Advice needed :)

[klh720]

Ugh - I asked my TA about rebooking the same itinerary in April 2022.  She said that was doable, but that the final payment would be due December 31, 2020.  I am very hesitant to give Viking the entire balance 14 months ahead of sailing, given all the current uncertainty.  Apparently, my original booking for May 2021 allowed me to pay the balance 6 months ahead of the cruise, but that deal would disappear for a rebooked cruise.  (some people think that is still too far in advance of a cruise, but Viking is notorious about advance payments.)  She advises waiting until September to see if another deal is offered for final payment closer to the cruise date.

[Peregrina651]

12 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Question two , if we move it, would Viking honor all our perks?

Question three, if we make final payment and Viking does not sail, would the FCC include all the perks we have?

 

2. No, you lose the perks (except for the future cruise certificates (purchasable on the river cruises only) which will be returned to your account).

 

3. No, FCV covers only what you have paid out of pocket. If the bottom line on your invoice is $12,345 and that is how much you handed over to Viking in any combination of cash and vouchers, that is what the FCC will be based on. Any vouchers used will be returned to your account. Only the cash balance is eligible for the 25% bonus if you choose to take your refund in FCV. Only the cash balance is eligible for refund if you choose a refund.

 

To be honest with you,  I would think about paying in at this time but then revisiting your decision as the 121 day deadline approaches and the cancellation penalties kick in -- especially if there are no vouchers involved in paying for the cruise. Prior to the 121 day mark, you can get your cash back less the $100pp penalty, which will be returned to you as vouchers. At 120 days penalties kick in and refunds after that point are a combination of cash and vouchers -- more vouchers, less cash as your sail date approaches. See the Terms & Conditions on the V website for the exact breakdown. Cash paid in is refundable; vouchers will be returned to your account.

 

Someone on another topic said, "Cash is king," and at this point, I think there is a lot to be said for that way of looking at things at this point in time.

[jonthomas]

Very sound advice. Thank you for your efforts.

[CCWineLover]

11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

To be honest with you,  I would think about paying in at this time but then revisiting your decision as the 121 day deadline approaches and the cancellation penalties kick in -- especially if there are no vouchers involved in paying for the cruise. Prior to the 121 day mark, you can get your cash back less the $100pp penalty, which will be returned to you as vouchers. At 120 days penalties kick in and refunds after that point are a combination of cash and vouchers -- more vouchers, less cash as your sail date approaches. See the Terms & Conditions on the V website for the exact breakdown. Cash paid in is refundable; vouchers will be returned to your account.

 

Someone on another topic said, "Cash is king," and at this point, I think there is a lot to be said for that way of looking at things at this point in time.

I totally agree with you Peregrina651.

We had a Rome to Miami cruise in October planned.  We did make the final payment back in April just to give us some more time to see what happened.   Then exactly at the 121 mark, we cancelled the cruise.  We could have waited for Viking to likely do it and get a 125% voucher, but for us the cash was king.    We got the cash back within one week and just now got the $100 vouchers.   We are quite happy with this logic and how things turned out, but sad as well.

Basically, paying the final due gave us time to see the next cards in the deck so to speak, and then when things didn't look good COVID wise, we could bail out and still come out whole.

[stormz]

I think the biggest risk by full paying is if the company runs into financial difficulties. You can certainly cancel at 121 days but they have to have the $ to refund. I am not a Attorney but I believe we would be on the list of unsecured creditors especially if you paid by E check.  If you pay by credit card you have a better chance to dispute. Most travel insurance policies insure the $ if the company goes bankrupt.   This happened to Renaissance Cruise Lines after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So far I have not heard of anyone losing $. I suppose the 125% vouchers are helping keep the lines “afloat”. 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, stormz said:

I think the biggest risk by full paying is if the company runs into financial difficulties. You can certainly cancel at 121 days but they have to have the $ to refund. I am not a Attorney but I believe we would be on the list of unsecured creditors especially if you paid by E check.  If you pay by credit card you have a better chance to dispute. Most travel insurance policies insure the $ if the company goes bankrupt.   This happened to Renaissance Cruise Lines after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So far I have not heard of anyone losing $. I suppose the 125% vouchers are helping keep the lines “afloat”. 

 

And the longer the industry shutdown continues the bigger the risk -- and I would not bank on my travel insurance paying anything because I am convinced that they will say that Covid is to blame and thus not covered.

 

We have a payment due in October for an April cruise. What isn't being paid with vouchers will be going on a credit card.