On November 26, 2021 when speaking with VRC representative we were informed that out ********* is in the form of a voucher and has no cash value and cannot be refunded. My husband and I booked with Viking in December 2019 for the Rhine Getaway Cruise for December 2020. This was a question that I asked myself before booking my Rhine River cruise. Cailey Rizzo. Viking is probably the most unsympathetic/unprofessional company I have ever experienced. Not your fault but took 5 flights, 1 whole day in airport, 1 whole night and 2 hotels to get to the ship 3 1/2 days late. These levels can swing widely both up and down. Booking number: *******. #7. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. Their ad is wonderful but after all is said and done it is all crap. We rebooked our trip but Viking canceled it again and another voucher was issued. . Water levels are unpredictable and can vary day by day, depending on what the weather brings. It is a basic human right to be able to have access to flushing toilets and handwasting facilities. The other typical plan is to put the passengers on buses to get around the affected areas. Later after giving our deposit (another $8,000) we found out that ******** become a requirement to sail.My husband and I, both for health reasons can not get the vaccines and Viking to this time has been holding our money ($11,367.50) for 3 years (going to the 4th) even when we have requested several times and even hired an attorney to get our money back.When we booked the 2nd cruise, no one told us that we will loose our chance to get a refund. Under our flexible deposit policy, qualified guests can cancel their booking before final payment due date and receive deposit back in the form of a future cruise voucher. Viking changed their policy after they took all our money, lured us into taking now worthless vouchers. US. Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or cant this week but can next week. Coach would have been better. International Association of Better Business Bureaus. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. They just decided to keep our hard earning money. "You might see some cities you might not have expected to see and you might miss some you wanted to see. It goes against our guidelines to offer incentives for reviews. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. Wanted us to travel with 3 flights via 2 countries, when we complained they hid behind T & Cs very sneaky & very poor customer service, they cited they couldnt absorb costs of a more direct flight routing. Fraud and deception! My family of 4 has booked a Viking cruise with a pre and post cruise excursion. We paid for the trip and had trip insurance. It was not a condition of completing this trip. "Given recent developments and the developing conflict in Ukraine,. In Europe, we dont cruise in January, February and into early March because its too cold, he explained. January 27, 2018. We booked a river cruise with Viking which we cancelled due to Covid and received travel vouchers from Viking for the amount of the trip. At this time, we expect the ship will resume its scheduled operations on February 18, 2023. These conditions include: Lately, Europe has seen temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). the Lufthansa person told me I need to fill out the form required for returning Americans to USA and she was not helpful .I missed my flight and had to stay overnight to a dingy hotel in tears in a French country who doesn't really want to help you . This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Another section of river that can be negatively affected by low water levels is the Danube, past the last lock in Slovakia heading downriver toward Hungary. The dire news youre reading about low water levels in Europe now, especially along the Rhine River, mostly concerns the cargo shipping industry in Europe. This may involve the cruise line putting you up in one or more hotels and paying for restaurant meals. If you want to cancel a cruise right now in October because of low water, I will tell you, Sorry, we dont know if theres low water in October, said Schreiner. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. The area is protected and thats where you have the low water issues. Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email customerrelations@vikingcruises.com, Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. I was told Viking doesnt own the hotel and the hotel will not let me make a change since Viking handled the booking. return trip Munich to EWR The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. Not impressed and wi never book another trip with this company. It was too windy and not safe so decided not to try to use their tender. The dream vacation I have waited for 8 years has gone down the drain. Jan 26, 2023 01:33pm. Viking Mississippi is one of Viking's largest river ships, measuring 450 feet (137 meters) long and weighing approximately 5,000 gross tons. This 'placeholder booking' means nothing he assured us. On 12/20/20 Viking cancelled this cruise. Published: Aug. 08, 2022, 9:30 a.m. Richard Andersen booked a fully-paid Viking cruise with his partner but it was canceled because of COVID. Call a Viking Expert at 0800 319 66 60 or see your Travel Advisor. This river begins in the Alps near the Italy-French border and is fed by snowmelt. We purchased Travel Protection Insurance. Heres what you need to know about water levels on Europe rivers and what to expect if youre booked on a river cruise or considering booking one. We used our voucher prior to the expiration of the