When we were debating where to stay in Toronto for the night before the cruise started, we discovered that Viking Cruises offered two options of an organized by them land portion pre-cruise. The option for Toronto itself was already sold out so we picked the option that visited Georgian Bay. What follows is a comparison between what the website describes and what we personally experienced during the pre-cruise days.
Day 1 - Toronto: Arrive in Toronto and transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to relax or begin exploring on your own. Your Viking Host is available to help you plan your time in Toronto so that you can make the most of your visit.
Day 1 - Toronto: We chose to book our own airfare. Coming from the USA, we had filled out ArriveCan before we left home. While no longer needed for COVID concerns, ArriveCan promises to help you clear customs faster. And who isn't all about getting out of the airport faster? We were funneled through many hallways and levels after getting off the plane to force everyone into customs first. We came across a small collection of interactive customs kiosks on an upper level where you can save a little time in line later. We tried to stop there and wait for an available kiosk but the employee monitoring the area made everyone keep moving. We soon entered a large room that looked like the entire airport was trying to make the world's longest conga line. It was barely organized chaos as we tried to figure things out with multiple employees yelling different directions. After following one line to where it seemed to branch off into separate options, I asked the employee where we should go if we'd already done ArriveCan. Got directed into the same long line as everyone else. We finally got to where you couldn't go any further until you'd had your turn at a couple rows worth of kiosks and had to wait for our turn like we had tried to do upstairs where there wasn't 400 of my new closest friends trying to do the same. Basically, the only time saver ArriveCan earned us was that once I scanned my passport to begin the process, it automatically pulled up my information and I simply needed to have it scan my face and print out a picture confirmation. We then had to snake our way through another line that eventually dumped us out at a customs agent who asked why we had come to Canada and marked a check on our paperwork. That whole process took over an hour of standing in line. I did not see any sort of help for those who were mobility impaired.
We continued to follow directions and weave our way finally down towards baggage claim where we spotted a Viking employee holding up a sign with our names on it. She then had us trek for what felt like miles at that point dragging our luggage until we reached a place to stop and rest. After she checked in with the driver for our transfer, she asked if we wanted to stay here or wait outside. We opted to wait outside to get some fresh air. Took about 20-30 minutes before our transfer of a private town car arrived. I was expecting more like a shuttle or coach bus so this was a nice surprise. The transfer from the airport comes included with purchase of the pre cruise extensions. By that point, it was rush hour so we hit a lot of traffic on the drive to our hotel, the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. Waiting in the hotel lobby near the doors was our guide for this land portion, Tina. Thankfully she held up a clipboard with the Viking logo or I never would have taken her for being our guide.
Being someone who likes a plan and is a visual learner, I found it frustrating that Tina did not have anything more to provide us than a map of Toronto with her phone number written on it. She repeatedly mentioned that she was not actually a Viking employee but someone from the company they contracted to lead us until the ship. She also admitted that she was not aware of what was planned for us once we reached Killarney Mountain Lodge, that they were handling everything for us. The only hint of what was scheduled was a request for us to pick either a burger or chicken option for the next day's lunch. Tina did explain that tonight was on our own and gave suggestions of where to go if we wanted to wander out on the town. After informing us that we had to have our bags ready for collection left inside our rooms, and to meet back in the lobby ready to go by 7:30AM, we were directed to go stand in line at the check in desk. For a company as full service as Viking, I would have thought they'd already have checked everyone in so we could go straight to our rooms. Thankfully, that check in desk was the shortest wait we'd encounter the entire time on land. We handed over the same credit card for a hold in case of charges incurred during our stay on which we had booked the entire cruise and flights.
After freshening up, we opted for the hotel restaurant for an easy dinner. It was a little tough to figure out where we were supposed to go. It turned out that you needed to just sit down at an available table and eventually one of the wait staff wanders by and notices you need service. I ordered a cheeseburger and Dad chose a steak sandwich. The food was fairly good but the service was a bit slow. We paid for the meal at the table with the same credit card as we used at check in.
After dinner, we opted to wander outside and see what we could find. The back exit of the hotel led us to an urban plaza across the street called Nathan Phillips Square with a large fountain and lit up Toronto sign. We ended up having a nice view looking down at this sign from our hotel room. There is a Tim Horton's location right next door the hotel but their pastry case was nearly empty being so late in the day.
The weather was pretty mild and we welcomed the change from the muggy 95 degree weather we left behind that morning. There were several food trucks parked along the edges of the plaza and Dad bought himself an ice cream cone from one of them. We enjoyed the fresh air on a stone bench while Dad finished his cone. Then we headed back inside to the soundtrack of "Can you believe that ice cream cone cost me $7?!"
Once back inside the hotel, we noticed that the standard shop selling snacks, sundries, and souvenirs was now open. We window shopped for a brief moment before deciding that beds and falling asleep to the TV was a more welcome experience for the rest of the night.
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