*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. We are unable to meet VRC health requirements to participate in one of their cruises. We said yes. Heres what you need to know. passengers asked if ports on the new itinerary may close and if there's a chance the cruise could be canceled while underway. We rebooked our trip but Viking canceled it again and another voucher was issued. Global warming is indeed having an effect on European rivers. They refuse. We appreciate you sharing your experience, Trevor, although we regret to hear of your disappointment. If you voluntarily cancel your cruise you may only get a partial or no refund depending on how close to departure you cancel your cruise. You will be cruising, you will be enjoying," he said. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Passes which had been canceled since BA flight had been late. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. Cannot recommend whatsoever - there are better cruise lines who deliver & care about providing a decent level of customer experience - avoid them if you can. 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. We paid for Travel Protection Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising has a lot of fluctuations in water levels. 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.. The area is protected and thats where you have the low water issues. 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 Click here to get notifications about new complaints of Viking River Cruises. Viking Cruises, and Other Lines, Changes Plans Because of Ukraine News Viking River Cruises Viking Rolf (Photo: Viking River Cruises) Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. There are no uniform river flows and water levels are unpredictable. Do not book with Viking Cruises ,they turned my cancelled trip into vouchers with expiration dates that I never knew about. In order to catch the next flight from ************ to ******* to get to the cruise on time we had to pay the tickets ourselves. The even occurred in February of 2023. The drought category in England has reached the most severe designation of severe drought. It will take a lot for us to travel with you again. We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Sheila Davies is a retired gas industry professional based in Northumberland, England. 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. 488 total complaints in the last 3 years. Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary . The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. 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. I was told Viking doesnt own the hotel and the hotel will not let me make a change since Viking handled the booking. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between November 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 on any 2022 voyage. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. This guarantee is combinable with all other Viking offers available. Viking Chief Health Officer Dr. Raquel . This complaint was posted by a verified customer. I contact Viking customer relations, and was first told that the flight tickets were paid by Viking already. . 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. 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 . On 10/12 as our plane was taxiing for departure, my husband suffered a medical emergency. Guests and travel advisors with affected departures have been notified. 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. What? Desired outcome: These hotels are Marriott and hilton properties that have such rooms. Don't sail Viking unless you are guaranteed of going on the trip. Has Viking Cancelled Any 2022 Cruises - CruiseInfoClub.com Learn more. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. 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. We would much rather be able to post how considerate Viking has been (as well as how much we enjoyed the cruise!) Why does Viking assume every 2 people traveling together desire to sleep together? The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. Desired outcome: Pharaohs & Pyramids. This was really On December 9, 2019 we booked********************************* and paid ********* March 11, 2020 that cruise canceled by Viking due to COVID. **** called finally, apologized and said that he 'misread the rules', misunderstood the rules and this isn't a big deal (his attitude). Viking suggested that I should talk to my travel insurance company to reimburse the cost of additional airfare cost. This may involve the cruise line putting you up in one or more hotels and paying for restaurant meals. Do not book with Viking Cruises ,they turned my cancelled trip into vouchers with expiration dates that I never knew about. He replied "absolutely no way both medically and because ************ weakens her immune system!" SPRING SALE Special Fares Reduced Airfare Dates: Availability: This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Cannot go on a cruise if not jabbed even to countries which have no covid requirements any more. Enrollment required. However, I believe the policy is rather onerous. This is insulting and is clearly bait and switch type behavior. Dozens of cruises have been cancelled and some ports in the Caribbean and South America are turning ships away from making . January 27, 2018. I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. To go on the cruise people do not have to supply a negative covid test so you still go on the cruise in theory even if you have covid. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher #7. Viking Cruise Offers Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers are transferable, so that you have the flexibility to gift them to a loved one. Viking Mississippi cancels Oct. 15 cruise due to low river levels With many Christmas markets closed, river cruise lines cancel sailings If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions. I'm with Robin (see below). Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. 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. Very disappointing. 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. The cruise line said it was evaluating 2022 itineraries that visit Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. I used my airline mile and hotel points to travel well and cheap. Thats because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ships bottom and the water line). The reason given by Viking is that these are vouchers from a previously booked trip (during the COVID pandemic). Confirmation attached. 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. The couple shore excursions we went on were lame and horrible. 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. Obviously, we cannot go on the trip. 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. Expires March 31, 2023. Many passengers were still on board at this time and were unable to flush toilets or wash their hands. How could we?? Obviously a 2 week notice was impossible in our situation. My experience with Viking River Cruises is that if they cancel, they will either refund your money or . My husband and I were excited about our long awaited cruise next May. Viking cancels all Russian river cruise itineraries - TTG 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. Please Note: 1) Terms & Conditions for Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Vouchers can be found here. MVJ is locked for this specific cruise , and if you try to book the cruise (UK website) the first available Fjords cruise in now April 2022. TPG values it at $1,600. We have been waiting patiently for two years for a refund, relying on the We had planned a trip in 2021 and when Viking changed their requirements we chose to cancel our trip. Our trip was canceled and a voucher was issued. My Trip - Updates on Current Sailings - Viking River Cruises The plane returned to the gate and he was transported to the local hospital. 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. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). 12/21- 12/28/2022 We hope that the flexibility provided by this guarantee truly puts your mind at ease when it comes to the decision of whether or not to travel. However, as everyone knows, predicting the weather is not an exact science. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. Viking River Cruises has left an official reply on this complaint. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! 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. Then in Philadelphia The guest services lady said well you can complain at the Share your photos and videos with others to prove the truth of your words. Refund or partial credit. . It turns out that for the most part, if the ship sank, we would be high and dry standing on the sun deck. The departure flight from ******* was delayed due to the storm. The flight from Amman Jordan to A drinks package at the original cost, when I first tried to book it. 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. The ship can welcome up to 386 passengers, and. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. Viking European River Cruises - 6 Key Must-Knows Before You Go They also issued non refundable vouchers for our port excursions. A place on the excursion I tried to book. Viking changed their policy after they took all our money, lured us into taking now worthless vouchers. Holland America Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. #VikingVictims. Europe's Drought: Will It End River Cruises? - Out Traveler Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Risk-Free Guarantee - Viking River Cruises Since the ships are nearly identical, if you do transfer to another ship, you should be in a similar stateroom as the original ship. On 10/14, we filed a claim with Trip Mate. Viking cruise voucher problem: Don't forget to read the fine print! They offered us a 150 dollar non refundable credit to be used onboard. Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. After a further communication with Viking, the second answer was because the flights were on a promotion deal, any delay or cancellation was not covered by Viking. Then they said (under the Risk Free Guarantee) we could have a voucher, but it would be a combined voucher which could only be used for one future trip. Airfares vary on other gateways & departures. We accepted and paid an additional insurance premium. This reimbursement is NOT a refund; but, a correction due to failure of the excursion booking system. 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. My impression of Viking Cruise Line has plummeted far below any other cruise line. Cruise Lines Planned Reopenings: The Complete List The whole experience was a disaster. 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. Photos: Major Cruise Lines Are Postponing Sailings Amid Covid $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. This is an awful company to deal with. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. Viking already runs a number of river cruises. We were treated like animals. Europe is now seeing the same kind of climate change conditions that are affecting the Western United States. My Trip - Updates on Current Sailings - Viking Cruises Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. We missed 2 ports of call and 1/3 of our sites to see the auroras. 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 . This site is for entertainment purposes only. We accepted the vouchers in good faith. We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. Vikings' policy allows no refund under the circumstances (i.e. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. 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. This was our second cruise, I would have to say our first one was wonderful, this one was not bad. Desired outcome: Like other river cruise lines, weve dealt successfully with low-water situations in the past, and we have a variety of strategies that we can deploy as necessary. He he tried to take the trip solo, he was charged. We will not be booking with Viking again. However, the most important part of any cruise, for me is the excursion choice. Information provided by various external sources. After 5 minutes she came back and said the manager said nothing they could do but charge a 50 percent fee for canceling. 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. 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. We rebooked yet again and we're told that we had to have the vaccine before we would be able to take our trip. When Viking informed me that the alternative flight was booked, I was not told that I had to pay the tickets myself in order to obtain the boarding pass. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Because Viking issued a voucher , insurance denied the claim as the voucher was considered a refund On 9/12/21 we realized the 2022 sailing impractical and cancelled for cruise credits (#s XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX) He lied. Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. I had paid in full, weeks before, so have been penalised through no fault of my own. Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising. Poulsbo, Washington. Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine. 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. When we got this schedule yesterday, we asked her ********** if she could rearrange things to take this cruise. Fraud and deception! We are older and don't want to keep rescheduling this with the hopes of one day being permitted to board their ship. He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. This is due to the cruise line planning on new summer UK domestic cruises for UK vaccinated residents only. 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. We only wanted our money to be applied to another cruise in 2023. I purchased a cruise for my wife and myself then Covid hit. Due to my cancellations, Viking held onto $8,000 of my Funds for about two years. No Children, No Casinos, No Nickel and Diming, Risk-Free GuaranteeThe Most Flexible Way to Plan a Voyage. Sandi. The 13-city cruise was supposed to take passengers between St. Paul and New . Withholding of monies and shore excursion booking system failure. A river level that is too high or too low can affect an otherwise great cruising experience. Italy is in the worst drought in over 70 years. Not impressed and wi never book another trip with this company. You can see why people are worried. Business Section was crowded 8 units wide while first class just in front Sure we were free but that's no excuse. The first example of river distress is the Po River in Northern Italy. Norse Atlantic Airways to Launch NY-Rome Flights. What does Viking do Nothing. More details in attachment. Disassembling the shades on the sun deck. We have one ship starting in Amsterdam and one ship starting in BaselIf they cannot pass Kaub [the critically low water point on the Rhine], then [the passengers] all disembark on either side," he explained. We have spent $25,000.00 including air far which we are also going to lose if not used by 12/31/2023. 140 complaints closed in the last 12 months. Maximum capacities of 164 passengers and 47 crew. As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels. This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback. Thanks for reaching out, Itom, although we regret to learn of your experience with booking excursions. Cailey Rizzo. For more than 15 years we have helped nearly 50000 customers resolve their issues and will never stop striving to ensure further improvements on our platform for a better communication between companies and customers. In Europe, we dont cruise in January, February and into early March because its too cold, he explained. Man finally takes fully-paid Viking cruise canceled by COVID - nj Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright. Viking have done this every year since 2012, knowing they are unable to dock there but still taking Port Tax from every passenger.