Viking Ocean Cruise Excursions: What You Need to Know

Viking offers a wide variety of excursion choices. There’s something for just about everyone. There are complimentary excursions in each port. These “included” excursions are usually walking or bus tours of a city and give a general overview of a place. In addition, Viking offers several “optional” excursions at each port that focus on specific interests, such as visits to museums, castles, forts, concerts, farms, estates, and wineries, as well as recreational outings like hiking and biking. While there are no fees for the “included” options, there are charges for the “optional” excursions (typically ranging from about $60 to $200+ each).

Licensed, English-speaking local guides lead guests on walking and bus tours. Excursions operate rain or shine and include entrance fees, if applicable. If an excursion involves a tour bus, they are usually comfortable buses with air conditioning. If a bus doesn’t have an onboard restroom, the tour guide will usually ask guests if they need to stop for a break.

Contents

Choosing an Excursion

Selecting excursions may be a tough decision! There are usually some exciting choices. As mentioned, expect one “included” excursion in each port. On top of that, there will usually be 5-10 “optional” excursions.

**View from the Dubrovnik fortification wall on a Viking excursion**

For example, on the Empires of the Mediterranean Ocean cruise my husband and I took earlier this year, some “optional” Dubrovnik excursions included visits to islands, nearby towns, and ancient city walls, as well as hikes, scenic boat rides, and a visit to an oyster farm (with tastings). Some of the excursions were to UNESCO sites. Here is a partial list of our cruise excursions and related details.

Sample Excursion Types, Durations, and Costs

Some Optional Excursion Choices for Dubrovnik	Duration	Activity Level	Price*
A Rennaissance Garden & Views	4 hours	Moderate	$84
Dalmatian Coast Wine & Food Tasting	7 hours	Easy	$119
Dubrovnik by Land & Sea	3 hours	Moderate	$84
Dubrovnik’s Fortification: A City Wall Walk	2.75 hours	Demanding	$99
Elafiti Islands Exploration	7 hours	Moderate	$149
Mali Ston Hike & Croatian Delicacies	5 hours	Demanding	$119
Quaint Towns of Dubrovnik’s Riveria	4 hours	Easy	$99

*Note that the prices listed were valid as of June 2023 and are not guaranteed to be the same in the future. Prices fluctuate based on many factors.

Before heading out on excursions, you’ll take the QuietVox receivers (on lanyards with included earpieces) in your stateroom. Using the QuietVox devices lets you hear the tour guide easily, even if you walk several steps behind him or her.

Excursion Activity Levels

Viking rates each of their excursions with activity levels. These rankings consider whether the ground is uneven, has an incline, and/or has cobblestones — two common elements in many ancient towns. The activity levels also include the estimated time of walking and standing and are as follows:

Easy (e): Expect mostly even ground, although there may be a few steps or inclines. There shouldn’t be more than 1.5 hours of walking or standing time.
Moderate (m): Expect longer walking paths with some steps, uneven ground, or inclines and between 1.5 and 3 hours of total walking or standing time.
Demanding (d): Expect more challenging activities, including walking, hiking, or water sports, with the possibility of many steps or steep inclines. Some demanding excursions may top 3 hours of walking or standing.
Wheelchair (w): If an excursion has this notation, it’s acceptable for wheelchair users. Viking staff will not operate or push wheelchairs on or off the ship or elsewhere. There must be another guest who takes this responsibility. (Note: I didn’t notice any excursions marked with wheelchair accessibility on our recent ocean cruise. If this is important to you, inquire before booking a cruise.)

**Hiking at Paklenica National Park in Croatia on a Viking excursion. Some very rocky ground!**

Signing Up for Excursions

Sign up for excursions online at MyVikingJourney.com when your booking window opens. These windows depend on your stateroom category level.

Owner’s Suite—107 days from the sail date
Explorer Suites—97 days from the sail date
Penthouse Junior Suites—87 days from the sail date
Penthouse Veranda Staterooms—77 days from the sail date
Deluxe Veranda Staterooms—67 days from the sail date
Veranda Staterooms—60 days from the sail date

Mark the date on a calendar to be ready to book excursions when the window opens. Some excursions fill up quickly.

