Not Happy with Viking

[turner678]

We are booked on Frances Finest from August 21st until October 5 from Paris to Avignon.  We booked our air fare through Viking and paid extra for Comfort Plus seating.  We booked this 1 1/2 months ago. Today we got our air details and my husband and I are not sitting together.  We contacted Viking but they refuse to do anything about it. Very poor customer relations!

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[DrD]

Never ever get included air. Ever.  

[RiverCruiseLover]

1 hour ago, turner678 said:

We are booked on Frances Finest from August 21st until October 5 from Paris to Avignon.  We booked our air fare through Viking and paid extra for Comfort Plus seating.  We booked this 1 1/2 months ago. Today we got our air details and my husband and I are not sitting together.  We contacted Viking but they refuse to do anything about it. Very poor customer relations!

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

No but call your airline or if too long a wait on phone ask airline when you get to airport if possibility to sit together. Someone may have canceled or a kind soul may switch so you can travel together. 1 1/2 months out many seats are already booked.

[RiverCruiseLover]

Just now, lnwest1 said:

No but call your airline or if too long a wait on phone ask airline when you get to airport if possibility to sit together. Someone may have canceled or a kind soul may switch so you can travel together. 1 1/2 months out many seats are already booked.

You should have been able to pick your seats when you paid extra for the plus. 

[turner678]

We did pick our seats when we originally made our reservations.  Then Viking changed our flight to one that was nearly full so there were no seats available together.  After spending over 2 hours on the phone with Viking they finally agreed to move us to a slightly later flight and we were able to get seats together.

 

[pie67]

13 minutes ago, turner678 said:

We did pick our seats when we originally made our reservations.  Then Viking changed our flight to one that was nearly full so there were no seats available together.  After spending over 2 hours on the phone with Viking they finally agreed to move us to a slightly later flight and we were able to get seats together.

 

We didn't pay extra, but had great connections and great seats and then it all changed.  Now on the flight to DC to start, we have no seat assignments unless we want to pay extra, so we have to see what happens when we check in.  And at the end of our vacation, our Delta flight to Pittsburgh through Philly was changed to American through DALLAS!  So now we have a 17 hour day to try and get home.  I saw a comment somewhere else that said never get the included air, and now I know why.

[sharkster77]

For both our river cruise and land tours we've never been able to get air fare as cheaply as the tour company can.  Also buying air fare from cruise/tour company includes airport transfers as well.

 

And if there are any problems (like COVID cancellations!)  we don't have to deal with the airlines directly--it becomes our travel agent's job to work with the tour company.

[goldwingers]

11 hours ago, pie67 said:

We didn't pay extra, but had great connections and great seats and then it all changed.  Now on the flight to DC to start, we have no seat assignments unless we want to pay extra, so we have to see what happens when we check in.  And at the end of our vacation, our Delta flight to Pittsburgh through Philly was changed to American through DALLAS!  So now we have a 17 hour day to try and get home.  I saw a comment somewhere else that said never get the included air, and now I know why.

We did pay extra and originally had a perfect itinerary with Air Canada.  Then Viking changed the date of our cruise by one day at the last minute and by the time we were assigned new flights it was too late to get anything better.  Our flight to Basel now goes from Pittsburgh to HOUSTON to Frankfurt to Basel on Aug 31 (during hurricane season, no less...)  The AirCanada route we wanted was full.  We will be over 24 hours, door to door and not get in to Basel till 5:30 PM.  Jet lag, much??

 

I am only glad we had booked air thru Viking because, had we made our own, we would have had a heck of a time trying to rebook FOUR times since we booked this trip originally.

[lindalouT]

19 hours ago, DrD said:

Never ever get included air. Ever.  

yup...it was cheaper for me to pay out-of-pocket for first/business class, with NO stops...with full control over my reservation and seating...and the MOST convenient time...my United reservation is fully changeable or credit given w no penalty! (and in the several months since i booked , hasnt been  modified  in any way )

 

[RiverCruiseLover]

I think the pandemic is playing havoc with air travel. We always felt confident booking air  with Viking (6 times during past 5 years and never had an issue)However I do book my Comfort seat assignments directly with Delta.  In 2015, our first river cruise, Lufthansa went on strike less than 24 hrs before we were to leave Logan ( our traveling companions were in Boston already).  Viking got us to Prague later the same day with no effort on our part. 

But we had our 2nd cruise with Emerald booked this summer and I had paid for Comfort upgrade thru them and flights were changed to KLM and I was told I'd have to book seats thru KLM website. Straw that broke the camel's back.. Decided to switch to cruise next year when hopefully at better new norm. Not the river cruises we loved.

[RiverCruiseLover]

Oh I just remembered being told by Viking Air prob 5 years ago that if you don't use AIR Plus services the "machine" ( not a person) just schedules the flights which basically is the cheapest way to get to destination.

[CincyAL]

Plus Viking air connections often have very unreasonable connection times, especially with so many SENIOR travelers with less mobility.  

[sharkster77]

31 minutes ago, CincyAL said:

Plus Viking air connections often have very unreasonable connection times, especially with so many SENIOR travelers with less mobility.  

When we paid for Air Plus we chose whatever flights we wanted, no problem.  Still got flights for less than we could have on our own.

[Vicky D]

On 8/17/2021 at 3:40 PM, DrD said:

Never ever get included air. Ever.  

Why not? I have done it in the past and it was successful, pleasant and very easy. I loved having the transfers.

[splash0306]

The pandemic is playing havoc with airline scheduling. Can’t believe how many times my friends flight has been changed from NYC to San Francisco, and never a straight through flight.

[celvalliere]

We have used Viking Air and there have been flight modifications due to the airlines changing planes/routes. We have always been immediately informed of changes. When we are notified of a change we immediately go to the carrier’s website with our confirmation numbers and, to date, have been able to select/reselect seats to our liking in comfort+. My DH an I do not agree on our “preferred” seating choices which rarely, but on occasion, means that we could be on the same plane but a row apart for a few hours. In this scenario I have been known to tap him on the shoulder when he starts to snore. 

[mtnmomma]

Flights are crazy...4 changes with Delta for a trip in 4 months not with Viking...just as an example.  Hard to really know the culprit.  We have booked today for a flight in May thru Viking.

[Clampetts]

We booked a 12/21 Christmas cruise on the Elbe River 2 months out. We travel extensively for business and I have always booked my own air on every single cruise for the past 25 years.

With this little advance time, inventory on our preferred carrier, Delta,  was either ridiculously expensive or had lengthy layovers on double connections.  
Because this is a winter cruise and we were concerned about possible weather delays and missed connections, we rolled the dice and booked air on Viking with the “right” to approve choices and obtain assigned seating. 
So far Viking has either gone back on what they promised (and the agents who made those promises are curiously unavailable when I have called back) or they have simply not followed through on things like advance seat assignments. 
We added on an extension package 4 days after the initial cruise booking and Viking tried to charge $300 additional for changing the return flights even though they promised that flight schedules are not locked in until 20 days out. I won that battle through perseverance and sweat -  this is Viking’s made-up charge fee. So far it’s been a lot of time on the phone and we aren’t done yet. 
 

[john0000]

On 11/17/2021 at 9:01 PM, Clampetts said:

We booked a 12/21 Christmas cruise on the Elbe River 2 months out. We travel extensively for business and I have always booked my own air on every single cruise for the past 25 years.

With this little advance time, inventory on our preferred carrier, Delta,  was either ridiculously expensive or had lengthy layovers on double connections.  
Because this is a winter cruise and we were concerned about possible weather delays and missed connections, we rolled the dice and booked air on Viking with the “right” to approve choices and obtain assigned seating. 
So far Viking has either gone back on what they promised (and the agents who made those promises are curiously unavailable when I have called back) or they have simply not followed through on things like advance seat assignments. 
We added on an extension package 4 days after the initial cruise booking and Viking tried to charge $300 additional for changing the return flights even though they promised that flight schedules are not locked in until 20 days out. I won that battle through perseverance and sweat -  this is Viking’s made-up charge fee. So far it’s been a lot of time on the phone and we aren’t done yet. 
 

I have noticed that if I don't stick to my "assigned" viking rep, I get totally different answers from the ones that just pick up the phone.  I have to wonder if they let go their staff and rehired newbys to viking when they reopened.  A lot of them have no clue what they are talking about.  It is also a fact that the reps do not know what is going on in Europe, or , they just don't want to let on that they do.  

 

[Suezq52]

Booked Air Plus with premium economy.  Had great flights, time and seats.  Then the airlines cancelled the flight from Frankfurt to Tampa.  Viking never told us until I got on line to check.  Called V and was on the phone for 1 1/2 hours until they found us flights. With the prem econo there are very limited seats that they allot V.  It will be a long day flying home but at least we got seats.  Now hopefully the cruise will happen.

 

[Peregrina651]

On 8/17/2021 at 1:31 PM, turner678 said:

We are booked on Frances Finest from August 21st until October 5 from Paris to Avignon.  We booked our air fare through Viking and paid extra for Comfort Plus seating.  We booked this 1 1/2 months ago. Today we got our air details and my husband and I are not sitting together.  We contacted Viking but they refuse to do anything about it. Very poor customer relations!

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

 

I booked my own air for our current trip and I didn't fair much better than you. First Delta canceled our outbound 10am flight and put us on the 7 am flight.  Departure time changed three times.  About three weeks before our departure, they canceled our return flight.  We are now on the red-eye.  Our airport wait will be 12 hours.  

 

This us what travel is like these days whether you book on your own or you book through Viking.  We are all at the mercy of the airlines.  

Edited December 24, 2021 by Peregrina651

[Gatorzzzz]

Yeah, I'm not happy either.

 

I am scheduled for a Rhine river cruise in early April.  Originally we were booked on a Danube in 2021 but that was cancelled and we took a voucher (big mistake).

 

Two weeks ago (while I was on a Princess cruise) I received an e-mail form Viking about a change in health protocols.  I didn’t have the desire to deal with it while on my Princess cruise, so I waited until I got back.

 

The new change of protocol has basically revised the definition of “fully vaccinated” by using the CDC guidelines (I should note that a poll last week taken by NBC News found that only 44% of Americans have trust in the CDC, most likely only beating out the IRS as the least trusted American government agency).  For all cruises departing beginning March 1, 2022, Viking passengers must have received a booster, as recommended by the CDC, if eligible.  Eligibility is not easily determined, but what I figured out is that if you have had your second dose at least five months ago, then you are eligible for a booster.  Eligibility bears no relationship to the person’s health status, antibody status, or any other medical factor.  Eligibility is simply based on time.

 

I called Viking and ended up speaking to Robert (not his real name).  I confirmed the policy and asked if there were any exceptions to the booster policy.  He told me “no.”  I then brought to his attention that the FDA has advised, as most recently updated on January 31, 2022, that certain people not take the Moderna vaccine or booster.  These are based on factors such as adverse reactions and allergies.  Robert said that Viking doesn’t care what the FDA says and that Viking is relying solely on CDC guidelines. (I should note that my second dose is within most European countries’ 270-day requirement.)

 

I then mentioned to Robert that the CDC has also recommended that Americans not cruise, and it appears that Viking is only selectively choosing which CDC recommendations to follow.  He did not respond to that comment.

 

I then asked him why a Norwegian company, sailing ships under the Swiss flag (apparently all Viking Longships on the Rhine sail under the Swiss flag) is being guided by a United States government agency.  His only response was that Viking ships sail under various flags; obviously avoiding my question.

 

I then asked him if using Verifly is mandatory.  He said “no,” which was the only thing positive I heard from him.

 

Finally, I asked him about my cancellation options and he said that they can be found on page two of my invoice. i.e., basically try to get a refund from travel insurance or take a voucher.  Based upon other posts in CC, travel insurance refund is not possible unless a person is actually quarantined, which based upon the actual medical facts of COVID is now uncommon.

