FLASH NEWS! VIKING STAR DEC 21st CRUISE - STOPOVER IN TUNISIA & ALGIERS CANCELLED.

[Peregrina651]

The finance person told us yesterday that the ship was full but nearly 100 people have cancelled due to the change.

He didn't say whether they got a refund but surely no one would cancel if you didn't, would they????

 

Maybe it is covered under their trip insurance. It all depends on the coverages that are purchased how much you will get back from the insurance company. If I were thinking of canceling at this late date, my first call would be to my insurance carrier to find out exactly how much the insurance company would cover before I even started talking to Viking.

[CrossBluePerchance]

on 24 November 2015, 12 security personnel were killed in a suicide attack on a police bus on Avenue Mohammed V in central Tunis

on 26 June 2015, 38 foreign tourists were killed, including 30 British nationals, in a terrorist attack at Port El Kantaoui near Sousse

on 18 March 2015, 21 tourists were killed, including a British national, in a terrorist attack at the Bardo Museum in the centre of Tunis

2015 - wow, see how prescient the terrorists are, they just knew Trump would make an announcement in December 2017 and so they preempted him.

[Nippy Sweetie]

and won't hesitate to up the ante!

[RJ2002]

The finance person told us yesterday that the ship was full but nearly 100 people have cancelled due to the change.

He didn't say whether they got a refund but surely no one would cancel if you didn't, would they????

 

I can't imagine anyone canceling without an expectation of a refund, either from Viking or through a travel insurance insurance policy, or perhaps a future cruise credit from VO.

[Littlewh]

For complete clarification, we were notified on Dec 18 th of change in itinerary. Cancelled, and fully refunded to us, by Viking,into bank 20 th Dec.

Straight forward ,no problems.

Most satisfied.

[Azulann]

For complete clarification, we were notified on Dec 18 th of change in itinerary. Cancelled, and fully refunded to us, by Viking,into bank 20 th Dec.

Straight forward ,no problems.

Most satisfied.

 

Booking a cruise from the UK or the USA have different rules and safe guards for the consumer, including mandatory insurance in the UK, if I remember the discussion of this on another CC forum?

Glad you received your refund in quick order after your cancellation .

[Sailing4me]

We received an email from Viking last Thursday (Dec 21), informing us of changes to our itinerary, replacing the ports in Tunisia and Algeria.

 

In 2014, we booked the Grand Mediterranean Tour which sailed on February 20,2016. The ONLY reason we booked that cruise was that ports in Algeria and Tunisia were on the itinerary. However, we were very unhappy when Viking cancelled the ports in Tunisia & Algeria on that cruise and replaced those with Naples & Mallorca.

 

Therefore, when we booked our upcoming Viking cruise (sailing on Jan 11. 2018) MajesticMediterranean on September 5, 2017, the ONLY reason we selected to REPEAT this cruise is that Algeria & Tunisia were on the itinerary again. We were very angry to receive a notice from Viking to learn that they once again cancelled the ports in Algeria & Tunisia on the itinerary three weeks before our sailing date of January 11, 2018, and once again replaced those ports with Naples & Mallorca, after receiving our final documents with the ports of Tunisia & Algeria.

 

We researched the State Department’s website (travel.state.gov) and found that the last warning for Tunisia was issued on May 2, 2017 and Algeria on June 21,2017. If Viking was planning on cancelling these itineraries they should have done so sooner. We feel that Viking should let their cruise passengers know onboard the risks involved at these ports, and let their passengers decide if they wish to disembark at the ports of Tunisia and Algeria, not cancel this itinerary three weeks before sailing. When we cruised on the first sailing … many of the passengers told us that the only reason they also booked that sailing was the destination ports in Algeria & Tunisia.

 

We feel that we should be able to cancel this cruise penalty-free, or receive fair compensation to resolve this travesty. We now feel that Viking is only using these destinations to get bookings, and then drops them on their itinerary when it’s too late for passengers to cancel.

 

PS We heard back from our travel agent today (Dec 29), and Viking is unwilling to offer any compensation for cancelling these ports. This will probably be the last time we sail with Viking. We will be sure NOT to recommend Viking to anyone in the future.

[Littlewh]

Extreemley disappointing, and somewhat annoying for you, you had done your homework, checked, but still let down.

As you have probably read, we were notified 16 days before departure. However, when asked if we could get a full refund due to a radical change in itinerary, Viking did so within 36 hours.

I realise that some travellers may have flights that cannot be refunded, extra add-on arrangements, private tours etc ,which would be compromised.

I think people should consider Tunis and Algiers now a no go port for some cruise lines.

We just need these cruise lines and their agents to be upfront and honest at the point of booking,as far as they possibly can.

Rant over......

[deec]

Time will tell if these ports will be cancelled on our World Cruise. Any bets on how many others will be? I am very glad that Viking is concerned about our Safety first!!!

 

After reading this thread I am wondering if Viking has EVER actually stopped in either place?

[dln929]

Time will tell if these ports will be cancelled on our World Cruise. Any bets on how many others will be? I am very glad that Viking is concerned about our Safety first!!!

 

After reading this thread I am wondering if Viking has EVER actually stopped in either place?

Of course they have and if you perused the forum you'd see previous posts about Algiers and Tunisia. The cancellation of these ports is a recent thing. My husband and I were on a Viking cruise in January of this year and we visited. If you click on my name you'll see various comments I made about these two countries.

 

 

I think the angst I'm seeing about the itinerary change has more to do with the novelty factor and bragging rights. If Viking had cancelled a stop in, let's say, Sicily, would it be news? Most likely not. There's so much more cachet to the statement "We were in Algeria" than "We were in Sicily." The former sounds so exotic; the latter not so much so. The reality is that both ports that we saw in January were not without issues and while they were worthwhile in their own way, were they superior to the other ports we visited? No they were not. They were simply less known and less traveled ports than most people see. I think this whole cancellation outrage is a tempest in a teapot.

 

 

Like you, I'm glad Viking cares about our safety first and while I was looking forward to going back to Tunisia and Algeria this coming January, I'm not going to gnash my teeth because we aren't.

[cruisemom42]

 

I think the angst I'm seeing about the itinerary change has more to do with the novelty factor and bragging rights. [ellipse added] There's so much more cachet to the statement "We were in Algeria" than "We were in Sicily." The former sounds so exotic; the latter not so much so. The reality is that both ports that we saw in January were not without issues and while they were worthwhile in their own way, were they superior to the other ports we visited? No they were not. They were simply less known and less traveled ports than most people see. I think this whole cancellation outrage is a tempest in a teapot.

 

 

I find this a little condescending. There are some who want to visit these places for a specific reason -- in my case, to see some of the wonderful Roman ruins there. I have been able to get to Tunisia several times (along with most every other Mediterranean port), but so far not to Algeria. Which makes this port very desireable to me and one major reason why I had considered booking this cruise. However, a healthy skepticism on my part that the call(s) would actually take place seems to have been borne out...

 

Even if some travelers lack a specific reason, they may have been to the other, more common Med ports several times already and may have legitimately looked forward to something new.

[lackcreativity]

I find this a little condescending. There are some who want to visit these places for a specific reason -- in my case, to see some of the wonderful Roman ruins there. I have been able to get to Tunisia several times (along with most every other Mediterranean port), but so far not to Algeria. Which makes this port very desireable to me and one major reason why I had considered booking this cruise. However, a healthy skepticism on my part that the call(s) would actually take place seems to have been borne out...

 

Even if some travelers lack a specific reason, they may have been to the other, more common Med ports several times already and may have legitimately looked forward to something new.

 

I think both dln929 and cruisemon42 make some valid points. There have been posts which express an outrage over the cancellations and an anger at Viking that seem out of proportion to the events. It is also true that many people would have been very disappointed in missing the two omitted ports, as Tunis and Algiers may have been the main reason for booking that particular itinerary.

 

Unfortunately, anyone who books a vacation, land or cruise, should know in advance that situations can change at any time. This is true almost anywhere in the world these days, but obviously the risks are greater in some areas.

 

We had booked the Empires of the Mediterranean with Viking for April 2017. The original itinerary included Istanbul and Ephesus, and they were two of my top three reasons for selecting that cruise. A series of events in Turkey led to the cancellation of those two stops, which was a great disappointment. In spite of the disappointment, it was a wonderful trip. Travelling these days can involve more than the usual challenges. To me, the reward still outweighs those challenges.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I think both dln929 and cruisemon42 make some valid points. There have been posts which express an outrage over the cancellations and an anger at Viking that seem out of proportion to the events. It is also true that many people would have been very disappointed in missing the two omitted ports, as Tunis and Algiers may have been the main reason for booking that particular itinerary.

 

Unfortunately, anyone who books a vacation, land or cruise, should know in advance that situations can change at any time. This is true almost anywhere in the world these days, but obviously the risks are greater in some areas.

 

We had booked the Empires of the Mediterranean with Viking for April 2017. The original itinerary included Istanbul and Ephesus, and they were two of my top three reasons for selecting that cruise. A series of events in Turkey led to the cancellation of those two stops, which was a great disappointment. In spite of the disappointment, it was a wonderful trip. Travelling these days can involve more than the usual challenges. To me, the reward still outweighs those challenges.

Agree 100% with this, and while I understand the pain of some posters on this thread, unfortunately it's not just Viking that has to make this kind of decision, and also decide how and when to make and publicize the decision. I do, however, think that Viking does a great job of turning lemons into lemonaid. We booked a cruise to Cuba over a year ago. 6 months or so later we learned that Cuba was not allowing us to go to Havana and that we were going to Cienfuegos on the south coast instead. Now Cienfuegos is nice, and at least one other similar cruise line goes there, but it's not the Havana that people had planned on. However, it's how Viking handled the situation that impressed us. They planned a fully-escorted day and a half trip to Havana, at no charge, for anyone who wanted to put up with some time on a bus. We were treated to sightseeing, meals, Tropicana show, beautiful hotel stay, and an extremely fun and memorable ride in a classic American car. They gave us shipboard credit, and we didn't have to pay for any excursions in Cuba for 3 days. We loved our Cuba cruise.

 

I'm always disappointed to miss a port (which luckily doesn't happen often, but with the state of the world today, may start happening more frequently) but see it as an excuse to explore somewhere else instead, and perhaps catch that missed port on a future cruise.

[npezdek]

We have visited both Pompeii and Herculaneum. We visited both with private guides. Both are incredible.

From a logistics standpoint, Herculaneum offers easier access due to being right outside of Naples.....we spent almost an entire day at n Pompeii because we had the time to do so on that land trip. We spent several hours at Herculaneum on one of our stops via ship in Naples.....then went to the National Archeological Museum. Whatever you choose, you won’t regret the time spent visiting either.

 

Thank you for the good advice.

[npezdek]

Well, someone in Viking should be responsible for the webpages.

 

Whether it is the webmaster, the web "developer" or whoever, I am not in the web design business, so I cannot differentiate the different people in the team, I only used the term "webmaster" generally meaning those responsible for the website.

 

Even if the person who did not upkeep the content in the Viking website is not within Viking, he or she is still employed by or paid by Viking, and so it is up to the webpage manager within Viking that he or she is doing his/her job.

 

Just trying to excuse someone saying "Oh, it is not me, but someone else's" or worse indicating web professionals are "getting beaten up" not the right way to approach it. The better way is for them to see how they can work together to improve the standard of the web page.

 

Are you suggesting that if there is some area within Viking like the issues in the webiste which could be improved, we should keep quiet about it and pretend everything is alright?

 

It is hoped that Viking management, if they read this, will take it as a constructive criticism, so that these issues can be corrected (and they can be, it is not rocket science).

 

I agree 100%. It's just amazing how lax Viking is with their compliance with the basic rules of law. if they're so lax in these areas, god knows how lax they are in other areas. This is not rocket science. Someone or someones are clearly dropping the ball in management.

[npezdek]

Yes, they understand that many people have signed on to the cruise just because of the calls at Tunis and Algiers and they are trying not to cancel those calls.

 

Really? That's almost funny. Viking Management knows exactly what they're doing and that is TO MAKE MONEY. FOLLOW THE MONEY. LOOK AT THE FACTS.

[npezdek]

We received an email from Viking last Thursday (Dec 21), informing us of changes to our itinerary, replacing the ports in Tunisia and Algeria.

 

In 2014, we booked the Grand Mediterranean Tour which sailed on February 20,2016. The ONLY reason we booked that cruise was that ports in Algeria and Tunisia were on the itinerary. However, we were very unhappy when Viking cancelled the ports in Tunisia & Algeria on that cruise and replaced those with Naples & Mallorca.

 

Therefore, when we booked our upcoming Viking cruise (sailing on Jan 11. 2018) MajesticMediterranean on September 5, 2017, the ONLY reason we selected to REPEAT this cruise is that Algeria & Tunisia were on the itinerary again. We were very angry to receive a notice from Viking to learn that they once again cancelled the ports in Algeria & Tunisia on the itinerary three weeks before our sailing date of January 11, 2018, and once again replaced those ports with Naples & Mallorca, after receiving our final documents with the ports of Tunisia & Algeria.

 

We researched the State Department’s website (travel.state.gov) and found that the last warning for Tunisia was issued on May 2, 2017 and Algeria on June 21,2017. If Viking was planning on cancelling these itineraries they should have done so sooner. We feel that Viking should let their cruise passengers know onboard the risks involved at these ports, and let their passengers decide if they wish to disembark at the ports of Tunisia and Algeria, not cancel this itinerary three weeks before sailing. When we cruised on the first sailing … many of the passengers told us that the only reason they also booked that sailing was the destination ports in Algeria & Tunisia.

 

We feel that we should be able to cancel this cruise penalty-free, or receive fair compensation to resolve this travesty. We now feel that Viking is only using these destinations to get bookings, and then drops them on their itinerary when it’s too late for passengers to cancel.

 

PS We heard back from our travel agent today (Dec 29), and Viking is unwilling to offer any compensation for cancelling these ports. This will probably be the last time we sail with Viking. We will be sure NOT to recommend Viking to anyone in the future.

 

OMG This picture is getting clearer. So Viking has been canceling their ports in Tunisia and Algeria at least as far back as 2014? And yet they keep advertising these ports?

[npezdek]

I find this a little condescending. There are some who want to visit these places for a specific reason -- in my case, to see some of the wonderful Roman ruins there. I have been able to get to Tunisia several times (along with most every other Mediterranean port), but so far not to Algeria. Which makes this port very desireable to me and one major reason why I had considered booking this cruise. However, a healthy skepticism on my part that the call(s) would actually take place seems to have been borne out...

 

Even if some travelers lack a specific reason, they may have been to the other, more common Med ports several times already and may have legitimately looked forward to something new.

 

I agree. I think he/she has entirely missed the point.

[npezdek]

Booking a cruise from the UK or the USA have different rules and safe guards for the consumer, including mandatory insurance in the UK, if I remember the discussion of this on another CC forum?

Glad you received your refund in quick order after your cancellation .

 

You are correct. I am from the U.S. I have "cancellation for any reason" insurance from Viking. But because they made a point of announcing the cancelation of Algeria and Tunisia on the 29th day before the cruise (vs. the 30th day), we were only entitled to Viking credits for future cruises. Viking offered me the 50% cash and 50% vouchers, i.e. backing up their announcement by one day. ( I wonder about those who weren't aware enough to notice this and only got Viking vouchers.) I tried to contact the representative about this offer for a week now with no response. They refused to rebook our flights to enable us to arrive earlier on 1/18 to give us the full benefit of 1/18 as a "cruise" day and they said that no upgrades or other reimbursements were available to offset our loss, even though others, as noted on Cruisecritic, were offered upgrades and still yet others were switched to the February cruise with "many perks" to compensate for the monetary loss in having to, as one person suggested, book separate trips at our own expense to Tunisia and Algeria. In my case, I am not interested in future Viking vouchers as, based on what I have read on Cruisecritic, I do not trust Viking management to act responsibly.

[npezdek]

I'm reading this with interest as someone who had considered booking one of the itineraries with Algeria on it. Given the situation in that country on and off for years, I was in the end afraid to book for fear of cancellation and I see that has now come to pass....

 

I was lucky enough to spend time in Tunisia on a land tour of two weeks and also two different visits on various cruises -- loved all the Roman ruins. But Algeria remains elusive. :(

 

It's nice to hear, though, that Viking is offering a full refund for those not happy with the changed itinerary -- I know I'd have been one of them.

 

The full refund IS NOT being offered to all passengers. It appears that it is only to UK residents. I am from the U.S. and, even with "cancel for any reason" insurance which cost us over $500 each, we are only entitled to Viking vouchers and, based on what we have read on CruiseCritic, we have no intention of ever booking with Viking again.

[cruisemom42]

The full refund IS NOT being offered to all passengers. It appears that it is only to UK residents. I am from the U.S. and, even with "cancel for any reason" insurance which cost us over $500 each, we are only entitled to Viking vouchers and, based on what we have read on CruiseCritic, we have no intention of ever booking with Viking again.

 

Thanks; as subsequent information has come out I was beginning to understand this was not true for everyone but I appreciate your detailed information in this post and in the preceding one.

 

What really makes me concerned is your statement about Viking cancelling on day 29, when I doubt they received some startling new intel and could just as easily have cancelled earlier, allowing passengers a better deal.

 

Looks like my skepticism was on target, sad to say. I am currently pursuing a land tour of Algeria.

[lackcreativity]

Thanks; as subsequent information has come out I was beginning to understand this was not true for everyone but I appreciate your detailed information in this post and in the preceding one.

