Viking MyVoyage --new Itinerary Process

[Bailey Swedishfish]

We are leaving March 30 for our upcoming April 4 Windmills and Tulips cruise. We are travelling with another couple.

 

Last week we all got email notifications from Viking inviting us to create our own personal login for "My Voyage". It's a new process from Viking and it's interactive. It's the itinerary booklet you get in the mail, rolled into an interactive website.

 

It has a day by day itinerary with the additional option of pre-selecting and pre-paying for optional excursions. This seems on the face of it to me a nice feature, however...

 

Several of the optional excursions on our trip are already sold out. There is no option to sign up for a waiting list (or to be notified by email if openings become available.) Do we assume that those options won't be offered once aboard as they have in the past? What about the people who aren't online or tech savvy and can't/don't pre-plan their excursions? Are they SOL on the excursions?

 

Also, you have to pre-pay via credit card for your excursions. There is no more opportunity to settle your bill with shipboard credits for your excursions.

 

Wondering if any early 2016 Viking travelers have gotten the invitation to login to MyVoyage and if they are seeing the same thing.

 

I like My Voyage as a tool but there are some weaknesses that I see being a customer satisfaction issue...

[CJcruzer]

We are leaving March 30 for our upcoming April 4 Windmills and Tulips cruise. We are travelling with another couple.

 

Last week we all got email notifications from Viking inviting us to create our own personal login for "My Voyage". It's a new process from Viking and it's interactive. It's the itinerary booklet you get in the mail, rolled into an interactive website.

 

It has a day by day itinerary with the additional option of pre-selecting and pre-paying for optional excursions. This seems on the face of it to me a nice feature, however...

 

Several of the optional excursions on our trip are already sold out. There is no option to sign up for a waiting list (or to be notified by email if openings become available.) Do we assume that those options won't be offered once aboard as they have in the past? What about the people who aren't online or tech savvy and can't/don't pre-plan their excursions? Are they SOL on the excursions?

 

Also, you have to pre-pay via credit card for your excursions. There is no more opportunity to settle your bill with shipboard credits for your excursions.

 

Wondering if any early 2016 Viking travelers have gotten the invitation to login to MyVoyage and if they are seeing the same thing.

 

I like My Voyage as a tool but there are some weaknesses that I see being a customer satisfaction issue...

 

wow, I would not be happy being closed out of optionals..Possibly they have filled "x" number of busses, and dependent on waitlist and those signing up once on board, they can engage more busses. I rather prefer the idea of booking optionals once on the ship - have never been turned away from any optionals - in some cases, the whole ship signed up for the same optional excursion.

 

Carol

[jrkstl]

We are traveling on the Viking Bordeaux cruise in June, and also received the email regarding the MyVikingJourney.com website. I think that it's a good tool so that you can have a better look at the itinerary, etc. but there are definitely some limitations as well.

 

We have signed up and paid for the Camus Cognac optional tour via the website, as this is the one tour that we for sure wanted to do. I did this now, so that once onboard we didn't have to worry about it selling out. It's surprising to me to hear that some tours on your trip are already sold out...

 

I am in agreement with you, however that it seems more fair of them to do as they used to do, which is simply signing up once on the ship. On our Romantic Danube cruise last year, there were additional optional tours that we didn't know about, since some of them must be seasonal, etc.

 

The other oddity of the new MyVikingJournal.com website is that they ask you to sign up for the included tours as well. This seems very strange to me, and I'm not quite sure of the logic. I also noticed that two included tours on the Bordeaux cruise have a time conflict, so I was only able to sign us up for one of them. Hmmm...

 

I can see the value of the easy-to-access place to help you with trip details, planning, etc., but I wonder if this will cause more problems than it's worth?

[zitsky]

I feel pretty comfortable with the website but I'm a techie and used to things like that. I really think anyone could use it, it seems pretty straightforward. I'm definitely going to book my optional excursions way in advance. I'll probably do about 75% of the option excursions that I see in the book or on the website. I don't mind using a credit card because it's all points for me. I paid the deposit by CC, the final payment and the excursions too.

Edited February 29, 2016 by zitsky

[pflorio994]

Several of the optional excursions on our trip are already sold out. There is no option to sign up for a waiting list (or to be notified by email if openings become available.) Do we assume that those options won't be offered once aboard as they have in the past? What about the people who aren't online or tech savvy and can't/don't pre-plan their excursions? Are they SOL on the excursions?

