Peregrina651

Don't dawdle. There is a deadline on changing the flights, must be done before it is ticketed. Call Viking Air today. Explain why you can't wait for your TA to get back from vacation to do this for you. If you don't get someone to help you, ask to speak to a supervisor. Don't give up. If all else fails, email tellus@vikingcruises.com and explain your situation. Be sure to include your booking number and your phone number.

It usually takes about half an hour after the ship docks for them to be ready for guests to disembark for the day. Back on board time is normally one half hour before departure time.

Anthony's French Bistro California Cuisine Food through Time (not it’s actual name). Clay, do you remember what the main course was?

Viking is not a member of CLIA. Not conforming to standards they never agreed to uphold does not make them sub-standard, it only makes them different. Viking has its own way of doing things but it still has no trouble filling its ship to capacity.

It's my understanding that you can't do it until 30 days before the cruise -- if it is to be done at all.

You should not have a problem landing in Oslo instead of Bergen. This first part is going to be a bit confusing: Because of their contracts with the airlines, Viking can only guarantee the base rate if you travel on Day1 and Day last of your package and if you fly one of the routes that they are offering at that price, which unless you pay the AirPlus fee, they will choose for you. Viking airfare is for the flights they are offering at that price, not for any flight plan you want. That said, lots of people deviate their arrival/departure day without incurring a change of air fare, just the added fees. (It may mean sacrificing the optimal routing for something slightly less than perfect) Deviating also means that you lose access to Viking transfers on the legs which are deviated. The Fees: The AirPlus fee is paid when you want to choose your flights yourself. Viking doesn't talk to guests who haven't paid the fee, which means that you can't ask questions about what they are offering until you have paid the fee. If you are planning on upgrading your ticket with points, then you should pay the fee and work with Viking, who will explain the ins, outs and $$$ of getting a ticket that can be upgraded. A deviation fee if you want to arrive ahead of time or linger after or if you want to arrive or depart from a different airport A stopover fee if you want to stop en route for a few days. A fee if you want to have your flights ticketed early. Some airlines will also charge a fee to choose seats. (I have run in to this a number of times). As to what the fees will be, you should contact Viking. I don't want to give the wrong information.

That right! To perdition with the luggage! I have everything I need in my carry-ons.

No. If flights are part of your original booking, you make your final payment on time and you let Viking do all of the choosing, the price will be what they quoted at the time of booking. IF you decide that you want a say in what those flights will be OR you wish to arrive days before the start of your Viking package and/or stay longer, then there will be extra fees from Viking and a possible small bump in the fare imposed by the airline -- and usually the bump can be completely avoided. Viking does not promise that their fares are cheaper than what you can get on your own. But they do offer a certain amount of comfort for those who are new to overseas travel. As long as you are arriving on the first day of your package and departing on the last, they will greet you as emerge from border control and take care of you until you are back at the airport for your flight(s) home. However, not that if you want to deviate from the stated arrival and/departure days, there are no Viking transfers included; you are on your own to get to your hotel and then to the ship.

There was also a general thread started in this forum: Viking Expeditions Thread. Plus other threads here that are specifically about the Expeditions ships and itineraries.

Liz, how could one ever hope to pick out their luggage in that mess? Well, I have a choice here: I can look for my luggage or I can make my connecting flight. Guess what my choice is!

Pay the AirPlus fee and you can choose your flights as soon as airlines open them for booking BUT they are not ticketed until much closer to departure, unless you pay for early ticketing. BUT, early ticketing can have its downsides in today's market because of all the schedules changes that are still happening and because once ticketed, you cannot cancel the air portion of your booking with Viking. Lots of things to consider no matter which path you choose. Unless it is a cash flow issue, I don't understand the worry of having Viking sitting on your cash while taking the time to gather the information needed to make the decision. If it is $3000 for air, the amount that it would earn in 6 months if left sitting in a bank savings account at less than 1% per annum would be less than $15. Compare that to the $300pp or more that you would pay should you decide to cancel the air before final payment and then add it back in at a later date.

Current pricing is available on the website. In the example image snipped from a random cruise on the website, the 'brochure price' is the fare that is struck out. They are currently offering a $200 discount on the cruise fare and a $300 reduction on the airfare for this particular itinerary

Hmm. Not clear who it refers to. But clearly out of place here.

