leishirsute

I ended purchasing annual policies that cover multiple trips for the year. Comes out cheaper, but does not include cancel for any reason, just medical during travel, emergencies at home with family or trip changes by the travel providers.

Please note that paying the deposit only does not lock in the Viking travel insurance premium cost. In the course of a 20 minute booking phone call with Viking, I paid only the covering deposit only to have the Viking Tripmate insurance premium go up by $200/pp during the call because it wasn't paid in full at time of deposit. Viking said they had no control of Tripmate rates and gave us a $100/pp shipboard credit to lessen the blow. They refused to give $200 shipboard credit.

In the past, VIking has emailed to me an excursions pricing example for the itinerary prior to booking if the itinerary was not a brand new one.

I was just browsing but checking 2024 cruises to get an idea of excursion pricing.

I am trying to budget for an Alaska cruise and was checking the Holland America website which shows some attractive Alaska itineraries. However, I can't determine excursions and excursions pricing. When I chatted with Holland America, I was told that I needed to book first before I could get any excursion pricing. How is someone supposed to budget for a cruise if the pricing is not shown?

I have searched and can't find one. That makes me wonder what happens when wanting to return or cancel due to a death in the family of a non-traveling member of the family. Do we have to eat the cost of the trip with these annual policies? On my prior Viking cruise that had a port stop scheduled for Jerusalem, it was rerouted to Malta instead. The cruise had several booking cancellations that did not want to opt for the reroute to Malta. Viking's included insurance covered that cancellation by giving credit towards another cruise. As far as I can determine, an annual travel insurance plan would not have covered that reason.

And VIking told me that for river cruises, all excursions open at the same for all cabin levels.

Is there anyway to see which excursions have been sold out for a Viking cruise prior to booking the cruise? If not, that seems like a game of chance.

I was trying to access the same info that is available on the VV app for the phones.

It appears Viking inaccurately expects people to have cellphones in order to get their cruise information after embarkation as they remove any trace of a booking on the myvikingjourney website after departure. One would expect the info on the website to match the info on the phone app. Is there any way to get my cruise info on a Windows laptop after embarkation?

3rd reason: To keep their heads warm, just like many people who wear wigs. Should wigs be banned in the dining areas or outrageous hairdo's?

Sometime people wear hats to keep their heads warm and feel comfortable in hat. Much like many people who wear wigs. Maybe a hat with a hair design would be a accepted since wigs seem to be accepted.

The passenger to staff ratio is probably closer to 1 to 1 than 2 to 1 that is usually advertised.

I would think the Russians are putting everything into the Ukraine war and can't afford to start anything else in another part of the world.

I've noticed that Viking changes refund offerings as well as posting credits on MVJ among different passengers. I wonder if passengers who take more Viking cruises get preferential refund offerings.

Unfortunately, traveling with someone with medical dietary requirements does not allow for land travel. When we checked most land tours will not guarantee that medical diets can be accommodated although they say they will try their best. Whereas, cruises tend to handle special dietary needs quite readily.

Updates on Current Sailings Israel – As of October 10, 2023 We are carefully monitoring the situation in Israel. We have no scheduled calls in Israel until late November and will continue to evaluate conditions in the days and weeks to come. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our guests, crew and partners on the ground; should any itinerary modifications become necessary, impacted guests and their Travel Advisors will be contacted directly by Viking Customer Relations. SOURCE: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html#noscroll

@dreamercruise It must be a major logistics operation to vie for replacement stops with other lines that are doing the same "last minute" arranging. Larger lines probably have more clout to get their desired ports. Some of them have announced new itineraries earlier than Viking.

@PhilRSchultz I already sent in my vote to Viking for Sicily if Jerusalem doesn't happen. Of course, they have so much quick logistics changes to manage and maybe by remote chance that area will settle down by 11/14m, though doubt it.

Is there any cruise forum where TA names can be shared? Curious

Thanks for clarifying what to expect from TA's in this day and age. I would probably do better using some concierge service. I've been burned in the past locking into one agent that was not very accessible.

I am not expecting the names of any travel agents. I'm just trying to get an idea of the services and advice to be expected from a TA above and beyond doing my own booking.

Actually,I've phoned a few local agencies. They sound great at first until I start asking questions that require a bit of research, then they tend to ignore the questions or answer me that such information is available online. It seems to me that kind of diminishes the value of a travel agency.

Hi, I'm on a travel agency search and so far have not had great luck in locating an agency that provides advice on topics such as: + is it more economical to book my own air and trip insurance + does the cruise handle special dietary needs The agencies I've contacted talk a great game but when I ask more detailed questions about cruises or desired destinations, they send me URL's for me to do my own research. I'm not seeing any value in a travel agency if they are mainly about booking travel. Is that how travel agencies work now? Maybe I have incorrect expectations of service offerings from travel agencies. I'm seeking an agency that will consult with me and not just send me URL's for me to the research.

We also prefer the small ships. More interested in the port excursions than the casinos, buffets, and on board entertainment. Can you tell I'm older? LOL