rbslos18

Welcome to Viking! We have followed a similar path. We too were long time Princess travelers and Elite. We became disillusioned, experimented with a few “luxury cruises,” and finally found Viking in 2021. We have been very satisfied. Have a wonderful cruise. There is a lot of Viking information on this board. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Your point is well taken. I think everyone has high expectations. For a large majority, at least on this board, the expectations are met. The purpose of my question about the imaginary meeting is to see how the Viking diamond can be further polished. Factoring out the pandemic, which they handled as well as they could: 1) Viking has an excellent product for those who do their homework. Negative experiences on cruises are uncommon and not typical. If we aren’t happy, we sure do repeatedly book cruises. 2) There seem to be periodic Customer Service issues. Yes this is a small sampling but there are some recurrent issues raised on CC. 3) There are aspects of the planning process as experienced and expressed on this board that could be improved. (For example Air Plus)

Mr. Hagen is clearly a visionary businessman. He and his leadership team have built impressive loyalty. But in many businesses success and accolades can lead to complacency. If you were invited to a sit down with Tor and his team what would be the one thing you would advise them to do?

I can’t think of any other business that does not honor mistakes made by employees. Perhaps these mistakes happen frequently.

There have been periodic training issues and inconsistencies. One shouldn’t have to keep calling Viking Air twice or three times to get a knowledgeable agent. In 2021 while on our cruise, our flight from Istanbul was cancelled. We were not notified. We fell between the cracks. The day before I went to check in online to a flight that had been cancelled. The Viking Guest Relations staff was stellar in working this out. I’d love to see the possibility of booking flights online as we experienced with Princess years ago.

@mwikeYou are asking all of the right questions. There still is risk when things go awry. Despite many true stories to the contrary, Viking may or may not be effective in responding when there is a missed flight or cancellation. Logically, given the discount Viking receives, other passengers will be far ahead of the line for help. I think @CDNPolar’s posts are accurate. We choose Viking Air (always Plus) if the price is one we can’t turn down. But we always do it with our eyes wide open. Viking Air is a work in process. I find the Viking Air experience uneven. I look forward to the day we can book reservations and changes online.

one issue that has not been mentioned is trip insurance. Booking with Viking alone may impact some policies’’ bankruptcy protection. Be sure to check. We, by the way, have loved our Viking cruises. We book new cruises when onboard and then transfer the booking to a travel agent. We also use an insurance agency for the trip cancellation policy. Read the various posts and you will learn a lot. This forum gives a pretty accurate picture of Viking.

That means your TA buys more tickets in a single year than Viking sells in a decade. Wow! https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-hyperbole-definition-of-hyperbole-with-examples#

Have you emailed tellus@viking.com? They seem to be fairly well trained. Viking's Customer Service is a work in progress. It has not caught up to where it was pre-COVID.

Excellent point @SJD117. We don't write about the lectures as much as the food and dress code! perhaps they are taken for granted. The presentations last about 45 minutes and are typically done via PowerPoint. This approach is an improvement over the 1.5 hour college lectures way back when and reaches auditory and visual learners. Part of what attracts me to the presentations is learning from people from different parts of the world.

Agreed. I tried again and got a fairly reasonable answer. I was told that Viking doesn't sell category upgrades to booked passengers. He also said the posted prices are correct but are for new bookings only. That does make sense but they lose out on hooking people with larger more expensive staterooms. Once a person is paid in full they clearly and understandably have the upper hand!

I think you are right. I could not figure out how she arrived at the price. The only explanation was this is the number in her computer and the posted price is not correct. I will re-ask the question as we get closer.

Your guess is as good as mine and both will probably be incorrect. Sometimes Viking's logic transcends the capacity of mere human mortals. There are a few simple, logical answers--you are paid in full and no upgrades are available; we are not ready to sell this category as an upgrade at this time. But the website has incorrect pricing. That is among the least logical answers I can come up with.

I noticed today that the rates for our upcoming November 2023 cruise had dropped. I called Viking and asked if I could upgrade to a higher category given the price differential from what we paid was $250.00 per person. The Viking agent said she would check into this. She came back and said we could upgrade our cabin but "the current prices shown on the Viking website are not accurate." The pricing in the Viking system were substantially more and the website had not been updated. I think I know the answer but...Does this make sense?

I came to the same conclusion as @LindaS272. I could not find an included SNUBA excursion on the cruise. Given the cost of such an experience, I would be surprised to see it as a “Included” ie free excursion. There is a comparable but lower priced SNUBA experience offered by Viator.

I have to agree with @uktog. I have generally found the chosen topics interesting and presented in an engaging manner. These lectures are not supposed to be college level lectures or entry level lectures. Cruise lectures are a special educational niche that require a capacity to peak people’s interest so they want to return for more. Our Viking cruise in July had a former MI6 agent. I thought the lectures he presented were fascinating, fun and peaked my interest in his subject. Was this the level of an intro level history class I had at Columbia University? Of course not, thank heavens…this is a vacation. The lectures were good enough that I attended each lecture and walked away wanting to learn more. @cruisemom42 The lectures on cruise ships are interesting educational activities that present topics in a popular manner. The lecturers tend to be retired individuals who have knowledge in their fields. I find them typically, but not always, interesting. The lectures are a small aspect, not a focus, of the Viking travel experience. I hope this helps!

The quality of the lectures vary based on the lecturer. They are typically very good and some have been excellent. I have a degree in history and have given lectures at a few universities. The Viking lecturers do not give university-level type lectures which I think is a good thing. The typical Viking lecturer keeps my interest and attention. It is one of the reasons we travel on Viking.

Sort of like the proof of COVID vaccinations! We have yet to be asked.

Thanks! That sounds reasonable.

Is it correct that Viking Air Plus fees are Ed under if you end up not booking with them pre-121 days? The last time I asked in 2022 for a July 2023 cruise the Air Plus agent said the fees would not be refunded if we chose not to book with them.

I would call Viking Air. If you paid for Air Plus they can change your flight and straighten it out. Once you are assigned a flight and airline reservation then check to make sure your seat is what you want and check regularly. We only use Viking Air if it is a deal we can’t resist and then check and check to make sure there are no changes. We have three cruises coming up. We have seven trips coming up. Every single flight has been changed. Here is some advice: 1) If you used a travel agent, let them help you. 2) If you only worked with Viking, call Viking Air and tell them what you need. 3) If that fails, I have found emailing tellus@viking.com often leads to a phone call and someone to help. 4) I believe one of these will work. If not see if a relative or friend can help. This will take some patience. Keep us posted so we can help. But there is good news. While I have found the Viking operation pre-cruise to be frustrating, the cruises have been outstanding. The ships and staff are just remarkable. My heart goes out to you. My wife had a TIA stroke overseas 4 years ago. She is 100% recovered but the event was scary.

Our cruise ends in Chioggia. We would like to visit Florence and Lake Geneva ending in Paris. Any suggestions how to do this via train? I assume we need to get to Padova to get the train. Thanks RB

I know I speak for the many you have selflessly helped on this board in expressing our happiness for you. You deserve this opportunity! Enjoy and report back.

I understand the humor and sarcasm. But the OP is a first-time Viking cruiser with few posts. If someone hasn’t been around the Viking board, they might not get the “humour.” And for a newbie humor can easily feel like sarcasm. The question is understandable and Clay’s solution was helpful. The real take-away is the benefit of the search feature. But live and learn.

Welcome to Viking! You will find some truly helpful past Viking cruisers on this board. You will also find some sarcasm and impatience with questions from newbies. Wearing a robe to cover your swimsuit is certainly acceptable. Clay’s advice to avoid public areas is wise. Above all, have a great cruise! I remember the excitement of our first Viking cruise.