Viking cancellation

[KyOh]

We have a river cruise, Tulips and Windmills, on Viking in April.  We are thinking of cancelling the trip.  Does anyone know Vikings refund policy on river cruises?  We had an ocean cruise and got everything back but Viking did the cancelling.  We are at final payment and need to make a decision.  Thanks for your help-.

[Roz]

I would let Viking cancel the cruise.

[Daisi]

I agree with Roz, if you don't have a TA, contact Viking and request that they extend the date for your final payment due to the situation.  

 

Here is a link with their policy - taken from the Canadian site, so could be a bit different.

 

https://www.vikingrivercruisescanada.com/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html

[Peregrina651]

Viking refund policy is the same for Oceans, River and Expeditions. The details depend on the country where you booked the cruise.

 

Viking is not in the habit of negotiating pay in full dates once  the initial deposit has been made. You can try but it is a long shot.

 

Here is how it works for US pax. First, remember that once a voucher, always a voucher. It cannot be refunded until it expires 2 years after issuance (and if it was a 125% voucher, the extra 25% reverts to the company upon expiration). Second, other markets --AU, NZ, UK, etc-- have different rules.

 

WHEN THE PAX CANCELS OR CHOOSES TO RE-BOOK (WHICH VIKING CONSIDERS A CANCELLATION):

 

• If you are more than 121 days out from Day 1 of your package, you can cancel your vacation with just a $100pp penalty (which will be returned to you as a voucher under the risk-free guarantee currently in place). Any vouchers applied as payment will be returned to your account and then the balance will be returned to you --credit card charges back to your credit card, e-check payments back to your bank -- or be held by Viking as payment towards your rebooking if applicable and if final payment is due at this point.
• Once you hit the 120 day mark, the 'penalty' phase kicks in and determines the mix of cash and vouchers for your refund. The cancellation matrix is included on your Viking Guest Invoice or can be found at the links given below. There are two matrices depending on the length of your voyage. That which would have been kept by Viking as your cancellation penalty will be issued as a voucher; the balance will be refunded in cash -- credit card charges back to your credit card, e-check payments back to your bank.
• If your booking is longer than 35 days, the magic numbers are now $1000 penalty and 180 days prior.

 

WHEN VIKING CANCELS YOUR CRUISE:

 

• Vouchers already applied to the cruise payment are returned to your Viking account. After the voucher amount is removed, then Viking will calculate the 125% voucher. If you have only a partial payment on the books, your refund is based on what you have paid so far.  Viking has been including these vouchers as part of the cancellation e-mail sent to each passenger (and to their TAs). Be sure to read the fine print in the e-mail.
• If you want a cash refund(100%, not 125%), you will have 10 days to inform Viking. The date will be clearly stated in the e-mail; it is not a flexible date. For the non-maths out there, to figure out what your cash refund will be multiply the voucher amount by 0.8. Once you choose a voucher, it remains a voucher until it spent or expires.

Vouchers are issued by passenger not by cabin. Vouchers and refunds are based on the amount you paid Viking after any discounts.

 

Should you cancel or wait for Viking to cancel? That is up to you. Personally, I think it depends on how much you have tied up in vouchers. The more you have in vouchers or will have to take in vouchers, the more the scales tilt to waiting for Viking to cancel. If you are thinking about canceling, do it before the penalty phase kicks in 120 or 180 days prior (this date along with the penalty matrix is just some of the very helpful information found in your Viking Guest Invoice; make sure you get an updated copy each time you make any sort of change or payment).

 

Cancellation matrix, page 3: https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/2-191004_BookingAndSaleTermsAndConditions_wMSP_v4.pdf

 

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thank you Peregrina – this is very clear and will be very helpful. 

 

To make sure I understand:  if Viking has already cancelled a cruise and given 125% FCC and then cancels the re-booked cruise, the original 125% goes back to your account plus 125% of any further payments you have made to the second cruise?

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

plus 125% of any further payments you have made to the second cruise?