 

I would email Viking at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and ask them that specific question or contact your booking agent and ask them. I have the My Trip site, but my next cruise is not until December.

[finiansbay]

We have a Viking Rhine cruise from Basel to Amsterdam on April 3. I just signed on last night to see that they have this new system in place. Not sure if I like this. We have onboard credit that I intend to use for optional excursions, so I don't like having to prepay Viking and then hope to get my money back

[krillsister]

We are doing the Elegant Elbe in September. I have already used their website to book my excursions. (There are no optional ones at this time though) When I called Viking and inquired about this new system, I was told that it was initiated once their Ocean Vessel began sailing. they decided to put all the ships on the same system.

I feel sorry for people who have already cruised with Viking like we did and didn't have to do this before. I was lucky and just stumbled upon it. I think there might be some very unhappy people boarding Viking river boats this year.

[jrkstl]

I think there might be some very unhappy people boarding Viking river boats this year.

 

I agree. This could be a big mess. I'm just glad that I paid attention to my email.

[$hip$hape]

I agree. This could be a big mess. I'm just glad that I paid attention to my email.

From OP... "Wondering if any early 2016 Viking travelers have gotten the invitation to login to MyVoyage

and if they are seeing the same thing."

 

Thanks(All) for the note. WE are with a group, so only our TA gets emails from Viking...

and she has not mentioned MyVoyage or pre-selecting optional excursions.

She said selection may be done after we get on board.

 

Is this going to be a situation like NCL, where best options are sold out to pre-payers?

Edited March 2, 2016 by $hip$hape

[pflorio994]

From OP... "Wondering if any early 2016 Viking travelers have gotten the invitation to login to MyVoyage

and if they are seeing the same thing."

 

Thanks(All) for the note. WE are with a group, so only our TA gets emails from Viking...

and she has not mentioned MyVoyage or pre-selecting optional excursions.

She said selection may be done after we get on board.

 

Is this going to be a situation like NCL, where best options are sold out to pre-payers?

 

Shipshape, I am not traveling until December and got the email this morning. No sure when you are traveling, but Viking recommends everyone to sign in to MyVoyage and pick their optional tours; as most of them would be sold out if I wait until I am on board. They told me last night, all itineraries/optional excursions will be posted by the end of March.

They claimed it worked for their ocean cruises so they instituted the policy on the river cruises (which I think is a mistake).

 

All you need is your booking number and an email address to sign in.

 

here is a copy of the email:

 

"CUSTOMIZE YOUR VIKING RIVER CRUISE TODAY

Now that you've reserved your Viking journey, we invite you to register on MyVikingJourney.com, our new website designed exclusively for our guests. It's the one convenient place you can go, 24 hours a day, to get all the information you need as your departure date draws near.

 

Creating an account is quick, easy and secure.

Just go to MyVikingJourney.com and set up your account using the information below:

Name:

Booking No.:

 

Once you've created your account, you'll set a password to use on return visits.

 

CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

 

MYVIKINGJOURNEY.COM LETS YOU:

 

Make online payments with credit card or e-check

Browse & book shore excursions, up to several per day

Complete your Guest Information Form, a critical form Viking needs before you go

Enhance your trip with a Silver Spirits premium beverage package

Get answers to Top 50 FAQs so you're fully prepared

Gain peace of mind with Viking Travel Protection

Access & print visa applications and travel itineraries

Explore your ship see public spaces and staterooms

View flight details at 75 days prior to departure

Learn about onboard dining & view sample menus

Manage your daily schedule in your personalized calendar

Consider extending your stay with a pre-cruise or post-cruise hotel package"

[Bailey Swedishfish]

I can't recall any of our past cruises having a single optional excursion being sold out. Yet now...they are.

 

So, does this process create artificial demand and people are signing up ahead of time thinking they won't get a seat otherwise, thus selling out? Or did people hold off on signing up on board to see how the weather would be that day or more of the whim of the moment?

 

None of the sold-out options were things we really WANTED to go on, but it'd be nice if Viking also highlighted what you could do off-board in the area without going on an excursion. As in, where the ship will be docked--what's within walking distance? We have several afternoons free and have already planned one side-trip without Viking...but what of the others?

[Host Jazzbeau]

One of the things I have enjoyed about river cruising is the Cruise Director's nightly presentation of the next day's options -- and of course the ability to make one's choices based on that information. This new Viking system makes that impossible, and IMHO is a bad idea. As my mother used to say, "Just because 'everybody' is doing it doesn't make it a good idea. If 'everybody' was jumping off a cliff, would you do it too?"

