Ktwofish

41 minutes ago, HUNKY said:

Working on booking "In Search of the Northern Lights" for March 2024.

 

STA23 didn't work

 

STS23 included air, but since we are overnighting in London, it was not beneficial.

@HUNKY Could you pay a flight deviation fee to fly in one day early?  Maybe it would still be a “deal” with free airfare.

46 minutes ago, starrmom999 said:

 

I was thinking about booking the Antarctic Explorer. They have free air and some deals on cabins. Has anyone done this cruise?  Any experiences you can  share? Would you do the antarctic with Viking or a different cruise line? 

We are considering an Antarctic cruise, too.  There is a Cruise Critic Group (Viking Expeditions Thread) that might give you more information.  Also, there is a FB group that is very active (Viking Expedition Antarctica Cruises.)

@Clay Clayton What a deal! You got me looking!  Just not sure I can be gone for 4 months.

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

We booked a cruise for July 2023 in August 2022 during the $25 anniversary special deposit promo thinking of a better deal came along before our January 2023 final payment date that we would only be out $25.  Our cruise in October 2022 which we had paid for using a $1325 voucher and cash was canceled.  Because we knew we had final payment coming up relatively quickly, we accepted a voucher for 110% of what we had paid and reinstatement of the original voucher. 
 

Last week Viking advertised a promo on the August cruise, when we went to cancel, we learned that without our knowledge, both vouchers had been applied to our booking. So if we wanted to take advantage of the promo and cancel our $25 booking, we would loose the values of the two bookings. 
 

So while we are still ahead financially and didn’t loose any money, I just wanted to let folks know of our experience. 

Thank you for the information.  That’s truly unfortunate.  We booked a 2024 cruise under the $25 pp deposit promotion.  We are not sure we are going to go on the trip.  We were able to get the final payment pushed to 6 months before sailing since we had another cruise fully paid.  If we don’t go, we are only out $50.

13 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Yep, we usually prefer “last minute” bookings as we find we get the best bang for our Buck. Our recent experience with the “$25” pp deposit  really being a $4,300 pp deposit has only emphasized our preference is the best option for us. 

If you don’t mind me asking, how did the $25 pp deposit promo end up costing you $4300? Yikes!

1 hour ago, TrumpyNor said:

 

Latest  "official news":

As Viking Polaris is a ship that is registered in Norway, there was a report here in a Norwegian newspaper less than 2 hours ago (01.00 PM European time), quoting somebody from Viking Line officially stating that unfortunately the wave caused one fatality (passenger) and four other passengers that were receiving medical threatment for non-lethal injuries. 

This is all so tragic, and my heart goes out to the family of the deceased.

@notamermaid Is it correct that Germany will drop face mask requirements for airplanes beginning October 1st?  I read an online article but I see nothing on an official German website.

I am also taking the Rhine cruise in October.  I did the same cruise 3 years ago, so I would like to skip the morning bus ride to the Black Forest.  Any suggestions for getting transport from Breisach to Colmar and back?

46 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

In the past, if Viking was offering free airfare, and you declined that offer, they would give you a credit towards your cruise for what they would have paid. Does anyone know if they still do this? 

I have a cruise scheduled for next month that included free airfare.  I decided to book my own upgrade airfare with a large airline credit I needed to use.  Viking did not give me any credit for not using their “free” airfare.

1 hour ago, greyarea53 said:

Look as if we will add a couple of days in BA. As we are passed the 75 days for "flight adjustments" I hope Viking will be amenable and not charge us for a flight change. I think this will be our last Viking Cruise as we tend to arrange our own vacations, plus the food is not that good.

If you have been ticketed, maybe Viking Air will make your change for free??  Good luck!

1 hour ago, shadowlover said:

Well yes, I agree these promotions are definitely at this point trying to sell the cruise and fill the ship.  I'm always puzzled why anyone, mainly viking would think that their loyal customers and "the early birds" don't deserve to be treated the same way.  They are concerned about their bottom line as am I.   My main concern is not actually the last minute sales but their somewhat secretive sales/ coupons that they are not transparent about when booking.  They will ask you if you have one but if not they don't share any.

I agree.  After booking a Viking cruise, mailers and emails stop.  I get the business reasons for targeting people who are not booked, but it would be nice to get the same offers as others.  Thanks to this group, I can still find deals!

1 hour ago, Islandbc said:

Is the ANT22 code just valid in the US?  I get an error message when I try to book it from Canada even though the blue star appears.

