Planning Update 1 – Viking Shore Excursions

Today was our first opportunity to be able to go online and select Shore Excursions through the Viking website for this cruise.  Since we reserved a “Guarantee” cabin in the lowest cabin classification on the ship, we got the last choice on the timeslots for shore excursion reservations.  The reservation window opened for us today at 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time.  This cabin classification-based reservation schedule is what we have described in the past as being a “caste” system on Viking, and in a way, it makes sense.  When you pay more for a better cabin classification, one of the advantages is being able to book excursions and specialty dining earlier.  The “early selectors” have already impacted the excursion availability, some of the excursions were already showing as “sold out” as far back as when we first booked this cruise.

We are not that concerned about making any specialty dining reservations.  Even though we had a higher cabin classification for our Viking Transatlantic cruise last December, we were only able to select the last available seating time at 8:00 PM for our two specialty dining reservations we were allowed to make ahead of time.  Based on that experience, it was not much of a benefit.  On that cruise, we were able to make changes to the dining reservations once we were on the ship, and even added more, so we hope to do that this time also.  In fact, for this cruise, we do not have any ability to make dining reservations ahead of time, it is not even an option with our cabin classification.   

We already know this cruise might be full, it is the first segment of the Viking “World Cruise”.  There are generally a few open cabins for the first segment, some people choose to start their World Cruise in Los Angeles instead of Ft. Lauderdale.  We know from following one of the World Cruises a couple of years ago via a passenger’s daily blog, that there is always some confusion on when the World Cruise actually starts, Ft. Lauderdale or Los Angeles.  Apparently, from Los Angeles onward, everyone on board is considered to be on the World Cruise, and that is when all of the World Cruise regalia starts.  The point if this is that we hope that we will still be able to get specialty dining reservations on board, our last Viking Ocean cruise was only about 60% full for the Transatlantic Crossing we did, and reservations were easy to make since the ship was not full.

I tried to go into the Viking shore excursion reservation system a little early at 2:30 PM, but I was not allowed to book anything, so I guess the 3:00 PM deadline is well timed and regulated. Right at 3:00 PM on my computer’s internet based clock, I was able to access the Viking shore excursion reservation system.   I had set a priority on each of the excursions we wanted to try and reserve in case we were shut out during the reservation process as excursions potentially sold out.  I was not sure how many other cabins on this cruise had the same “bilge cabin” priority for reserving shore excursions today.

I started out with the excursion for Colon, then added Cabo San Lucan, and then Puntarenas.   Viking is tricky because they clearly state in bold red type that the reservations are not set until you go to the cart and complete the check out with a credit card payment.   I quickly added the excursions we wanted to our cart, having to select a separate reservation for each of us for each excursion, there is no checkbox to select both passengers to add them at the same time.  In the end, I was able to select the excursions that we wanted, add them to the cart and then process the payment, so they are now definitely reserved.  We did not get our preferred times on every one, but they were not significantly different.  We had hoped for a later excursion departure time for the excursion in Puntarenas, but did not get it, the reason for which I cover in more detail below.

After reserving the paid excursions, I went back into the system and reserved the “included” excursions we had wanted to take, which was easier, you are only reserving an excursion time, there is no cart and no payment, so it is instantaneous once you make the separate selection for each passenger.

We do not typically do ship’s excursions, but since we are visiting a few countries that are a little harder to get around in, and possibly not as safe as European destinations, we are opting to go through Viking, at least for now.  We are only planning on going on three excursions that are additional costs, and two that are “included” through Viking.   If we decide on a different course of action, we can cancel our excursions for credit as long as it is done more than two days before the scheduled excursion date.

Cozumel, Mexico

This is our first stop on the cruise.   We stop here on Christmas Day, which is on a Monday, and are scheduled to be in port from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM.   

