Help! How will you calculate the voucher? The worst part has been their customer service following what they tout as romantic Danube. The representative promised to get back to Keyles. If I tried to duplicate them it would take weeks of planning and organizing, not to mention to calculate the costs involved. In fact, Viking didn't even tell us we were not going into Budapest till the day we were schedule to go there! x}[S\G#aVef|tZ1YO~Y^5no?Gg~? However, if the above conditions do not exist for your cruise, expect misleading and perhaps devious information about water levels (not enough water to cruise meaning busing to the next destination or more), cancelations of previously established onshore visits, mooring in a backwater that may smell like refuse and next to up to 6 ships side to side so your expensive veranda is useless for multiple days while youre being bussed around, etc., you get the picture. And I'm urging everyone who got shafted to do the same. Free shipping for many products! more. Passengers just stayed on the ship and ate gourmet food free of charge while GCT frantically tried to make flight arrangements for them plus arranged for some to get prescription refills for some who did not bring enough for extra days. We appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention, jaxxx2016, and regret to hear of the situation you have described. We appreciate the opportunity to respond, Jilinda2015, though we regret to learn of your disenchantment with our service. We went on the Western Meditteranean Cruise and planned to extend our stay in Venice two days. OK, you didn't get your river cruise. 3 downloads. Plus, we have insightful letters, insider tips, and more. 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 final balance is due based on offer at Were always here to help. Keyles reminded the representative of the promise she had in writing from the other agent said about working with them on a cash settlement instead of the vouchers. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. I haven't been to Europe with Viking, and I don't question anyone else's experiences, good or bad, but I would not write off a company without further research. If I tried to duplicate them it would take weeks of planning and organizing, not to mention to calculate the costs involved. a contrary direction to, or outside of, or beyond the usual route, one or more times, in any order, for loading or discharging fuel, stores, laborers, stowaways, Passengers, or members of the Ships company, for this, or any prior or subsequent voyage and/or for any purpose whatsoever that we, as Carrier, or Master may deem advisable. Customer satisfaction does not exist for them; only money talks.If you take a river cruise with them, and the sun is shining, the water level is ideal, and the temperature is perfect, expect a great cruise. VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. After all, its her second Viking cancellation. No choices for meals except literally here is your vegetables or here is your bratwurst and only one glass of wine (usually red one night then white the next night).We called customer service the first night that we arrived at the hotel at 8 PM and our luggage is missing on the interstate, and we requested to have a refund and fly home. % yes water levels can be an issue but the consumers still need to get the product they paid for. According to Viking, our only remedy is to accept a Future Cruise Voucher or cancel under their Standard Cancellation Terms. How do you know a company will use travel math? Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link. They charged us 846.00 each to get a plane ticket. (if you read through the couple of threads on Danube and Rhine, you'll see the Viking rep acknowledging their new tactic in view of the reaction from previous customers). 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. The Ship may adjust compass, drydock or go, on ways before or after commencement of the voyage and may sail without pilots, tow or be towed, and assist vessels in all situations and deviate for the purposes of, saving life or property. The whole contract is at http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/pdfs/2011%20PAX%20Ticket%20Contract_EU.RU.UK.pdf. Consumer Alert: No more automatic refunds for skipped ports? (Sounds like something we would really enjoy.) . Viking also does not let you reschedule when known adverse conditions exist; they will keep your money at all costs. Spent over 1 hour on phone with Viking with a rep and his supervisor. #1. :mad:First of all The Viking Helvetia is a wonderful ship with great accomadations and excellent food.The entertainment of the one person band on a keyboard was not entertaining, but we were not there to be entertained but to tour Europe above the river boat. MonFri 08.0017.00SatSun 09.0015.00Finnish time. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. READ CAREFULLY. Youll also connect with other readers who want to make the world a better place. Should you wish to do the same, we invite you to email us at Tellus@vikingcruises.com with your booking information. Did we mention it's free? 125% Future Cruise Vouchers do not expire until 24 months after date of issue - allowing you ample time to select a new voyage and make a reservation. Mandatory vaccine cards to cruise are required. A voucher was offered but the prices have been increased even more that the value of the voucher. There. It's not a big deal and we always make the best out of the bad river. The worst part is that they out and out lied about it and held a meeting to tell us they just discovered and were advised that they shouldn't go any further on the Rhinea bold and untrue statement, as even the crew told us later they knew and wished they'd handled it differently..same thing to the folks on the return trip. The total cost was $15,599,. I wouldnt have. And I have a miserable autumn date to sail on, she adds. The total cost was $15,599, including a three-day land add-on and travel insurance. This has changed our plans in every respect, including a Viking cruise.At this point the full negative view of Viking Cruises begins to appear. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SUPERSTAR GEMINI STAR CRUISES X CROWN JEWEL BROCHURE 1998 INCL DECK PLANS at the best online prices at eBay! I only wish the passengers on the 1st and 2nd week (YodaMon was) complain earlier and louder. But by then, the price increase had claimed the voucher plus an extra $628. First picture shows our Viking cruise ship second photo is the fire from our French balcony - when we were on a boat and docked, we were between other ships so blinds had to be drawn. Or it could have fixed the problem quickly when she raised her concern. Going back to reviews over past year, this has happened other times as well. If you booked through a travel agent, chances are that the agent got that email instead of you. Four days on a bus. We were talked into buying insurance for $1500. That way, you can cancel if the water level disrupt your RIVER CRUISE. We appreciate the opportunity to respond, and hope to hear from you soon. That would be your quickest way of making contact. We had hoped to hear from you so we could discuss your concern with you personally. <> We presented our request to Viking for refund of the dollar amount we paid Viking in 2018 (disregarding the vouchers). You have to fly in via the UK only'. Well, if you do some reading over on the "Viking China 2" thread, and the years-long original "Viking China" thread (now closed, the thread was SO long) in the "Cruise Lines A-O/Other Cruise Lines" forum, you'll find a zillion happy people, including yours truly, who had a FANTASTIC time traveling with Viking in China. Thank you. Future Cruise Vouchers valued at 125% are available exclusively for those guests whose cruise was cancelled due to, or associated with, our suspended operations. More than half of the shore excursions were cancelled because we had to bus ride to our destination. we have done 3 river cruises with avalon and have been very satisfied. They canceled my flight. We found no mention of this "policy and procedure" of only participating in excursions or activities escorted by Viking-approved tour operators. And while the travel vouchers are good for 24 months, given the state of the pandemic, the couples medical conditions and age, they didnt think they would be traveling any time soon. With all If they got enough complain, they might open an investigation. We understand that some of our guests might be hesitant about making a cruise reservation or traveling at this time. Any balance after Viking issues the vouchers is returned to you in cash. Fosse and her husband had initially booked a cruise for April 2020. Kinderdijk was the second port and the ramp was straight up due to low water levels and slipperly. Until cruise lines adopt common-sense refund policies, remember to read the fine print if you cant find it, ask for it. :rolleyes:). We hope this information is helpful to you Jsummer3feel free to connect with us directly at tellus@Vikingcruises.com should you have any additional questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you. Guests will have 24 months to select their new date and use their Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. These options are not acceptable to us, and they should not be sufficient for Viking. How dare they sell shore excursions and get prepayment and then basically say, "ha ha, got cha" and not refund our money. Refunds are made based on the cancellation conditions. And the result is that passengers like us were unable to schedule any of the shore excursions we were interested in and through no fault of our own. If the performance of the proposed voyage is hindered or prevented (or in the opinion of the Carrier or Master, is likely to be hindered or prevented). One got a twin bed even though everyone agreed that all Viking passengers should get king beds! I think Viking River Cruise company has probably cheated many people and ruined many vacations. Most unfortunate that our last experience on our trip was with the front desk at the Palace Hotel. On that note, anyone considering Viking can actually work around this issue the same way: buy the cancel-at-your-whimp insurance. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. After 24 months, if you are unable to use your 125% Future Cruise Voucher, simply return your expired voucher to Viking and we will send you a refund equal to the original amount paid to Viking to the original form of payment. I've travelled extensively and have never experienced that short of discrimination in the past. VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. 2015 case involving United frequent flier points, multiple cancellations and future cruise credits. The booking must be cancelled before applying for a refund. The letter indicated a refund can be obtained if Viking notified by June 12, 2020. Plan your voyage risk free. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. I would not even give a score of 1. It flows from north to south, through the Irrawaddy Delta, emptying into the Andaman Sea. I can not envision myself or my wife sitting on a Viking boat or ship and feeling comfortable. Ultimately she said that she would honor his statement, even if he wasnt authorized to make any offer to us, and would offer us a $500 cash settlement as a gesture of goodwill, Keyles said. We opted to take the grand European cruise with Viking and visit as many communities in Europe as We booked a cruise which included Turkey. Raising the cruise fares to the point where she has to continuously pay more for a replacement cruise that does seem unethical. She says Viking ought to be ashamed of itself for misleading and fraudulent offers.. Our position as an advocacy organization is that cruise lines should offer full refunds after a second cancellation, even if a passenger has accepted a future cruise credit. Recent updates have been made to cancellation schedules and refund guidelines for various cruise lines. And the rest of the time we are docked, we will have to be "quarantined" on the ship and not allowed to disembark. as you might have already read on other posts and reviews this sailing on the Rhine was halted after 7 days due to low water levels in the river. Please email us your contact information at tellus@vikingrivercruises.com so we can call you. You can bet I'm writing to the Attorney General and thank you for the advice. Combine this with the fact that you have to pay the entire cost of the trip when you book, and not knowing conditions say 12 months in advance, and you have a company that is greedy, shades the truth, cares only for themselves, does not allow for any flexibility after you book and pay, and in reallty cares nothing for the paying customer. Please email us at Tellus@vikingrivercruises.com if you have additional concerns you would like addressed. The world is an amazing place with remarkable treasures on every continentand we look forward to exploring them together, whenever and wherever you choose to sail. Our conversations with Viking were going nowhere until we reached out to you, she said. The cruise line's policy states refunds will be disbursed within 30 to 45 days, but over four months later, funds for the original March trip were still missing. Absolutely ridiculous. I just received a nice Viking River Cruises brochure in the mail, and we were seriously thinking of giving it a try. I was on the 3rd week of the affected trip. Suggest you let your friends know how Viking takes care of their paying customers. Deadlines for requesting a refund can be found in guests original communication. Get the answer in writing if possible. 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. The cabins on those 2 sure look nicer especially the beds. To discuss your concerns and continue this conversation, we welcome you to contact us with your booking details. (Christopher Elliott, Elliott Advocacy). Viking River, Cruises, Inc. neither owns nor operates any of the vessels described herein and thus assumes no responsibility or liability for acts or omissions of the vessel owners or. Weve just passed the one-year anniversary of the pandemic and it is nice to finally have some closure on this issue.. Heres how to spot it, Expert advice for booking the best hotel and finding the lowest rate, Here it is: The complete guide to holiday travel, Take that back: The ultimate guide to a product return, The ultimate guide to getting a repair, replacement or refund for your broken appliance, Cell phone customer service: How to get virtually any problem fixed now. My Samsung tablet wont hold a charge. Posted August 21, 2020. 