Customers should not be treated this way. We used these to book on cruise OJUXXXXXX Booking Number XXXXXXX. Find the right card for you. This insurance company is worthless and doesn't live up to the stated reimbursements as advertised in its' brochure. Booked a trip just before covid hit which had to be canceled for obvious reasons. Passengers from across the country say they've. I paid my travel agent in full for my cruise well before the due date, but was unable to access online booking as Viking claim the payment wasn't made. - Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, Viking trip shortened due to weather, no refund. Scenic. In Europe, we dont cruise in January, February and into early March because its too cold, he explained. Viking Ocean Cruises has sailings listed for June, 2021. My husband and I were excited about our long awaited cruise next May. This cruise has been sold out for weeks so if Viking reinstates the voucher, the cabin could be resold. 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. After 5 Viking This was really I used my airline mile and hotel points to travel well and cheap. 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. This site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Booking XXXXXXX. We will never try Viking again! Companies will need more ships to carry the same amount of cargo, increasing transportation costs all of which have a negative impact on the European economy. This will surely increase the credibility of your complaint. The first example of river distress is the Po River in Northern Italy. Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage. 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. As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! We booked a Viking River Cruise with AAA travel in August of 2019 for $14,497 for two people which excludes the insurance cost. 140 complaints closed in the last 12 months. Viking changed our flight schedule at very short notice. Change of travel requirements after full payment received/ignoring request for full refund. The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River. NEW! . As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels. Utter and total joke. service we should have received at least a partial refund . Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary . If you book a river cruise, you acknowledge that you might not get the exact itinerary you signed up for. 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. In fact, everything we have come to expect from Viking exceptthere were apparently a few cases of a GI infection . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. **** called finally, apologized and said that he 'misread the rules', misunderstood the rules and this isn't a big deal (his attitude). Booking number: *******. Voyages offering the excursion to Floriade 2022 operate between July 16 and August 27, 2022 aboard River Empress. Water levels are unpredictable and can vary day by day, depending on what the weather brings. Thank you. We rebooked for 2022 on 11/30/2020. A sales representative ******. Europe is experiencing unprecedented drought and heat conditions. But our plea was denied. "But its clear that river cruising is not going away anytime soon.". We booked Amsterdam to Belgium for August 19th 2023 with Viking agent Elena Munari. 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 . Breeze through security with CLEAR lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card. This happened 52 days before sailing. Viking have done this every year since 2012, knowing they are unable to dock there but still taking Port Tax from every passenger. You can see why people are worried. I explain ship swapping in the section: . Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall close to the point where the river cannot hold ships anymore. This complaint has been resolved automatically due to user's inactivity. Viking Chief Health Officer Dr. Raquel . If, however, we forfeit the ******* spent in anticipation of this vacation, Viking would loose us as customers, but as a sophisticated internet user, my wife will use her homebound time posting this saga on as many travel sites as possible. View all of our Luxury Cruise sailings and offers. We only wanted our money to be applied to another cruise in 2023. I appreciate the time. 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. We want our money back since we will never met the requirements to sail and we never agree to those requirements, Our booking number is XXXXXXX and is associated with ********************* ********. The first thing that I noticed when I boarded is that all river ships are built to similar dimensions. They just decided to keep our hard earning money. 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. Holland America Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. It turns out that during the second half of the cruise, we were in a heat wave, experiencing very hot temperatures. 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. Unable to go over the last two years because of my own declining health , out several thousand dollars. Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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. Sure we were free but that's no excuse. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. Related: Booking your first river cruise? How is this hard? SPRING SALE Special Fares Reduced Airfare Dates: Availability: This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. It closely resembles one of Viking's highest rated world cruises in the past, Chairman Torstein Hagen said in a live webinar Sunday when passengers were notified of the change. For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. On the other end, river boats are built with a shallow draft of about six feet deep to avoid hitting the river bottom. It is February 1st today and I went online to book excursions for a trip almost 3 months from now. Maximum capacities of 164 passengers and 47 crew. It is getting harder and harder to book excursions on Viking cruises, so I would advise anyone planning a cruise with them to think twice, if excursions are important to them. Desired outcome: We appreciate you sharing your experience, Trevor, although we regret to hear of your disappointment. Viking Ocean Cruises. Where the European rivers have locks and dams to control water levels, ships can still sail problem-free. Global warming is indeed having an effect on European rivers. Share. He lied. That' our policy,. From now through March 31, 2022, Viking is offering special rates starting at $599 (not including airfare) on all 2022 and 2023 departures. 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. It will take of the expiring vouchers and the booking can be changed with no problem whatsoever once a schedule for 2024 becomes available. The flight from Amman Jordan to We then Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. Viking Cruises. It will take a lot for us to travel with you again. 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. 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 . 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. Cannot recommend whatsoever - there are better cruise lines who deliver & care about providing a decent level of customer experience - avoid them if you can. My bag is still missing and I will request (!) We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. Europe is now seeing the same kind of climate change conditions that are affecting the Western United States. Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising has a lot of fluctuations in water levels. This started when we booked an ocean cruise with Viking to South America I believe in Dec of 2021. Its infuriating and disrespectful. Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or cant this week but can next week. We are unable to meet their requirements and therefore want our funds returned to us. I had insurance and filed a claim. Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. However, I believe the policy is rather onerous. "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. I'm with Robin (see below). 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. I contact Viking customer relations, and was first told that the flight tickets were paid by Viking already. They offered us a 150 dollar non refundable credit to be used onboard. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. 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 couple shore excursions we went on were lame and horrible. Since the ships are nearly identical, if you do transfer to another ship, you should be in a similar stateroom as the original ship. 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. Dozens of cruises have been cancelled and some ports in the Caribbean and South America are turning ships away from making . I could sail on another cruise line for a lot less money. It's a human right to have access to fresh water and clean sanitation. You dont know a week or 10 days in advance what will happen with the water levels. Mind you, my cruise cost over $27,000. Applies primarily to to bookings with the following content. By the time I could ring Viking, the excursion was sold out and the drinks package price had increased. Viking Venus : cruise round Med and on to Israel.This was a wonderful itinerary , a beautiful ship , excellent food and service. Fosse's cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. We again purchased Vikings trip insurance through Trip Mate to cover the cost of the trip. Rather than focusing on the number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved. Not impressed and wi never book another trip with this company. What does Viking do Nothing. Thanks for reaching out, Itom, although we regret to learn of your experience with booking excursions. Call us at 800-454-0927 to speak to a Cruise Concierge today. About 20 poeple's bag on the flight didn't make it. 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. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. 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. Call to book now: 1-800-207-7286. I purchased two of each of the following through ACH: On 12/20/20 Viking cancelled this cruise. Published on May 21, 2021. The Viking Ocean Cruises 2022 Grand Polynesia Voyage has come to a triumphant completion in Los Angeles. Over in Southeast Asia, a new river ship, Viking Saigon, will cruise the Mekong. We didn't get to see Honduras as Viking tried to use their own tender to get to shore. Information provided by various external sources. 1. 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. When we arrived ************* to get our boarding pass, we were told that viking booked our tickets but did not pay for the tickets. These hotels are Marriott and hilton properties that have such rooms. Other than the hassle of packing up in the middle of the cruise, travelers still get the full Rhine experience they paid for. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. #1. 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. There are no uniform river flows and water levels are unpredictable. Please Note: 1) Terms & Conditions for Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers can be found here. There is rock on the bottom; theres also this little house in the middle of the river. 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. On April 7, Virgin Voyages updated its advisory that all regular Scarlet Lady cruises are canceled through September 17, 2021. We also ensure all reviews are published without moderation. The sailings. 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. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright. The whole point of purchasing trip insurance, especially in this time of Covid, was to protect ourselves in the event of a last minute emergency. However, the most important part of any cruise, for me is the excursion choice. 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. The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. On 10/14, we filed a claim with Trip Mate. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Scheduled and rescheduled elder family care and pet sitting services. Desired outcome: #6339759. In fact, how a business responds to customer complaints is one of the most significant components of the BBB Business Rating. A drinks package at the original cost, when I first tried to book it. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. The food was awful , the service bad some waiters were very rude we were forced to do a lot of included tours or couldnt leave the ship . 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 offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% We look forward to exploring the world with you, whenever and wherever you choose to sail with us. Refund or partial credit. This complaint was posted by a verified customer. They can go up, they can go down, rain can come in.. Most river cruise lines do not allow guests to cancel pre-cruise without penalty except for in the most extreme circumstances. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. Just got order from Doctor to cancel due to sudden onset of autoimmune kidney disease. I even requested they review the phone call and they refused. 2022 is now cancelled and will be replaced with new roundtrip voyages from Southampton to the Caribbean via the Canary Islands and New York. If the level is too low, the vessel may run aground or need an alternative docking arrangement. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright. Guests and travel advisors with affected departures have been notified. This content has not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Why? This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Seems the generous cancellation risk free ended 30 June and despite booking direct with Viking no mention of the changes was made. Our trip was canceled and a voucher was issued. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. Think 3 times before booking with Viking!!! River boats are unique because they can float in just five to six feet of water. I won't be booking any future cruise with them. All other passages from ******* for the same Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis got their boarding passes with no problem. 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 . They refuse. Winston Folkers. Why all other passages under the same situation had no such problem were not explained by Viking. 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.