Viking will not honor this request. Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. It's also a classic cruise itinerary. As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! Just return on our river cruise . My family of 4 has booked a Viking cruise with a pre and post cruise excursion. Global warming is indeed having an effect on European rivers. Disembark on May 1 2023 they required us to pay us in full in August 2022 which we did. ST PAUL, Minn. There's been a lot of fanfare surrounding America's Great River cruise operated by Viking Cruises. 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. River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems. 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. After a further communication with Viking, the second answer was because the flights were on a promotion deal, any delay or cancellation was not covered by Viking. 2023-2025 OCEAN CRUISE AND AIR SAVINGS: Offer applies to bookings made from March 1-31, 2023. We then Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. As compensation we have been offered a derisory 200 voucher towards a future cruise. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. 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. 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. 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. This they Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. I am writing about booking number 7045921 sailed Jan.12 2023. I told a member of staff about this and was directed to use a toilet on the top deck. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus Vikings entire river fleet of over 75 ships is also actively sailing. Vikings' policy allows no refund under the circumstances (i.e. My experience with Viking River Cruises is that if they cancel, they will either refund your money or give you a voucher in excess of the cruise value for you to rebook. Dozens of cruises have been cancelled and some ports in the Caribbean and South America are turning ships away from making . On the last day, all running water was turned off until we left the 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. They feature elegant Scandinavian design, spacious staterooms with large verandas, and both indoor and al . We accepted and paid an additional insurance premium. SPRING SALE Special Fares Reduced Airfare Dates: Availability: 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. We booked a Viking cruise from Venice to Athens in late 2020 for September 2021. I purchased two of each of the following through ACH: I contacted Viking and was told the vouchers were not refundable because we had not cancelled at least 2 weeks prior to departure. The area is protected and thats where you have the low water issues. After checking cancellation conditions online which indicates $200 up to a certain date I booked a river cruise for 2024 the deposit was $2000pp. The vaccinations mean nothing anyway. AAA travel called Viking many times to rectify this and in December we were finally told that they would give us a $10,000 dollar credit toward another cruise and a $1,500 dollar shipboard credit. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. Then in Philadelphia Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising. In the case of low water, the crew can dump the ballast water and reduce the freshwater to 60 tons (two days worth), and just refill as needed. When we arrived ************* to get our boarding pass, we were told that viking booked our tickets but did not pay for the tickets. 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. Unfortunately, my husband unexpectedly passed away last month. I booked the flight through Viking to a Christmas market river cruise. Just realized that the cruise booked was from Antwerp to Amsterdam. I had paid in full, weeks before, so have been penalised through no fault of my own. We are not asking for anything other than our money back. Trip value now ********** On 12 November 2020 we booked another cruise and added an additional ******** to bring our out of pocket total to ********** All transactions took place before before the rollout of a "vaccine", vaccine cards, a Presidential and CDC mandates. I explain ship swapping in the section: . If you voluntarily cancel your cruise you may only get a partial or no refund depending on how close to departure you cancel your cruise. . An apology is not good enough. Viking has refused. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. Find out how we combat fake reviews. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. This 'placeholder booking' means nothing he assured us. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. I am going to seek legal advice to, but this ridiculous policy has added hugely to my grieving. by Steve CaseLast updated September 6, 2022. That is all it took, I was hooked. I even requested they review the phone call and they refused. 1. Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage. Viking suggested that I should talk to my travel insurance company to reimburse the cost of additional airfare cost. 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. On February 1, the shore excursion booking system opened up for the ocean segment of my trip. Part refund, at least 25%. "Given recent developments and the developing conflict in Ukraine,. Multiple tests were run, including a Covid test, which came back positive. The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customers satisfaction. We called our AAA travel agent and she notified Viking on September 17,2022, we were scheduled to leave on September 22,2022. This matter has not been properly escalated to the legal department.Our time is running off to recover our money and we can not travel due the vaccines requirements and the only absurd respond that we get is to transfer our vouchers.We are extremely disappointed of Viking Cruises after we decided to support the company. They refuse to accept the fact that they changed the terms of the contract. Why? 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. In fact, we specifically asked their travel consultant if the vouchers would be reissued if we had to cancel again and we were told they would. "But its clear that river cruising is not going away anytime soon.". Find the right card for you. It will take of the expiring vouchers and the booking can be changed with no problem whatsoever once a schedule for 2024 becomes available. Regent Seven Seas Cruises was the cruise line forced to change the most stops planned for Russia, which included visits to the Solovetsky Islands, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St. Petersburg, as well as Odessa, Ukraine. For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. A place on the excursion I tried to book. They have a working relationship with Lufthansa but insist the flight has nothing to do with them, That is a strong cop out. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating, My husband and I took an Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis Dec 25 to Jan 7' as an all inclusive trip, all airfares and transportations were included . The first five miles of headwaters have completely dried up. We have rescheduled 2x as we refuse to get the Covid vaccine and Viking will not allow boarding if you are not 100% vaccinated. Sheila Davies is a retired gas industry professional based in Northumberland, England. But all was not lost. 1. Royal Caribbean International | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. This was really *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. Viking Cruises has ceased all operations in Russia this year in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, as everyone knows, predicting the weather is not an exact science. We rebooked the trip for 10/12-10/23/22. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please Note: 1) Terms & Conditions for Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers can be found here. We have had to cancel our river cruise because of their ludicrous covid policy. 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. How the Coronavirus Might Impact My Upcoming Viking River Cruise, Update: My Viking River Cruise And Their Coronavirus Response, Reivew: Nile River Cruise on the Grand Princess Amwaj. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Because these problem spots are well known, river cruise lines can find ways to mitigate the issues with savvy itinerary planning. I also booked this trip years ago when there was not a vaccine mandate.They will not return my money of around $22000.00 They told me I did not need vaccinations for 2022 ,now I found out we do .We do not believe in the vaccinations and I told them that right out front. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. Booking number: *******. Then when operations started again, we decided to book a cruise to sail November 2021 At the time we booked, vaccines were not a requirement. Mind you, my cruise cost over $27,000. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Viking Cruises is a cruise line providing river and ocean cruises, with operations based in Basel, Switzerland. It turns out that for the most part, if the ship sank, we would be high and dry standing on the sun deck. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus By Alyssa Lukpat and Ceylan Yeginsu. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. The cruise was cancelled due the pandemic ($11,367.50) Viking offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% We said yes. Viking Polaris Current cruise: 13 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso-Santiago Viking Expeditions Tracker Itineraries Deck plans Accidents Viking Neptune Current cruise: 137 days, one-way from Fort Lauderdale to London-Tilbury Viking Ocean Tracker Itineraries Deck plans Viking Mars Current cruise: 14 days, one-way from Sydney to Auckland The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, A beginners guide to picking a cruise line, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up, The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes. Viking collects 3 fares for a 2 person room. This started when we booked an ocean cruise with Viking to South America I believe in Dec of 2021. 12/21- 12/28/2022 We were told that since we used vouchers we were not eligible for a refund per policy. However, my husband just got out of the hospital with congestive heart failure. The cruise line announced the return of select itineraries in Portugal, France and . It was not a condition of completing this trip. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. The 13-city cruise was supposed to take passengers between St. Paul and New . If water levels are low, cargo ships cannot carry their normal loads of freight. But there is nothing we can do, your vouchers have expired'. They also issued non refundable vouchers for our port excursions. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. During our Antarctica cruise, as suggested by the on board customer services, we submitted our request for the reimbursement with receipts. Here is a message that appears on the Viking River Cruise webpage: The cruise line may elect to cancel your cruise. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. Not a problem for him at all. We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Viking changed their policy after they took all our money, lured us into taking now worthless vouchers. Desired outcome: If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Customers should not be treated this way. I will never travel with Viking . We would much rather be able to post how considerate Viking has been (as well as how much we enjoyed the cruise!) This complaint was posted by a verified customer. For more than 15 years we have helped nearly 50000 customers resolve their issues and will never stop striving to ensure further improvements on our platform for a better communication between companies and customers. View all of our Luxury Cruise sailings and offers. This requirement was enacted after we booked this trip . This account has been claimed by Viking River Cruises customer service / representatives through our verification process. This is our third time to book a trip, and in 2023, the medical requirement is still in place. By March 2020 Viking announced cancellations due to covid, with an additional 25% for a future booking. Then when operations started again, we decided to book a cruise to sail November 2021 At the time we booked, vaccines were not a requirement. This happened 52 days before sailing. In a statement issued to the Star Tribune, Viking confirmed that some of the ship's first scheduled departures were canceled this summer, and that the luxury vessel is temporarily operating. Any time theres a heat wave in Europe, especially if coupled with lighter-than-average spring snow melt or rainfall, you can end up with low water in certain parts of Europe. Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers are transferable, so that you have the flexibility to gift them to a loved one. To go on the cruise people do not have to supply a negative covid test so you still go on the cruise in theory even if you have covid. This would mean that river cruise lines could face severe disruptions . At Viking, your experience means the world to us. Well guide you through the process. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. The whole experience was a disaster. Booking XXXXXXX. January 27, 2018. I ask if I could have the number to her managers boss she said no. We appreciate you sharing your experience, Trevor, although we regret to hear of your disappointment. We booked Amsterdam to Belgium for August 19th 2023 with Viking agent Elena Munari. The sailings. See details. Booking your first river cruise? Why all other passages under the same situation had no such problem were not explained by Viking. Look at the Mekong you dont cruise in May, June, July and August because its too hot. I encourage all Americans to do the same. The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk. #1. 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. Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary . "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. Many passengers were still on board at this time and were unable to flush toilets or wash their hands. River boats are unique because they can float in just five to six feet of water. Europe has many rivers where cruise lines operate. The river cruise lines will tell you that low water levels are rare, and that few sailings are altered due to water levels but the truth is the risk is always present. Our flexible deposit policy applies to new reservations only made between 17 December 2022 to 31 March 2023 and is combinable with all other Viking offers available. Airfares vary on other gateways & departures. It was our first river cruise it was 23 days Bucharest to Amsterdam with Viking . We asked to transfer the trip to my son and grandson, but transferring the tickets is not allowed. Read full review of Viking River Cruises Viking have done this every year since 2012, knowing they are unable to dock there but still taking Port Tax from every passenger. The Po River flows 400 miles across the top of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. This is an awful company to deal with. I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. Business Section was crowded 8 units wide while first class just in front We were running between the airlines at ***** to find out what was going on, very frustrating. Then before the departure, Viking cancelled operations and offered us vouchers for future cruises. Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall close to the point where the river cannot hold ships anymore. Travel Codex is owned by Travel Codex, LLC. BBB is here to help. Viking's river cruises are aboard Viking Longships and have a maximum of 190 guests. The plane returned to the gate and he was transported to the local hospital. Most river cruise lines do not allow guests to cancel pre-cruise without penalty except for in the most extreme circumstances. Each time I received a pro forma answer saying "it is company policy that future cruise credits have no cash value and cannot be refunded or exchanged once booked." Viking changed our flight schedule at very short notice. I was told I would have to pay full retail fare in addition to what had already Viking made an error and owes me reimbursement for charges made on February 1. This complaint has been resolved automatically due to user's inactivity. I complained initially that I was not given a direct flight. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. Check here before booking an award fare. Anybody got any idea what do I do? Viking allows those who book the most expensive rooms to book first. This was not the case. Now I see all this advertisement that waives ar fares , deposits and other things we paid for Horrible company in terms of customer service. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. We will be again canceling our trip. The ship can welcome up to 386 passengers, and. We opted for the voucher. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher If you happen to be in the same position there is a group forming to file a class action law suit against Viking. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. This allowed Viking to retain the majority of our payment since We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. Cruise was not very happy because this was a Christmas Market cruise and many of the markets were closed or food only due to the dates. On 10/12 as our plane was taxiing for departure, my husband suffered a medical emergency. It is the standard architecture that gives the river boat some leeway with rising and falling river levels. One thing Amawaterways and many other river lines do is run two ships simultaneously on the same one-way itinerary, with one ship starting at one end and the other on the opposite end. Coach would have been better. return trip Munich to EWR On 9/12/21 we realized the 2022 sailing impractical and cancelled for cruise credits (#s XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX)
Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine. Due to my cancellations, Viking held onto $8,000 of my Funds for about two years. The food was excellent. We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. The couple shore excursions we went on were lame and horrible. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. On the next British Airways flight from London to Philadelphia, The They refuse. If the region has had an excess of rain, raising the river greatly, the river ship may have problems clearing bridges and other obstacles. But our plea was denied. We were routed to resolution manager who was extremely obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, wasn't listening to the issue, saying 'yes, ok, sales rep make a mistake, mistakes do happen. If you book a river cruise, you acknowledge that you might not get the exact itinerary you signed up for. Thank you. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. We booked a Viking River Cruise with AAA travel in August of 2019 for $14,497 for two people which excludes the insurance cost. This may involve the cruise line putting you up in one or more hotels and paying for restaurant meals. Viking Venus : cruise round Med and on to Israel.This was a wonderful itinerary , a beautiful ship , excellent food and service. Heres what you need to know. The only problem was it WAS VERY NOISY, couldnt get a full night sleep due the engine and the bed shaking.We will go back to the other suites.The staff was great! The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. Water levels are unpredictable and can vary day by day, depending on what the weather brings. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. Jan 26, 2023 01:33pm. To date we have sent a certified *** ****** ***** letter to VRC and had no response. It's a human right to have access to fresh water and clean sanitation. At no point when we rebooked using our vouchers, were we told the vouchers were not covered under the insurance plan. 4. We have taken note of your feedback. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. 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. Share. Telling us that a voucher has no cash value is a shoddy business practice at best. This met the 11/30 deadline for a "risk free guarantee" enabling change of plans up to 24 hours before sailing. 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. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. We are cancelling our river cruise due to viking's heavy handed covid vaccine requirement. This site is for entertainment purposes only. Weve taken note of your feedback and while we understand you have already been in contact with our team, if you'd like discuss this matter further we welcome you to email TellUs@vikingcruises.com with your booking information. You dont know a week or 10 days in advance what will happen with the water levels. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. 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. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. airfare $2198
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