Viking playing with final payment Dates

[clojacks]

 I actually posted the text below this first sentence on the Viking Ocean board, but it is just as appropriate here, as the impacted cruise is a River Cruise.

 

We have/had an Oct '20 14 day Danube river cruise scheduled, and for more than 1 reason, under no circumstances will we be cruising. We have been back and forth on options, from outright cancelling, revising the sailing to another that we found for 2022, or waiting until a next round of cancellations came around to try to talk ourselves into taking 125% FCV. We have $12000 in Vikings bank some where, and have had since we had to make final payment in Oct '19, a full 12 months in advance.

 

About a month I found a B2B in New Zealand/Australia/Bali that really interested us in Feb 2022, and I started researching it. 3 weeks ago I discussed it at length with a Viking sales rep and was able to talk him into delaying the final payment of over $26000 until Aug of 2021, so, only 6 months in advance.

 

Earlier this week, we finally decided to take our $12000 and hold it ourselves, so we contacted our TA, and submitted the cancellation paperwork.

 

Yesterday, I chatted with Viking again to get a little more info, and they notified me, that even though our cruise had NOT been cancelled by Viking yet, AND it wasn't for another 6 months, if we rescinded our cancellation, they would give us the 125% under a new promo offer they are starting up, I think. after quite a bit of talk and discussion, we got a quote from Viking, and I noticed the final payment date was end of Dec of this year....2020, so $26000 due 15 months in advance! I got ahold of the Viking rep who I had worked with and he was "able" to move it 2 months later, until February 2021. After a couple of conversations, they wouldn't move on the final payment date, and if they think I am going to go all in for $26000 and pray every night that they don't fold?? Not going to happen. 

 

 

[Daisi]

There are several topics on this board about Viking's payment policy.  Some people have luck getting final payments moved from 1 year to 9 months (some less, but I think the 9 month is average).  You look like you are also booking an ocean cruise with Viking...they may have different policies, as I am sure that even though they share the same name and probably provide the same service, they will be 2 different entities as far as legalities go.  

 

Just like river and ocean cruising have very few things in common, I'm sure payment policies between the two are the same.

 

If you do a search for "viking payment", you may find some solutions...but don't expect them to change, as they sell to many cruises with their 1 year pay in advance policy.

[sharkster77]

Last year we were allowed to make our final payment 5 months from cruise date.

 

@Daisi, is correct, this topic has been covered extensively in other threads, in one case just in the past week or 2.