3. A full refund will be given for most optional shore excursions if you give notice of cancellation at least 48 hours prior to the optional shore excursion. If they got enough complain, they might open an investigation. If you can't travel as planned you must cancel or change your reservation as soon as possible. Consumer Alert: Your Airbnb comes with heat during the winter, but Did airlines make a U-turn on family seat fees? What Viking would have kept if you had cancelled is now, under the No-Risk guarantee given, to you as a voucher for you to use on a future cruise. Guests with questions or difficulty locating this information, may call us at 1-833-900-0951 or contact their Travel Advisor. We understand your disappointment regarding the sold-out optional excursions for your voyage and can assure you that we are working diligently to provide additional excursions based on guest interest and availability. Heres funny math on an airline refund in 2019. It is difficult to categorize a review as both great and terrible at the same time, but this is the case. Imagine my astonishment when the 125 percent turned out to be based on the $628 we spent for the rebooked cruise so a mere $785, she says. Their claim was denied and the couple let Viking know. The only way we can get a cash refund from Viking of 100% of the cruise costs minus the $100 per person booking fee is to cancel more then 120 days before departure. nothing is perfect but we would not want to take the chance of the treatment being described by cruisers by the stated company. Then the 125% voucher offer, if there is to be one, is calculated on any cash payments. Viking cruise voucher problem: Dont forget to read the fine print! Shame on them. They never disappoint you. We will NOT be going to Iceland with Viking as we had planned. 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. Is this really the end of junk fees in travel? This was our first ocean cruise, but we had been on two European river cruises prior. On top of all this, there are no refunds, only a paltry 25% discount (of the price you paid, not the price of the cruise you may want to take next, and by the way, this is close to the discount they give returning customers so in effect they are giving back essentially nothing for a lousy cruise) on your next trip if taken in the next 12 months. Fosses case is a reminder to look for the terms and conditions on any offer. She sent them a brief email outlining her grievances. 10APR-200501_RiskFreeGuarantee.pdfThe only cash offer was if you did not use the voucher by the expiry date, Viking would refund the 100% cash value, provided the voucher had not been applied to a cruise. Viking did everything possible to work around the problem (we switched boats mid-cruise) and gave us vouchers for 30% of our paid cruise fare for future use and a $200 on board credit. Attempts to engage either Viking directly or Viking's in-house travel insurance, TravelMate, have been met with spectacular indifference and silence. I called them the next day to request a refund instead of the voucher. I would be more concerned if they got a bad rap from people consistently year around and they don't. We were shuttled around on a bus from one ship to another. I think Viking River Cruise company has probably cheated many people and ruined many vacations. VikingCruises, community specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. Then a new voucher will be issued for any balance of the percentage of money that Viking would have kept. LauraS Passengers wishing to request refunds must do so on the cruise line's website. There are historically low water levels this year. Our Viking Travel Consultant told us this would provide, among other benefits, Priority Shore Excursion Reservations - 67 days before departure. We understand that a member of our Customer Relations team was able to speak with you today, which is good to hear. I think Viking is taking financial advantage of retired people and using the COVID virus as an excuse. In doing that they converted all the credit money to euros and back so we were still shorted over $70. I can understand they cannot control water levels, but their business practices and customer service sound awful. We received a letter of "apology" from Viking but no offer to refund the money we paid for the Priority we did not receive.4. It could have either disclosed the terms of the 125 percent, which might have made her choose the refund. so Viking Helvetia ship is wonderful. I will certainly take your advice and write the State of California. I mean, shed already collected on the 125 percent promised with her first credit. It won't cost more than the price of the cruise. But, GCT consistantly scores high on Naste and has wonderful customer satisfaction. 125% Future Cruise Vouchers are transferable, so that you have the flexibility to gift them to a loved one. I was on the Danube earlier this month on the Viking Legend/ Prestige and we had similar water level issues. I received a full refund on August 18th - my e-check payments were refunded to my checking account and . Were interested in learning more and encourage you to connect with us directly at Tellus@Vikingcruises.com for further assistance. it sounds as if the plan b provided was not up to the standard paid for. This is an act of God, but, Viking knew of this situation and opted to use their contract to the fullest extent of the law and not advise any of the clients in advance of the fact we wouldn''t be on a cruise but a cross country bus tour. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions, 120 days or more - voucher reissued - $100 cancellation fee, 120 or less they reissue voucherwith less money. If its taking your money, its always going to use math that favors it.

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