voucher, to book a cruise for March of 2023. When we got this schedule yesterday, we asked her ********** if she could rearrange things to take this cruise. Now I see all this advertisement that waives ar fares , deposits and other things we paid for Horrible company in terms of customer service. Guests will have 24 months to select their new date and use their Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. we went to our connecting American Airlines flight with our Boarding The plane returned to the gate and he was transported to the local hospital. It is the standard architecture that gives the river boat some leeway with rising and falling river levels. Viking Celebrates Start Of Inaugural Season In North America's Great Lakes Read More May 17, 2022 Newest Ocean Ship In Viking's Award-Winning Fleet Named By The Countess Of Carnarvon Of Highclere Castle Read More May 12, 2022 Viking Takes Delivery of Newest Ocean Ship Read More April 25, 2022 If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions. Cannot recommend whatsoever - there are better cruise lines who deliver & care about providing a decent level of customer experience - avoid them if you can. Don't sail Viking unless you are guaranteed of going on the trip. However, you wont be entirely out of luck if your itinerary changes once you arrive at your ship. We paid some #10,000 for premium air. Claim your profile to access Trustpilots free business tools and connect with customers. airfare $2198 We also carry about 500 tons of water, that is ballast and fresh water for the guests.. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. them to clean my clothes again and every night I am on the cruise, Read full review of Viking River Cruises and 1 comment, 16 years' experience in successful complaint resolution, Each complaint is handled individually by highly qualified experts, Last but not least, all our services are absolutely free. Disassembling the shades on the sun deck. We missed 2 ports of call and 1/3 of our sites to see the auroras. However, I believe the policy is rather onerous. 05 Aug 2022. The key dimensions of the Avalon Vista are: River boats are built in such a way that for bridge clearance, the mast, pilot house, and sun shades can be lowered. After 5 minutes she came back and said the manager said nothing they could do but charge a 50 percent fee for canceling. We have been waiting patiently for two years for a refund, relying on the We had planned a trip in 2021 and when Viking changed their requirements we chose to cancel our trip. Royal Caribbean Group's Celebrity Cruises has canceled four sailings from March 26 through April 16 aboard the Celebrity Eclipse, which has yet to return to service, a spokesperson for the. Thanks for reaching out, M Mulmech., although we regret to learn of your disappointment with your hotel arrangements. Since the ships are nearly identical, if you do transfer to another ship, you should be in a similar stateroom as the original ship. They will charge you a lot of money but would not care for you at the end of the day.The places I saw needed much to be desiredI was told that at the airport someone will help us until we boarded our plane. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. I ask if I could have the number to her managers boss she said no. Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising. I also called the insurance company and was told that to get a refund we had to notify them two weeks before the trip start date. The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River. 1. I specifically mentioned this scenario when I used the voucher and we were told as long as it was 120 days before departure we could rebook using our voucher. Viking changed our flight schedule at very short notice. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. But all was not lost. During our Antarctica cruise, as suggested by the on board customer services, we submitted our request for the reimbursement with receipts. ******************************************************************************************************************************** We were looking for the same cruise we originally booked but for 2024. Bad cruise experience, shore excursions, bad weather bad handling, cold food, etc. #1. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Viking's treatment of it's customers makes no sense.they combined two of my trips (without asking) into one "butterfly trip" which meant when I had to cancel the first, it cancelled the 2nd. The guest services lady said well you can complain at the Share your photos and videos with others to prove the truth of your words. Cruises - Very disappointed with Viking River Cruises - Reservation # 2672768 We were supposed to do a river cruise and ended up doing a motor coach tour due to low river levels. In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare. If you are concerned about the water level on your upcoming river cruise, do your due diligence before you take any action. Call to book now: 1-800-207-7286. I took into account the following factors and then made an educated guess: Taking all of these factors into account, we booked for mid-June. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Call us at 800-454-0927 to speak to a Cruise Concierge today. Thats because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ships bottom and the water line). Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher A drinks package at the original cost, when I first tried to book it. About 20 poeple's bag on the flight didn't make it. Pharaohs & Pyramids. If have a river cruise planned for the end of the summer or the fall, should you be concerned? That trip was cancelled do to covid, and we were assured by Viking that everything was fine and we rebooked for Jan 2022. At best, youll do a ship swap mid-cruise, a slight inconvenience that will allow you to follow your planned itinerary. Just as with ocean sailings, theres always a risk that weather and river/sea conditions can impact that itinerary, and cruisers must accept that itineraries cannot be set in stone. . Here's our experience with the Viking cancellation policy. - Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, Viking trip shortened due to weather, no refund. Princess Cruises | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Last week, the cruise line cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev, Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary and said it was evaluating 2022 sailing that call in Russia. The difference between what they gave us as a credit for a 2023 cruise (which we booked so we didn't lose all of our money) and what we originally paid is $3,494 dollars. I was aware that cruise lines' cash flow issues and accepted the voucher. We only wanted our money to be applied to another cruise in 2023. If you happen to be in the same position there is a group forming to file a class action law suit against Viking. , I am out the $3500 no matter what) and a friend who will take my place must pay her full share of the room as well! Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. My bag didn't make it. They said they did. Viking Chief Health Officer Dr. Raquel . The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. On 11/22 we received an email from Trip Mate regarding the resolution of our claim. The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The couple shore excursions we went on were lame and horrible. The photo is from my first premium, international award flight in 2012. There are critical points, like the one on the Rhine River, right in the Rhine Gorge, Schreiner explained. *Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. This was told to me by two separate employees. "But this is not a problem at all" - he said, because all we need is to make a booking for any date, just as a placeholder. I contacted Trip Mate and was told the vouchers were not covered and that I needed to contact Viking because they handled vouchers. Sheila Davies is a retired gas industry professional based in Northumberland, England. Viking River Cruises The line is canceling all 2022 departures of its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary. When I called to cancel they said we did not purchase the insurance. "We are currently evaluating itineraries that call. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. My husband and I were excited about our long awaited cruise next May. At no point when we rebooked using our vouchers, were we told the vouchers were not covered under the insurance plan. As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. We paid for trip insurance assuming that it would cover this situation but buying trip insurance through Viking seems to cover much less than most trip insurance policies. I appreciate the time. 2) Risk-Free Guarantee for guests who made a reservation between March 1, 2021 to October 31, 2021; 3) Risk-Free Guarantee for guests who made a reservation between May 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021; 4) Risk-Free Guarantee for guests who made a reservation prior to April 30, 2020. Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. Passengers wait to board the luxury cruise ship Viking Mississippi, berthed at Lambert's Landing in St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. In 2020 we were contacted via email and told that this cruise was also cancelled and we could book another cruise and receive a 125% credit toward a future cruise with a risk free guarantee and it said we could change our plans up to 24 hours before departure. The cruise was cancelled due the pandemic ($11,367.50) By. Bookings with more than 30 persons Conference bookings made by Customers Service and Sales Department Bookings paid by invoice by companies Companies with annual agreements Bookings with more than 5 hotel rooms The specific conditions that apply to your booking can be found in your . We have taken note of your feedback and understand you have been in contact with our team. We booked a cruise, paid the full booking amount. They would fly to Italy and take an 8-day Viking River Cruise called . They refuse to let us rebook with the voucher and actually suggested if we want to rebook we would have to pay them all over again. In order to catch the next flight from ************ to ******* to get to the cruise on time we had to pay the tickets ourselves. For the cabin on the cruise, we indicated separate beds for their cabin. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link, Change your cruise date up to 14 days prior to departure, The ultimate flexibility: You have 24 months to select your new cruise date, Combinable with all other Viking offers. I was never informed that the vaccine would be required to sail and that our money would not be eligible for a refund. Viking Cruises will test all guests and crew for COVID-19 with daily PCR testing when sailings resume, as part of the company's new Viking Health & Safety Program, the cruise line recently announced. The drought category in England has reached the most severe designation of severe drought. I'm now wondering what the cozy deal is between Viking and Trip Mate, considering the vast number of Trip Mate complaints from Viking Cruise customers. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. I'm with Robin (see below). We were running between the airlines at ***** to find out what was going on, very frustrating. Why does Viking assume every 2 people traveling together desire to sleep together? This is known as ship swapping. Viking Cruise recommends that their customers insure their travel & trip with Trip Mate Travel Insurance. We rebooked yet again and we're told that we had to have the vaccine before we would be able to take our trip. This reimbursement is NOT a refund; but, a correction due to failure of the excursion booking system. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and theyll be displayed as long as an account is active. I was told to claim on my travel insurance if I had any.I had to send three emails to receive a response and cancellation certificate from Viking Cruises. Originally booked in 2020, paid in full. Experts are saying that the current drought in Europe could be the worst in 500 years, with water levels dropping, especially along the Rhine River. He will call us immediately - he said. Disembark on May 1 2023 they required us to pay us in full in August 2022 which we did. Fosse's cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. Or, you might have a few port stops changed out for new ones, or spend more time than you prefer in busses or hotels, possibly with shorter visits to destinations that now require longer bus rides. You could tear down the house and build a dam there, but that is not what is going to happen.. Withholding of monies and shore excursion booking system failure. Crystal River Cruises has canceled its four remaining Crystal Ravel sailings this December. Received most monies back but they held $1400 back which had to be used by 4/22.Just booked a $25000 trip with them and ask them to extend $1400 to July which they refused. On July 10th, 2022 my husband called Viking to inquire when the schedule becomes available. After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive Booking number 7141933 All other passages from ******* for the same Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis got their boarding passes with no problem. "Given recent developments and the developing conflict in Ukraine,. Should you have any lingering questions ahead of your voyage, we welcome you to call our Service Specialists at [protected] where we would be happy to assist where possible. Norwegian Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Information provided by various external sources. "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. ST PAUL, Minn. There's been a lot of fanfare surrounding America's Great River cruise operated by Viking Cruises. 2022. Find the right card for you. Four excursions that I wanted are already sold out. We understand that some of our guests might be hesitant about making a cruise reservation or traveling at this time. Viking has responded to his passing by cancelling the nearly $9,000 I paid for my husbands share of the trip. Viking Venus : cruise round Med and on to Israel.This was a wonderful itinerary , a beautiful ship , excellent food and service. Passengers from across the country say they've. We have spent $25,000.00 including air far which we are also going to lose if not used by 12/31/2023. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. . He was assertive and very confident, pushy and eager to make the booking. She is scheduled to start ************ this week. This allowed Viking to retain the majority of our payment since We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. NEW! I also booked this trip years ago when there was . He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. Ive asked that one room in the hotels have two separate beds for our two adult children who do not want to share a bed. Viking Cruises is a cruise line providing river and ocean cruises, with operations based in Basel, Switzerland. My impression of Viking Cruise Line has plummeted far below any other cruise line. Viking will not honor this request. What does Viking do Nothing. But it is for us. We accepted and paid an additional insurance premium. The bottom line is, we have ********* at VRC. I want Viking to honour its Guest Cancellation Schedule and reimburse the $15,640.19 (Canadian) my husband and I paid for the Italian Sojourn cruise scheduled for May 15, 2023. Like most cruise lines, Viking canceled all of its sailings during the pandemic. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. Posted September 18, 2021. The trip was more expensive so we paid with our vouchers as well as cash. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. How could we?? We later booked a future cruise and then learned of the medical requirement which we are advised may be harmful to us because of pre-existing heart conditions. Viking collects 3 fares for a 2 person room. Royal Caribbean International | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Taking over the Hilton in Taupo NZ, they were obnoxious. And rebooked the following summer My travel partner , my sister, died 6 months before our trip that next summer die to COVID. Viking has refused. Editor in Chief This made it impossible to catch the next flight from ***** to buenos Aries. Key West was on the itinerary but Viking told us 5 months before they would not be docking. RHINE GETAWAY. Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. Then they said (under the Risk Free Guarantee) we could have a voucher, but it would be a combined voucher which could only be used for one future trip.