2020-2021 Catalog and Final Payments - YIKES

[SargassoPirate]

Having completed one voyage with Viking this past spring, I was intrigued when a catalog of 2020 and 2021 cruises with some "special prices" arrived.  I sat down and thumbed through it and found a couple that She Who Must Be Obeyed might be interested in for 2021 (we are booked up for 2020)  One in particular was in the fall of 2021.  As I read through the fine print on the last page, I noticed that the cruises in the catalog must be booked by November 30, 2019 and paid in full by December 31, 2019. Final payment 21 months ahead?

 

Somehow, the catalog found its way into the recycling bin.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Having completed one voyage with Viking this past spring, I was intrigued when a catalog of 2020 and 2021 cruises with some "special prices" arrived.  I sat down and thumbed through it and found a couple that She Who Must Be Obeyed might be interested in for 2021 (we are booked up for 2020)  One in particular was in the fall of 2021.  As I read through the fine print on the last page, I noticed that the cruises in the catalog must be booked by November 30, 2019 and paid in full by December 31, 2019. Final payment 21 months ahead?

 

Somehow, the catalog found its way into the recycling bin.

 

Fetch it out! 

 

Most of the time Viking will negotiate on the pay in full date, usually to 12 month in advance of sailing.

 

However, if you already have a feature cruise booked, as you say you do, the pay in full will be 6 months in advance.

 

Moreover, if you book while you are on board, you will be offered  6 months in advance along with some other booking benefits that you can't elsewhere -- and if you are working with a TA, and you so wish, your TA will go on the booking (so no hassle having to transfer the booking to your TA at a later date).

[SargassoPirate]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Fetch it out! 

 

Most of the time Viking will negotiate on the pay in full date, usually to 12 month in advance of sailing.

 

However, if you already have a feature cruise booked, as you say you do, the pay in full will be 6 months in advance.

 

Moreover, if you book while you are on board, you will be offered  6 months in advance along with some other booking benefits that you can't elsewhere -- and if you are working with a TA, and you so wish, your TA will go on the booking (so no hassle having to transfer the booking to your TA at a later date).

 

Thanks, but I believe I'll let it stay there.  Seems almost like a shell game with movable final payment dates.  I'd prefer the final payment date be the final payment date, as it is with other lines, and not a year or almost two years ahead.

 

I recently booked a January 2022 world cruise with another line and the final payment date isn't until October 2021. 

 

I'd rather keep my money in the bank or in my pocket as long as I can. 

[lackcreativity]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Fetch it out! 

 

Most of the time Viking will negotiate on the pay in full date, usually to 12 month in advance of sailing.

 

However, if you already have a feature cruise booked, as you say you do, the pay in full will be 6 months in advance.

 

Moreover, if you book while you are on board, you will be offered  6 months in advance along with some other booking benefits that you can't elsewhere -- and if you are working with a TA, and you so wish, your TA will go on the booking (so no hassle having to transfer the booking to your TA at a later date).

Peregrina,

 

You are right that with an onboard booking or a future cruise booked you can get final payment set at six months from the sail date, but on my most recent booking, they did not offer that until I asked. I do find that frustrating, even though I understand that Viking is using our money to build more ships so we can sail more places. It is not enough to stop me from continuing to sail with them by any means, but it is one of my few disappointments with Viking.

[Squawkman]

1 hour ago, lackcreativity said:

Peregrina,

 

You are right that with an onboard booking or a future cruise booked you can get final payment set at six months from the sail date, but on my most recent booking, they did not offer that until I asked. I do find that frustrating, even though I understand that Viking is using our money to build more ships so we can sail more places. It is not enough to stop me from continuing to sail with them by any means, but it is one of my few disappointments with Viking.

 

There are also discounts similar to booking on board or booking within 10 or 14 days (I forget which) from disembarkation. I use the same Viking rep for all my cruises and work with him rather than book on board. 

[lackcreativity]

27 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

 

There are also discounts similar to booking on board or booking within 10 or 14 days (I forget which) from disembarkation. I use the same Viking rep for all my cruises and work with him rather than book on board. 

We booked on board during our last ocean cruise, but our next cruise is a river cruise, and that option is not available on those. It is good to know that I could do the same once we are home from a river cruise.

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

Peregrina,

 

You are right that with an onboard booking or a future cruise booked you can get final payment set at six months from the sail date, but on my most recent booking, they did not offer that until I asked. I do find that frustrating, even though I understand that Viking is using our money to build more ships so we can sail more places. It is not enough to stop me from continuing to sail with them by any means, but it is one of my few disappointments with Viking.

 

Must be the specific ship consultant you dealt with.  On our cruise, our ship consultant (She was from New Zealand) spelled out every single discount and benefit, including the no payment until 6 months and the free change to another cruise anytime up to 4 months out, plus multiple discounts on the booking itself.  So - I guess we were lucky and you were unlucky.   I was not disappointed at all by Viking - in fact, quite pleased!

[Squawkman]

40 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

 

Must be the specific ship consultant you dealt with.  On our cruise, our ship consultant (She was from New Zealand) spelled out every single discount and benefit, including the no payment until 6 months and the free change to another cruise anytime up to 4 months out, plus multiple discounts on the booking itself.  So - I guess we were lucky and you were unlucky.   I was not disappointed at all by Viking - in fact, quite pleased!

I’m surprised as the one time we booked on ship, there were posters and handouts that detailed all the benefits. 

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

It is good to know that I could do the same once we are home from a river cruise.

 

And you can buy vouchers on board the river cruise to apply to your next booking. It only amounts to $100pp off but it is better than nothing.

 

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Squawkman said:

I’m surprised as the one time we booked on ship, there were posters and handouts that detailed all the benefits. 

Yes, Squawkman.  Not only did the consultant verbally tell us all the benefits, but gave us the pamplets and other items in writing that we went over together.   I did notice that the benefits sheet was available to everyone and was indeed displayed for all to see.  As we had booked an appointment with her right at the beginning of the cruise, we hadn't noticed the posters and handouts yet.    Viking was certainly NOT trying to hide anything, like the previous posted said they experienced, and thus was disappointed in Viking.

[lackcreativity]

4 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

 

Must be the specific ship consultant you dealt with.  On our cruise, our ship consultant (She was from New Zealand) spelled out every single discount and benefit, including the no payment until 6 months and the free change to another cruise anytime up to 4 months out, plus multiple discounts on the booking itself.  So - I guess we were lucky and you were unlucky.   I was not disappointed at all by Viking - in fact, quite pleased!

I don't think I was very clear. My recent experience with having to ask for 6 month payment was over the phone with a Viking agent. When we booked on the ship we were offered that perk, and learned about using the same option when you are booking an additional cruise when you have one under deposit. 

Edited November 4, 2019 by lackcreativity

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

And you can buy vouchers on board the river cruise to apply to your next booking. It only amounts to $100pp off but it is better than nothing.

 

I'm glad to know they still do that. Our first river cruise was five years ago. I will take advantage of that!

[SempreMare]

23 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

However, if you already have a feature cruise booked, as you say you do, the pay in full will be 6 months in advance.

 

does this mean: 

If I already had a feature cruise booked, 

If I were to book a second cruise , 

the Pay in Full date for that second cruise would be 6 months in advance? 

[Peregrina651]

3 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

 

does this mean: 

If I already had a feature cruise booked, 

If I were to book a second cruise , 

the Pay in Full date for that second cruise would be 6 months in advance? 

 

Yes and no. I can't type and I'm a worse proofreader.

 

If you have any FUTURE cruise booked, then the PIF is 6 months in advance when you book another cruise.

[SargassoPirate]

On 11/3/2019 at 9:50 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Fetch it out! 

 

Most of the time Viking will negotiate on the pay in full date, usually to 12 month in advance of sailing.

 

However, if you already have a feature cruise booked, as you say you do, the pay in full will be 6 months in advance.

 

Moreover, if you book while you are on board, you will be offered  6 months in advance along with some other booking benefits that you can't elsewhere -- and if you are working with a TA, and you so wish, your TA will go on the booking (so no hassle having to transfer the booking to your TA at a later date).

 

I did fetch it out and let it lay for a few days. Finally, I picked up the phone and called our "usual" agent at Viking.  After expressing my interest in a particular cruise at the November sale price as well as my displeasure of the fine print requiring payment by the end of December in order to get the sale price, he went to work.  Long story short, we were able to get a three category upgrade, a reduced deposit, and final payment closer to the actual sale date.  It probably helped that we've sailed with Viking before and used the same Viking agent, but after all was said and done I was happy with the overall arrangements.

 

We don't sail exclusively with any one cruise line, always looking for a good deal on somewhere we want to go.  Fortunately, in today's cruise industry, there are lots of choices.