Since we have been to Cozumel several times before and even rented a car to tour the entire island on one trip when we took our mom’s several years ago, we are not planning on anything special here.  Since we visit on Christmas Day, we are going to try and find a Catholic Church there to go to Mass.  We opted to reserve one of the two available included excursion there, but may change our mind later on since it may conflict with the Mass schedule, once we determine what that is. Since this is an included excursion, there is no charge and we don’t have to worry about any cancellation refund.

Here is the Viking description of the “Highlights of Cozumel” included excursion:

Downtown Sights and a Traditional Mayan Dance Show

Take in the sights of Cozumel’s Downtown district and enjoy a Mayan performance. Meet your guide at the pier and embark on a scenic drive by motor coach to San Miguel to view the Monument of Two Cultures. It was erected to commemorate the two survivors of the Spanish crew who were shipwrecked off the Yucatán Peninsula in 1511. Listen as your guide regales you with the tale of Gonzalo Guerrero, who remained here. In the main square, see the San Miguel church and view the clock tower. After stopping to enjoy a refreshing popsicle, continue to El Barriecito, where you will take your seats to enjoy a traditional Mayan dance performance. Be captivated by the music and colorful costumes as you watch this beautiful art form that celebrates their powerful connection to the natural world and a rich cultural history. Afterward, return to your awaiting ship.

Cartagena, Colombia

We are scheduled to be in port in Cartagena from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Thursday, December 28, 2023. 

We have reserved the only included excursion offered here, “Panoramic Cartagena”.  We did consider a paid excursion that was a walking tour of the Old Town called “Old Cartagena By Foot”, but for now, have opted only for the included excursion, which, from the description, includes a stop at a market in Old Town, so maybe we can walk around a bit to see some of the beautiful buildings there instead of shopping at the market.

Here is the Viking description of the “Panoramic Cartagena” included excursion: :

San Felipe de Barajas Fort, Old Town & Modern Bocagrande

Discover Cartagena’s past and present during a panoramic tour of this major port city. Drive with your guide to the impressive San Felipe de Barajas Fort to view its exterior. Construction began in 1536, and the fort took a total of 121 years to build. Once a major defense against pirates, today it is a remarkably restored edifice and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the Old City, where you will stop at the dungeons within the walled city. Originally built to store provisions for the military, today they house an upscale handicrafts market selling brightly colored cloth, woodwork and woven bags made by the indigenous people of Colombia. Spend time browsing the wares made by these artisans, then take a scenic drive through Bocagrande, a chic and modern beach area that mixes luxury apartments with deluxe hotels and trendy cafés. Your tour will conclude back at your awaiting ship.

Colon, Panama

We are scheduled to be in port in Colon from 8:30 AM to 11:59 PM on Friday, December 29, 2023.

This is the day before we actually transit the Panama Canal on Saturday, December 30, 2021.  We reserved one of the higher priced excursions for this stop because we wanted a close up tour of one of the locks on the older portion of the Canal.  There was another excursion that was a train ride from Colon over to Panama City on the other side of Panama from Colon, but it was already listed as Sold Out before we even booked the cruise.  This was the only other excursion that actually visited one of the locks.  The excursion is called the “Miraflores Locks & Panama Canal Expansion Observation Center” and it is 8.5 hours in duration.

Here is the Viking description of the “Miraflores Locks & Panama Canal Expansion Observation Center” excursion:

 

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

We are scheduled to be in port in Puntarenas from 5:15 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday, January 1, 2024.  

We opted for a paid excursion called “A Walk In The Clouds” here so that we can see some of the rain forest and wildlife of Costa Rica.  The only problem is that this port call is on New Year’s Day and the excursion starts at 8:45 AM in the morning, ouch!  This is the one excursion we had hoped to reserve at the later departure time of 9:15 AM.  That is only a 30 minute difference for our departure time, but after New Years Eve, that might have made a difference in how early we need to get up to take this excursion.   We just might not be able to celebrate the New Year as much the night before. 

