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. As compensation we have been offered a derisory 200 voucher towards a future cruise. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. I complained initially that I was not given a direct flight. Story Update (September 5, 2022) Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur. 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. By Alyssa Lukpat and Ceylan Yeginsu. Viking Neptune is a new ship that will join the fleet in 2022. What? Cailey Rizzo. If water levels are low, cargo ships cannot carry their normal loads of freight. Viking Ocean Cruises has sailings listed for June, 2021. I contacted Trip Mate and was told the vouchers were not covered and that I needed to contact Viking because they handled vouchers. Viking River Cruises 548 complaints 314 resolved 234 unresolved File a complaint to Viking River Cruises Viking River Cruises contacts (added by reviewer) Phone number +1 800 304 9616 Address 5700 Canoga Ave, California United States Website www.vikingrivercruises.com Category Cruise Lines View full information Most discussed complaints 12/21- 12/28/2022 There are no uniform river flows and water levels are unpredictable. Labeled Verified, theyre about genuine experiences.Learn more about other kinds of reviews. While we may have to make changes to some of our itineraries and have had to cancel a few voyages, impacted guests and travel partners have and will receive transparent updates and the opportunity to re-book onto another sailing, shared Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO of Uniworld, in an email to TPG. On 11/22 we received an email from Trip Mate regarding the resolution of our claim. We were told that since we used vouchers we were not eligible for a refund per policy. I booked the flight through Viking to a Christmas market river cruise. The Viking Ocean Cruises 2022 Grand Polynesia Voyage has come to a triumphant completion in Los Angeles. These conditions include: Lately, Europe has seen temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). A Vaccinated Passenger Tested Positive for COVID-19 on My Icelandic You will be cruising, you will be enjoying," he said. 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. Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews. Call a Viking Expert at 0800 319 66 60 or see your Travel Advisor. South America & the Chilean Fjords - Viking Cruises Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising has a lot of fluctuations in water levels. Viking Cruises' New Safety Protocols Include Daily COVID-19 Testing 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. I advised Viking that my wife and I could not get the vaccine ever and asked for a refund of our primary payment. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus Couple fights to get full cash refund on $15K Viking River Cruise At best, youll do a ship swap mid-cruise, a slight inconvenience that will allow you to follow your planned itinerary. When I called to cancel they said we did not purchase the insurance. 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." As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels. It is time for Viking to do the same and act like a cruise line instead of a medical facility. 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 The booking # is *******. Well guide you through the process. We said yes. This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Thu 13 Jan 2022 01.00 EST Last modified on Thu 13 Jan 2022 18.22 EST. Water levels are unpredictable and can vary day by day, depending on what the weather brings. We asked to transfer the trip to my son and grandson, but transferring the tickets is not allowed. BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes. From now through March 31, 2022, Viking is offering special rates starting at $599 (not including airfare) on all 2022 and 2023 departures. 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. Viking Cruises Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of Their luggage has been moved over automatically so by the time they arrive on the ship they have their luggage, and then they sail on the other ship back to the destination.. Viking cancellation policy - Viking Ocean - Cruise Critic Community 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. We were issued the vouchers that had an expiration date October 2022. Viking booked the hotels for these excursions. Viking has responded to his passing by cancelling the nearly $9,000 I paid for my husbands share of the trip. Media Center - Press Releases - Viking Cruises We have taken note of your feedback and understand you have been in contact with our team. We could not get a negative covid test in time for Just returned from Classis Panama Canal Cruise (11-21 February 2023) on the last day, running water for the shower, hand basins and toilets had been turned off from 5am to when we left the ship at 10.30am. #7. Check here before booking an award fare. Viking River Cruises Cancellation and Refund Policy 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. 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. The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk. Just got order from Doctor to cancel due to sudden onset of autoimmune kidney disease. We then Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. However, I believe the policy is rather onerous. Before you decide to. We feel we should get the $3,494 dollars refunded to us. Not a problem for him at all. They refuse to accept the fact that they changed the terms of the contract. We were informed by the booking person at Viking that we could change the date as necessary for as long of period of time, even years down the road. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Viking cruise voucher problem: Don't forget to read the fine print! 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. Passengers wait to board the luxury cruise ship Viking Mississippi, berthed at Lambert's Landing in St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Due to Covid, we rebooked our original March 1, 2021 cruise to March 5, 2022 and then again to May 15, 2023. International Association of Better Business Bureaus. I appreciate the time. For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. Viking Mississippi - As of January 23, 2023 Due to damage from substantial river debris to the Viking Mississippi 's propulsion system, the ship will undergo repairs requiring the cancellation of upcoming departures. 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 . After an On the last day, all running water was turned off until we left the ship. But now some of those waterway dreams seem set to run aground. 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. #1. We look forward to exploring the world with you, whenever and wherever you choose to sail with us. 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. My husband surprised me with the explorer suite,the room was beautiful,the balcony was amazing. Confirmation attached. 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. 2023, International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., separately incorporated Better Business Bureau organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Inc. All rights reserved. Norse Atlantic Airways to Launch NY-Rome Flights. Viking Announces Return of European River Cruises in July - Travel Now I see all this advertisement that waives ar fares , deposits and other things we paid for Horrible company in terms of customer service. We have had to cancel our river cruise because of their ludicrous covid policy. Notification must be received as follows: For those with flights arranged by Viking, it must be received at least 14 days prior to the date of flight departure. The trip was for 2021 but was also cancelled and moved to September 22, 2022.On September 16,2022 *********************** and shattered his knee-cap and needed surgery. Viking refused to admit to us that we were misinformed, and did not apologize, but their policy will not change. Photos: Major Cruise Lines Are Postponing Sailings Amid Covid We booked a Viking River Cruise with AAA travel in August of 2019 for $14,497 for two people which excludes the insurance cost. My only hope now is for someone to cancel what I want.About time to give my loyalty to another cruise line. For that reason, the Rhine River is feeling greater effects of river flow and sooner than compared with the Danube. The trip was more expensive so we paid with our vouchers as well as cash. ************************************* Cruises that was set to sail in April 2020. An apology is not good enough. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. Another point that travelers should understand is that when the news reports low water levels, its not that an entire river has dried up and is impassable. Four excursions that I wanted are already sold out. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Cancellation conditions 2. Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems. Booking your first river cruise? Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. Sure we were free but that's no excuse. He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. This insurance company is worthless and doesn't live up to the stated reimbursements as advertised in its' brochure. This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback. What does Viking do Nothing. For the cabin on the cruise, we indicated separate beds for their cabin. Royal Caribbean International | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. (I doubt theyll get that right). Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. On the other end, river boats are built with a shallow draft of about six feet deep to avoid hitting the river bottom. By. (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business. If the whole itinerary is changed, youll get to sail the new itinerary and receive a 100% future cruise credit to book another cruise. 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. Viking allows those who book the most expensive rooms to book first. If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. Viking Cruises cancels 2022 Black Sea and Kiev (Ukraine) sailings River cruise cancellation fears loom as Rhine threatens closure Telling us that a voucher has no cash value is a shoddy business practice at best. Special fares plus Free airfare valid on select 2023 departures of Eastern Seaboard Explorer and Canada & New England Scenic Shores. 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.