“free air”

We are flying from the West coast to San Juan, for West Indies trip. Viking charges a fee if you take a red eye, and arrive on the first day of the cruise!!!! Otherwise you get there so late, you miss the entire first day of the cruise. I find this to be totally disturbing. Why do they care if you leave a day before, to arrive early enough to enjoy your first full day on the ship....won’t do free air ever again!!!

We sometimes use Viking air and sometimes not. When we do, we almost always pay the deviation fee to arrive a day or two early.

We are flying from the West coast to San Juan, for West Indies trip. Viking charges a fee if you take a red eye, and arrive on the first day of the cruise!!!! Otherwise you get there so late, you miss the entire first day of the cruise. I find this to be totally disturbing. Why do they care if you leave a day before, to arrive early enough to enjoy your first full day on the ship....won’t do free air ever again!!!

We have been successful using Viking Air Plus when booking our river cruises and would expect Ocean to be the same. $50 per person and they allow you to choose better flights. Last trip we waited to see what our flights were and then opted to pay. You can do this as long as your flights aren’t ticketed. We even paid some extra to get Comfort + on Delta. Good luck.

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We are also flying from the West Coast to San Juan. We chose to pay the deviation fee vs taking flights that we had no control over. We knew this was how it was going to roll out. We also paid an add on fee so that we could control flight times as we are too far from SFO to catch a bus for very early AM departure flights or late PM arrivals back. We always arrive prior to cruises so we have no worries about cancelled or delayed flights. Total price for our flights = far from free. We honestly could have done as well on our own several months ago - but with San Juan as the RT port, and history of hurricanes, we appreciate very much that Viking will be handling any unforeseen changes that hopefully will not occur.

Future cruises using Viking Air yet to be determined.

On our flight last December to Miami for a Viking's Caribbean Turquoise Seas cruise, we asked to be booked on a flight the day before the start of the cruise since weather can be a problem in December. Yes the air was free, but we had to pay the deviation fee because of flying in a day early. It was worth the peace of mind. We were not allowed access to our cabin until 2:00 pm. We did board around noon and were encouraged to have lunch. However around 1:30 we allowed to check to see if our cabin was ready and it was.

We have flown to Europe with Viking several times and have usually flown in a few days early to travel independently and paid the deviation fee since Viking's air is usually cheaper than what we can get.

We have found both Viking Ocean and River Cruises to be wonderful experiences.

Have a good trip.

We are also flying from the West Coast to San Juan. We chose to pay the deviation fee vs taking flights that we had no control over. We knew this was how it was going to roll out. We also paid an add on fee so that we could control flight times as we are too far from SFO to catch a bus for very early AM departure flights or late PM arrivals back. Total price for our flights = far from free. We honestly could have done as well on our own several months ago - but with San Juan as the RT port, and history of hurricanes, we appreciate very much that Viking will be handling any unforeseen changes that hopefully will not occur.

Future cruises using Viking Air yet to be determined.

Did you pay the $50 or $100 fee? I don't mind paying the $100 fee so we can take a red eye BUT.....then their transfers are extra, seems like they have us coming or going.. Flying from the West Coast is a LONG DAY there but they could be more considerate

Did you pay the $50 or $100 fee? I don't mind paying the $100 fee so we can take a red eye BUT.....then their transfers are extra, seems like they have us coming or going.. Flying from the West Coast is a LONG DAY there but they could be more considerate

We paid both. $50 so we could have a say in flights, and the $100 to be able to arrive two days prior. We knew we would be doing this, but We then paid an add-on to choose exact flights that will return to SFO early vs close to midnight, as well as connecting in more weather friendly airports. Not inexpensive by any means. But it is peace of mind. As you said, travel from the West Coast is a LONG day to SJU! We have always used miles or miles combination in the past and we will weigh the options on future trips.

We are flying from the West coast to San Juan, for West Indies trip. Viking charges a fee if you take a red eye, and arrive on the first day of the cruise!!!! Otherwise you get there so late, you miss the entire first day of the cruise. I find this to be totally disturbing. Why do they care if you leave a day before, to arrive early enough to enjoy your first full day on the ship....won’t do free air ever again!!!

When Viking offers free air, it's the basic package--arrive on the day of the cruise and be at the mercy of their choice of airlines. It does exactly what it says it does and that's to get you to the ship. If you want more than that, it's up to you to customize. At your cost. It sounds like it might be worth your while to pay the fees and get the times and flights you want. I'm betting you'll still come out ahead.

If you go on Viking's website there is information about the different air deviations and associated costs.

