Viking River Cruises The line is canceling all 2022 departures of its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. It would seem to be a reasonable and simple request. You can see why people are worried. Viking Cruise Reviews (2023 UPDATED): Ratings of Viking River Cruises Viking Mississippi cancels Oct. 15 cruise due to low river levels I have three times tried to contact Viking, by phone, email, and chat. Premium Air. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Plus Ups are excluded. This meant I was unable to book any excursions or drinks package, despite trying as soon as they were released. Subscribe to Apple News. Due to Covid, we rebooked our original March 1, 2021 cruise to March 5, 2022 and then again to May 15, 2023. Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. Couple fights to get full cash refund on $15K Viking River Cruise Key West was on the itinerary but Viking told us 5 months before they would not be docking. took the call and told us that schedule wouldn't be available most likely till January 2023. 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. Booking number: *******. The line said it was also evaluating 2022 itineraries that call in Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. On December 9, 2019 we booked********************************* and paid ********* March 11, 2020 that cruise canceled by Viking due to COVID. 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." Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. Disembark on May 1 2023 they required us to pay us in full in August 2022 which we did. Crystal River Cruises has canceled its four remaining Crystal Ravel sailings this December. "We are currently evaluating itineraries that call. We accepted the vouchers in good faith. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. We called Viking and there is nothing that they will do to be able to use the over $7,000 paid for the trip. - Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, Viking trip shortened due to weather, no refund. The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk. For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. I explain ship swapping in the section: What Happens If Your Cruise Is Affected By Water Level? 1. 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. Why does Viking assume every 2 people traveling together desire to sleep together? US. 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. Viking booked the hotels for these excursions. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. If you have a question or would like to make a press inquiry, please contact: Scott Mackenzie Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. The US gov has basically declared the "plandemic" over and all other mandates have been drop but Viking still won't change their policy. We paid some #10,000 for premium air. We were never verbally informed when booking that the actual voucher would expire even if we rebooked again. over night stay we got back to Cincinnati the next day. But this is one American that will never sail with this awful company ever again. Italy is in the worst drought in over 70 years. Most all other cruise lines have dropped this mandate. Europe Is Reopening For Vaccinated Travelers: See It Via These Viking The dream vacation I have waited for 8 years has gone down the drain. Viking River Cruises, Inc. | Complaints | Better Business Bureau Profile Norwegian Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. called Business since the middle seats were left vacant. Princess Cruises | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Thank you. We would much rather be able to post how considerate Viking has been (as well as how much we enjoyed the cruise!) On top of that, they are asking for me to pay additional same $ 9,000. amount for me to go on this journey alone! This is known as ship swapping. This was a question that I asked myself before booking my Rhine River cruise. Wanted us to travel with 3 flights via 2 countries, when we complained they hid behind T & Cs very sneaky & very poor customer service, they cited they couldnt absorb costs of a more direct flight routing. 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. I encourage all Americans to do the same. It was not a condition of completing this trip. 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. 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. It also stated that if we were unable to use the voucher we could be refunded the original amount we paid to Viking. After contacting viking to inform the situation, Viking booked another flight for us. Viking suggested that I should talk to my travel insurance company to reimburse the cost of additional airfare cost. My Trip - Updates on Current Sailings - Viking River Cruises There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. It will take of the expiring vouchers and the booking can be changed with no problem whatsoever once a schedule for 2024 becomes available. I was never informed that the vaccine would be required to sail and that our money would not be eligible for a refund. Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall close to the point where the river cannot hold ships anymore. Related: Booking your first river cruise? In November ******************************************* She had major surgery December 12th. In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare. Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. They may run multiple ships back-to-back where you would transfer to another ship where the river is having navigational issues. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link, Change your cruise date up to 14 days prior to departure, The ultimate flexibility: You have 24 months to select your new cruise date, Combinable with all other Viking offers. ), We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. They refuse. Many passengers were distressed by the lack of fresh water. Maximum capacities of 164 passengers and 47 crew. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. By doing investigation on this subject and timeline of events revealed that we are not alone in this situation. I had insurance and filed a claim. I booked the flight through Viking to a Christmas market river cruise. As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels. I have always liked Viking cruises and have been on 13, counting the one I am currently on. These two rivers are the most popular routes in European river cruising. If water levels are low, cargo ships cannot carry their normal loads of freight. Virgin Voyages. The reason given by Viking is that these are vouchers from a previously booked trip (during the COVID pandemic). We purchased Travel Protection Insurance. We are cancelling our river cruise due to viking's heavy handed covid vaccine requirement. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. Holland America Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. They can go up, they can go down, rain can come in.. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. Cannot recommend whatsoever - there are better cruise lines who deliver & care about providing a decent level of customer experience - avoid them if you can. That is all it took, I was hooked. Our longtime Cruise Specialists Voyage Host, Tom Mullen, shares his thoughts from the last few days of the voyage, which took place January 5 to February 6, 2022. Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers are transferable, so that you have the flexibility to gift them to a loved one. 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. Viking Ocean Cruises has sailings listed for June, 2021. Jan 26, 2023 01:33pm. return trip Munich to EWR 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. Customers should not be treated this way. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. International Association of Better Business Bureaus. Expires March 31, 2023. If you want to cancel a cruise right now in October because of low water, I will tell you, Sorry, we dont know if theres low water in October, said Schreiner. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. Heres what you need to know. We were treated like animals. This happened 52 days before sailing. We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. Call to book now: 1-800-207-7286. You will be cruising, you will be enjoying," he said. If ships have to lighten their loads to cross shallow water, fewer goods can be transported at once. I was sailing aboard the Avalon Vista two months ago on a cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland along the Rhine River. In May, Viking canceled that cruise. Viking River Cruises Cancellation and Refund Policy Cruises beginning in 2009, this is not the first error and being loyal No Children, No Casinos, No Nickel and Diming, Risk-Free GuaranteeThe Most Flexible Way to Plan a Voyage. Viking Cruises. The booking # is *******. Multiple tests were run, including a Covid test, which came back positive. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have canceled several trips as the Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc with the cruise . Very disappointed with Viking River Cruises - Fodor's After checking cancellation conditions online which indicates $200 up to a certain date I booked a river cruise for 2024 the deposit was $2000pp. Should you wish to change your reservation, you can choose which policy works best for you: Vikings Risk-Free Guarantee or standard cancellation policy. we went to our connecting American Airlines flight with our Boarding It is obvious to the casual observer that VRC is not in financial distress as they have added ships to their fleet and the CEO is listed a a billionaire. We were running between the airlines at ***** to find out what was going on, very frustrating. We were being reimbursed for the cash amount paid but not the amount of the vouchers. Our trip was canceled and a voucher was issued. We also paid Port Tax for Honduras even though they chose not to book and pay to use the pier there. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. I asked to speak to a manager and was told by the person I talked to I could not but she would speak with one. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus This would mean that river cruise lines could face severe disruptions . RHINE GETAWAY. It will take a lot for us to travel with you again. Its infuriating and disrespectful. We could not wash, shower, not wash our hands and NOT able to flush toilets! Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine. River Cruises Respond to Austrian Lockdown, Impact on Sailings This made it impossible to catch the next flight from ***** to buenos Aries. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. Why? Photos: Major Cruise Lines Are Postponing Sailings Amid Covid 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. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. 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. A longtime editor at Cruise Critic, Erica has also written for The Washington Post, Fodors and Lets Go travel guides, and numerous print and online cruise publications. 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. Not at all, according to Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder AmaWaterways as long as youre willing to be a little bit flexible. Get up to $300 back per calendar year on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card. Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. Viking cruise voucher problem: Don't forget to read the fine print! For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. This met the 11/30 deadline for a "risk free guarantee" enabling change of plans up to 24 hours before sailing. The trip was more expensive so we paid with our vouchers as well as cash. It was too windy and not safe so decided not to try to use their tender. Viking Shores and Fjords - SEPT 2021 - Cancelled? An insult! 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. We asked to transfer the trip to my son and grandson, but transferring the tickets is not allowed. 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. #6339759. Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Viking Cruises, and Other Lines, Changes Plans Because of Ukraine News He replied "absolutely no way both medically and because ************ weakens her immune system!" Telling us that a voucher has no cash value is a shoddy business practice at best. 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. My husband and I booked with Viking in December 2019 for the Rhine Getaway Cruise for December 2020. On the last day, all running water was turned off until we left the ship. We booked a river cruise (Danube) for March 2022. Steve is a life-long avgeek and a points and miles player. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. We have since then tried to book a trip two times, and the required medical of a vaccine status made us cancel again. Find out how we combat fake reviews. 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. 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 This was not the case. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. We used our voucher prior to the expiration of the voucher, to book a cruise for March of 2023. 2023-2025 OCEAN CRUISE AND AIR SAVINGS: Offer applies to bookings made from March 1-31, 2023. They feature elegant Scandinavian design, spacious staterooms with large verandas, and both indoor and al . Spoke to several people today, including a supervisor My husband and I were scheduled to leave for our Viking cruise around Spain on Jan. 11. It's been three years now that Viking has held my family's money hostage because we don't wish to take the jab. We booked a January 2021 cruise. With many Christmas markets closed, river cruise lines cancel sailings In November 2020, we rebooked, the Cities of Antiquity and Holy Land Cruise, scheduled for Nov-Dec 2022, paying the additional fare. Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage. Viking has cancelled all 2022 departures of its Russian river cruise itineraries and ceased all operations in the country for the remainder of the year. Viking Cruises - Ships and Itineraries 2023, 2024, 2025 - CruiseMapper The pandemic has not ended, and some sailings have been cancelled due to too many Covid-19 cases onboard. The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River. In addition to requiring all guests and crew be fully vaccinated before setting foot on board the 930-passenger Viking Sky, the cruise line implemented a robust contact tracing system, daily PCR. This may involve the cruise line putting you up in one or more hotels and paying for restaurant meals. The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customers satisfaction. Only Viking can make the appropriate reservation. Viking Mississippi cancels some cruise passengers four days ahead of At 104 days out before final payment was due, we had to either lose our entire deposit of $2K+ or get a voucher. Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. My only hope now is for someone to cancel what I want.About time to give my loyalty to another cruise line. 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. 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. Viking Chief Health Officer Dr. Raquel . Learn more. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. 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. Why didn't Viking pay to dock? We appreciate you sharing your experience, Trevor, although we regret to hear of your disappointment. I contacted Viking and was told the vouchers were not refundable because we had not cancelled at least 2 weeks prior to departure. Don't sail Viking unless you are guaranteed of going on the trip. Cruise lines cancel Ukraine and Russia calls - Travel Weekly The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. We paid for trip insurance assuming that it would cover this situation but buying trip insurance through Viking seems to cover much less than most trip insurance policies. As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! 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..