 

Issue two – Viking Air.  I have gotten four e-mails beginning about 90 days before sailing regarding my Viking Air, each one with a different itinerary.  The final version came early last week.  Originally my flights were Florida to PHL to LHR to BSL.  Then it was changed to Florida to CLT to LHR to BSL.  Then it was changed to Florida to ATL to AMS to BSL.  The Atlanta connection concerned me as I was only given 61 minutes to transfer in Atlanta.  So, I call Viking Air to express my concern about a tight connection (as an aside, when we sailed Viking Ocean our incoming flight from EWR to our home airport in Florida was delayed, which if we waiting for it would have resulted in missing our transatlantic flight to Lisbon; we ended up at the check in counter for nearly an hour trying to get to Lisbon and ended up with a itinerary of Florida to BOS to MUC to Lisbon arriving at around 2:30 p.m. instead of our originally scheduled 6:00 a.m.).  So anyway, back to the Atlanta connection.  I finally spoke to a not-very-friendly person and expressed my concern of a tight connection in Atlanta.  She said that their guidelines (maybe written by CDC, I didn’t ask) indicate that a minimum 60 minute connection in Atlanta is required.  I said, I understand, but that I have lived on the east coast my entire life and have traveled through Atlanta countless times.  Her response was that I was not a Viking Plus Air customer.  I acknowledged that and simply said that if changes cannot be made then I was just being proactive in expressing my concerns about a tight connection.  Eventually she relented and searched for an alternate.  I had already done my research and found two earlier flights to Atlanta that day.  She comes back on the line and says I can get you Florida to ORD to LHR to BSL and I ask her why I couldn’t just take an earlier flight to Atlanta.  She said there is no early flight.  I said, yes there is, I already researched that.  She then asked me the flight number to Atlanta, which, after re-searching I gave her.  She responded that she did not know if that was in their price range and put me on hold.  She eventually booked me on the earlier flight that I had found.  Of course all of this is now moot, as my final itinerary back to the original - Florida to PHL to LHR to BSL.  But, the flight to LHR is on British Airways.  I am an American, Delta, and United credit card holder and frequent flyer but now I am stuck on an airline that wants to charge me to get a seat (same thing with our Viking Ocean trip; we paid for seats on TAP and when we got re-routed and didn’t fly TAP, TAP said they would give us a credit – yeah, like I am ever going to fly TAP).  I called Viking Air about getting assigned seats and they couldn’t do anything either.

 

I have not decided whether I am going on the trip but I since I should not take the booster I have decided that I am not going to get the booster.

 

Since I likely will not have a valid travel insurance claim it looks like I will take another voucher (ugh), unless Europe shuts down again before April which would force Viking to cancel, and hope that I will be able to sail once the CDC re-changes their mind.  Here’s hoping for a fast-moving Sigma Variant to pop up.

 

When I do finally cruise, it will likely be my final Viking cruise.

 

[Note, I am posting this in two separate existing threads.  A general river cruise and the Rhine 2022 thread.]

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Gatorzzzz said:

When I do finally cruise, it will likely be my final Viking cruise.

If the phone rep flagged your file, that may not be your choice...

[KathyK13]

2 hours ago, Gatorzzzz said:

I have not decided whether I am going on the trip but I since I should not take the booster I have decided that I am not going to get the booster

If your doctor has said that you shouldn't get the booster, ask if you could get a letter from the doctor stating this.  Perhaps Viking would accept the letter along with a negative PCR test in place of the booster shot.

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, Gatorzzzz said:

I have not decided whether I am going on the trip but I since I should not take the booster I have decided that I am not going to get the booster.

Definitely always health over travel plans, fully agree.

 

31 minutes ago, KathyK13 said:

If your doctor has said that you shouldn't get the booster, ask if you could get a letter from the doctor stating this.  Perhaps Viking would accept the letter along with a negative PCR test in place of the booster shot.

A very good suggestion.If Viking does not except this, perhaps it is your chance to get a different satisfactory outcome to your problem, i.e. cancel the cruise and get your money back. It may be a good idea to preemptively look for ways to make this problem public, a newspaper, etc... May help.

 

notamermaid