Note that if you and your travel partner are booked together on the cruise, sharing a stateroom, then you can book excursions (and dining and spa services) for the both of you under your joint MyVikingJourney.com online account. There’s no need for each traveler to do it independently.

Canceling Excursions

Guests may cancel scheduled excursions online via MyVikingJourney.com before embarkation or cancel them once onboard. No refunds will be given if canceling within two days of an excursion.

Viking may cancel tours if not enough guests are signed up for them or if there are other issues.

Excursion Planning Tips

Plan your excursions before the date that excursions open up for booking for your stateroom category. Being prepared ahead of your excursion booking window will provide a better chance of obtaining your most desired excursions.
Pay attention to the activity level of the excursions. My husband and I find it helpful to vary the type and duration of excursions so that we don’t overload our schedule. Plus, we like to balance historical, cultural, and active (e.g., hiking) experiences.
If you see an anchor icon next to a port of call on your Viking Guest Statement (that lists the itinerary), you’ll know a tender boat will take you to your destination. Otherwise, the ship docks directly at the port.
If you have questions about an excursion before booking it (like how long a bus ride may be), use the Live Chat feature on MyVikingJourney.com. I’ve found this communication feature very helpful.
When booking an “included” excursion, book the first time available to view the sights before subsequent buses (from your and other cruise ships), and other tourists, descend on a city.
When booking “optional” excursions on MyVikingJourney.com, add them to your cart and pay for them immediately. The excursions are not reserved until they are paid. You have the option to cancel an excursion if done so at least 48 hours before it begins.
If you know you must cancel an excursion, do it immediately. Doing so will open the excursion up to other guests (if it’s sold out).
To make sure you have essential information (like the ship’s location and contact information as well as the time when guests must be back on board), take a picture of the first page of the Viking Daily before setting out on an excursion (or the night before). Plus, taking a picture of it before leaving for an excursion is a good “bookmark,” as it’ll help remind you where all the pictures you take that day are from! (A benefit weeks and months after returning home!)
Some excursions include snacks or meals. Look for the icon (an apple for a snack; fork and spoon for a meal) indicating them on your Shore Excursions document for your cruise.
After an excursion, you’ll notice a questionnaire about the excursion experience on the Viking Voyager app (that’s just active while aboard). Completing the survey each evening helps Viking learn of pluses and minuses of the excursions and guides to finetune things for the future.

Excursion Packing List

Since most excursions involve activity outside, plan to bring along:

comfortable walking shoes (a must!)
sunglasses
hat or cap to shield your face from the sun
sunscreen
windbreaker, raincoat, sweater, or jacket
small umbrella (Viking provides large red umbrellas, which are great, but I prefer to bring a small collapsible umbrella that is easily tucked in my daypack. That way, I’m not lugging a large umbrella around after the rain has stopped.)
day pack or sling bag to carry small items
camera or smartphone to take pictures (Some travelers like to carry their smartphones attached to lanyards around their necks while out on excursions, keeping the smartphone handy for picture taking. It’s also a way always to have the smartphone with you, so you don’t accidentally put it down somewhere and leave it behind.)

Tendering to Port

Sometimes the ship cannot dock directly at the port; instead, it anchors offshore, and guests are transported to land by tender boats. These boats are usually operated independently of Viking and are contracted for the jobs. Guests gather in an area (like the Star Theater) at a certain time and then are released to the tender area. The actual tender ride is usually less than 10 minutes. Once on land, you’ll meet your local tour guide and begin your excursion. After the excursion ends, guests meet at the dock and are transported back to the ship aboard a tender boat.

**A tender boat (on the left) approaches the dock in Santorini to pick up Viking guests for a return trip to the ship.**

Viking Cruise Articles

Trip Planning Articles

Final Thoughts

My husband and I have really enjoyed the Viking excursions we’ve taken. Sometimes we opt for the “included” walking tour excursions of a town and then go off on our own afterward. That may mean a leisurely meal, shopping, or simply people-watching before returning to the ship. Other times, we enjoy the “optional” excursions for focused visits to ancient sites or a hike. I’ve heard from other passengers that the “included” bus tours of a city are usually a cursory view of places without always getting out to walk around a place. You decide what works best for you!

Comments

Feel free to share suggestions or ideas about Viking Ocean cruise excursions. Your thoughts may help other travelers. Thanks! 🙂