we certainly do. 5. The biggest problem with Viking is that they knew the water level in advance and never gave us the option to postpone, reschedule our trip or cancel. 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. He advised us that if we were thinking about rebooking in 2021, we should wait to see if Viking cancelled our 2020 cruise making us eligible for a 125% voucher. Fosses cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. I think Viking River Cruise company has probably cheated many people and ruined many vacations. Started August 27, 2021, By Had there been, she could have answered the question, 125 percent of what?. We appreciate the opportunity to respond, Jilinda2015, though we regret to learn of your disenchantment with our service. Water levels may be considered an act of God. 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. 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. 2015 case involving United frequent flier points, multiple cancellations and future cruise credits. Raise prices. Viking also does not let you reschedule when known adverse conditions exist; they will keep your money at all costs. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. 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. It's not a big deal and we always make the best out of the bad river. Had she done so, Fosse could have avoided this mess. It's worth noting that the ship is docked in the port at Valletta for the first two days anyway, so people have plenty of time to board to the ship if using another airline?They're loss. Future Cruise Vouchers valued at 125% are available exclusively for those guests whose cruise was cancelled due to, or associated with, our suspended operations. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for USN VS-29 FAREWELL CRUISE 2003 USS NIMITZ patch S-3 VIKING SQUADRON at the best online prices at eBay! Contact your Sales Agent or our Customer Service department online, via email, or by phone at 1-800-427-8473 and ask about potential opportunities for flexible cancellation policies, rebooking opportunities and other options. Further, Viking added that "non-compliance . Ive waited a year for my river cruise refund. Youll also connect with other readers who want to make the world a better place. Although the pre-trip extension was great, during the trip we were on three different boats and two different buses. Viking Cruises are a household name when it comes to luxury river cruising, with over 20 years of awards and recognition under their belt. I called them the next day to request a refund instead of the voucher. Sorry. There. Big Mistake! 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. Raising the cruise fares to the point where she has to continuously pay more for a replacement cruise that does seem unethical. Location of This Business. Our help is free. Four days on a bus. Author. A: Viking should fully refund your cruise. :rolleyes:). When more than one cruise is booked, deposit and payment policies apply per Cruise Fare. Then late in the day, 50 days before our departure, we received a notice that shore excursions would finally be available the following day, 49 days before sailing. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Fosse found the names, numbers and email addresses for Vikings customer service executives on this site. Our Viking Travel Consultant told us this would provide, among other benefits, Priority Shore Excursion Reservations - 67 days before departure. Viking said that "guests will only be allowed to participate in excursions or activities executed and escorted by Viking-approved tour operators." Fosses case is a borderline one, when it comes to travel math. Viking Line Abp, org. Im happy that my team and I could assist. Ive called repeatedly to complain - I was told someone would call me. Please email us at Tellus@vikingrivercruises.com if you have additional concerns you would like addressed. Its been eight months. They may sound sympathetic. We just recieved notice they are sailing in September 2021. *This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. We were still hopeful that we would take the cruise.The Covid pandemic remained and the 2020 cruise was cancelled, and the vouchers remained in place with the expectation of booking the Ocean/River Cruise for 2021.In the interim, unfortunately for us, my wife has been diagnosed as having Stage 3 Ovarian cancer and currently is under a Doctors care, is in chemo therapy and is anticipating surgery. I can't get a response to my messages. After 24 months, if you are unable to use your. Viking's large fleet of over 70 ships and counting sail to a large variety of itineraries in Europe, Russia, Egypt, China and more. In late June, Keyles got a call from a Viking representative who said he would be reviewing the case. Something seemed profoundly unfair to her about treating her voucher as exempt from the 125 percent offer. Should you wish to change your reservation, you can choose which policy works best for you: Vikings Risk-Free Guarantee or standard cancellation policy. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. The cruise was cancelled!!!!!! The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. <>/Metadata 582 0 R/ViewerPreferences 583 0 R>> Is this really the end of junk fees in travel? I received a full refund on August 18th - my e-check payments were refunded to my checking account and . 85% of Full Fare. I've already done my part. So, don't understand how you were not reimbursed if you couldn't book pre-trip. Absolutely ridiculous. If they got enough complain, they might open an investigation. We were shuttled around on a bus from one ship to another. If its taking your money, its always going to use math that favors it. Not to defend Viking by any means but Uniworld did this to a friend. But their offers are clearly disingenuous. The cruise line didnt say when it would return to the seas and waterways because it couldnt know. So Fosse had no way of knowing how they were calculating the percentage. Powered by Invision Community. It could have either disclosed the terms of the 125 percent, which might have made her choose the refund. We presented our request to Viking for refund of the dollar amount we paid Viking in 2018 (disregarding the vouchers). She sent them a brief email outlining her grievances. That didnt seem fair, Keyles said. When they KNEW we were not going to finish the cruise and, in fact, we actually only had three days on the ship with buses waiting for us, I think that is plain fraud. (In fact, first time to Europe). most do research before making an investment in travel products. 125% Future Cruise Vouchers are transferable, so that you have the flexibility to gift them to a loved one. Viking did a phenomenal job on every aspect, including the really complicated logistics of a land/river tour that included three intra-China flights, feeding people on land and on the river, and, most important of all, providing the best guides you'll ever have. 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. Our trip last May was extraordinary. READ CAREFULLY. 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. Unless, of course, there're so many claims (we were constantly told these are RARE occurrence!!! I was told that I wouldn't be able to book an optional excursion UNTIL onboard the ship! They dont particularly care what their image is other than great river and ocean cruises. Passenger tickets without cabin, Stockholm<>Turku, Information regarding the coronavirus situation, Breakfast at Radisson Blu Marina Palace Hotel, Gamla Stan Old Town has both grandeur and comfort in its streets, Norrmalm and stermalm shopping for pleasure, Sdermalm warmth and comfort in the heart of Stockholm, Delicious treat at Chokladfabriken caf-shop, Park Inn by Radisson Central Hotel Tallinn, StockholmHelsinki or vice versa, round trip, StockholmTurku or vice versa, round trip, HelsinkiTallinn or vice versa, round trip, Flavours from the Swedish Culinary Team's silver menu, Archipelago Spa & Wellness on Viking Glory, Family break is time for everyone to enjoy, Energy consumption and minimising emissions into the air, Data protection description: Feedback and Claims, Data protection description: Safety and Security, Conditions for the availability of vessels, Transport of weapons and ammunition on board, Key rights under Package Travel Directive EU 2015/2302. I would not even give a score of 1. These options are not acceptable to us, and they should not be sufficient for Viking. more. Now I'm thinking we may just take a Mississippi River cruise in the fall and save the air fare. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Posted Saturday at 06:49 PM. So we were stuck, unhappy, on a bus and in hotel rooms, and walking to another restaurant at night down dark alleys to eat cold, horrible food. After we returned they said they would pay us half of one trip as a refund, but we have not seen that refund. 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. I have to say that I'm surprised by your post and experience. July 27, 2011. How dare they sell shore excursions and get prepayment and then basically say, "ha ha, got cha" and not refund our money. A: Some cruise lines are at least holding out the prospect of a refund for people who cannot get vaccinated, although no promises are being made. I am so disappointed - no I'm disgusted with Viking cruises management. Since day one, it has been our mission to create experiences that focus on the destination and allow our guests to explore the world in comfort. But whats this $452 bill? This article was published on June 25, 2021, and updated on June 23, 2021. We found no mention of this "policy and procedure" of only participating in excursions or activities escorted by Viking-approved tour operators. Were always here to help. Spent over 1 hour on phone with Viking with a rep and his supervisor. I booked a trip of a lifetime to celebrate my 60th Birthday. 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. 6. 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. But why cant I get a refund? Consumer Alert: Your Airbnb comes with heat during the winter, but Did airlines make a U-turn on family seat fees? The representative went through options, she said, including larger vouchers, extended time periods to use them and considering U.S. based trips instead of international travel. Their claim was denied and the couple let Viking know. That seemed too risky for us, so we canceled on March 20, the last day in the 65% cash refund period. We appreciate the opportunity to respond, and hope to hear from you soon. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Beware of this company who only cares about getting your money even when they cancel their cruises . 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Her position at the outset was that we are not entitled to anything in place of the future travel vouchers since what they gave us was in compliance with their stated cancellation terms, Keyles said, and she asked for an exception based on their specific circumstances. 60% of Full Fare. All rights reserved (About Us). . 3. Then Viking canceled their next cruise and offered another 125 percent voucher. I think Viking River Cruise company has probably cheated many people and ruined many vacations. We look forward to hearing from you. Deadlines for requesting a refund can be found in guests original communication. They got no advance notice, no onboard cash. Fosse and her husband had initially booked a cruise for April 2020. Four days into our cruise, it ended abruptly.The Rhine river was too shallow.We were given no choice but to pack our bags and climb onto a tour bus. We reached out to the company to ask it to reconsider, especially because some of its customers did indeed receive full refunds. Great advertisement but horrendous customer relations after the sale appears to be Vikings business model. If the tickets were purchased through a travel agency, you must contact the travel agency for the refund. Recent updates have been made to cancellation schedules and refund guidelines for various cruise lines. She talked about Vikings new safety protocols and while they sound good, I emphasized that group travel is not in our future.. Not exactly our idea of an "active" vacation. That is why Viking is offering a limited-time offerthe most flexible of any cruise lineso that you can plan your voyage with peace of mind. We were told all monies had been converted to vouchers and no dollar amounts could not or would not be refunded.Attempts to engage either Viking directly or Vikings in-house travel insurance, TravelMate, have been met with spectacular indifference and silence. Viking was threatening to leave us in Iceland. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. 119-90. And I'm urging everyone who got shafted to do the same. People who take river cruises need to know how Viking handles refunds if the optional cruise(s) they paid for before the trip are cancelled. The next day, they got a phone call. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. <> Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link. All of Vikings competitors made the same offer. Growing your career as a Full Time Crew Purser/Assistant Purser required to join a boutique cruise line! You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Another couple on this trip are also having no luck. I have been recommended that I not be vaccined and I asked for a refund. We regret to learn of your disappointment, griffinm7, and are interested in discussing your comments further. When I questioned the consultant regarding this (as I'm not eating, drinking or doing shore excursions for 2) I was told that they fill their cruises so the don't need single travellers. Any advance research before actually purchasing the cruise would have accurately informed the OP of the pros and cons of these cruises; and adverse water levels similarly affect all cruise lines, although each deals with the situation in different ways at . This was my fourth rivet cruise with Viking. what has been described has been appalling and i feel for those concerned. 125% Future Cruise Vouchers can be applied to a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. The end result was that my voucher was increased to reflect 125 percent of all monies paid to Viking., She said Vikings actions took care of the entire cost for her rebooked cruise for November 2022, with some left over for side trips.. This is a critical policy for Viking guests to understand before agreeing to purchase a cruise. She lost her engagement ring in a rental car. 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. Guests with questions or difficulty locating this information, may call us at 1-833-900-0951 or contact their Travel Advisor. Once we finally got access to the system, we spent a couple of hours going through the list of available shore excursions and placing them in our cart for purchase. YodaMom, December 19, 2011 in River Cruising. They charged us 846.00 each to get a plane ticket. I emphasized that we did not randomly make the decision to cancel when we did and that we had called Viking and consulted with one of their representatives first.. We paid $1325. Good luck on your cruise! LauraS Thank you. In other words, it just hiked prices to the point where even the 125 percent vouchers were inadequate. Customer service is great from all the staff and ships crew. The Elliott Report is a consumer news site supported by Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that offers free advice and advocacy for consumers. The Deluxe package cost us $300 per passenger, more than the basic