magcruiser29

One small note, but the "free" tours aren't really "free" as you paid for them in the cost of the cruise. They are "included," but not "free."

 

And I agree they vary a lot from port to port, and even within the port from guide to guide.

You made a good point. The tours are included but they are not free.

Included excursions can vary greatly on Viking, and many depend on the guide. I had the same experience in Toulon -- it was small enough to navigate on my own, but I didn't know that until I was led straight into town by our guide. What would've been beneficial on the tour, was to gather context about the city and the area, or access to certain churches or buildings, but there was none offered on my specific tour; the guide seemed rushed. Also, the descriptions in the brochure could be better. Toulon is rooted in military history, but this was the bulk of the tour -- lists of tankers and aircraft carriers that made me glaze over. Despite the exceptional value, knowing what to expect on an included excursion can help reduce disgruntled passengers who feel that most of the day was spent on the bus and not the sights, or being lectured to without free time, etc.

 

While Rome has exponentially more to offer as a city, the guide was also way more knowledgeable about the sites, sensitive to allowing free time at various stops and for lunch, and more congenial to the needs of the group across an all-day tour. To compare the value, the included Rome tour offered the bus transfer from the port of Livorno, over an hour away to Rome, stops at the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and even Vatican City. She offered suggestions for places to eat, the best gelato and more.

 

The knack with excursions is deciding where the included tour is worth it -- first time, looking to get oriented -- and when it might be worth more to shell out for an excursion out of town or to a special location like a winery. If an included tour doesn't meet your expectations, it's reasonable to offer constructive criticism -- comment cards are handed out on every tour to help the shore ex office improve their offerings -- but at the end of the day, it was free. Many such tours are only half-day affairs, so it still leaves time to explore on your own the things you didn't quite get to on the included tour.

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

Yes, the quality of the free tours on Viking vary from port to port and depend on many factors including the guide. Personally I think the worst ports were Toulon and Naples. Toulon is just a waste. When we were there Communists were demonstrating in the main square. Naples was just full of closed buildings and graffiti and there was a strong police presence. The best tours were Monaco where we had an excellent guide and Split which for me was the highlight of the cruise with another excellent guide. One of the worst tours was a long boat ride around Venice. They were late getting started and loading 200 people on a boat takes a lot of time. The narration was terrible. Yes, the tours are free but I did comment to Viking that I'd rather pay and get something better than some of their free tours. Passenger feedback is very important.

I took the five hour included Viking tour to Rome in September. The crowds were unbelievable. En route there were 11 buses at the rest stop - Mission Impossible - and we had to wait till we got to the Vatican to use rest rooms. Although all the ports on this cruise were crowded Rome and Venice were the worst. The tour of Rome only had one stop and that was at the Vatican and because it was a Sunday the Vatican Museum, etc. were closed. Our guide made the best of it. Since I had not been in Rome since 1976 it was wonderful just to see Rome again. You should not run into the amount of crowds going later in the season.

I had to be on the bus at 4:20 a.m. for a 6:55 a.m. flight from Venice to Rome. There was nothing available on the ship as breakfast started at 6 a.m. I did call room service and got coffee delivered to my room promptly at 3:30 a.m. This is something Viking needs to work on if they are getting people to the airport so early. They need at least a continental breakfast set up somewhere on the ship.

We were in Rome today and the weather was perfect. So far no rain and temps around 80 every day. Tomorrow Naples.

What a nice surprise it was to find the shoe rack in stateroom 3084. Al gave me your note and told me you and your friend left it there for me. Good cruise so far. We are in Monte Carlo today. Will leave the shoe rack for the next person(s) who have the cabin.:)

Thank you so much for sharing that. I'm booked on the tour to Florence and the Pitti Palace and hope I get Sam as a guide. One thing about booking shore excursions through the ship is the ship will wait if the tour is delayed.

Has anyone used a Water Pik in the bathroom on the Viking Star? Will the outlet in the bathrooms allow one to be plugged in and used there?

magcruiser29, I'll be on the ship before you. I promise to leave your cabin in good shape!

Diane

Thanks! And have a great time.

I will be in cabin 3084 in September. Happy to hear that being over the restaurant is not a problem. After waiting more than two years for this cruise, I can't wait much longer. Sooooo excited!!

Diane

I, too, will be in Cabin 3084 in September hopefully at a different time from you and also looking forward to a new ship and the beautiful ports from Barcelona to Venice.

My September flights to Barcelona and returning from Venice were arranged by Viking. At first they all were Delta/KLM flights and it was a really good schedule. Then they changed the return flights and put me on an early flight on KLM but operated by Alitalia leaving Venice with a connecting flight to the U.S. in Rome. My concern is that one cannot get advance seating assignments on Alitalia. I have visions of long lines to check in and get seat assignments. Has anyone flown this airline recently?

It was indeed refreshing to read your detailed and thoughtful review of your recent cruise on the Viking Star. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

This is a beautiful video of a beautiful ship. Thanks for posting.

The single supplement is a whopping 200%. I'm sure there will be singles booked on these ships. I'm booked for September 15, 2015. If you sail Crystal their single supplement is only 125-120%.