 

What really makes me concerned is your statement about Viking cancelling on day 29, when I doubt they received some startling new intel and could just as easily have cancelled earlier, allowing passengers a better deal.

 

Looks like my skepticism was on target, sad to say. I am currently pursuing a land tour of Algeria.

 

The first post in this thread announcing the change to the itinerary was dated Dec. 15, 2017. Just one week earlier, protests by thousands of people broke out in the streets in several cities in Tunisia after the US announced its support for Jerusalem as the capital of Isreal.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-israel-tunisia/thousands-of-tunisians-protest-against-trumps-jerusalem-decision-idUSKBN1E1300

 

This means that in the course of a week, Viking evaluated the situation, made the decision to cancel the stops in Tunis and Algiers, and scheduled a revised itinerary with Naples and Palma de Mallorca. To me, that seems like a quite reasonable and even prompt response on the part of Viking.

[Lornaburg]

The first post in this thread announcing the change to the itinerary was dated Dec. 15, 2017. Just one week earlier, protests by thousands of people broke out in the streets in several cities in Tunisia after the US announced its support for Jerusalem as the capital of Isreal.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-israel-tunisia/thousands-of-tunisians-protest-against-trumps-jerusalem-decision-idUSKBN1E1300

 

This means that in the course of a week, Viking evaluated the situation, made the decision to cancel the stops in Tunis and Algiers, and scheduled a revised itinerary with Naples and Palma de Mallorca. To me, that seems like a quite reasonable and even prompt response on the part of Viking.

 

 

I agree, I don't think they did it "just for a laugh". Better safe than sorry.

 

 

I was on last week's cruise, a little disappointed, yes, but they must have done it for good reason. They wouldn't have put themselves through such a logistical nightmare for no good reason. Can you imagine changing ports, buses, tour guides etc? The staff coped with the short notice change wonderfully and everything ran smoothly.

 

 

Anyway, Naples and Majorca were both good. Weather was lovely. I've been to Palma before but no problem, there's always something new to see.

 

 

Beautiful cruise, absolutely loved it. It is what you make it. Just go with a positive mind.

 

 

If you set off with a negative mind you are more likely to spoil it for yourself.

 

I'd go with Viking again in a flash and I couldn't give a toss that we had classy tumblers instead of wine glasses with stems with some meals

as some people are having a whinge about. They suited the style of the table setting and the wine still tasted nice.

[cruisemom42]

The first post in this thread announcing the change to the itinerary was dated Dec. 15, 2017. Just one week earlier, protests by thousands of people broke out in the streets in several cities in Tunisia after the US announced its support for Jerusalem as the capital of Isreal.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-israel-tunisia/thousands-of-tunisians-protest-against-trumps-jerusalem-decision-idUSKBN1E1300

 

This means that in the course of a week, Viking evaluated the situation, made the decision to cancel the stops in Tunis and Algiers, and scheduled a revised itinerary with Naples and Palma de Mallorca. To me, that seems like a quite reasonable and even prompt response on the part of Viking.

 

I take the rap on my knuckles with good grace. Perhaps you are correct. I'm curious to know, though, whether change of itinerary notices for each subsequent cruise with this itinerary were sent out with 29 days' (or less) notice?

 

(Also, the protests in Tunisia were largely peaceful and there were none in Algiers itself. A protest is not the same as a riot....)

[lackcreativity]

I take the rap on my knuckles with good grace. Perhaps you are correct. I'm curious to know, though, whether change of itinerary notices for each subsequent cruise with this itinerary were sent out with 29 days' (or less) notice?

 

(Also, the protests in Tunisia were largely peaceful and there were none in Algiers itself. A protest is not the same as a riot....)

 

Thanks for your gracious response. I didn't mean to come down harshly on you, I was just reacting after a series of comments from different posters. Someone has suggested the Viking only puts those ports in that itinerary to get bookings, and then cancels them when it is too late for cruisers to get money back. Someone else claims that Viking has been cancelling these ports since 2014, when the Ocean division was not even sailing at that time. Another person questions whether Viking has EVER (their caps, not mine) stopped in Tunis or Algiers, when of course they have. I just thought things were going a bit off the rails.

 

We were supposed to go to Istanbul on the Viking Star. After the first bombing, I sill wanted to go. Same after the second one. However, after the bombing in the Istanbul airport, I was ready when Viking announced they were dropping the ports in Turkey.

 

We were in Prague when peaceful protest were going on in earshot of where we were walking. It was not an issue. I am not sure if I would feel the same if I had been in Tunisia during those demonstrations, even though they were mostly peaceful.