(I doubt theyll get that right). We booked a 14 day cruise with extra days upon arrival in ****** and departure in **** in ****. 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 . This content has not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Viking, please give an explanation. 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. 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 ********************* ********. Booking number: *******. ******************************************************************************************************************************** We were looking for the same cruise we originally booked but for 2024. We also paid Port Tax for Honduras even though they chose not to book and pay to use the pier there. 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. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. If you have a question or would like to make a press inquiry, please contact: Scott Mackenzie Fosse's cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. This is an awful company to deal with. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Multiple tests were run, including a Covid test, which came back positive. Business Section was crowded 8 units wide while first class just in front I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. By doing investigation on this subject and timeline of events revealed that we are not alone in this situation. No partial refund was given and I lost the total deposit of $1000.I understand that the T&Cs outline the refund policy. Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary . He replied "absolutely no way both medically and because ************ weakens her immune system!" The problem with river cruises is that they are affected by both high and low water levels. Steve is a life-long avgeek and a points and miles player. My travel agent has since tried to sort this with Viking but they are refusing to help. The line confirmed the steps to TTG on Wednesday (2 March) and said it was "deeply opposed" to the . He lied. This they It was too windy and not safe so decided not to try to use their tender. Travel Codex is owned by Travel Codex, LLC. Another factor that should be considered is trip insurance. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. Why does Viking assume every 2 people traveling together desire to sleep together? The plane returned to the gate and he was transported to the local hospital. I hope this is something you can help with. I am extremely disappointed that a once in a lifetime trip I have been looking forward to for two years is now marred before we even get on the ship. 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. This complaint has been resolved automatically due to user's inactivity. It turns out that during the second half of the cruise, we were in a heat wave, experiencing very hot temperatures. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. Before you decide to. Cannot go on a cruise if not jabbed even to countries which have no covid requirements any more. Coach would have been better. An insult! The cruise line said it was evaluating 2022 itineraries that visit Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur. European Cruise River Levels Are Falling To Critical Levels - Travel Codex Check with your cruise line on current cruising conditions and what you can expect from them. By Alyssa Lukpat and Ceylan Yeginsu. A place on the excursion I tried to book. Looks like our September cruise to the Fjords is in the process of being cancelled! 2022 is now cancelled and will be replaced with new roundtrip voyages from Southampton to the Caribbean via the Canary Islands and New York. Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or cant this week but can next week. 4. Since the ships are nearly identical, if you do transfer to another ship, you should be in a similar stateroom as the original ship. When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints. Viking suggested that I should talk to my travel insurance company to reimburse the cost of additional airfare cost. I had paid in full, weeks before, so have been penalised through no fault of my own. This 'placeholder booking' means nothing he assured us. *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. service we should have received at least a partial refund . 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. Which cruises have been cancelled in 2022? | Cruise.Blog After an Cannot recommend whatsoever - there are better cruise lines who deliver & care about providing a decent level of customer experience - avoid them if you can. TPG values it at $1,600. Maximum capacities of 164 passengers and 47 crew. Poulsbo, Washington. 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. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Passengers wait to board the luxury cruise ship Viking Mississippi, berthed at Lambert's Landing in St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. Viking Cruises. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. Viking is probably the most unsympathetic/unprofessional company I have ever experienced. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. You dont know a week or 10 days in advance what will happen with the water levels. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. 12 reviews. We then Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. We were issued the vouchers that had an expiration date October 2022. Mind you, my cruise cost over $27,000. They offered us a 150 dollar non refundable credit to be used onboard. But due to a serious health issue we along with our Drs said that it was not feasible for us to go. It's a human right to have access to fresh water and clean sanitation. 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. Published on May 21, 2021. Wouldnt that booking choice make it clear to Viking that pre and post excursion bookings would also require separate beds? I complained initially that I was not given a direct flight. 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. That's our policy. Jan 26, 2023 01:33pm. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Want all money refunded. 3. 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. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. Like most cruise lines, Viking canceled all of its sailings during the pandemic. However, the same problems do not affect river cruise ships. We booked the *********** cruise with Viking prior to COVID *****************. Also lost out on the cruise vouchers. The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk. This may involve the cruise line putting you up in one or more hotels and paying for restaurant meals. passengers asked if ports on the new itinerary may close and if there's a chance the cruise could be canceled while underway. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. We would appreciate any help you can provide in helping us to get the rest of our money back. View all of our Luxury Cruise sailings and offers. 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. Taking over the Hilton in Taupo NZ, they were obnoxious. The ship can welcome up to 386 passengers, and. One of the most popular rivers, the Rhine has river levels falling fast. Has Viking Cancelled Any 2022 Cruises - CruiseInfoClub.com On the last day, all running water was turned off until we left the ship. If you search Viking the risk free still pops up you have to read the fine print to realise its all over so be aware. Very disappointing. At this time, we expect the ship will resume its scheduled operations on February 18, 2023. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. I have three times tried to contact Viking, by phone, email, and chat. Then before the departure, Viking cancelled operations and offered us vouchers for future cruises. On the other end, river boats are built with a shallow draft of about six feet deep to avoid hitting the river bottom. Please view our privacy policy for details about the information we share with our partners. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. The area is protected and thats where you have the low water issues. Please Note: 1) Terms & Conditions for Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers can be found here. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. ***. On 12/20/20 Viking cancelled this cruise. **** said he would monitor the schedule and will alert us the very day it comes out. Viking Mississippi is one of Viking's largest river ships, measuring 450 feet (137 meters) long and weighing approximately 5,000 gross tons. Viking River Cruises has left an official reply on this complaint. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. 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. US. Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. 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. ************************************* Cruises that was set to sail in April 2020. I never come across a big bunch of ignorant, geriatric, moronic a$$holes as this group I had came across today! All other passages from ******* for the same Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis got their boarding passes with no problem. Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Heres what you need to know. They would fly to Italy and take an 8-day Viking River Cruise called . Part refund, at least 25%. This requirement was enacted after we booked this trip . $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. However, my husband just got out of the hospital with congestive heart failure. 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. I used my airline mile and hotel points to travel well and cheap. For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPGs cruise newsletter. We were treated like animals. You can see why people are worried. 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. Weve canceled one cruise on the Danube and have made a few mostly minor alterations to a small handful of cruises on the Rhine, a Tauck spokesman told TPG when asked about this years cruises. When you are covered by the Risk-Free Guarantee you may change your cruise reservation with notification to Viking. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage. At 104 days out before final payment was due, we had to either lose our entire deposit of $2K+ or get a voucher. Learn more. BBB is here to help. They refuse to accept the fact that they changed the terms of the contract. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. - Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, Viking trip shortened due to weather, no refund. Beware of Viking excursion policies. This meant I was unable to book any excursions or drinks package, despite trying as soon as they were released. If you happen to be in the same position there is a group forming to file a class action law suit against Viking. Rather than focusing on the number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved. 2022. Why? Why all other passages under the same situation had no such problem were not explained by Viking. Call a Viking Expert at 0800 319 66 60 or see your Travel Advisor. We are cancelling our river cruise due to viking's heavy handed covid vaccine requirement. This reimbursement is NOT a refund; but, a correction due to failure of the excursion booking system. Viking Chief Health Officer Dr. Raquel . But our plea was denied. This is our third time to book a trip, and in 2023, the medical requirement is still in place. Does anyone know if Trip Mate customers have or are considering a class action suit against the company for fraud? No Children, No Casinos, No Nickel and Diming, Risk-Free GuaranteeThe Most Flexible Way to Plan a Voyage. . They have a working relationship with Lufthansa but insist the flight has nothing to do with them, That is a strong cop out. The cruise line announced the return of select itineraries in Portugal, France and . However, I believe the policy is rather onerous. Articles are of a general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. I booked the flight through Viking to a Christmas market river cruise. We booked a January 2021 cruise. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. That is all it took, I was hooked. Subscribe to RSS The pandemic has not ended, and some sailings have been cancelled due to too many Covid-19 cases onboard. We have taken note of your feedback. Not at all, according to Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder AmaWaterways as long as youre willing to be a little bit flexible. 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. The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River. Expires March 31, 2023. After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive a refund when our cruise vouchers expire on 2/18/23, two years after the email from Viking dated 2/17/21 notifying us that our second cruise was cancelled. Cruise lines scrap Russian, Ukrainian ports from 2022 itineraries He was assertive and very confident, pushy and eager to make the booking. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 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. The Rhine River in general is not that deep. Thanks for reaching out, M Mulmech., although we regret to learn of your disappointment with your hotel arrangements. Had a planned eastern European river cruise starting mid-October for over a year. *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. Obviously, we cannot go on the trip. Viking Mississippi cancels Oct. 15 cruise due to low river levels It will take of the expiring vouchers and the booking can be changed with no problem whatsoever once a schedule for 2024 becomes available. Viking Cruises, and Other Lines, Changes Plans Because of Ukraine News These hotels are Marriott and hilton properties that have such rooms. The departure flight from ******* was delayed due to the storm. What? All I want if a refund for our primary payment so we can sail on a ship that does not require the vaccine since we can not get it. When I asked to speak with a supervisor the "customer service" representative said "I am not allowed to transfer you - the supervisor will give you the same answer." My husband surprised me with the explorer suite,the room was beautiful,the balcony was amazing. We used our voucher prior to the expiration of the voucher, to book a cruise for March of 2023. Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising. River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems. Floriade River Cruise Guide 2022 | Cruise Critic Italy is in the worst drought in over 70 years. We paid for the trip and had trip insurance. If water levels fall, riverboats can have trouble sailing all the way to Budapest. Viking cruise voucher problem: Don't forget to read the fine print! A river level that is too high or too low can affect an otherwise great cruising experience. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. But all was not lost. 'Not the cruise I signed up for': 30-fold increase in Covid cases It's also a classic cruise 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. This insurance company is worthless and doesn't live up to the stated reimbursements as advertised in its' brochure.