everyone else has returned.

Thanks Peregrina. It's nice to get a feel of how the buses are loaded for the included excursions. It is annoying when there are people who are chronically late on the excursions, but wondering what would happen if something catastrophically happens and you miss your time!

This is good information if you are hoping to be able to get on an earlier time that has been sold out. Does this mean that if you show up early, you might have a chance to fill in a space from a missing cruiser?

And so hopefully, no shows will not mess up departures for the included excursions. I wonder if people have not paid, there is less incentive to show up or to notify Viking if you are cancelling.

Mia

Thanks Peregrina. It's nice to get a feel of how the buses are loaded for the included excursions. It is annoying when there are people who are chronically late on the excursions, but wondering what would happen if something catastrophically happens and you miss your time!

 

This is good information if you are hoping to be able to get on an earlier time that has been sold out. Does this mean that if you show up early, you might have a chance to fill in a space from a missing cruiser?

 

And so hopefully, no shows will not mess up departures for the included excursions. I wonder if people have not paid, there is less incentive to show up or to notify Viking if you are cancelling.

 

Mia

Actually, too much paperwork. If you aren't there in time for an included, they will fill the seat with someone who is. And they just keep filling buses. If you are early for your time slot, they will start a second line. When all the A's are loaded, they will start filling the B's until all of the buses are filled. If you don't make it in time for the last bus of the day, then you may well be out of luck. Paid excursion are a different story.

Tip: if you are traveling with a group, you have to pass through the head counter together if you want to be on the same bus. You can't send someone ahead to save seats. The head counter will only count the one who gets on the bus and the bus will leave when it is full.

FWIW this is quite different from what's done with Viking River cruises included tours.

Dear mpfund,

We are sorry to hear that this happened. Your disappointment in the missed shore excursion is understandable; however, the crew response you describe is surprising and certainly not typical behavior.

If you haven’t already, please discuss this occurrence with the Guest Services desk. They will do their utmost to ensure that the remainder of your cruise is pleasurable. Should you wish to summarize your overall experience upon your return, please do not hesitate to contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to reply, mpfund. We apologize for the disappointment, but wish you a lovely vacation ahead!

Best regards,

Viking Cruises

Ha --we are on Viking now. We, along with several other hapless passengers, did not understand how to read the untimed tickets and relied on the tour desk for (unreliable) info.

 

We were quickly shunted aside and chastisef for our stupidity. No tour for us!

FWIW this is quite different from what's done with Viking River cruises included tours.

Considering that the river cruises have under 200 people --and many times even less than that--it is not surprising. VR fills four or five buses for the entire tour; VO can fill that many for one time slot. Etc. etc. etc.

Thanks Viking cruises it was a "free" included tour so not important.

However, your excursion folks continue to disappoint. Today we were apparently too early for another freebie, and along with others ordered back onto the ship to wait. A saner employee intervened and we were allowed to wait on the bus.

The attitude from this group of employees is clearly not one of guest comfort but rather of job efficiency. Perhaps that is the Nordic way.

Thanks Viking cruises it was a "free" included tour so not important.

 

However, your excursion folks continue to disappoint. Today we were apparently too early for another freebie, and along with others ordered back onto the ship to wait. A saner employee intervened and we were allowed to wait on the bus.

 

The attitude from this group of employees is clearly not one of guest comfort but rather of job efficiency. Perhaps that is the Nordic way.

But, more importantly, it is not the Viking way, so please, share your observations with the folks at the Guest Services desk (or higher up the ladder, if you need to) and at the e-mail address Viking shared above. They can do something about it; the best we can offer is a sympathetic ear (not that we object to listening).

There would be too many people and chaos if everyone just decided when they wanted to go on their excursion....there are times given for a reason...I thought the process worked well and we had very little wait before boarding our buses...

However, customer service should be and usually is very important to Viking. You are not finding that so far! We always found the gangway personal friendly and efficient!