Viking Shuttles in Port

[just_dont]

A new question for those with prior Viking Ocean experience: Does Viking provide shuttles to/from town when the ship doesn't dock near the main port town?

 

We will be on our first Viking Ocean cruise this June (Into the Midnight Sun) and the are a couple ports where the ship will dock a ways outside the main town. There are a bunch of excursions in each port. Are these the only buses, or do they have additional "shuttle" buses that just take people back and forth between the ship and the town?

 

Specifically, I'm wondering about Lofoten, Norway (Leknes port is far from Svolvaer) and Lerwick, Shetlands (pier is about a mile north of town).

I already have plans for our stop in Edinburgh, Scotland, but it, too, is a town where the ship will be nowhere near the town.

 

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[moatenote]

I've read that Viking provides a shuttle in Edinburgh, but I don't know about the other ports you mentioned.

[soundcruiser]

My best answer to your question is "usually - " based on our only experience to date on Viking Homelands.  We had (and used) a shuttle to the town center in most ports, I  believe, but in some ports we took an excursion leaving first thing in the morning so I'm not sure about those.  Maybe someone who has been on the Midnight Sun will  weigh in - really all that matters to you is whether Viking provides a shuttle in those particular ports! Have a great trip - we'll be on the Mediterranean Odyssey in May/June and can't wait!

 

[Dauntless]

They usually do but make sure you know when they are running.  On Viking Homelands in Helsinki, an industrial port a ways out, there was a shuttle back and forth about every 30 minutes, except during lunch when they didn't run.  We were not aware of this(I'm sure our own fault) but we almost missed getting back to the ship in port for our afternoon 'included' excursion.

[just_dont]

7 minutes ago, moatenote said:

I've read that Viking provides a shuttle in Edinburgh, but I don't know about the other ports you mentioned.

 

2 minutes ago, soundcruiser said:

My best answer to your question is "usually - " based on our only experience to date on Viking Homelands.  We had (and used) a shuttle to the town center in most ports, I  believe, but in some ports we took an excursion leaving first thing in the morning so I'm not sure about those.  Maybe someone who has been on the Midnight Sun will  weigh in - really all that matters to you is whether Viking provides a shuttle in those particular ports! Have a great trip - we'll be on the Mediterranean Odyssey in May/June and can't wait!

 

Thanks @moatenote and @soundcruiser. (and @Dauntless)

I imagine the details of the port shuttles are provided probably no earlier than the day before arrival in each port (?)

We too are getting very excited about our trip.

SC: Hope you have a wonderful Med Odyssey.

[Dauntless]

Just now, just_dont said:

 

Thanks @moatenote and @soundcruiser. (and @Dauntless)

I imagine the details of the port shuttles are provided probably no earlier than the day before arrival in each port (?)

We too are getting very excited about our trip.

SC: Hope you have a wonderful Med Odyssey.

 

Did this cruise last year.  Marseilles is like Helsinki in port set up.  Do not think there is shuttle in Florence or Rome.  I'll look for Viking Dailies.  Didn't use one but I think there is one in Barcelona but not a bad walk.  Shuttle in Monte Carlo, Corfu, Dubrovnik and shuttle boat in Venice.  Right in town for Naples, Split.  

[moatenote]

11 hours ago, just_dont said:

 

A new question for those with prior Viking Ocean experience: Does Viking provide shuttles to/from town when the ship doesn't dock near the main port town?

 

We will be on our first Viking Ocean cruise this June (Into the Midnight Sun) and the are a couple ports where the ship will dock a ways outside the main town. There are a bunch of excursions in each port. Are these the only buses, or do they have additional "shuttle" buses that just take people back and forth between the ship and the town?

 

Specifically, I'm wondering about Lofoten, Norway (Leknes port is far from Svolvaer) and Lerwick, Shetlands (pier is about a mile north of town).

I already have plans for our stop in Edinburgh, Scotland, but it, too, is a town where the ship will be nowhere near the town.

 

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If it's important to know as soon as possible, you might try e-mailing the very helpful folks at tellus@vikingcruises.com

[Captain_Morgan]

Lofoten - can't recall whether or not there was a shuttle

Lerwick - there is shuttle which runs regularly

Newhaven (Edinburgh) - tender port with a relatively long ride from ship to shore, no shuttle into Edinburgh that I recall as i believe the included tour(s) went there but this might have changed.  Conversely if you're in Rosyth instead of Newhaven you'll be berthed alongside, even further from Edinburgh and the only transport there was via tours

[Heidi13]

33 minutes ago, Captain_Morgan said:

Conversely if you're in Rosyth instead of Newhaven you'll be berthed alongside, even further from Edinburgh and the only transport there was via tours

If docked at Rosyth, in addition to ship's tours you also have excellent public transport - express bus service departs about every 20 mins and at least 2 trains per hour. 

[just_dont]

Lofoten - can't recall whether or not there was a shuttle

Lerwick - there is shuttle which runs regularly

Newhaven (Edinburgh) - tender port with a relatively long ride from ship to shore, no shuttle into Edinburgh that I recall as i believe the included tour(s) went there but this might have changed.  Conversely if you're in Rosyth instead of Newhaven you'll be berthed alongside, even further from Edinburgh and the only transport there was via tours

Thanks, Cap'n.

We will be at Newhaven in Edinburgh. Not an issue for ourselves, as I mentioned, but unfortunate as it is quite far. If you take the included tour(s), do they allow you to get off your scheduled bus and catch a later bus back?

For Lofoten, I hope they'd have a shuttle, because there doesn't seem to be anything at Leknes, and unlike Edinburgh, the included tour isn't to Svolvaer, which appears to be the main town in the area.

It's not an urgent issue either way - just something I've been wondering about, as I have occasionally read people posting about taking "the Viking shuttle" in this port or that, but I've never seen shuttles mentioned specifically by Viking anywhere. And those three ports on our upcoming cruise are the three where a shuttle would be most useful.

 

 

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[Captain_Morgan]

As it relates to shuttles it seems there's two different types....those put on by the port due to either being an industrial type pier where walking isn't allowed, in which case its usually only to the port gate, or those arranged by Viking to take people into town at an agreed upon location/times.  

 

Problem with the latter of course is not every port has the means to provide shuttles, and of course these are not free so unfortunately like many things in life, it often comes down to cost versus benefit with someone in a cubicle on the other side of the planet making those decisions.  For the most part though, our experience has been the majority of ports on a Viking cruise have had shuttles or at the very least easy access to public transport.

 

As for leaving the included tour and making your own way back, i'm sure its not an issue provided you let the guide know so they can in turn let the tour staff know so they're not 'missing' anyone when the bus returns.  We also always make sure to double check the all aboard time either at the gangway or tender landing pier shore side as sometimes things change and its not always reflected in the Daily.

[soundcruiser]

We indeed left included tours and then took the shuttle back to the ship - as Captain_Morgan said, just let the tour guide know that's what you are doing.  And be certain to find out where in town the shuttle departs from before you leave the tour!

[just_dont]

1 minute ago, soundcruiser said:

We indeed left included tours and then took the shuttle back to the ship - as Captain_Morgan said, just let the tour guide know that's what you are doing.  And be certain to find out where in town the shuttle departs from before you leave the tour!

 

So, when you say "the shuttle," is this a local public shuttle, or a Viking arranged shuttle.

Also, which ports did you visit which had these shuttles?

[soundcruiser]

Viking arranged shuttle was available at: Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Gdansk, Copenhagen, Bergen; not needed ( you dock right in the city center) at Alborg, Stavanger, Eidfjord. Not sure about arrangements at Warnemunde - we took the train to Berlin, and it was just a couple hundred yard walk to the train station. In St. Petersburg we took a private tour that met us at the port - since you need a visa there unless you are with a guided tour, I don't think many passengers ventured into SPB on their own. 

[jeriram]

We were on that cruise two years ago.  There was no shuttle into Edinburgh.  It was quite far.  Some tablemates took a taxi to the train station and then into the city from there.  We took a walking tour, but it didn't give us more than 30 minutes on our own.  Those that hadn't signed up for tours in Edinburgh didn't make it into the City at all and were really disappointed. 

[just_dont]

We were on that cruise two years ago.  There was no shuttle into Edinburgh.  It was quite far.  Some tablemates took a taxi to the train station and then into the city from there.  We took a walking tour, but it didn't give us more than 30 minutes on our own.  Those that hadn't signed up for tours in Edinburgh didn't make it into the City at all and were really disappointed. 

Do you recall if there were shuttles in Lofoten?

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[mariavii]

We were on Midnight Sun Last year.

 

There was a shuttle into Leknes and we went into town after our included tour.  HOWEVER, all the shops closed up pretty early and only the grocery store was open (though I did get some regional food-type gifts there).  

 

Lerwick had a shuttle.  though we only used it to get back to the ship.  We had a private guide for the day who was great (if you need a suggestion).

 

In Edinburgh, we tendered at Newhaven.  I dont recall the tender ride being very long.  There was a shuttle from the dock to/from Charlotte Square (a bit out of the way).  We also walked from the dock to mall area where the Royal Yacht Britannia is docked (about 1 mile).   There was a great shop with local artisan stuff in that mall.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by mariavii

[jeriram]

Sorry, I don't recall taking a shuttle to Lofoten.   I think we took a tour that day.  Alot depends on where the ships dock and in some places, there can be more than one possibility.  

[Peregrina651]

On 4/5/2019 at 11:44 PM, Dauntless said:

 

Did this cruise last year.  Marseilles is like Helsinki in port set up.  Do not think there is shuttle in Florence or Rome.  I'll look for Viking Dailies.  Didn't use one but I think there is one in Barcelona but not a bad walk.  Shuttle in Monte Carlo, Corfu, Dubrovnik and shuttle boat in Venice.  Right in town for Naples, Split.  

 

Except for cities like Rome or Florence, which are over an hour drive from their "ports," Viking shuttles, whether operated by the port or by Viking, have in my experience been free.

 

Edinburgh: depends on where the ship is docked. If the ship is docked in Queensbury or Rosyth, transportation into Edinbugh is a nightmare--and time consuming. There is a local shuttle offered but it does not take you into Edinburgh. Docking in Newhaven is a different story and I can't remember if there was a shuttle but at least it was close to the places we wanted to see. We actually used the HOHO to get into Old Edinburgh.  Tender ride was not more than 15 minutes.

 

Shetlands and Orkneys, shuttles from dock into town for both locations.

 

In Livorno (commercial port) there is a free shuttle from the ship to the center of town. Florence is 70 miles away and Viking offers an OYO shuttle for a fee (one departure time and one return time) or take a train or if you get there early enough the cab drivers at the shuttle drop-off point will hire themselves out for day trips to Florence (flat fee so it pays to team up with shipmates).

 

In Barcelona, the shuttle will take you from the ship to the esplanade in front of the World Trade Center just outside the gate of the port and a block from the Colon statue. From there you can get a cab, a subway a HOHO or a bus to wherever you want. Don't waste your time and energy walking from the ship into town; it is a two kilometer walk to the front gate with steps and a steep bridge. Shuttle does not run on disembarkation day.

 

Civitavecchia is a commercial port and a shuttle is run by the port from you ship to the front gate; they don't want you walking through the port. From there you can get a cab to the train station for the train into Rome, if you are staying in port overnight. There is also a OYO shuttle to Rome for a fee. Or take the included Snapshot tour and leave the tour at Circus Maximus and at the end of the day, take the train back to Civi.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

On 4/5/2019 at 11:36 PM, just_dont said:

 

Thanks @moatenote and @soundcruiser. (and @Dauntless)

I imagine the details of the port shuttles are provided probably no earlier than the day before arrival in each port (?)

We too are getting very excited about our trip.

SC: Hope you have a wonderful Med Odyssey. 

 

Shuttle arrangements are announced in the Viking Daily delivered to your cabin the night before.

[Dauntless]

48 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

In Barcelona, the shuttle will take you from the ship to the esplanade in front of the World Trade Center just outside the gate of the port and a block from the Colon statue. From there you can get a cab, a subway a HOHO or a bus to wherever you want. Don't waste your time and energy walking from the ship into town; it is a two kilometer walk to the front gate with steps and a steep bridge. Shuttle does not run on disembarkation day.

 

 

 

 

Or with any luck, like we had, they move your docking position to the the World Trade Center.  Now, I really can't imagine being way out at the other terminals