When Viking offers free air, it's the basic package--arrive on the day of the cruise and be at the mercy of their choice of airlines. It does exactly what it says it does and that's to get you to the ship. If you want more than that, it's up to you to customize. At your cost. It sounds like it might be worth your while to pay the fees and get the times and flights you want. I'm betting you'll still come out ahead.

 

If you go on Viking's website there is information about the different air deviations and associated costs.

Exactly!

Viking Air is what it is , just like other cruise air programs. If one does not like it then just book your own air.

I have done both when I sailed with Celebrity.

With my Viking cruise I used Viking Air. Paid for deviation fee of $100.00 and airplus $50.00 . I still paid way less for my air to San Juan and return from Barcelona in 2018 then I did in 2016 for a round trip to Barcelona.

Each person needs to do rearch about cost of air with or without Viking Air for any cruise you take and make your decision.

Exactly!

Viking Air is what it is , just like other cruise air programs. If one does not like it then just book your own air.

I have done both when I sailed with Celebrity.

With my Viking cruise I used Viking Air. Paid for deviation fee of $100.00 and airplus $50.00 . I still paid way less for my air to San Juan and return from Barcelona in 2018 then I did in 2016 for a round trip to Barcelona.

Each person needs to do rearch about cost of air with or without Viking Air for any cruise you take and make your decision.

I knew the rules. I am happy with how it turned out and that I have the exact flights that I wanted. All cruise lines’ have their own air department rules, but I expect to pay extra to them for my specific requests because most likely, they will not be the least expensive to the cruise line. It is important, IMHO, to look at options early and then determine what your priorities are as well as pricing. Sometimes you can do better on your own, and at times not. For San Juan specifically, we wanted Viking to book our flights as it does carry extra protection that they will get us to our cruise if there are unexpected changes.

If an air deal is offered, I read advice here on CC that you should always take it up front because until ticketing, you are not bound to it. If you find something /better/cheaper you can book on your own and cancel the Viking air deal. Just know that You won’t receive any monetary compensation for doing that. So all that said - traveling from the West Coast to San Juan, I think the charge to receive flights I am happy with is well worth it. Hopefully it will work out well and to your satisfaction.

We had a three way conference call with my TA and Viking Air department.. I had all the info I needed on the flights I WANTED. It did cost an addl $300 but my piece of mind for flying when I want is worth it. NO FREE AIR....but I got the times I wanted, plus I wanted to arrive early enough from the West Coast to enjoy an entire day on the ship....they would have had us getting on the ship around 11pm, an entire day wasted. Worth it going on a red eye and arriving in the morning the day our cruise starts...glad it's done....

We are flying from the West coast to San Juan, for West Indies trip. Viking charges a fee if you take a red eye, and arrive on the first day of the cruise!!!! Otherwise you get there so late, you miss the entire first day of the cruise. I find this to be totally disturbing. Why do they care if you leave a day before, to arrive early enough to enjoy your first full day on the ship....won’t do free air ever again!!!

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face!

Chalk this up as a learning experience. Next time you will do better, now that you have a better understanding of how things work.

We took the free air deal on our next trip. $00.00 is a nice starting point. We paid the custom air fee and then started asking for what we wanted: We wanted non-stop from our home airport to Paris. We wanted to leave home Friday night instead of Monday night ($100pp deviation fee to do it) and we wanted avoid having to pay any airline differentials or seat selection fee. I just checked: The Big O wants $864 per seat and the airline wants $992 per seat. I paid $150 per seat and got exactly what I wanted, including choosing my seat.

BTW, airline differentials is what the airlines charge when Viking goes to book a on a flight that is not part of their deal with the airlines; the fee is set by the airlines, not by Viking.

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face!

 

Chalk this up as a learning experience. Next time you will do better, now that you have a better understanding of how things work.

 

We took the free air deal on our next trip. $00.00 is a nice starting point. We paid the custom air fee and then started asking for what we wanted: We wanted non-stop from our home airport to Paris. We wanted to leave home Friday night instead of Monday night ($100pp deviation fee to do it) and we wanted avoid having to pay any airline differentials or seat selection fee. I just checked: The Big O wants $864 per seat and the airline wants $992 per seat. I paid $150 per seat and got exactly what I wanted, including choosing my seat.

 

BTW, airline differentials is what the airlines charge when Viking goes to book a on a flight that is not part of their deal with the airlines; the fee is set by the airlines, not by Viking.

So if I upgrade to business class SWISSAIR on my cruise with $995 air I just pay the difference?

We had a three way conference call with my TA and Viking Air department.. I had all the info I needed on the flights I WANTED. It did cost an addl $300 but my piece of mind for flying when I want is worth it. NO FREE AIR....but I got the times I wanted, plus I wanted to arrive early enough from the West Coast to enjoy an entire day on the ship....they would have had us getting on the ship around 11pm, an entire day wasted. Worth it going on a red eye and arriving in the morning the day our cruise starts...glad it's done....

