Selion

Only done 2 Viking Ocean cruises so far, but every time I look at Viking's itineraries I feel like I was looking at those Caribbean cruises out of Miami: same old same old. That feeling is especially strong with European itineraries. Don't get me wrong. There are still some Viking itineraries I'd like to cruise, but if they don't introduce new itins that list will eventually run out.

Unfortunately, no. The cancel for any reason coverage would cover situations such as "I decided not to go." Pre-existing conditions waiver only applies to cancellations due to medical reasons. "Pre-Existing Medical Conditions Exclusion Waiver Provides coverage otherwise excluded due to pre-existing medical conditions." Travel Guard's covered medical cancellation can be for " Insured, Family Member, Traveling Companion, Business Partner, or Host at Destination." So this waiver is very handy. A must-have if any relatives for whom you'd take time off in case of emergencies have chronic conditions. In our case, that's our MIL.

I've always gotten insurance independently from the cruise lines and I've used Travel Guard numerous times. They allow you to purchase a policy for the amount of your deposits, so the pre-existing conditions waiver is in force. Then you can adjust the trip total after you have made the final payment, then pay the additional premium. If you cancel before final payment, you haven't paid the most of your insurance premiums. Even if you cancel after final payment but before travel commences, you can ask Travel Guard to issue a voucher (minus an admin fee, used to be $7 USD) for use on a future policy. TL; DR - If you want the most flexibility out of your travel insurance, don't buy the one sold by cruise lines. BTW, TripMate's "cancel for any reason" is sponsored by Viking. You'll receive a Viking voucher for the costs paid. Read through this forum and you'll see Viking vouchers have some pit falls, but for most cruisers they are easy enough to work with.

Getting 403 Error since earlier this evening. Coincidence I'm also in MD? Think not...

Welcome to Cruise Critic! First thing you need to know about "free" in advertising - Nothing is free. MSC's "Free drinks & wifi" is just like NCL's "Free at Sea"; they are marketing ploys. That said, both are of decent value if you are interested in getting the drink package & wifi anyway. Treat them as inclusive add-ons. Just checked on a Virtuosa sailing in Oct, the "Free Drinks & Wifi" is offered. It's not explicitly named, but the "Best Value" option is the "Free Drinks & Wifi" option. Currently the difference between cruise fares only and this add-on is about $300 per person on a 7-night cruise. I don't think MSC offers this add-on for shorter cruises.

You can't compare the fares on a booking made in Nov 2022 vs current pricing in Jun 2023. Fares tend to increase as sailing date gets closer. MSC's Free Wifi & Drinks is just like NCL's Free At Sea: Marketing ploys.

@Elkins45 You can request change or move by calling MSC. It does not need to be in writing. If the agent on the phone doesn't seem to know what they are doing, hang up and call again. MSC's phone agents' knowledge about their own policies & products vary greatly.

My interpretations are... HOLD - Booking created but waiting for deposit. Booking will be cancelled by NCL if you do not make the deposit by the deposit due date. "Risk Free Cancellation" - Haven't heard this for a while. Used to be popular right after the pandemic restart. Under standard T&C NCL deposits are refundable as long as you cancel by the 120th day prior to departure. Starting with the 119th day, the cancellation fee starts.

Do the Status Match with MSC. Should be a link on their website under Voyager Club. If you can't find it, ask your TA to do it for you. Edit: This is the US page: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/status-match

My parents lucked out in 2021, scored non-stop US east cost to LAX roundtrip around Christmas with BOGO. A friend got lucky for his upcoming Med cruise with non-stop flights roundtrip from US east coast to FCO. BOGO air is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.

@PasadenaDave Write to TellUs and explain the situation and this should not have been a "goodwill" refund. They might just ignore your email since you've already got the refund. A similar situation happened to me with my bank. They charged me a fee due to their error, but I had to track it down. When they contacted me, they said it was a goodwill refund. I wrote back and pointed out it was their mistake. Never responded. Not even a "we are sorry for the inconvenience" crap banks says when they are not at fault.

For us those are the exact reasons we like Viking. We'd sailed MSC's Yacht Club before we sailed Viking. It's a great ship-in-a-ship product. But once we step outside of the YC areas, the experience is the typical resort-ships'. On Viking Ocean the entire ship is like the YC, but better.

