old biddy

I'm sorry that you won't be enjoying Canada this summer, as it was sort of me who persuaded you to the merits of the coach, another year perhaps.

I am in a similar dilemma, although I have slightly longer to decide. We are due on the Eastern Seaboard Explorer in September, finishing in New York. I have severe doubts that they will be clear of Covid 19 by then. For the time being I will my nerve and hope but.......! 

Just curious how difficult was it to contact Viking?

1 hour ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Well I've done it. With a heavy heart I've cancelled our Alaska cruise with 7 day pre extension trip booked for July. The final amount was due in May. The decision to cancel by Viking was not to be until June. I wasn't willing to pay the full amount in the hope that it would, somehow, be OK and risk potentially losing a lot more money. 

As Viking hadn't cancelled yet I couldn't have my deposit back but was offered a FCV valid for 24 months which was fine as we certainly want to sail on Viking again.

1 hour ago, photopro2 said:

This may not be of any help for those of you in the USA or elsewhere (as I have no idea what your law is on this) but I thought this might be good time to remind people in the in the UK that they do have a full guarantee of a refund of all monies paid by credit card if a company fails. This is because Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 states that your credit card provider is jointly liable if something goes wrong.

 

So if a business goes bust, and the goods or services you paid for cost between £100 and £30,000, then you still get full protection of Section 75 by claiming from your credit card company. This would also apply to vouchers, as the credit card company is also jointly liable for any breaches of contract, such as the failure to provide the goods/services in exchange for a voucher.

 

I really don't think that Viking will sink, but UK customers can at least take and use the 125% voucher safe in the knowledge that if the worst happens they can still claim back all the money paid to Viking or their agent from their credit card company. 

Whilst I don't want to dispute what you are saying and is a general assumption, I'm going to! When All Leisure failed 3 years ago, we had a Swan Hellenic cruise booked, through Thomas Cook travel agency. The deposit had been paid by a credit card, so we duly claimed from said credit card. Initially we got the money back but 3 months later they reversed the transaction saying they couldn't get the money from Thomas Cook bank. So it isn't as clear cut as all that. We did eventually get the money back through the ATOL system, but I've heard that is in trouble due to the recent Thomas Cook bailout!

So IF Viking does go under, and I pray not, claiming via credit card may be problematic!

Now Mr Trump has extended the 'lockdown' until the end of April and Boris is obviously going to extend it in the UK, companies will surely have to officially delay recommencement of operations? ( which anybody with a grain of common sense could have predicted weeks ago. Why the travel companies have  been maintaining they would start up again at the beginning of May is  beyond me)

After all my efforts that persuaded you to do the coach extension! My sympathies to you, but I fear your suspicions may be correct.

Just as an aside, we are currently in Fuerteventura due to fly home tomorrow! Apparently an empty plane is coming out to rescue us! We wait and see.

It was you I was thinking about. I have been following the world cruise thread since day 1. Sort of green with envy, but equally after 28days on board I'm ready to return to the real world, sadly.

So do I take it you are continuing to London as planned?

I really think Viking have decided on the honourable thing to do.

Silly question, what happens when you are miles from anywhere in the middle of the ocean on March 12th  I.e. today? Jump and swim? (Sorry being very juvenile!)

Will be interesting to see how this concludes, but definitely the right thing to do. Hats off to Viking. 

Roll on our Eastern Seaboard Exploreer in September.

Viking cruises have suspended all cruises, river and ocean until later in April, with handsome recompense. Surely the right thing to do and truly to be respected. If only all cruise lines would do the same.

We did Alaska last year. 2 tender ports, handled very well, certainly not a reason to not book.

Viking have now done a whole season in Alaska, they have learnt abd ironed oyt the wrinkles.

7 hours ago, BarbarianPaul said:

This was before the final payment date and was not cancel for any reason. Viking does not offer it. Any one can cancel for any reason, with or without insurance, prior to final payment.

Just to be pedantic. In the UK whenever we cancel, once the initial deposit is paid, which for us is 25%, we lose the lot. Yes, some of our other booking conditions are preferable, like final payment 10 weeks before departure. So your statement anyone can cancel for any reason prior to final payment is not strictly true.

I don't see why you feel ripped off. If you didn't have the 'cancel for any reason' insurance, surely you would have lost a lot more than the $1800 cost of the insurance. 

I know I am in the UK and we don't have this facility available to us, but ......if you've used the policy you have to pay for it - end of.

The Main Dining room doesn't open for lunch on 'Port' days, only on sea days, so that may be an issue. Room service is available at anytime however.

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

With less than a hundred days to go, I hope to make some decisions this week for the independent tours that we will do.

