using Viator for excursions

[john watson]

Really interested on this Viator thing, so how does it work, buy the excursion then meet up with an agent onshore or go straight to the where it's gonna take place? Thanks.

 

You go on their website www.viator.com search for country and town, examine in detail whether a trip is feasible, email them if you have specific points to clarify. Then you generally book a date and an exact time, pay by credit card and print out your tour voucher. You turn up at the designated start point with your voucher and the id documentation they say e.g. photo driving licence or passport.

 

I have found this a good system, and they offer tours from local operators that provide services for small groups which a cruise line would not be interested in. Motorbike and sidecar tour of Lisbon, or tours in Volkswagen Beetle cabriolets plus stuff of a more general interest type.

 

Regards John.

[jwgii]

Viator engages in deceptive and misleading businesspractices.

I did exactly what the Viator web site stated, but Viatorrefuses to honor their agreement to “Enjoy 10% off your first purchase!

Your discount will be automatically applied at checkout.”

I provided my email address and then the Viator agreementstated:

Enjoy 10% off your firstpurchase!

Your discount will be automaticallyapplied at checkout.*

I then made my purchase of an excursion, but I was not automatically given my 10% discount offmy first purchase and Viator refuses to honor their agreement.

 

This is a dishonest businessthat tricks customers into using their service by promising a discount and thenrefuses to honor their contract with the customer.

[GottaKnowWhen]

viator are a third party booking agency so the quality of the tours depends on the local operators which as previously mentioned can be booked directly sometimes cheaper

 

however the special offers viator sometimes offer such as book 3 tours and get third at a discount can make it worthwhile

 

However will nearly always work out cheaper than the ships tours

I agree with all of the above quote.

Two experiences with Viator. In Old San Juan (post cruise after our first cruise) we booked a foodie tour through them - a walk among four restaurants for a progressive four-course lunch with a history and cultural discussion along the way. Super! In the Easter Islands, the local tour operator booked via Viator was one of the two big ones on the island. Definitely mediocre in customer service and quality of the tours over the 2 1/2 days we were there. But I didn't know the vendors, couldn't find much on the web, didn't know what we would find if we just showed up the day before Christmas and started looking for competent guides. So Viator provided peace of mind.

I will use them again if I have no other option. But I will always prefer to DIY or work with local vendors directly if I can find enough information ahead of time to be able to make good choices.

 

Stan

[easyboy]

Have had no problem with them, so far.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Floridiana]

Roy,

Book directly with the zip line company in St. Lucia. I bet they book or recommend a taxi to get there and back..

 

There are places in the world where it makes no sense to book via a third party like Viator. For example New Zealand and Australia where local operators have booths on the pier, the community provides shuttle busses and volunteers are there to help (depends on ports).

[Floridiana]

Sweetlove 13,

 

Rome and Florence form the cruise port? I would go with a ship's tour because of the distance between the destination and the pier. That's just me, a nervous wreck in fear of missing the ship.

 

Have you checked the destination section in cc? That's where I found excellent guides for St. Petersburg and Gdansk.

[ontheweb]

Sweetlove 13,

 

Rome and Florence form the cruise port? I would go with a ship's tour because of the distance between the destination and the pier. That's just me, a nervous wreck in fear of missing the ship.

 

Have you checked the destination section in cc? That's where I found excellent guides for St. Petersburg and Gdansk.

 

Our very first cruise was for our 25th anniversary, and it included Rome and Florence. I totally screwed up and got us on a train going the wrong way when we wanted to see Florence. DW, figured it out and we did get back in time to at least see Pisa. But, I thought I had blown 25 years of marriage since Florence was supposed to be special to my DW who is an elementary art teacher.

 

Ten years later we did a similar cruise. This time I said even if it costs more, we are taking the ships Florence on your own. DW booked timed museum visits in the two main museums, and we had no worries. Meanwhile that week it was 98-100 degrees for our ports in Italy. We did Rome on our own, not a ship's tour. We took the next to last train back to be on the safe side of getting back. It was packed and very uncomfortable in the heat, and then to make it worse, a fight broke out on the train.

 

So, depending on your comfort level and experience as a traveler, it sometimes does make sense to pay the extra and take the ship's tour.

[subtea]

My friend had a tour booked through Viator 2 weeks ago. They arrived at the pickup place. No Guide. They spent 40 minutes trying to find them to no avail. Viator refused to give them a refund.

My husband and I have a tour booked through them in October. They won't tell you where the pickup place is until You've paid in full. 

