Viking May 2024 Med Odyssey Barcelona Pre-Cruise Extension already Sold Out! HELP PLEASE!!!!!

[SouthernCA]

Viking Customer Service has been of no help. Any advice on how to add the Viking May 2024 Med Odyssey Barcelona Pre-Cruise Extension? I have gone online three times a day so far. Grateful for any help you can offer. Susan J.

[CDR2001]

No experience with this particular extension, however I’ve always been able to get my desired extension with diligent checking. You are almost two years out, many people will change their plans. I agree to keep checking on the “price and build” function, but I’ve had best results with calls to my favorite Viking agent. She said sometimes extensions as well as cabin availability doesn’t show up online. Good luck, and keep checking! 

[KBs mum]

Unless you particularly want to do the extension with Viking, book it all independently. Use taxis or an airport transfer limo firm for the transfers. Usually costs a lot less, and you get a say in which hotel you stay at. With the money saved you can upgrade 

[Twitchly]

37 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Unless you particularly want to do the extension with Viking, book it all independently. Use taxis or an airport transfer limo firm for the transfers. Usually costs a lot less, and you get a say in which hotel you stay at. With the money saved you can upgrade 

This is what we decided to do. We tried for more than six months to get the pre-cruise extension we wanted, but it never became available. So we worked with our travel agent to create our own version, which we are now more excited about than the original!

[Moonlion]

I would probably do this independently even if the Barcelona pre-extension were available.  For ~$1200 for the two of you, you get 2 nights at the Nobu Hotel Barcelona hotel which includes breakfast, transfers and one "panoramic" bus tour on the day of checkout... you also get an included panoramic bus tour of Barcelona on your second day of the cruise.  The rest of the time, you are "on you own" to tour Barcelona.  Independently, you can book 2 nights at the Nobu Hotel Barcelona including breakfast for a total of about $560 which covers both of you (Booking.com, May 2023 rates).  That leaves over $600 to cover the transfers.  Unless I'm missing something, I don't see much advantage or value to book the Viking pre-excursion. 

[Mich3554]

50 minutes ago, Moonlion said:

I would probably do this independently even if the Barcelona pre-extension were available.  For ~$1200 for the two of you, you get 2 nights at the Nobu Hotel Barcelona hotel which includes breakfast, transfers and one "panoramic" bus tour on the day of checkout... you also get an included panoramic bus tour of Barcelona on your second day of the cruise.  The rest of the time, you are "on you own" to tour Barcelona.  Independently, you can book 2 nights at the Nobu Hotel Barcelona including breakfast for a total of about $560 which covers both of you (Booking.com, May 2023 rates).  That leaves over $600 to cover the transfers.  Unless I'm missing something, I don't see much advantage or value to book the Viking pre-excursion. 

This is largely my experience with looking at booking extensions too.  We just don’t bother, come into a new city and go and do on our own.  Your Viking e documents you receive about 2 weeks before your trip tell you where you are docked, and IME hotels and taxis have this info as well.  

[millybess]

3 hours ago, Moonlion said:

IFor ~$1200 for the two of you, you get 2 nights at the Nobu Hotel Barcelona hotel……..

And, to the OP, you might want to read the latest reviews of this hotel on TA — particularly one from May 2022. 

[miami mama]

Barcelona is one city where there are so many things to do and see that I would definitely want to book on my own. However, if security issues are of concern (as they are just beginning to be for us) doing a pre-extension with a group might be a good fit. Keep checking if this is the case. If it is not, you can certainly find lodging, transportation and food for less than the cost of the pre-extension.

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

And, to the OP, you might want to read the latest reviews of this hotel on TA — particularly one from May 2022. 

I would agree. The OP can do a lot better in a Barcelona Hotel in terms of price, location, & **** rating. We stayed at H10 Casa Mimosa with views of Guadi’s Casa Mila and near Casa Batllo this spring at beginning of April. 

[junnipper]

To share my experience, we are doing the same cruise this November but starting in Venice. I wanted the Tuscan pre-cruise extension. It was sold out. I kept checking (almost daily) and "one spot left" came up approximately 5-months later. One spot means one place for a couple.

 

I did the math and on our own would have been cheaper however, it was important for me to book my pre-extension with Viking as we aren't very seasoned travelers.  

 

Your options are keep checking regularly or book on your own depending on your comfort level. 

 

[lackcreativity]

I will admit to being a somewhat lazy traveler, and like the convenience of having Viking take care of all the details. That leaves me free to research the places we will be visiting. Included extensions are then all covered by Viking's offered insurance.  ( I know, many would argue against that, but that's a topic in a different thread. )  A final bonus is the chance to meet some of your shipmates before you even get onboard.

 

However, if that doesn't work out, Barcelona is a really great city, and pretty easy to navigate on your own. There's a good metro system and much of the city is very walkable. Even if you have to do it on your own, don't miss out on the extra time in Barcelona.

[Dukefan]

18 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

I would agree. The OP can do a lot better in a Barcelona Hotel in terms of price, location, & **** rating. We stayed at H10 Casa Mimosa with views of Guadi’s Casa Mila and near Casa Batllo this spring at beginning of April. 

We stayed in this same hotel for two days before our Mediterranean Odyssey Cruise in May and loved it.  We had a veranda with a visit of the Casa Mila.  It is walking distance of many of the sites. It was a $20 cab ride to the port when we checked out.  Total cost of our Classic Terrace Room for two nights was under $600.  The bakery across the street was great for breakfast.   The hotel is a short transit ride to the La Rambla and we walked from the hotel to La Sagrada Familia.  It was also only a couple of blocks from our favorite tapas restaurant,  Cerveseria Catalana.  We have been to Barcelona several times and it is a very easy city to do on your own.   

 

[LindaS272]

13 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

The bakery across the street was great for breakfast. 

We did the breakfast in the hotel—it was scrumptious!

[tcuprof]

21 hours ago, millybess said:

And, to the OP, you might want to read the latest reviews of this hotel on TA — particularly one from May 2022. 

I don't know what the latest reviews say, but we recently stayed at Nobu and were quite satisfied. I especially like that it is next to the Barcelo Sants station. For us, being close to a metro station is a must because the Barcelona metro system is superb. 

[tcuprof]

To the OP --

 

Whether or not you put together an independent pre-cruise extension, I highly recommend checking out the excursions offered by Viator. Besides the usual "must do" things (Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Picaso Museum, etc.) Viator has some nice option for foodies. Their Gourmet Tapas & Wine Tasting was wonderful. 

[millybess]

4 hours ago, tcuprof said:

To the OP --

 

 I highly recommend checking out the excursions offered by Viator…..

And GetYourGuide. We have already booked tours with both for next year. They have some very interesting tours. 

[Vineyard View]

We have been to Barcelona three times, two of which were pre cruise. Such a great city to explore on your own. Easy to get transportation from the airport to your hotel. I highly recommend that if you are comfortable with independent travel, as others have said, Barcelona is a great city to DIY.