 

With the stopover in Reykj on our way over and an 8pm flight home on disembarkation day, we have 3 and a half days to fill and I plan to fill them all with independent tours, except  the half day when we arrive which we will spend in wandering the city for a few hours and getting over jet-lag.

 

I have to figure out which tour is best for which day and find a company that is willing to pick us up at the ship and drop us at the bus station in time for us to catch a bus to the airport on the last day. I am thinking of putting all my eggs in one basket for those three days and using one company for all three days. Golden Circle and South Coast are givens but I am not sure what the third day should be. Whale Watch? We live in New England and have done them before; they can be hit or miss. 

 

So many decisions; so many decisions!

 

 

We found Whale watching out of Rekjavik highly disappointing. Only 1 Humpback compared with a pod of approx 20 off Akureyri, which was amazing. I know it is an inexact science, but just our experience.

Yes the Alaska trips are expensive, but then everything in Alaska is, it's all comparative. We viewed it as we would only do this trip once so decided to make the best of it. We did some of the optional and some included.

We did Homelands in 2017. We flew home from Stockholm to Heathrow. Going out we flew to Oslo and did the extension taking the train to Bergen, a brilliant journey. So sorry, can't help with direct flight to Bergen, but on our various Viking trips we have never used Gatwick. We had BA flights. Hope that helps - or not!

I can confirm, do your own laundry, dry it then bundle the ironing into the bag provided having filled in the inventory form, leave it for your room steward to collect and bingo it comes back 24 - 48hrs later beautifully ironed. Whats not to like!

Whilst we have never had anything over 15€, we do know somebody who had the SS package and was most upset to find she had to pay the full 16€ for champagne, not the 1€ difference.

Hope that helps -or not!

Apart from anything else, I believe, if the government advise against all but essential travel, travel insurance is invalid and wont pay out. 

I don't think I would want to be in China minus insurance.

Looking  at the above response I may be wrong in this!

You are right, on the rivers it is €, on the oceans $, but in fact it is '15' of either, if you see what I mean. On the rivers there is still the limit, or was in September and has been on our 3 previous trips.

All drinks up to 15$ each are covered by the drinks package. I think you will be OK with your malts, but hasten to add I'm not a whisky drinker. The bars aren't open at breakfast  but I do remember bottles of 'champagne' being available to make your own mimosa. 

Just as an aside real champagne does not fall within the drinks package, it is 16$. Prosecco is available however.

I've just realised my knowledge of the drinks package makes it look as if I spend my life in the bar, I don't - honest!

Yes both occupants do have to take the package. I drink less than OH, but still think it's worth it.

We always get Silver Drinks Package. I like Rose wine, which isn't available on included wines. We aren't big drinkers, but a G&T before dinner goes down nicely. You only need to have another drink after dinner and it starts to make sense. I think Viking probably make a profit from us, but it is nice to know there wont be a bill to be paid after the cruise.

The bars are open pretty  much until the last person leaves! On our last cruise (Ukraine) most evenings, our group, (never met before the cruise) were the last ones out of the lounge, probably about 11.30pm, and the bar was open until we left. I can't say how much longer they stayed open - just in case somebody else pitched up.

Hope that helps

I hear what everybody is saying re cost/ value. However I still consider the price well over our budget so we'll pass. To those who do indulge- enjoy!

4 hours ago, Canadian Sunset said:

Too expensive for us.  I’ll bet it will sell well to Europeans.

I've done some sums, the Niagara Falls cruise works out at nearly double the the rate per day that we are paying for the Eastern Seaboard Explorer in September. No way can I justify that amount, as much as I would love to go. Quite why you think it will sell well to Europeans I'm not sure.

We did this trip last July. The transfer was by bus, it took nearly 3 hours. Granted our flight was 'lunch time' (I can't remember exactly when) we were off the ship at 8.30. I seem to remember the last bus was leaving about 10am, presumably for the later flights. Quite what Viking will do if your flight is not until the evening I don't know.

We flew into Kiev, passport control was a bit of a nightmare. We were behind some people from I can't remember where, but they all needed fingerprint identification and it took forever, also communication seemed to be a  issue. We were getting really fed up! When it came to us, just look at the passport, a stamp and through, dead easy! The bus trip to the boat was about an hour, I think, nothing exciting, but nice to get a sighting of Kiev from afar.

We then flew out of Odessa, a big hark back to 1960s, very basic airport. I know no airport seats are comfortable, but these were dire! No real facilities to help pass the time.

As I have said before on this thread, Ukraine is barely ready for tourism. Yes I'm glad we went, but I wont be rushing back.

If you fly via Warsaw, be prepared to go through very stringent security between flights, without even leaving airside! People who had bottled water off the first flight has it confiscated. Why? It really was beyond comprehension.