Viator Reviews

[Grannycb]

I'd like to see some reviews from people who have used Viator for their shore excursions and transfers. Here is their url: http://www.viator.com/

 

These are the tours I've taken with them:

 

Alaska bus tour to the Yukon was very good

London City Tour was pretty good

 

The reason I'm asking is we are thinking about booking a couple more tours through them in Italy. I'd like to see reviews other than those posted on the Viator site.

Edited June 3, 2010 by Grannycb

[daryleann]

Have not taken any tours with them but do NOT buy Hop on hop off tickets from them. Buy direct from the bus.... cheaper and if your plans change...

[cruisemom42]

Viator is not a tour provider. They are simply the "middle man". So you really have no way of knowing who the actual tour will be provided by unless you luck out and can find the same tour description on the local provider's site....

[John Bull]

As Cruisemom's post, they're an agency.

Used them to book a day excursion Hong Kong to Guangzhou, which needed to be done/paid in advance due to group visa.

Knew I could book on the same trip over the 'net for about 10% ($20 to $30) less from HK agencies, but chose the safety of booking through a world-wide brand for this trip.

This one needed to be paid up-front & HK is a long long way to chase an agency if it all went belly-up.

Very efficient e-mail confirmation/arrangements, they also texted me and phoned me at the hotel the day before to check I knew pick-up details. Couldn't be faulted.

 

John Bull

[agabbymama]

I used them for our Med cruise in '08. Transfers in Rome, Ho Ho in Rome 48 hr pass), 3 tours in Venice, and 1 in Paris. Everything went exceptionally well. There was a listing for the hotels transfers were available for. I looked at the listing and saw what I thought was the hotel we were staying at. After booking, I looked closer and realized the two hotel names were close, but not exactly the same. I emailed Viator and the next day was assured that the hotel I was at, was not a problem, even though it wasn't officially on the list.

 

I liked the idea that I paid in US $ (not EURO) well before the cruise. Everything was paid for ahead of time, I had vouchers to turn in for the actual tour or transfer.

 

And the "skip the line dinner" at the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris was absolutely the best ribs I've ever eaten. And it truly was "skip the line". They seated us ahead of about 15 people in line, and service was exceptional. Truly VIP treatment with the Viator voucher.

 

I always go to Viator now for any of my trips , to see if there is something I want to do through them. Or even just to get an idea of what is available at a certain location.

[Grannycb]

Good to see others have also had positive experiences with Viator. We are looking at one of the tours listed on their website that has very good reviews. Does anyone recognize who the tour provider is? It's the private tour, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello Day Trip from Naples. http://www.viator.com/tours/Naples/Private-Tour-Sorrento-Positano-Amalfi-and-Ravello-Day-Trip-from-Naples/d508-2958AMAPV/TR-2?reviewSortBy=SUBMISSION_DATE%20D

[ohio56]

Good to see others have also had positive experiences with Viator. We are looking at one of the tours listed on their website that has very good reviews. Does anyone recognize who the tour provider is? It's the private tour, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello Day Trip from Naples. http://www.viator.com/tours/Naples/Private-Tour-Sorrento-Positano-Amalfi-and-Ravello-Day-Trip-from-Naples/d508-2958AMAPV/TR-2?reviewSortBy=SUBMISSION_DATE%20D

We also booked this tour for September with Viator. Please post a review of your tour after your cruise. Our tour is for two people in a private car; however, if your group is larger, your experience may not be comparable.

Thanks in advance.

[LJH1]

I'd like to see some reviews from people who have used Viator for their shore excursions and transfers. Here is their url: http://www.viator.com/

 

These are the tours I've taken with them:

 

Alaska bus tour to the Yukon was very good

London City Tour was pretty good

 

The reason I'm asking is we are thinking about booking a couple more tours through them in Italy. I'd like to see reviews other than those posted on the Viator site.

 

We have used them in the US the latest was grand canyon heli tour. They used the same heli company that was highly recommended at much cheaper price.

They are a huge company and I wouldn't hesitate to use them in Europe in fact we have a bunch book marked for Venice for our 2011 trip.

 

I also did a search on Tripadviser but found nothing. You may want to sign up and post on one of the Europe boards there.

[ldfischer]

Very interested in the Venice tours you took with Viator...do you recall the names of each?

[agabbymama]

Very interested in the Venice tours you took with Viator...do you recall the names of each?

 

I did a "Venice Ghostwalking Tour" in the evening $24.50. (It was pouring rain and they don't cancel tours because of weather). And "Venice Walking Tour and Gondola Ride" $49.00, also in the evening. Both were excellent. We were only on the gondola about 30 minutes, but at least we can say we rode in a gondola.

 

I was going to book Murano and Burano, but we decided to buy a vaporetto pass and do it on our own. We only made it to Murano because of bad weather, we just headed back to our hotel.

 

At the time we went, the EURO was really strong and the exchange rate terrible, so I was happy to book in US dollars, even if it was 6 months before the actual trip.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your trip!

[Fae11]

I did a cruise with Viator last week. The islands were amazing, the time on the boat was awful.

I moved the review to the right place. I don't see how to delete this.

Edited July 12, 2010 by Fae11
Wrong place for review. I was in Greece, forum is for Italy. I only saw the company name.

[LJH1]

Very interested in the Venice tours you took with Viator...do you recall the names of each?

 

 

Go to Viator site and on left side of page it asks for country etc.

 

They also have a shore excursion site that you can use to book excursions from ports you are stopping at, here is the link

 

http://shoreexcursions.viator.com/?pref=02&aid=g2134

[Tubby Hubby]

Hi

 

Any updates on recent tours with Viator? i'm looking at booking some trips in Dubai and Singapore but would like some more feedback before I book.

 

 

Thanks

[Goldygolfer]

"Arabian Adventures" appear to be the main tour company in Dubai.They have an office just outside the Arrivals area at the Dubai airport. Or "google" them. I'm sure that a direct booking with them will be cheaper than going through Viator.

 

It is easy to book various tours in Singapore at the tour office desk in most hotels. Also cheaper than through Viator.

 

As others have said - Viator is an agency and therefore need to add their commission.

[DrivesLikeMario]

https://www.myvaticantour.com/vatican_group.aspx?tour=26

 

This is the tour company we just used two weeks ago. I cannot tell you how wonderful, professional and easy this tour was to do. I'm pretty particular about tour companies and if one is not perfect, I'll say so. This one was fabulous! The compliment does not come easy from me, but it's true. The only very minor negative is that it was a little bit hard to find the meeting location. We allowed ourselves about 10 mins. extra and found it in time.

 

If you chose this tour, see if you can request Jocylene. (I think she was from Minnesota or Michigan?) She did a terrific job of explaining the art and making it come alive with humor and some facts without overwhelming you with statistics, artists' history, etc. They give you headphones (like ear buds) and a radio to wear around your neck and the guide very quietly talks into a microphone. You can adjust the volume to your own preference.

 

We, along with our friends, thought it was the most professionally run tour we've had in a long time.

[NariBakes]

I'd like to see some reviews from people who have used Viator for their shore excursions and transfers. Here is their url: http://www.viator.com/

 

These are the tours I've taken with them:

 

Alaska bus tour to the Yukon was very good

London City Tour was pretty good

 

The reason I'm asking is we are thinking about booking a couple more tours through them in Italy. I'd like to see reviews other than those posted on the Viator site.

Hi ,

I am going on a cruise to Rome, Italy, Greece and Turkey through Royal Caribbean, in September and I am thinking of using Viator for my shore excursions. I just want to know if booking through them is reliable? Or will I be taking a risk?

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Viator is a "broker". As such, they take your money, and contract with a local vendor. Yes, the rates are pretty good. But when there is an issue, it is challenging to to communicate with anybody, as happened to us, 2 out of 3 bookings we had with them last year. We no longer use brokers, we deal directly with vendors.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Yes, they are a very reliable company. They do out-source the tours to other vendors.

 

The only problem I had with them once (over about 5 years of using them) is that a tour operator cancelled a tour in Switzerland right as we were leaving to fly there. The vendor's excuse was that the tour leader was pregnant and couldn't do the walking tour. She knew she was pregnant for obviously awhile and should've found other people to take her tour in time.

 

It was supposed to be one of the highlights of our trip there and we were so disappointed. We did get our money back without a problem, but were left with no tour at all on that day as it was too late to book something similar with anyone else.

[binbin854]

We booked 3 tours through viator plus private water taxi from cruise terminal to hotel. All went off without a hitch. We did try to change one booking direct and found them to be rude and unhelpful. The tour guides were good to outstanding. I'd book with them again as better pricing had we gone directly. One tour turned out to be private which was an unexpected benefit.

 

 

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[cruisemom42]

In the past few years I took several tours with Viator but found them to be of very average quality overall. The experience I have had in Europe was such that I wouldn't really recommend them.

 

On two of the tours (one in Rome and one in Lisbon) there were three different languages. The guide had to repeat everything three times (and the group participants were not so great about refraining from talking while the guide spoke in other languages).

 

On one tour (Rome), the tour was cancelled at the last minute with no attempt to contact me until I arrived at the starting location. Then I got a major attempt to sell me a different tour rather than the one I booked (instead of refunding me).

 

On another tour (Lisbon), our guide simply skipped one of four major points that the tour was supposed to cover. Yes, I was able to get a partial refund from Viator, but to me that's not the point. I don't want the refund, I want to see the things on the tour that are promised -- after all, how often do I get back to Lisbon? :cool:

 

I will say that these were city tours, not shore excursions. Perhaps the shorex are better run. But for me, I avoid Viator and either do things on my own or find local tour options where I can carefully read reviews....

[LuckyStar]

I'd like to see some reviews from people who have used Viator for their shore excursions and transfers. Here is their url: http://www.viator.com/

 

These are the tours I've taken with them:

 

Alaska bus tour to the Yukon was very good

London City Tour was pretty good

 

The reason I'm asking is we are thinking about booking a couple more tours through them in Italy. I'd like to see reviews other than those posted on the Viator site.

 

We were in Europe for a month in 2015, and used Viator extensively. Felt that we were always put into great excursion groups. I would highly recommend them. It was great to have the app to access my itinerary. Someone else posted about not buying HOHO tickets from them. I second that. They're overpriced. Buy direct from company.

[epixx]

I do not recommend this tour broker. I booked and paid for a tour through Viator about 6 weeks in advance. Then, ten days before departure, Viator informed me that the tour company was shortening the duration of the tour by 1.5 hours but that the price of the tour would remain unchanged. I therefore canceled the tour, but I had to scramble at that late date to find a replacement.

[LondonTowner]

I would never give Viatour the time of day. I imagine the people who book with them can't be bothered to research local tour operators and book direct with them.

[Cindy]

I have used Viator a couple times but only when I couldn't find what I wanted independently. I prefer to eliminate the middle man so all my payments go directly to the provider, and I like to know who I'll be touring with before I make a purchase. With Viator you don't get the name of the company before you make a reservation. I've been able to figure it out in the past, but it involves some sleuthing!

 

 

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[caripoo]

We have used Viator in Prague, Munich and Rome.....We usually have our own small group and have always had great guides....