Glad it worked out for you. If you look at what airlines are charging to SJU from the West Coast later this year, that is a deal. We are flying overnight as well because from the West Coast, as you said, it is that or 11:00pm or later arrival.

So if I upgrade to business class SWISSAIR on my cruise with $995 air I just pay the difference?

Upgrading to business is a different animal. You'll have to ask Viking.

So if I upgrade to business class SWISSAIR on my cruise with $995 air I just pay the difference?

If you upgrade to business class you get an air allowance in the amount that Viking has determined the coach fare is worth.

I’m just pulling numbers out of the air for explanation purposes. For instance, if Viking is offering “free” air for a cruise and they are allowing $1000 for economy air fare. It might say on the site or in a brochure “$1000 value.” Businesses/first may cost $4000 in their deal with the airline. You would pay the difference of $3000.

Those are just random numbers so the math is easier for me [emoji12]

Our Grand European cruise included “free” air. The definition of “free” in this case is you fly the airline, flight, and time of Viking’s choosing. They are paying; they get to pick. [emoji16]

We wanted to pick our own flights, so we paid the $50 fee to use Viking Air Plus. We wanted to fly in a day before we boarded the ship and we wanted to leave 4 days after the cruise without doing their extension. We wanted Delta, direct or no more than 1 connection.

We paid the $100 deviation fee. We also wanted to fly businesses/first. Viking quoted $3000 (round numbers).

We never have enough FF miles to do anything through those programs. Our TA checked and said that was a good price for a business/first ticket from NY to Budapest with a return from Amsterdam to NY. We have 1 connection on the outbound flight in Amsterdam, and the return is non-stop, direct.

I could have made myself or my TA nuts checking all the different airlines and routes, but the price seemed reasonable, if not a fairly good deal, so we did it.

I don’t like second guessing decisions. I don’t make myself crazy looking at the “what ifs” after the decision is made. That’s just the way my husband and I work. Everyone has to do what makes sense for them. Some people need the lowest price possible. Others love the bargain hunt. We’re happy with reasonable [emoji16]

You just have to remember that Viking is a business. They are not giving away the store. We look at what they are offering and work from there.

Sometimes “free” or cheap doesn’t work out for various reasons.

On our West Indies Explorer cruise this past March, Viking had an air deal for $45 round trip. We were flying NY to San Juan. Again we wanted to fly in the day before, so we paid the $100 deviation fee, and I asked about Viking Air Plus.

They said it wasn’t available because there were a very limited number of flights. I said, “you have got to be kidding me! It’s NY to San Juan. There’s practically a flight every hour!” That was their answer and they were sticking to it. [emoji12]

We took the air “deal” but this time I did do some checking. I found a flight I wanted for a price I thought was good from JFK to San Juan the day before boarding day, on Delta in Comfort Plus. Comfort Plus was sold out for the return flight, but I could get first class for just $50 more. Sold!

I called Viking. Still no Air Plus. I told them I wanted to cancel the air portion. No problem. The rep told me they would refund the $45 pp, plus the $100 deviation fee. I said, “good.” Then the rep asked me to hold on while she checked something. She said there was an air allowance, so my total refund would be $695 - sweet!

So in the future if the air deal doesn’t seem good, I will be asking about the air allowance for sure!

And that’s my story [emoji16]

This is a very interesting conversation. Our first Viking ocean cruise had “free air” and our TA advised us that there was little flexibility to change flights that Viking offered when it was free-but that they were good to work with when there was some cost attached to the fare. This worked out for us and Viking was very accommodating in getting us excellent seats etc. Out next cruise was a transatlantic with minimal cost airfare. We would have to fly from western Canada to San Juan in March and I had concerns about winter storms and general travel delays that time of year. Viking routed us through Newark and would not route us through Miami unless we paid $300 each extra. Our TA also advised that they would not allow us to get to Newark anymore than one day ahead of time which would bring us into Newark just 12 hours before our flight the next day to San Juan. We like to have at least a day or two just incase but this could not be done. We were scheduled out of Newark on the last flight to San Juan that next morning that would get us there mid afternoon and ship was leaving at 5pm. Needless to say our luggage did not arrive in Newark with us that evening and didn’t arrive there until after the flight to San Juan left the next day. There is much more to this misadventure and that ended up with us not getting on this cruise and we have worked with Viking to try and resolve this. Bottom line our flights did not allow for any unforeseen circumstances and we didn’t think Viking provided us any reasonable flexibility . At this point I would not use Viking air again but good to know that others have had more luck and will keep this in mind IF I am ever tempted by the “free/reduced air” again.