There was another similar excursion that also included an Aerial Tram, but it was already Sold Out before we could even make reservations.  Besides, it was more expensive and left earlier at 8:00 AM.  From the descriptions, these two tours are similar, they both seem to end up at the same place, which is an elevated walkway over the rainforest.  We may have to do some more research when we get on the ship to verify this.  

Here is the Viking description of the “Walk In The Clouds” excursion: :

Explore the Cloud Forest Along Suspended Aerial Walkways

Discover Costa Rica’s cloud forest biodiversity along beautiful trails and suspended bridges amid the tree canopy.

The tour starts with a short downhill walk that leads to an open hummingbird garden, where many species of these tiny, brightly colored birds gather around and amaze you with their spectacular acrobatic maneuvers. Then, the more adventurous portion of this tour commences as you arrive at the first of four suspended bridges that cover over half a mile of verdant terrain, and rise up to 126 feet above the ground. As you continue your way over rivers and cascades your senses will be delighted as your naturalist guide points out the most outstanding features of this misty forest. Look for many species of birds, butterflies and small mammals, and flora such as orchids, heliconias, ferns, bromeliads and more.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Our last port of call we visit on the cruise before ending in Los Angeles is Cabo San Lucas.  We are scheduled to be in port from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, January 6, 2024.

We were initially just going to look at the included excursion for this port stop, but Stephanie saw that they offered an excursion that included a camel ride on a  sandy beach called the  “Mexican Outback & Camel Safari” excursion. 

Stephanie has always wanted to ride a camel, and we have been on a couple of other trips where we saw camel ride operators, but not as part of an excursion.  We saw some camels in the Canary Islands on a tour, but they were sort of filthy looking and not well kept.  This is apparently one of the fun things to do near Cabo San Lucas, there are several tour operators with camel rides, and we saw several thousands of reviews on Trip Advisor, and almost all of them were very positive, other than lamenting the short amount of time you actually get to ride the camels.  I thought this would be a good time to get this camel riding obsession out of the way, so we signed up for this excursion. 

We may look into doing it on our own since we are in port for so long, but for now, we are scheduled through Viking.  It is unfortunate that we don’t know the tour operator they are using so we could actually look at their reviews.  We may try and do some research through Cruise Critic to see if we can garner any more info.  If we can determine that the tour and the pricing are similar, we will stick with the Viking excursion.  If not, we may look at booking a similar tour on our own, especially since it is such a long port day, lowering the risk of getting back to the ship before its departure.

Here is the Viking description of the “Mexican Outback & Camel Safari” excursion:

Outback Journey and Traditional Mexican Dishes

Travel deep into the heart of the Baja outback on this voyage of discovery.

The Sierra Mountains are your constant companion as you make your epic trek through the outback on a desert exploration that provides an unforgettable experience. In a small group, your vehicle will take you on an eco adventure safari while you admire the spectacular views. Arrive in Tierra Sagrada where you will embark on a 20-minute camel ride. These gentle giants will take you across the white sandy beach, as you keep your eyes peeled for humpback whales that gather around these shores. After a guided nature walk, enjoy an authentic ending with the true taste of Mexican cuisine as you savor a range of locally prepared specialty dishes, accompanied with freshly made tortillas and tasty salsas.

With the excursion reservations completed, except for any tweaking, we are pretty well all set to go on this trip.  We have a lot of Sea Days, and that is fine with us.  We will try and figure out the average temperatures during the voyage, but we certainly know from past experience that as we get close to ending in Los Angeles, the weather outside in the Pacific Ocean can be foggy and cool.  Hopefully, we will have a lot of sunny and warm Sea Days when we are farther south during the majority of the cruise.

After doing some online investigation, specifically searching for the Tierra Sagrada Park that was part of the Viking excursion description above, we think this tour is being done through a company called Cabo Adventures, they were the only tour company that we found that was specifically tied to the Tierra Sagrada Park.  Here is a link to their website for their tour called Outback and Camel Ride Safari.