accommodations would have cost with no priority reservations. Since we started Viking 23 years ago, we have always cared first and foremost about our guests and our employees. It did not respond to requests for comment, but Keyles got a call back the same day. (And you'll typically have a much larger room in a nice hotel). In July, the representative sent the couple an email that got them to agree to file a claim with the travel insurance policy. Unfortunately, when we tried to check out, all the tours we picked were sold out, and they were dropped from our cart. Never, never again. Heres funny math on an airline refund in 2019. Check out Elliott Advocacy Today, our free, daily newsletter with links to your favorite commentary, tips and news about consumer advocacy. Viking refuses - saying it was paid with vouchers. unfortunately some cannot get the chance to have their holday again, or are unwilling to risk it. #24 states a different situation than yours, so maybe your TA is at fault. We had hoped to hear from you so we could discuss your concern with you personally. Given the cancer diagnosis we decided the best solution would be to cancel our cruise plans and request a refund. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Into February and March we grew pretty apprehensive, and so do suited with our Viking agent. Full payment was required by the end of 2018 and was paid. The Irrawaddy is the largest and most important river in Burma (Myanmar). The same thing happened to the group getting on as we got off..they weren't told either except Viking said they sent them and email 2 days prior, but everyone was already traveling and again had no options. I wouldnt have. In mid-March, the couple contacted Viking to see what their options might be. Instead they used credits from the refund we were owed. Ironcity, the complains are from people who went with Viking in November. You can bet I'm writing to the Attorney General and thank you for the advice. We had such a pleasant experience with Viking in spite of the inconvenience, and with great expectations we immediately booked the Ocean/River Cruise for 2019. We're looking forward to sailing with them in June. 0144983-8, PB 166, AX-22101 Mariehamn, land, Finland. Viking should not sell a product that it cannot convey. And now she has a Viking cruise voucher problem that seems unsolvable. Front Desk gentleman needs a bit of coaching on customer relations!We were traveling with two other groups. 311 resolved 233 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 Refund 6 6 5 4 3 endobj How can they do that to passengers. This tour was our first and last river cruise at least with viking. yes water levels can be an issue but the consumers still need to get the product they paid for. Refund will be given as Returns shipping; 14 days: Money Back: Buyer pays for return shipping: at least month before we went on our trip in October for optional cruises that were subsequently cancelled. Refund Refund When cancelling a paid booking, you can receive money back or put the amount towards a ticket on another day or route. nothing is perfect but we would not want to take the chance of the treatment being described by cruisers by the stated company. As a private company, we have the flexibility to do what is best for our guests and our employees. VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. LauraS No refund, no pro-rated reimbursement for pre-paid services. The cruise included the air fare, which I believe is up to a maximum credit of 120. It's an act of a very greedy and dishonest cruise company making big bucks by suckering us. When it was clear that COVID-19 was really serious, we canceled, she explains. Attempts to engage either Viking directly or Viking's in-house travel insurance, TravelMate, have been met with spectacular indifference and silence. Plan your voyage risk free. 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. It won't cost more than the price of the cruise. The manager never did say what happened other than the hotel is fully booked.The other couple got a room the had a strong septic smell. 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. 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. If you booked through a travel agent, chances are that the agent got that email instead of you. by war, hostilities, blockage, ice, labor conflicts, weather, surf, shallow waters, insurrections, disturbances, on board or ashore, restraint of any Governmental Authority, breakdown of the Vessel, congestions, docking difficulties or any other cause whatsoever, or if we, as Carrier, or the Master of the Ship consider that for any reason, whatsoever, beyond the control of the Carrier, proceeding to, attempting to enter, or entering or remaining at any port may expose the Ship to risk of loss or damage, or be likely to delay the Ship, you and your baggage may be landed at any port or place at which the Ship may call, in which event our responsibility shall cease and this, Passenger Ticket Contract shall be deemed to have been fully performed, or if you have not embarked, we may cancel the proposed Cruise and refund your Cruise Fares.
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how to get a refund from viking cruise