BE Cautious of Viking River Cruise Payment Schedule

[eguiney]

Be VERY careful when making a reservation with Viking online. It is not until the booking is made that you will learn that they want payment in full in 4-5 weeks which may be as much as 11-20 months before the cruise.  I just made a reservation for July 2021.  They wanted payment in full by the end of this month.  It is costing me $200 to cancel and get my deposit and insurance payments back 5 minutes after making the reservation. The were very quick to take my money but it will be 20+ days to get it back.

I have cruised with them before and was always able to get a reduction to 6 months out for full payment, but not this time.  I am done with Viking and will never give them another cent for their very poor customer service.  For a few months difference they lost a large sale and a customer.  Not a very good business model.#VikingCruises #MyVikingStory

[Coral]

I probably won't try Viking due to stories like this. Thanks for reporting.

[Roz]

57 minutes ago, Coral said:

I probably won't try Viking due to stories like this. Thanks for reporting.

 

Moi aussi.  Viking has a ridiculous payment schedule.  There are too many other lines out there to do business with.  To the OP, I'm sorry you lost $200 on that fiasco.

[sharkster77]

This is not news.  Viking TRIES to collect in some cases  years ahead, but a bit of push back and they will change those deadlines.  We ended up paying 5 months before we sailed, and this was offered to our TA without asking for it.  This was last year.

 

Given the state of the world economy, Viking, or any carrier, would rather change the due date than lose the booking.

[caripoo]

Much as I like Viking.....I REALLY dislike their new payment policies.

[Squawkman]

Sharkster- since the pandemic, Viking isn’t as generous in moving the final payment date. The way we get around it is that as long a you have at least one cruise booked, you can defer subsequent bookings to 180 days before embarkation. 
 

Eguiney - Had you booked in voice with a Viking agent, you might have gotten some extra time as a new Viking customer.Worst case, you probably could have cancelled with no penalty. You will get vouchers for the $200 - honestly, I would give Viking another chance. Many here use travel agents - I have used the same Viking agent for several years - others here on CC swear by their travel agents. 

[eguiney]

1 hour ago, Squawkman said:

Sharkster- since the pandemic, Viking isn’t as generous in moving the final payment date. The way we get around it is that as long a you have at least one cruise booked, you can defer subsequent bookings to 180 days before embarkation. 
 

Eguiney - Had you booked in voice with a Viking agent, you might have gotten some extra time as a new Viking customer.Worst case, you probably could have cancelled with no penalty. You will get vouchers for the $200 - honestly, I would give Viking another chance. Many here use travel agents - I have used the same Viking agent for several years - others here on CC swear by their travel agents. 

I did call as soon as I booked.  The agent left several time to talk with a supervisor. No deal.  They did offer voucher but at that point I was not in the mode.  BTW, just looked at an Avalon equivalent Grand European Cruise.  the price is comparable and their final payment is due 90 days before departure which is much more reasonable.

 

[eguiney]

5 hours ago, Coral said:

I probably won't try Viking due to stories like this. Thanks for reporting.

Check Avalon.  Have not sailed but looks nice.  Got a quote for their equivalent Grand European Cruise and the price is comparable.  Their final payment is 90 days before departure which is reasonable

 

[eguiney]

4 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

This is not news.  Viking TRIES to collect in some cases  years ahead, but a bit of push back and they will change those deadlines.  We ended up paying 5 months before we sailed, and this was offered to our TA without asking for it.  This was last year.

 

Given the state of the world economy, Viking, or any carrier, would rather change the due date than lose the booking.

I have sailed Viking before and know the drill.  I did push back.  Their response was basically go ahead and cancel no big deal to us.

[greydog]

Hi - I'm not disputing the dissatisfaction, inconvenience of Viking's policy for early payment.

 

BUT in the uncertainty from the pandemic, Viking seems to be a leader in offering 'risk-free guarantee' for bookings in terms of options for 24-hr pre-cruise cancel without penalty,  FCC and +125% FCC for their cancellations.

 

Just suggesting there's a mix of pro's/con's and I'm pretty happy with V's initiatives for booking flexibility that I have taken advantage of.  Nice to have options among cruise brands to suit preferences.

HAPPY CRUISING

Edited August 6, 2020 by greydog

[patrickmoran]

V's paperwork is very clear when payment is due and cancellation penalties. There is nothing underhanded about them. You may not like them but you are free to book with a different line.

[eguiney]

When I booked on line, nowhere until the cruise is booked does the final payment date show up.  The cancellation penalty yes but not final payment.  I did go back and rather than booking on the website I asked for a quote and specifically asked for final payment date.  Their Risk free guarantee is nice but they still have your money.  For a Elbe River cruise in June 2021, final payment is due 290 days before cruise - almost 10 months.  When I asked for same cruise in June of 2022, final payment is due 522 days or almost 18 months before the cruise.  When I told the agent I was not going to accept, it was like no big deal someone else will.  So as long as Viking can fill ships they have no incentive to do anything but continuue to push final payments out as far from the cruise as they can until folks finally wake up and realize what it is costing.  Avalon and AMAWaterways both are doing 90 days so maybe I need to look there as many of their cruises are duplicates of Vikings.  Unfortunately they do not have an Elbe river and that is part of Europe we have not done.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, eguiney said:

Avalon and AMAWaterways both are doing 90 days so maybe I need to look there as many of their cruises are duplicates of Vikings.  Unfortunately they do not have an Elbe river and that is part of Europe we have not done.

 

Just be aware that very few Elbe river cruises actually sail.  I believe that CroisiEurope's ships are able to sail their itineraries more often than Viking's on this river.  So if the ship is only going to be a floating hotel, it might be better to look for a land tour or plan your own DIY.

[Coral]

On 8/8/2020 at 11:08 PM, patrickmoran said:

V's paperwork is very clear when payment is due and cancellation penalties. There is nothing underhanded about them. You may not like them but you are free to book with a different line.

I think the fact that they are unique in their payment schedule and cancellation schedule (they are) is a surprise to people. Experienced cruisers are used to more of a traditional way where you can get your deposit back up to a certain point.

[patrickmoran]

Experienced cruisers know to read the paperwork so they are not surprised.

[Ride-The-Waves]

10 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

Experienced cruisers know to read the paperwork so they are not surprised.

Its called obfuscation.  Viking River has made this type of grifting a true art form.  In addition to their slight-of-hand payment notification, Viking corporate is horrible at keeping customer informed of changes and events.  Despite "promises," Viking corporate intentionally leaves river cruise customers hanging.  While we enjoyed our river cruise Bucharest to Budapest several years ago, dealing with Viking was a true nightmare, inflexible, lying, and misinformation.  Never again.

[Squawkman]

2 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Its called obfuscation.  Viking River has made this type of grifting a true art form.  In addition to their slight-of-hand payment notification, Viking corporate is horrible at keeping customer informed of changes and events.  Despite "promises," Viking corporate intentionally leaves river cruise customers hanging.  While we enjoyed our river cruise Bucharest to Budapest several years ago, dealing with Viking was a true nightmare, inflexible, lying, and misinformation.  Never again.

 

While I agree some Viking policies could use improvement, I have to totally disagree with your description. I have used the same Viking rep for a few years now and never experienced anything you say. I cruise Viking river and ocean exclusively (I should say  expect to when cruising resumes).

[notamermaid]

17 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Just be aware that very few Elbe river cruises actually sail.  I believe that CroisiEurope's ships are able to sail their itineraries more often than Viking's on this river.  So if the ship is only going to be a floating hotel, it might be better to look for a land tour or plan your own DIY.

The Elbe has the most "uncertainty" of the untamed (by locks, etc.) rivers in Europe. CroisiEurope has the heads up a regards sailings taking place over Viking with the two paddle wheelers and the actual cruise portion is longer. For that reason @eguiney I would choose CroisiEurope - or indeed go on a land trip. If you are adventurous as regards language you could also look into nickocruises (German company).

 

Do shop around - there are many options besides Viking. Another operator is Riviera Travel, not for the Elbe though.

 

notamermaid

 

[drsel]

I would love to try Viking, if only they were not so expensive

[sharkster77]

@drsel, all river cruises are expensive, given the economy of a ship that can only hold  <200 passengers.

 

Viking is actually middle-of-the-road regarding pricing.  Tauck, Scenic, Crystal, are more expensive.  There are some cheaper companies, but often no excursions are included, for example.

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, drsel said:

I would love to try Viking, if only they were not so expensive

Check-out Gate 1. Their river cruises are less expensive than those offered by Viking. We have cruised on both Viking and Gate 1 and found their cruises to be very comparable. Viking offers a few more perks such as a few more choices in tours but Gate 1 does offer perfectly adequate tours in each port of call.

Edited August 23, 2020 by dogs4fun

[drsel]

Thanks I will