Memorial Day Sale on Mississippi, Ocean, Great Lakes & Antarctica sailings. Up to Free Air Stateroom Upgrade Free SSBP Offer Code MDS23 Mississippi Ocean Great Lakes Antarctica

I've always felt cruise ship cabins tend to be smaller towards the end of any cruise...

@Sleep7 You're welcome! Might I also suggest you start a spreadsheet to track the fares and availabilities. Here's the Iconic Western Med I'd been tracking since March: This way you can see what fares Viking was/is asking, and whether if the promo is worth considering.

Yeah, but they know you are Twitter user. Only a click away from publishing for the entire world to see.

Threat of public shaming works wonders! One thing that works wonders with Air Dolomite: Go to LH's website and manage your reservation there. If your ticket is on UA ticket stock (ticket number starting with 016), you can find LH's record locator on UA's website.

If your dates/plans are flexible, you can wait until Nov/Dec 2023 and see if those itineraries pop up on Viking's flash sales. Keep an eye on the available rooms. If most categories on these itins are showing "sold out" on Viking's site, then Viking most likely won't have a flash sale for them. If your dates/plans are not flexible (i.e. anniversaries, birthdays, any date-related milestone celebrations), then bite the bullet and book the cabin when they go on sale and you find the promo perks acceptable. You'll have more rooms & categories to choose from. I booked the "Venice, the Adriatic and Greece" during the height of pandemic, July 2020, for March 2022 for our 20th anniversary. I was happy with the fares & promo at the time. But it was the pandemic and bookings were weak, Viking dropped the fares by $500pp and added free air 2 months before our departure. Well, at least I got the wake-view DV1 cabin I wanted. Wouldn't have that cabin if I waited until Jan. 2022 to book.

Yes, popular/limited space/special access excursions tend to sell out fast and passengers in DV and V categories need to act quick when excursions open to them for booking. You can always book private excursions or free-roam the ports. You are not required to take Viking excursions. I'd done mainly included excursions (city tours) and then remained in the cities afterwards. The quality of the included excursions depend primarily on the tour guides. I also had a few paid Viking excursions. The ones from March 2022 were great, since COVID measures were still in place and groups were relatively small. The ones from November 2022 were lacking, since Viking had reverted to normal programming of about 40 people per group. With that in mind, I'd arrange my own small-group or private excursions in the future if Viking's included excursion doesn't interest me. As far as inclusive-ness go, it depends on your onboard spending habit. I have had $0 balance statements from Royal, NCL, and Princess. Pre-paid everything and bought drink packages. You can do the same with Viking. Where Viking's "inclusive" values shine are their included wine & beer at meal times (if you are not a picky drinker), city tours at each port (great for first time visits, otherwise of minimal value), and free use of spa facilities. Comparing service levels between Celebrity & Viking... FWIW my worst overall cruise experience was on Celebrity in a concierge cabin. To me Viking's service & the more personal attention onboard was leagues above Celebrity, which felt like a more expensive RCCL without the bump in service as suggested by its price tag. Edit: Viking also includes airport transfers if you book air with them. Handy & could save some decent bucks where the airport & sea port are quite a distance apart (i.e. Civitavecchia & Fiumicino).

Back in March when Viking first used WCS23 offer code, all World Cruise perks were included.

Maybe use this on cruises instead? https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Classic-Rubber-Shoulders-Therapy/dp/B08LS9STJD/ref=sr_1_10?crid=P2JP2928OKTP&keywords=warm%2Bwater%2Bbag&qid=1683562082&sprefix=warm%2Bwater%2Caps%2C65&sr=8-10&th=1

It's called "Room Service." 😁 Joking aside, is there a specific reason that you'd want/need a microwave in the cabin?

Devaluation cloud hangs over all rewards cards... The rewards war isn't showing signs of slowing down. Need to take advantage of it for as long as we can!

Insurance aside, I only use credit card because my credit card points are worth more than the 3.3% in savings. Let's say the Viking booking is $10,000. 3.3% e-check discount is $330. Same $10,000 will net me 30,000 rewards points. If I use those points at the lowest redemption value of 1.25 cents per point for statement credit, 30,000 points will give me $375. I'm ahead of the e-check savings by $45. The card's advantage only grows as the booking value increases.

Based on what I can see from my Chase card, educated guess for MCC is 4411.