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Viking Ocean at more than 50% off


broker1217
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I know I can't say the name of a travel agency website.

But I just received an email that advertised VO promotion pricing of up to 66% off.

I went to the agency site, and indeed they had several cruises at prices lower than VO website (VO $6599/pp vs. TA website $4999/pp).

 

In the past, I have seen that VO will play around with the price of the cruise but ALWAYS has it listed at 50%. Meaning they have lowered the original/full cruise fare so that the actual fare always appeared as 50% off. And the VO website pricing always matched the pricing on this agency website in the past.

 

Is this something new or have I just never noticed it before? Or will the VO website change it's pricing in the next few days?

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Percentages don't mean anything. They are an advertising come-on, just like Viking's 2-for-1 pricing nonsense.

 

The only thing you should be looking at is the bottom-line: How much are you paying? If the price you see on the Viking website for the cabin category you want is X and the price your TA is quoting is less than that, that is all that matters.

 

Let's use your numbers. Viking says $6599, which is half off (50% off) the "brochure price" for that cabin of $13,200 and your TA's price is $4999, which is 66% off the brochure price but only 25% off the Viking going price of $6599. Whether they call it 66% or 25% --and which do you think sounds more enticing--the TA price is still $4999, a savings of $1600 over what Vikings says it will charge, before they add in any discounts such as your returning guest discount.

 

My first question is: Is this TA price before or after your returning guest discount?

 

Second question: Does this price include any other discounts that Viking is offering, that have not been deducted from the price Viking is showing?

 

BTW, there is another TA-type site that gathers all the cruise line deals into one place and it is always touting a high discount on Viking cruises because they base the calculations on the "brochure price."

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I got the same email.The 52 - 62 % off price is for some very select sailings, are all in the next next couple of months. Did not say if these are for guarantees . On a previous cruise I did out of Istanbul, this same agency had over 20 passengers book our cruise in the last four weeks. They jioned our roll call.they all had guarantee , not a specific cabin. It was of course way after final payment.

BTW, I did see on their web site that the WC segment of 96 days, in Feb 2019 on the Orion ,from Ackland NZ to Vancouver BC ,is sold out !

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I got the same email.The 52 - 62 % off price is for some very select sailings, are all in the next next couple of months. Did not say if these are for guarantees . On a previous cruise I did out of Istanbul, this same agency had over 20 passengers book our cruise in the last four weeks. They jioned our roll call.they all had guarantee , not a specific cabin. It was of course way after final payment.

BTW, I did see on their web site that the WC segment of 96 days, in Feb 2019 on the Orion ,from Ackland NZ to Vancouver BC ,is sold out !

 

On the Viking Ocean Cruise home page, there is a prominent link to "Last Minute Travel Specials." These cruises, all within the next couple of months, show only the standard 50% off price, but the implication is that if you "Request a Quote" it is going to be under the published price. Otherwise, why call it a last minute special? Perhaps these are the cruises that the TA is offering at an additional discount.

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On the Viking Ocean Cruise home page, there is a prominent link to "Last Minute Travel Specials." These cruises, all within the next couple of months, show only the standard 50% off price, but the implication is that if you "Request a Quote" it is going to be under the published price. Otherwise, why call it a last minute special? Perhaps these are the cruises that the TA is offering at an additional discount.

Could very well be.I have never dome the next step and made a call for "request a quote".

I have my eye on a sailing in 2020 but it is not on any TA lists.

I do know that Viking does offer a lower air fare for some of their sailing that they promote in their sales. I get emails from Viking Ocean at least a couple times a week.

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Just a guess, but I noticed substantial increases in fares for a August '19 cruise I had booked a while ago when the itinerary first appeared. Could a TA have secured a number of cabins for different cruises at the original lower rates and is now offering them as "discounts" over the new higher rates? Just a thought. Fuel prices are climbing, along with it, the price of travel.

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Does the TA's price include all port fees and taxes or are they added on to the advertised price?

 

The VO cruise I booked had the port fees and taxes already added into the brochure price.

 

Port fees and taxes are included in all Viking's pricing. They are not added on afterwards. I'm sure that if a TA tried to do that in order to advertise a more attractive price that Viking would soon put a stop to it.

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Ok--my intent was not to get anyone's knickers in a knot!

My question was--has anyone seen this anomaly in the past?

I have not contacted the TA to validate if it is for a guarantee vs. specific cabin.

Yes-it includes any port fees, taxes.

To Peregrina--can't validate exactly what the onboard credit would be for this specific cruise as I am not currently onboard.

I booked onboard for my last cruise and got $400 pp for onboard and $200 pp for repeat customer. Still far short of $1600 pp. I THINK the onboard booking discount was based on length and not price. We booked 15 night. I may be wrong and did not save the paperwork with the offers so I cannot validate.

In the past this TA site has ALWAYS had the same pricing as VO website so I was surprised to see this. And simply wondering if something was changing. Perhaps not.

All I know is the TA website was substantially lower than VO website and wondered if there was some change in marketing plan.

