Start times

Do all the tours start at crack of dawn? We would be seriously deterred from coming if we thought we'd have to be rushing about just to catch an early bus for sightseeing.

Well, this would depend on when you are in port and for how long. In Gdansk we had an early start but we left port by 1:00 and the same was true in Aalborg with the same departure time. However, making the cruise in the opposite direction, these ports were hit in the afternoon. In Stockholm, all excursions were on the day we sailed and we sailed at 2:00. Not everyone leaves at the same time so the departures are staggered. You might be on the last excursion out that morning but it might not be at the crack of dawn.

On the next cruise we don't get to Venice until noon, so it all subjective. If you are in port all day, the included will have at least one departure in the afternoon. If the shore excursions are long(ex. Berlin--12 hours), you must get an early start. Some of the patd excursions also have more than one option.

Hope that helps.

On my upcoming trip the included excursions have a number of different start times, eg:

9:00am-12:00 pm

10:00am-1:00 am

11:am-2:00 am

If you plan on doing a longer tour, like 6 hours or so then it will be obviously starting early

depending what time you are in port.

Thanks. That's helpful. I doubt that we would be doing long tours. We're going on a cruise to relax rather than rush around ticking off a sightseeing list.

Just be aware that Viking markets themselves as a destination focused cruise line, with tours included plus a wide selection of optional tours, and not as an entertainment cruise line. That said, the ship will seem serenely empty and private to those few onboard after the tours depart.

Fine by me. A calm quiet ship is a destination in itself. We'll probably go ashore for a wander but won't be rushing around to see lots of old churches and palaces.

Fine by me. A calm quiet ship is a destination in itself. We'll probably go ashore for a wander but won't be rushing around to see lots of old churches and palaces.

This makes me question the question in the first place.

Just be aware that Viking markets themselves as a destination focused cruise line, with tours included plus a wide selection of optional tours, and not as an entertainment cruise line. That said, the ship will seem serenely empty and private to those few onboard after the tours depart.

Wonderful! That's just what we are looking for. No tours for us free, included, or not.

Do all the tours start at crack of dawn? We would be seriously deterred from coming if we thought we'd have to be rushing about just to catch an early bus for sightseeing.

The only one that felt like the "crack of dawn" for us was Berlin. Gathering time was 6:30am in order to accommodate a 2 hr each way train trip. There was a couple I knew on the Star who we first met 2 yrs before on the Grand European Tour who never left the ship for any excursions. Which is how Bob and Jan liked it.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Do all the tours start at crack of dawn? We would be seriously deterred from coming if we thought we'd have to be rushing about just to catch an early bus for sightseeing.

You could choose your time. We booked excursions that started around 9:30-10 am and some even later. It gave us time to enjoy our yummy room service breakfast and then still have some time to wonder around after the excursion. We also wanted to relax and we had a great time on the almost empty ship. The cruise was an exploration for us of the places we would want to return to. We had a fantastic trip!

This makes me question the question in the first place.

A very astute observation Dauntless ;p

Not all that astute I'm afraid. As I've already explained, we like to go for a wander around the local areas but don't feel compelled to sightsee relentlessly at the cost of leisurely breakfasts and a quiet start to the day.

We've been on many previous river and sea cruises and have worked out what we look for and enjoy.

It was good to hear that there are some later start times for some tours. We might think about some of those.