[CJcruzer]

I agree. This could be a big mess. I'm just glad that I paid attention to my email.

 

I agree, I think they are trying to run their river cruise operation like an/their ocean cruise operation......

 

The beauty of the river cruise is that you are given a talk through the optionals , usually the first night. Given that there are only a handful of optionals on a river cruise, it is not anything at all comparable to multitiudes of shore excursions per port on ocean cruises.

 

I am not happy with this turn of events. I would be pretty upset if I was not able to get on an optional excursion - there is limited time already in port....

 

Carol

[jrkstl]

I too wonder how they plan to handle the included excursions, since they want you to select these as well. Will these now be limited? What if you neglect to sign up, will you be told "no?"

 

Hopefully in the end, it won't be that big of a deal, but I would be really angry to find out if the optional tour that I really wanted to do was sold out months in advance.

 

Jeff

[sharkster77]

My first thought upon reading this thread was "Many folks get on-board credit for these cruises--how does one use OBC to pay for excursions if they are pre-paid months in advance?"

 

So I emailed Viking this question and got this reply:

 

Thank you for your recent online inquiry.

 

Shipboard credits can only be used for excursions which are purchased while aboard, shipboard credits will not be applied to excursions reserved prior using MyVikingJourney.com. Shipboard credits can be used toward the cost of individual beverages as well as other items purchased at the gift shop, excursions where still available as well as applicable spa services once aboard.

 

 

If there are other general questions please email us again.

Regards,

Viking Cruises

 

 

SO--in my opinion, this makes on board credit much less valuable--you can only pay for excursions with OBC if they are NOT sold out beforehand! So how much booze, laundry, and gift shop trinkets can you buy?????

 

Viking gives its customers another reason to dislike them.....

[Clay Clayton]

River Cruise Virgin here but perhaps some of you more...ahem, ...seasoned cruisers can fill me in on my issue. I discovered the MyVoyage page several weeks prior to receiving the email and signed us up for the included tours at each of our ports. However, in Bratislava, the page states, "no tours available for this port". I emailed Viking to confirm that there would be an included tour here and got a positive response but now under 45 days pre-cruise and there still isn't a tour shown there.

 

Anyone else experienced this? Should I be trying to set up our own tour "just in case" Viking doesn't offer one?

 

TIA

[jrkstl]

Anyone else experienced this? Should I be trying to set up our own tour "just in case" Viking doesn't offer one?

 

TIA

 

Is there a tour of Bratislava mentioned in your basic itinerary? If so, I would imagine that you'll be fine. If our past Viking river cruise is any indication, everyone is selected at random, and is given a group number, etc. and then splits apart for your included tour.

 

Of course, now that they've added these as a selection (more or less) on the MyVikingJourney.com page, I'm not certain how this process will differ.

 

Jeff

[id4elizabeth]

Clay - yes, same thing with us. Although our cruise is 60 days away, there are no included or optional tours available for about 2/3 of our ports. Yet, the description on the regular Viking website talks about where they will be taking us. So, my guess is the website is not quite up to snuff yet.

 

As a Viking Ocean previous cruiser for the 50-day maiden cruise, I don't know why they thought MyVikingJourney "worked so well." It was a disaster on our cruise. Tours we had signed up for online, we were not registered for once onboard, or the times were off so that we could not do the included morning tour and our afternoon optional tour as they had us down for the morning optional tour, even though there was one for the afternoon. Took me HOURS at the Explorer's Desk to straighten out. Almost everyone we talked to onboard had their schedules totally messed up. It might have gotten better as time went on, but it certainly was messed up for us.

 

And the real clincher here is that Viking is making OBCs virtually worthless on river cruises, as most of them don't have any spa treatments available and how much overpriced Viking gear do you want? And using OBCs for tips are forbidden. With free wine and beer at meals, the only other option is to drink heavily if you have a large OBC. I guess there's laundry too, but for an 8 to 12 day cruise, spending a $500 OBC would be tough.

 

Just my thoughts...

[SmidgenAndBandit]

I found it a few weeks before they sent out the email. When I logged in, I discovered that a couple of excursions already showed as Sold Out. I went back in when the email arrive and found that the excursions were now available to book. Not sure what was going on...

 

Since this is my first river cruise, pre-paying by credit card did not surprise me. On ocean cruises, I have found that if you want the really popular excursions, you have to sign up online or risk the chance of not getting that excursion.