I do remember seeing last December that some of the West Indies/Caribbean cruises were offered at very low prices for the following January/February. If I am not mistaken I saw some offered at $2000 pp, with the brochure rate lowered to $4000 pp.

I only mention this because we watch for deals and have flexible travel plans. If there is an offer of a cruise on short notice at a fabulous price we may jump on it.

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Same bull as Oceania (our current favorite).

 

It is the bottom line $ than we work with. Not interested nor motivated with the lying promotions of all the cruise lines and air lines and restaurants etc.

 

Viking is not considered by our household due to reluctance to book and pay in full so far out and paying for alcohol we will not use, not paying for alcohol for others, nor shore excursions we likely will not use.

 

Oceania allows us to totally customize our cruise experience and payment is based on OUR desires.

 

Viking will not see our business until they cease imposing blanket experiences on everyone.

 

Happy sailing.

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Viking dumps inventory on slow selling sailings, both ocean and river. This past winter they had to give away the West Indies out of San Juan. Half off the half off plus free air and transfers. They will probably have to do the same thing next winter.

We have picked up a couple last minute Viking deals within a few weeks of departure. The price was good. Truthfully I don’t think Viking is worth the normal half off brochure price.

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Ok--my intent was not to get anyone's knickers in a knot!

My question was--has anyone seen this anomaly in the past?

I have not contacted the TA to validate if it is for a guarantee vs. specific cabin.

Yes-it includes any port fees, taxes.

To Peregrina--can't validate exactly what the onboard credit would be for this specific cruise as I am not currently onboard.

I booked onboard for my last cruise and got $400 pp for onboard and $200 pp for repeat customer. Still far short of $1600 pp. I THINK the onboard booking discount was based on length and not price. We booked 15 night. I may be wrong and did not save the paperwork with the offers so I cannot validate.

In the past this TA site has ALWAYS had the same pricing as VO website so I was surprised to see this. And simply wondering if something was changing. Perhaps not

All I know is the TA website was substantially lower than VO website and wondered if there was some change in marketing plan.

I do remember seeing last December that some of the West Indies/Caribbean cruises were offered at very low prices for the following January/February. If I am not mistaken I saw some offered at $2000 pp, with the brochure rate lowered to $4000 pp.

I only mention this because we watch for deals and have flexible travel plans. If there is an offer of a cruise on short notice at a fabulous price we may jump on it.

 

I have been on this travel agency's email list for over four years. I always look at the Viking offerings in the last two last two years. The 62% off brochure price is the first time I have seen it. But it was for only two or three sailings that I am not interested in.

I suggest you monitor their offerings and good luck finding a last minute sailing.

I, on the other hand, do not have FF miles to use and living in the middle of the US, airfare is always a consideration for me when I book a cruise. That is why I have only done one cruise 60 days out.

All my other cruises have been booked at least one to two years out.

I am looking at a 2020 Viking cruise in Northern Europe as a top proirty but need to wait till Sept when my travel companion can make her decision.

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Same bull as Oceania (our current favorite).

 

It is the bottom line $ than we work with. Not interested nor motivated with the lying promotions of all the cruise lines and air lines and restaurants etc.

 

Viking is not considered by our household due to reluctance to book and pay in full so far out and paying for alcohol we will not use, not paying for alcohol for others, nor shore excursions we likely will not use.

 

Oceania allows us to totally customize our cruise experience and payment is based on OUR desires.

 

Viking will not see our business until they cease imposing blanket experiences on everyone.

 

Happy sailing.

 

 

 

Welcome to the VIKING board...[emoji848]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Like all cruise lines Viking periodically offers e-mail only promotions. These are not considered published rates and as such TA's may not advertise them. In fact the first time the TA will probably know about it is when a customer calls with a promo code. Some cruise lines will validate the code at time of booking to see if it is for that customer. Viking currently has a promo for a few select cruises with upto $1600 off for certain cabins and free air. This might be what your TA is offering and he doesn't know all the rules.

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Viking dumps inventory on slow selling sailings, both ocean and river. This past winter they had to give away the West Indies out of San Juan. Half off the half off plus free air and transfers. They will probably have to do the same thing next winter.

 

We have picked up a couple last minute Viking deals within a few weeks of departure. The price was good. Truthfully I don’t think Viking is worth the normal half off brochure price.

 

 

 

The issue with the West Indies cruises this year was the hurricanes that devastated so many of the ports. I spoke with a lot of people who canceled because of the uncertainty of whether the ship would sail on the earlier ones. We had ports changed and ours was one of the last sailings.

 

We stuck with it. As far as I was concerned, I just wanted to be on the ship, out of the cold and snow. I didn’t care where it went. And we had a fabulous cruise. I would absolutely book this itinerary again with no hesitation.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Same bull as Oceania (our current favorite).

 

It is the bottom line $ than we work with. Not interested nor motivated with the lying promotions of all the cruise lines and air lines and restaurants etc.

 

Viking is not considered by our household due to reluctance to book and pay in full so far out and paying for alcohol we will not use, not paying for alcohol for others, nor shore excursions we likely will not use.

 

Oceania allows us to totally customize our cruise experience and payment is based on OUR desires.

 

Viking will not see our business until they cease imposing blanket experiences on everyone.

 

Happy sailing.

 

 

Not sure what your point is. So Viking is clearly not the line for you. You’re so happy with Oceania, why are you even reading the Viking board? So you can complain about something for the sake of complaining. Viking isn’t going to change to suit you.

 

Those of us who enjoy the Viking experience - and we are legion - will sail on Viking. We aren’t over on the Oceania board complaining that their business model doesn’t work for us. We sail on Viking because they suit OUR desires.

 

And you no longer have to pay in full so far out. Just wanted to set the record straight on that.

 

Enjoy your Oceania Cruises and leave us to enjoy Viking.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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  • 2 weeks later...

Was considering stepping up from Celebrity to Viking then recently received a Viking email offering free air + $400 per person obc using promo code "CARIB". The promo is good on new bookings made through June 30th on 6 sailings:

 

10/18/18 NYC - Miami

10/24/ 18 NYC - San Juan

11/17/18 & 2/7/19 Miami - LA

11/22/18 & 12/13/18 Miami - LA

 

Just booked the Star 10/18/18 sailing. Got the free air, $800 obc and 3.3% discount for paying by e-check. On top of this TA is throwing in a loyalty credit. DW is very happy.

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Was considering stepping up from Celebrity to Viking then recently received a Viking email offering free air + $400 per person obc using promo code "CARIB". The promo is good on new bookings made through June 30th on 6 sailings:

 

10/18/18 NYC - Miami

10/24/ 18 NYC - San Juan

11/17/18 & 2/7/19 Miami - LA

11/22/18 & 12/13/18 Miami - LA

 

Just booked the Star 10/18/18 sailing. Got the free air, $800 obc and 3.3% discount for paying by e-check. On top of this TA is throwing in a loyalty credit. DW is very happy.

 

Congrats on your first booking on Viking Ocean. I too came from Celebrity. I was tired of the obtuse promotions of various perks, the high price of prem beverage package, and the crowded ships and less and less waiters.

 

I loved my first Viking cruise of 15 days. It was everything I was looking for in a new cruise line. The service is outstanding , food great and the common space on the ship is fabulous and never feels crowded.

I too am looking at some of these sailing that you have listed. Nice promotion currently.

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Congrats on your first booking on Viking Ocean. I too came from Celebrity. I was tired of the obtuse promotions of various perks, the high price of prem beverage package, and the crowded ships and less and less waiters.

 

I loved my first Viking cruise of 15 days. It was everything I was looking for in a new cruise line. The service is outstanding , food great and the common space on the ship is fabulous and never feels crowded.

I too am looking at some of these sailing that you have listed. Nice promotion currently.

 

Thanks.

 

The promo doesn't show on Viking's web site so just wanted to share with the cc community.

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Thank you for this information. That is a great promotion. I wonder how Viking chooses to whom to email.....this isn’t the first time I have read on CC about what must be itineraries that need to increase passenger loads on upcoming sailings. So if one is already signed up for Viking emails, does anyone know how you get added to these types of emails?

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Congrats on your first booking on Viking Ocean. I too came from Celebrity. I was tired of the obtuse promotions of various perks, the high price of prem beverage package, and the crowded ships and less and less waiters.

 

I loved my first Viking cruise of 15 days. It was everything I was looking for in a new cruise line. The service is outstanding , food great and the common space on the ship is fabulous and never feels crowded.

I too am looking at some of these sailing that you have listed. Nice promotion currently.

 

Hey Azulann (Patti), join us on the 10/18/2018 cruise NYC to Miami cruise aboard the Viking Star. We just booked it about a week ago. We need help in spicing up the roll call and M & M.

 

Senior Gators (Richard and Margie)

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Hey Azulann (Patti), join us on the 10/18/2018 cruise NYC to Miami cruise aboard the Viking Star. We just booked it about a week ago. We need help in spicing up the roll call and M & M.

 

Senior Gators (Richard and Margie)

Ricahrd and Margie,

So glad for the both of you to sail again on the Viking.

I am looking at this sailing now. My sister is off in Europe for the rest of the month.

She will be my next roommate.

So I have bookmarked it and would love to join you both again on this sailing.... fingers crossed I can work this out....

 

Patti

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Was considering stepping up from Celebrity to Viking then recently received a Viking email offering free air + $400 per person obc using promo code "CARIB". The promo is good on new bookings made through June 30th on 6 sailings:

 

10/18/18 NYC - Miami

10/24/ 18 NYC - San Juan

11/17/18 & 2/7/19 Miami - LA

11/22/18 & 12/13/18 Miami - LA

 

Just booked the Star 10/18/18 sailing. Got the free air, $800 obc and 3.3% discount for paying by e-check. On top of this TA is throwing in a loyalty credit. DW is very happy.

 

 

That's odd. I received the same promo email but our flight is not free and our OBC is less than yours for the exact same voyage. :confused:

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