I had insurance and filed a claim. January 27, 2018. At this time, we expect the ship will resume its scheduled operations on February 18, 2023. This was not the case. They are just taking the thousands of dollars we gave them from us and we are getting nothing in return. passengers asked if ports on the new itinerary may close and if there's a chance the cruise could be canceled while underway. Due to Covid pandemic our cruise got cancelled. We are told now that change is not possible at all because vouchers have expired. After 5 minutes she came back and said the manager said nothing they could do but charge a 50 percent fee for canceling. 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 140 complaints closed in the last 12 months. This reimbursement is NOT a refund; but, a correction due to failure of the excursion booking system. (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business. Is it cheaper to stay out in the bay and use your own tender? In November 2020, we rebooked, the Cities of Antiquity and Holy Land Cruise, scheduled for Nov-Dec 2022, paying the additional fare. 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. 23. I appreciate the time. A place on the excursion I tried to book. Please Note: 1) Terms & Conditions for Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers can be found here. My husband and I booked with Viking in December 2019 for the Rhine Getaway Cruise for December 2020. over night stay we got back to Cincinnati the next day. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. Maybe 10 years from now we cruise the Danube and Rhine in January/February/March and we stop in the summertime because August is too hot and there are low water areas., We dont know what the future will bring, he continued. "But its clear that river cruising is not going away anytime soon.". Thats because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ships bottom and the water line). I believe this policy and practice is clearly unfair and rather reckless. Weve taken note of your feedback and if you'd like discuss your trip further and welcome you to email TellUs@vikingcruises.com with your booking information. Heres what you need to know. 1. ), We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. When I called to cancel they said we did not purchase the insurance. I never come across a big bunch of ignorant, geriatric, moronic a$$holes as this group I had came across today! BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. On July 10th, 2022 my husband called Viking to inquire when the schedule becomes available. 4. 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. "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. Virgin Voyages. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Viking offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% As compensation we have been offered a derisory 200 voucher towards a future cruise. Another factor that should be considered is trip insurance. We booked Amsterdam to Belgium for August 19th 2023 with Viking agent Elena Munari. The typical characteristics of river boats regardless of cruise line are about the same. We booked a river cruise (Danube) for March 2022. We accepted the vouchers in good faith. 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. BBB is here to help. The next indicator of river flow problems is the Thames River in England. River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems. Then before the departure, Viking cancelled operations and offered us vouchers for future cruises. This will surely increase the credibility of your complaint. I explain ship swapping in the section: . Key West was on the itinerary but Viking told us 5 months before they would not be docking. The Rhine River is the main artery for German and Swiss transportation and also French, said Schreiner. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus If you have a question or would like to make a press inquiry, please contact: Scott Mackenzie 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. 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. This account has been claimed by Viking River Cruises customer service / representatives through our verification process. Should your cruise be canceled, the cruise line will also offer compensation. We used these to book on cruise OJUXXXXXX Booking Number XXXXXXX. 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. After 5 Viking The other typical plan is to put the passengers on buses to get around the affected areas. Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising has a lot of fluctuations in water levels. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare. At Viking, your experience means the world to us. We did not see ANY of Spain. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. But there is nothing we can do, your vouchers have expired'. 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. I have contacted Watcdog BBC who are interested. 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. On the next British Airways flight from London to Philadelphia, The #6339759. Most river cruise lines do not allow guests to cancel pre-cruise without penalty except for in the most extreme circumstances. But this is one American that will never sail with this awful company ever again. It's also a classic cruise itinerary. The line said it was also evaluating 2022 itineraries that call in Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. He will call us immediately - he said. By March 2020 Viking announced cancellations due to covid, with an additional 25% for a future booking. we went to our connecting American Airlines flight with our Boarding Schreiners advice is simple: Just go. , 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! Thu 13 Jan 2022 01.00 EST Last modified on Thu 13 Jan 2022 18.22 EST. Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. When we got this schedule yesterday, we asked her ********** if she could rearrange things to take this cruise. I am writing about booking number 7045921 sailed Jan.12 2023. Don't sail Viking unless you are guaranteed of going on the trip. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. 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. I advised Viking that my wife and I could not get the vaccine ever and asked for a refund of our primary payment. I encourage all Americans to do the same. Planning a cruise? Why didn't Viking pay to dock? This made it impossible to catch the next flight from ***** to buenos Aries. Scheduled and rescheduled elder family care and pet sitting services. AMA Waterways | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Viking River Cruises is probably the best known European river cruising company, and has a wide range of river cruise options in Europe. 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. The first five miles of headwaters have completely dried up. . Published on May 21, 2021. I will never travel with Viking . Because of COVID, we had to cancel the cruise, and received a voucher from Viking. 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. 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. On 9/12/21 we realized the 2022 sailing impractical and cancelled for cruise credits (#s XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX) My family of 4 has booked a Viking cruise with a pre and post cruise excursion. I was aware that cruise lines' cash flow issues and accepted the voucher. Thanks for reaching out, M Mulmech., although we regret to learn of your disappointment with your hotel arrangements. We are older and don't want to keep rescheduling this with the hopes of one day being permitted to board their ship. What does Viking do Nothing. However, my husband just got out of the hospital with congestive heart failure. This met the 11/30 deadline for a "risk free guarantee" enabling change of plans up to 24 hours before sailing. In the end, you will have a fantastic vacation and you will get a future cruise credit according to what you miss., He added: Its better than canceling and sitting at home and not doing anything.. 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. My bag is still missing and I will request (!) Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. I hope this is something you can help with. But it is for us. Should you wish to change your reservation, you can choose which policy works best for you: Vikings Risk-Free Guarantee or standard cancellation policy. Unfortunately, my husband unexpectedly passed away last month. Viking Ocean Cruises has sailings listed for June, 2021. This was our second cruise, I would have to say our first one was wonderful, this one was not bad. Viking's move follows announcements from other cruise operators saying they are . 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 low draft and the adjustability of the ballast allow the ships to navigate through sections of the river where the water levels are not very deep. As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative.