Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. However, the same problems do not affect river cruise ships. Vikings inability to resolve an issue with their on line booking. . Another factor that should be considered is trip insurance. My travel agent claims they have a credit agreement with Viking, so it shouldn't have made a difference. 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 ********************* ********. 2. Europe is now seeing the same kind of climate change conditions that are affecting the Western United States. I told a member of staff about this and was directed to use a toilet on the top deck. ***. 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 Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. 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. 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. Why all other passages under the same situation had no such problem were not explained by Viking. If water levels fall, riverboats can have trouble sailing all the way to Budapest. At Viking, your experience means the world to us. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. A drinks package at the original cost, when I first tried to book it. She really needs this positive experience to look forward to. Because Viking issued a voucher , insurance denied the claim as the voucher was considered a refund The departure flight from ******* was delayed due to the storm. In times of high water, river boats can reduce their height by: Another aspect of river cruising is how much water does the ship draft? I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. 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. Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Part refund, at least 25%. When you are covered by the Risk-Free Guarantee you may change your cruise reservation with notification to Viking. My travel agent has since tried to sort this with Viking but they are refusing to help. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. 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. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Weve been cruising since March with no issues until August, said Schreiner. This site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Why? I have contacted Watcdog BBC who are interested. Seems the generous cancellation risk free ended 30 June and despite booking direct with Viking no mention of the changes was made. Viking River Cruises Viking Rolf (Photo: Viking River Cruises) If the whole itinerary is changed, youll get to sail the new itinerary and receive a 100% future cruise credit to book another cruise. We were issued the vouchers that had an expiration date October 2022. For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. Thank you. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright. We missed 2 ports of call and 1/3 of our sites to see the auroras. 1. As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! 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. My experience with Viking River Cruises is that if they cancel, they will either refund your money or . Other than the hassle of packing up in the middle of the cruise, travelers still get the full Rhine experience they paid for. Jan. 17, 2022. Not a problem for him at all. It is a basic human right to be able to have access to flushing toilets and handwasting facilities. We didn't get to see Honduras as Viking tried to use their own tender to get to shore. Viking is probably the most unsympathetic/unprofessional company I have ever experienced. I also booked this trip years ago when there was not a vaccine mandate.They will not return my money of around $22000.00 They told me I did not need vaccinations for 2022 ,now I found out we do .We do not believe in the vaccinations and I told them that right out front. The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. NEVER BUY A VIKING CRUISE VOUCHERWe will be sailing with a different cruise line and will not be back to Viking. We had not received any response from Viking about 10 days. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. This cruise has been sold out for weeks so if Viking reinstates the voucher, the cabin could be resold. airfare $2198 23. I had insurance and filed a claim. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. . No one expects to have to cancel a cruise. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. This was a question that I asked myself before booking my Rhine River cruise. ), We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. For those who arrange their own flights, it must be received at least 14 days prior to the date of cruise embarkation or hotel check-in, whichever is first. I was told Viking doesnt own the hotel and the hotel will not let me make a change since Viking handled the booking. Our trip was canceled and a voucher was issued. We paid for the trip and had trip insurance. From now through March 31, 2022, Viking is offering special rates starting at $599 (not including airfare) on all 2022 and 2023 departures. If have a river cruise planned for the end of the summer or the fall, should you be concerned? I purchased a cruise for my wife and myself then Covid hit. We again purchased Vikings trip insurance through Trip Mate to cover the cost of the trip. Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). 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. But all was not lost. For that reason, the Rhine River is feeling greater effects of river flow and sooner than compared with the Danube. Feb 1, 2023. 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. Please Note: 1) Terms & Conditions for Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers can be found here. This allowed Viking to retain the majority of our payment since We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email [email protected], Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. Booked a trip just before covid hit which had to be canceled for obvious reasons. He lied. Confirmation attached. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. 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. We look forward to exploring the world with you, whenever and wherever you choose to sail with us. The climate in Europe is changing and not for the better. Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. The cruise line announced the return of select itineraries in Portugal, France and . 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. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. Their ad is wonderful but after all is said and done it is all crap. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. The booking # is *******. took the call and told us that schedule wouldn't be available most likely till January 2023. We purchased Travel Protection Insurance. Also lost out on the cruise vouchers. 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. Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising. As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels. Passengers from across the country say they've. After contacting viking to inform the situation, Viking booked another flight for us. 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. They feature elegant Scandinavian design, spacious staterooms with large verandas, and both indoor and al . Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or cant this week but can next week. Schreiner says that the last time Europe experienced extremely low water levels, in 2018, the economic impact was around 5.4 million euros ($5.4 million). Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. Expected weather conditions during the cruise. #1. Other ships were docked at the pier. Viking changed their policy after they took all our money, lured us into taking now worthless vouchers. We are older and don't want to keep rescheduling this with the hopes of one day being permitted to board their ship. Viking Cruises is a cruise line providing river and ocean cruises, with operations based in Basel, Switzerland. Viking offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% It, along with the Viking Sky, is classified as a small ship, with 465 staterooms, capable of carrying 930 guests. We were routed to resolution manager who was extremely obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, wasn't listening to the issue, saying 'yes, ok, sales rep make a mistake, mistakes do happen. This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback. On the other end, river boats are built with a shallow draft of about six feet deep to avoid hitting the river bottom. What? But this is one American that will never sail with this awful company ever again. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. 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. Because we were given a voucher, we can not get out money back. Thu 13 Jan 2022 01.00 EST Last modified on Thu 13 Jan 2022 18.22 EST. In the case of low water, the crew can dump the ballast water and reduce the freshwater to 60 tons (two days worth), and just refill as needed. Many passengers were distressed by the lack of fresh water. 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. At this point we feel it's discrimination and want our money refunded. However, the most important part of any cruise, for me is the excursion choice. This meant I was unable to book any excursions or drinks package, despite trying as soon as they were released. In November ******************************************* She had major surgery December 12th. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. Why didn't Viking pay to dock? And rebooked the following summer My travel partner , my sister, died 6 months before our trip that next summer die to COVID. Thank you. Viking Cruises cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev (Kyiv, Ukraine), Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russia's conflict with Ukraine. The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Fosse's cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. Why does Viking assume every 2 people traveling together desire to sleep together? They may run multiple ships back-to-back where you would transfer to another ship where the river is having navigational issues. Published on May 21, 2021. They have a working relationship with Lufthansa but insist the flight has nothing to do with them, That is a strong cop out. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. Booking your first river cruise? Booking # XXXXXXX Booking number: *******. The food was excellent. 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. He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. "We are currently evaluating itineraries that call. The ship can welcome up to 386 passengers, and. Posted September 18, 2021. Poulsbo, Washington. We are told now that change is not possible at all because vouchers have expired. Utter and total joke. Planning a cruise? All Mekong River cruises through Vietnam and Cambodia have been suspended until November 30. . It's also a classic cruise itinerary. Heres what you need to know. They just decided to keep our hard earning money. This complaint was posted by a verified customer. We would appreciate any help you can provide in helping us to get the rest of our money back. 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. Our flexible deposit policy applies to new reservations only made between 17 December 2022 to 31 March 2023 and is combinable with all other Viking offers available. Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur. The river cruise lines will tell you that low water levels are rare, and that few sailings are altered due to water levels but the truth is the risk is always present. Then before the departure, Viking cancelled operations and offered us vouchers for future cruises. Call to book now: 1-800-207-7286. Refund or partial credit. We are unable to meet their requirements and therefore want our funds returned to us. It goes against our guidelines to offer incentives for reviews. I never come across a big bunch of ignorant, geriatric, moronic a$$holes as this group I had came across today! Just got order from Doctor to cancel due to sudden onset of autoimmune kidney disease. We will be again canceling our trip. 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. I used my airline mile and hotel points to travel well and cheap. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. 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! Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. Posted May 4, 2021. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles. If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions. Subscribe to Apple News. Our ships have a very low draftabout five feet, he explained. Here is a message that appears on the Viking River Cruise webpage: The cruise line may elect to cancel your cruise. A *** incentive ********** was offered and accepted by us to use toward future booking. On April 7, Virgin Voyages updated its advisory that all regular Scarlet Lady cruises are canceled through September 17, 2021. They said they did. **** said he would monitor the schedule and will alert us the very day it comes out. This site is for entertainment purposes only. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. We opted for the voucher. You will, however, still get a vacation in Europe, even if its not the one you expected. Viking Cruises. passengers asked if ports on the new itinerary may close and if there's a chance the cruise could be canceled while underway. Where the European rivers have locks and dams to control water levels, ships can still sail problem-free. We have taken note of your feedback. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. My husband and I booked with Viking in December 2019 for the Rhine Getaway Cruise for December 2020. 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 You dont know a week or 10 days in advance what will happen with the water levels. 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. On July 10th, 2022 my husband called Viking to inquire when the schedule becomes available. "Given recent developments and the developing conflict in Ukraine,. We have a very good rain forecast for this Thursday/Friday, and fairly heavy rains coming, so [the situation] might change.. When we got this schedule yesterday, we asked her ********** if she could rearrange things to take this cruise. River boats are unique because they can float in just five to six feet of water. In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Viking is bringing back river cruises to Europe in July. Thank you. Not enough for the money hungry cruise line. The two most popular are the Rhine and the Danube. We called our AAA travel agent and she notified Viking on September 17,2022, we were scheduled to leave on September 22,2022. 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 . 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. 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. Editorial disclaimer: 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. Call us at 800-454-0927 to speak to a Cruise Concierge today. 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. Princess Cruises | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. On 12/20/20 Viking cancelled this cruise. 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. It is February 1st today and I went online to book excursions for a trip almost 3 months from now. At best, youll do a ship swap mid-cruise, a slight inconvenience that will allow you to follow your planned itinerary. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, The best places to see cherry blossoms around the US this spring, Looking back: How my points and miles strategy has changed over the years, The best increased card offers to sign up for this March. We never sign or agree to sail with vaccines passport as requirement.No one respond our emails or our attorney except a woman name ******************************* that behaves like an iron wall to talk to anyone else. I contact Viking customer relations, and was first told that the flight tickets were paid by Viking already. We asked to transfer the trip to my son and grandson, but transferring the tickets is not allowed. Viking allows those who book the most expensive rooms to book first. 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. We then Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. Read full review of Viking River Cruises We rebooked for 2022 on 11/30/2020. Desired outcome: After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive Booking number 7141933 Due to Covid pandemic our cruise got cancelled. Cancellation conditions 2.