The air thing with Viking is sometimes an issue in the pricing. We would never take their air deals. We need to be in control. And, in most cases we prefer to fly business and use points. (we get a new credit card every few months to rack up points)

If you are based in the UK and are taking a European cruise, from, for example, Rome, do you get a discount off the cruise fare if you choose to make your own flight arrangements leaving Viking out of the equation?

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Just to clarify a few points made in this thread: (1) if I book a cruise with discount (but not free) air, I can cancel the air portion of the cruise price at any time prior to those air tickets actually being purchased by Viking and I will get a full refund of the amount I previously paid for the air; (2) I can wait to buy the Air Plus service from Viking until AFTER I get the included (discounted but not free) air flight details but BEFORE Viking actually buys the tickets; and (3) if I use Air Plus to pick my own flights, I have to pay Viking the difference between the Viking-advertised included fare and the price of the ticket that I want. If all that is true, it makes sense to always take the free or discounted air at least initially and then see what Viking gives you in terms of flights. If you don’t like the flights, it sounds like you have the opportunity to see how much it would cost to book your desired flights yourself vs. paying for Air Plus services. Of course, if you pull out of the Viking-provided air, you lose the included transfers, so that needs to be factored into the total transportation costs. If all of my assumptions are correct, then I think Viking offers reasonable flexibility to cancel discounted air up until Viking actually purchases your tickets.

Just to clarify a few points made in this thread: (1) if I book a cruise with discount (but not free) air, I can cancel the air portion of the cruise price at any time prior to those air tickets actually being purchased by Viking and I will get a full refund of the amount I previously paid for the air; (2) I can wait to buy the Air Plus service from Viking until AFTER I get the included (discounted but not free) air flight details but BEFORE Viking actually buys the tickets; and (3) if I use Air Plus to pick my own flights, I have to pay Viking the difference between the Viking-advertised included fare and the price of the ticket that I want. If all that is true, it makes sense to always take the free or discounted air at least initially and then see what Viking gives you in terms of flights. If you don’t like the flights, it sounds like you have the opportunity to see how much it would cost to book your desired flights yourself vs. paying for Air Plus services. Of course, if you pull out of the Viking-provided air, you lose the included transfers, so that needs to be factored into the total transportation costs. If all of my assumptions are correct, then I think Viking offers reasonable flexibility to cancel discounted air up until Viking actually purchases your tickets.

Great post for those booking in the USA with Viking Air .

I think booking in the UK and Australia have different rules for VO and VO air.

If you are based in the UK and are taking a European cruise, from, for example, Rome, do you get a discount off the cruise fare if you choose to make your own flight arrangements leaving Viking out of the equation?

 

 

Sent from the magic box!

I have seen them sometimes advertise with and without the airfare deal. Since we book our own, I look for those.

I would assume they figure a lower price variance when booking from the UK or Europe knowing the flight cost will be less.

We're sailing on the Star 10/18, NY - Miami. Received free air promo but live in NY area so only need return flight. VO website promises air info no later than 75 days before sailing but we're down to 66 and haven't heard from them. Called last week and rep chuckled at 75 day promise, saying might not hear until 40 - 60 days out. He put in inquiry for me and said someone would get back within 72 hours. It's been 7 days and still waiting for call. Is this common?

Also, if I don't like assignment will probably just book my own flight as it's only about $100pp. If so, any problem with not cancelling VO flight so I don't lose free airport transfer?

We're sailing on the Star 10/18, NY - Miami. Received free air promo but live in NY area so only need return flight. VO website promises air info no later than 75 days before sailing but we're down to 66 and haven't heard from them. Called last week and rep chuckled at 75 day promise, saying might not hear until 40 - 60 days out. He put in inquiry for me and said someone would get back within 72 hours. It's been 7 days and still waiting for call. Is this common?

 

Also, if I don't like assignment will probably just book my own flight as it's only about $100pp. If so, any problem with not cancelling VO flight so I don't lose free airport transfer?

My experiences using Viking air have been good ones, with plenty of advance notice of the flights. If you book your own flights I would think you would need to cancel your Viking flights, in which case I believe your Viking transfers will also be cancelled. You only get the included transfers if you use Viking air or pay extra for them.

So if I upgrade to business class SWISSAIR on my cruise with $995 air I just pay the difference?

If Viking will work with you. Or possibly dealing with the airline direct.

BUT - you might want to look up what the cost is for business. Guessing you would fly out of Boston maybe, but the cost could easily be $2-$4000 per person. Lots of variables. You could go online to see what the going prices are today. Viking may get a discount, but not too much if the airline thinks they can sell the seat at the going price.