You could use the Viking chat feature to find out the answer to your question.

49 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Generally speaking you are correct, however, some of us have experienced shorter final payment times.  For example, we booked our October 2022 Ocean cruise in mid May 2022 (prior to the $25 deposit) and I expected final payment to be due within a day or three of booking. Instead for some unknown reason it wasn’t due until the end of July 2022. Unfortunately Viking canceled that cruise yesterday😢

 

Do bear in mind that the 6 month PIF date if you have a cruise already booked isn’t automatic. You have to ask for it. 

Definitely ask for the delayed final payment.  We took advantage of the $25 deposit deal and booked a 2024 ocean cruise.  We have a paid in full cruise scheduled for this October.  I asked to delay final payment, and they gave me October 1, 2023, which is 6 months before sailing.

I agree, @Sunflower & The Scientist I’ve never understood why the topic of dress code and attire can be so divisive.  Simple question, simple answer.  No need to be unkind, snarky, etc.

@notamermaid @steamboats Thank you for sharing you expertise and knowledge of the current state of affairs in Germany.  Yesterday, we made the difficult choice of cancelling our December 8th river cruise. Unfortunately, I think things will get worse before they get better in your part of the world.  Wishing everyone good health and safe travels!

11 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

@Coral I try to be realistic but sway to the pessimistic a bit when assessing the situation here. I would still like to say "come and see the markets, the companies do everything to keep their passengers safe and the health measures in Germany are very good". But when I read of @Psoque 's experience this morning, I started wondering. A blow to my optimism that you can actually operate a safe cruise. The odds are turning statistically to the negative, I feel. That is not blaming Crystal. I just tend to think there are too many carriers of the virus now in the general population.

 

Giving up on the season must be hard for people, crew and companies, but perhaps it is better to stay in your own country at this point. Not sure where we will be in a week's time, but things are definitely not going to get better any time soon. I think the drab weather is getting to me... 

 

notamermaid

 

 

You make very good points. I have been impressed with Viking’s health program, which is the reason we feel comfortable cruising with them.  Unfortunately, the coronavirus is still with us.  Who would have guessed we’d still be dealing with this pandemic 18 months after booking our Christmas market cruise?!

Has anyone heard about the Rhine Christmas Market cruises?  Are they still going and is that area handling the Covid strain better than Bavaria and Saxony?

4 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you for the info @Ktwofish 

On top of Covid there is also low water on the Danube.

 

Frankfurt Christmas market is still on (may change soon), but mask wearing has been introduced in busy shopping streets even outdoors.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Where does low water usually affect Danube cruising? 

Not sure if you read this, but Viking has updated their Danube itinerary.  We got an email late yesterday.  For our sailing from Passau (Dec. 8th and even for the current sailing) they will go Passau to Regensburg (instead of Linz) to “cruise day through Austria” to Bratislava and then Budapest.  They have added an extra day in Budapest.  Kudos to Viking for trying to keep their ship sailing, but much can change over the coming days/weeks.  Hoping things improve for everyone in Germany and Austria!

I believe on the Longships, the elevator does not go to the bottom deck.  We were in a standard room (bottom deck) on our first river cruise, and there was no elevator.  All Longships are the same deck plan.  I suggest a cabin on the Middle Deck (200 numbered cabins) so you would be on the same level as the dining room and an elevator. Also, a Viking rep may be able to answer your question about some of the other ships.

@girlsandpop We are from Florida and used to hot weather. We sailed in early October 2019 on the Rhine, we loved the cool weather.  We dressed in layers and were very comfortable.  You will love the trip!

@marthalee  How frustrating to not be able to get the same “single” deal when rebooking.  I’m glad you were able to get some discounts, though.  We booked the Danube Waltz for Dec. 2021.

We are not retired, and we do not yet qualify for Medicare.  I have to call our insurance company to determine if we are covered outside of the U.S.  This is all good information.  Thanks!

@Peregrina651  I definitely understand your point.  In fact, I purchased insurance on my last planned cruise, and I filed a claim because my mother passed away 2 weeks before we were to sail.  I was definitely glad to have the insurance.  You bring up good points, though, about the concierge service which would be a great help when abroad.

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. I’m leaning towards not getting insurance. We can only get a voucher for all but about $2000 of the total trip cost, and we don’t need insurance to get a voucher for the total cost (thanks to Viking’s current Risk Free Guarantee.)  The real value is the medical coverage, I guess. We have a few more days to decide. 😊