 

IF if is Viking doing the canceling and if you accept the 125% FCC voucher. The 125% voucher is available only if Viking cancels. (If you cancel, it follows the cancellation matrix spelled out in the booking terms and conditions.)

 

Here is an example.

 

The total cost of the cruise I just paid for was $10,000. I paid $5000 using an FCC and $5000 on my credit card. Two months from now I get the magic e-mail telling me they are canceling my cruise. Here is what happens:

 

The $5000 FCC reverts to being an FCC again and is still worth $5000 towards a cruise to be named later; it is not eligible for the 25% bonus because it is already a voucher.  In fact, it was originally issued as a 125% voucher; if I don't spend it on another cruise, I will only get $4000 cash back from Viking when I apply for a refund after it has expired two years from the date of issue (that is spelled out on the voucher).

 

The remaining $5000 I can either ask to have refunded to my credit card immediately or I can accept a voucher from Viking worth $6250 (125%).

 

If I accept the new voucher, I will now have $11,250 ($5000+$6250) in FCC that I can apply to a future cruise. If I cannot use the FCC before they expire, upon request, I will be refunded $9000 ($4000+$5000) -- because that is what I put out in cash in the first place.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Peregrina651

[stu52]

I think this also depends on when your reservation was made.  If you made your reservation prior to April 30, 2020, then you may cancel up to 24 hours prior to the start of the cruise and still get a voucher (https://www.vikingcruises.com/risk-free-guarantee-through-april-2020.html?_ga=2.151639482.2037751566.1603814687-1589527027.1603064073).

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, stu52 said:

I think this also depends on when your reservation was made.  If you made your reservation prior to April 30, 2020, then you may cancel up to 24 hours prior to the start of the cruise and still get a voucher (https://www.vikingcruises.com/risk-free-guarantee-through-april-2020.html?_ga=2.151639482.2037751566.1603814687-1589527027.1603064073).

 

You are quoting old information from the first round of cancellations. Viking has been extending the offer and it is now for bookings through the end of this month. I expect that it will continue to be extended month by month for the next few months at least:

 

That is why Viking is offering a limited-time offer—the most flexible of any cruise line—so that you can plan your voyage with peace of mind. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 24 hours before their planned departure—and Viking will waive any fees. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between May 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020.

 

ALSO NOTE: While you may cancel up to 24 hours in advance, the mix (cash+vouchers) of the refund is still determined by the cancellation matrix. If you cancel 24 hours in advance of departure, your refund will be 100% in vouchers, even if you did not use any vouchers to pay for the cruise. 

 

[stu52]

@Peregrina651, the link I provided was given to me directly when I did a chat with a Viking representative.  Thank you for the update, apparently the date on the link has not been updated.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, stu52 said:

@Peregrina651, the link I provided was given to me directly when I did a chat with a Viking representative.  Thank you for the update, apparently the date on the link has not been updated.

 

Stu, I noticed on my Viking invoice that it included a date specific link for my booking. It is possible that the Viking agents are instructed to give out the policy that applies to your booking:

However, the information that I shared was from the Viking website, one of the links in the website footer: https://www.vikingcruises.com/risk-free-guarantee.html

 

Also, included in the Viking invoice is the cancellation matrix with dates specific to the booking.

 

 

[Turtles06]

On 10/19/2020 at 12:33 PM, KyOh said:

We have a river cruise, Tulips and Windmills, on Viking in April.  We are thinking of cancelling the trip. 

 

What about re-booking for April 2022?   We'd been booked on Tulips and Windmills for this past April.  Obviously, that didn't happen.  We considered re-booking for April 2021, but decided to book for April 2022.  C'mon along!   😊

[Host Jazzbeau]

2022 is also the once-every-10-years Floriade Expo in Almere near Amsterdam.  I don't know if Viking is included it in their shore excursions.  AmaWaterways does include it [along, of course, with Keukenhof].

[Second seating]

Floriade is excellent!