WHY

[zdcatc12]

I have used them for numerous tours through the years and for car hires. I have never had an issue with someone not showing up or a bad tour.

[CruiserBruce]

58 minutes ago, zdcatc12 said:

I have used them for numerous tours through the years and for car hires. I have never had an issue with someone not showing up or a bad tour.

You are fortunate.

[GottaKnowWhen]

1 hour ago, zdcatc12 said:

I have used them for numerous tours through the years and for car hires. I have never had an issue with someone not showing up or a bad tour.

We had a Viatour tour in Easter Island, 2016, Christmas time. We flew in, were picked up as scheduled and taken to our hotel. The next morning at 0800 we waited for the tour bus to pick us up for our day around the island. At 0830 I called the local office, left a message. At 0900 I called again. About 0920 a van showed up, took us quickly down the road, past two sites we didn’t get to visit, caught up with our tour and turned us over to the guide who hadn’t bothered to stop by our hotel.

Not good service.

Note, my exact times may be off, it was 5+ years ago, but our wait was a long one.

[JDincalif]

Sites like Viator and Get Your Guide can also be useful tools to help identify the variety of tour options potentially available at a given location. Online recommendations and reviews can do the same, if one trusts the sources. 

We've used Viator and Get Your Guide over the years without any of the issues that others have reported.

[donaldsc]

The problem is that Viator sometimes books tours when they do not have guides to do the tours.  That is happening to me now.  I have booked 2 Viator tours on my Japan cruise.  Because the Japanese tourist industry was decimated by Covid there is a real shortage of guides in Japan.  What Viator has done for both of my tours is tell me that I am booked and then send me e-mail messages telling me that they are trying to find guides for my tours and will contact me when or if they find guides.  

 

I do have to admit that I have successfully done tours that I booked on Viator on other cruises.

 

DON

[JDincalif]

Our understanding is that Viator itself does not organize and conduct tours. Rather, it's a platform that helps travelers to find and book with independent tour operators who pay Viator commissions on bookings made through the site. This helps explain the variation in experiences and degrees of satisfaction with Viator.

[SPacificbound]

I have had many good tours using Tours By Locals in lots of different countries.

[lynncarol]

Only used Viator once and was very unhappy.  We had signed up for a walking tour in Ravenna.  Two days before the tour, I was informed by the vendor that it would only be in Italian.  Not speaking that language I asked to cancel as we were well under the 24 hour deadline to cancel.  The merchant charged me anyway, and Viator backed him up. When I disputed the charge to my credit card company, Viator replied with a bunch of total falsehoods saying I had been offered another tour but never showed up. Ergo, the charge went through.

[donaldsc]

On 5/19/2023 at 8:54 PM, SPacificbound said:

I have had many good tours using Tours By Locals in lots of different countries.

 

Totally agree on ToursbyLocals.  They are my goto tour group where ever they are available.  I have used them many times and have always gotten great guides.  The great thing about them is that when you are working on the final tour details or if you want to do something special you deal directly w  the tour guide and not with some 3d party phone operators who tries but fails to convey your issues to the guide.

 

DON

[mnocket]

I've sometimes used Viator to research what tours are available at a particular location and read reviews. If I find something I like, I'm often then able to find the actual tour company on Google and book directly with the company. 

[sanger727]

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

I've sometimes used Viator to research what tours are available at a particular location and read reviews. If I find something I like, I'm often then able to find the actual tour company on Google and book directly with the company. 

agreed. I usually use TripAdvisor; but have had very good luck booking directly with local tour companies. Many times you don’t even have to pay in advance.

[notscb]

On 5/6/2017 at 6:56 PM, jwgii said:

This is a dishonest businessthat tricks customers into using their service by promising a discount and thenrefuses to honor their contract with the customer.

 

I took them up on the same deal and got it- usually the 10% is if you book using the app (but i've also seen via the website). I was able to get the 10% and don't see this as a dishonest business practice- usually if it didn't work it's something to do with your internet browser or the cookies from the website.

[Ride-The-Waves]

Viator and Trip Advisor are one and the same company.  Tour recommendations are the same.  Be very careful with both in following advice and bookings.

[Mike981]

3 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Viator and Trip Advisor are one and the same company.  Tour recommendations are the same.  Be very careful with both in following advice and bookings.

 

True, and there are a lot of other companies under this umbrella as well.

[CruiserBruce]

45 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

 

True, and there are a lot of other companies under this umbrella as well.

Including Cruise Critic.