Age is a mindset. Baseball great Satchel Paige, when asked his age, responded, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" We can give you an idea of what it is like on board the ship, but only you can decide if what you are hearing will work for you. If you are looking for steel drums, umbrella drinks, belly-flop contests, a hopping disco until the wee hours, etc. Viking is not the right choice. If you are looking for a more subdued experience with touring all day and a table for two at dinner each night, take a look at Viking. Check out the thread in this forum called "Tell Me Why". One member asked us to tell her why we think she should try Viking and we came back with a list of things. If you agree with enough of the items on the list, then, regardless of the date on your driver's license, you might be a good fit with Viking. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2381846-tell-me-why/

If you do that you lose any discounts on air price. What you lose is more than you would gain if you had the cash in the bank.

Pay the final payment when it is due. You will get your money back if you decide not to use Viking Air. There is no way around doing it this way -- and it is cheaper than cancelling the air portion before the payment is due and then adding it back in -- which will at the higher brochure rate. Before you talk with Viking, do your homework. See what the airlines and the online booking sites are offering. Sometimes you do better with Viking and sometimes you don't. If you arrange your own air, you can buy transfers from Viking with certain restrictions. Viking charges a fee for those who want choose their flights (vs. taking whatever Viking gives them). They will also charge a deviation or a stopover fee if you want to arrive before the first day of your Viking package and/or linger after or if you want to stop somewhere along the way. "Typically" doesn't hold up so well post pandemic; the airlines aren't back to normal yet. Even if one or two are accepting bookings at 300 days, other airlines may not be ready yet; you won't have the full picture. Then there is the big problem with flights changes after you have reserved your flights -- whether you book with Viking or do things on your own. .

Voucher balance doesn't carry over to shipboard account. Must be spent before boarding --upgrade cabin, shorex, pre-paid gratuities, drinks package, etc.

If you have already made your final payment and then decide to add air, you will have to pay for it when you add it. Unless they have changed the rules recently (always a possibility), you can cancel the air for a refund as long as it has not been ticketed. Somewhere on the website I have seen how many days in advance of departure they ticket -- but I'll be danged if I remember how many days or where I found it. Maybe the Terms & Conditions. Ditto. Lots of good reasons for doing it that way, especially if they are offering any deal on the air. You lock in whatever discount is on offer when you book You can always upgrade, at the same rate as if you chosen it at booking, when you get down to choosing your flights (but if you have already passed your final payment date, you will have to pay the difference immediately) You can cancel it, as described above Otherwise, if you add air later, you may end with the un-discounted brochure rate. This is another one of those times when Viking is marching to the beat of its own drummer and it is confusing to those who expect them to behave like other cruise lines. They don't. They have always had their own way of doing certain things. Their air department handles only guests who have booked air through them and will only talk to guests or their travel agents who have paid the "AirPlus" fee. They are not there to help guests to decide whether they should book their flights with Viking or elsewhere. That is a decision we have to make on our own (or with the help of our travel agents). They have always operated this way and they are very set in their ways.

Hyperbole on the part of the author, maybe? Poetic license?

You should hear them when they turn into even worse "Great-Granddad Jokes." I learned at my father's knee and he hasn't given up the franchise yet. My mother just turns a deaf ear -- always has.

Because you already have a cruise on the books, the one for Sep 10 -- and a good agent who booked the two cruises in the right order so that you could get the later Final payment date. The perk is that if you already have a future cruise booked, then you can ask for and receive a final payment date of 6 months prior to the cruise. When you book a second cruise, make sure that the offer that Viking sends clearly states when the final payment is due and if it isn't correct, don't pay the deposit until it is (and you see a corrected copy of the offer). Once your deposit is made, Viking will not budge on any change in terms of the contract.

Groan! But still LOL.

It took a while, but we finally figured it out. And, it saves us money because there is no room for souvenirs. 😉 Clay, tell DH that every time I see those bags he made, I am in awe.

On the pratical side, that's one good reason to pack a complete change of clothing, or at least clean undies, in your carry on -- along with ALL of your expensive electronics and ALL the meds you will need for the entire trip and maybe a bathing suit. Travel insurance barely covers the cost of your lost clothing let alone replacing cameras and computers.

Another ditto! We did Iguazu Falls on our own and spent New Years Eve there -- the most expensive lodgings we have ever paid for -- but so worth it, falls view and all. The trip is easy to plan and execute entirely on your own. We bought our own flights. We made our own hotel reservation. The airport is in downtown BA (not the international airport outside of the city). We used cabs for transport to and from the airports. We stayed at the hotel inside the park and walked or took the tram to the things we wanted to see; no guide needed. We took the first flight out on New Years Eve and the next-to-last flight home on Jan 1. It was plenty of time to see what we wanted to see. One caveat: it is very hot and humid at this time of the year.