 

Overall, I like the site and I'm sure they will improve it as time passes. My one disappointment is that they do not include the pre or post extensions in MyVikingJourney. I also wish they had the ability to prepay gratuities on the site. I like to get onboard knowing that the only thing I need to worry about is spending money. When I sail ocean cruises, my onboard credits usually go toward my bar bill and any ship souvenirs I wish to purchase...

[pflorio994]

River Cruise Virgin here but perhaps some of you more...ahem, ...seasoned cruisers can fill me in on my issue. I discovered the MyVoyage page several weeks prior to receiving the email and signed us up for the included tours at each of our ports. However, in Bratislava, the page states, "no tours available for this port". I emailed Viking to confirm that there would be an included tour here and got a positive response but now under 45 days pre-cruise and there still isn't a tour shown there.

 

Anyone else experienced this? Should I be trying to set up our own tour "just in case" Viking doesn't offer one?

 

TIA

 

Yesterday, I posted the question on Viking's discussion Facebook page and last evening I received a telephone call advising me that Bratislava is included on the Danube Waltz tour and that the MyVikingJourney page is not yet completed. They are trying to complete all the itineraries on the Journey page and hope to have it completed by the end of March.

 

I also inquired if you need to cancel the optional paid excursion how will you be refunded. She advised me that any cancellation for the prepaid excursions must be cancelled at least 3 days prior to the excursion but the refund details is still being worked out.

 

I emailed Viking again this morning at TellUs@vikingcruise.com and invited them to join in on this conversation since their are many questions/concerns.

 

Hope this is some help. Maybe Viking will finally join us

[CJcruzer]

you would think they would hVe put the horse in front of the cart, so to speak..... they should have finalized the procedure/details of the refund process BEFORE they actually post excursions/information.

 

Carol

Edited March 2, 2016 by CJcruzer

[Clay Clayton]

Yesterday, I posted the question on Viking's discussion Facebook page and last evening I received a telephone call advising me that Bratislava is included on the Danube Waltz tour and that the MyVikingJourney page is not yet completed. They are trying to complete all the itineraries on the Journey page and hope to have it completed by the end of March.

 

Hope this is some help. Maybe Viking will finally join us

 

Thanks! I don't do the book of face (it's the devil's work you know:D) but who knew you would get a better answer because of it rather than email to them directly!:eek:

 

I suspect by the time of your Danube Waltz they will have all the bugs worked out!

[bellemere]

I called Viking this afternoon. I was told I would be able to book optional excursions once on board. I then emailed Viking customer service and was assured I would be able to book once on the ship.

So, I am waiting to book on board based on Viking stating I would be able to do so. It is so nice to have the excursions explained first. We have had no problems with the 6 river cruises we have done with them.

Look forward to see what people post as the season opens in late March with this optional of purchasing optional excursions online.

[sharkster77]

Bellemere---

 

I believe you can book optional excursions onboard the ship If they're not already sold out. With the online booking, that is more likely to happen. As a few of us have mentioned, this system devalues onboard credit.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Viking Travelers,

 

Thank you for your feedback. We’ve made note of your comments and would like to take the opportunity to share our vision for My Viking Journey and allay some of the concerns that have been voiced in this thread.

 

After last year’s success with Viking Oceans, we introduced My Viking Journey to our river itineraries as a new and exciting way for guests to personalize and plan their river cruise experience. Please accept our apologies if its introduction has caused any confusion, this was certainly not our intention.

 

Our aim is to make your trip more varied, bring you new, one-of-a-kind experiences, and provide you with information specific to your sailing. My Viking Journey has increased the opportunity for customization and provides a much-improved way to make the most of your time while traveling with us - by planning ahead. Rest assured, the included shore excursions, and many of our most popular optional excursions, will continue to be available for onboard registration. You are, of course, still welcome to use Shipboard Credit to purchase any available optional shore excursions once onboard.

 

We are aware that some guests have experienced technical difficulties with their accounts and are working diligently to implement timely repairs. If you are experiencing a problem and have not yet been in touch with us, please email us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so that we can troubleshoot your account.

 

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we bring this interface up to speed. Once fully functional, we are confident you will agree that My Viking Journey allows for a more customized experience and stimulates a higher degree of anticipation.

 

Thank you for traveling with us. We are looking forward to the pleasure of welcoming each of you aboard!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises