Value of Air Plus When There are Deviations?

[mc_reeve]

I did a search and could not find precisely the answer to my question.  We are traveling to CA from the east coast during December holidays to pick up a Viking Ocean cruise in LA.  Obviously we are concerned about flights during the outbound leg as it is within the "holiday travel" window.  This is our first Viking cruise but I am an experienced traveler and have no issues booking my own flights - in fact I have both lots of Delta miles right now as well as cash credit from two canceled trips (two cruises in the past 18 months).  We are planning to go out to LA at least two days before our cruise leaves on 12/20 and stay up to a week after the cruise to visit some friends in San Diego.

 

So what is the value of Viking Air Plus?  I understand I will have to pay $50/pp for the ability to use Air Plus but what kind of ticket can I expect to receive?  We want to go first or comfort+ - so will there be any credit given toward a first-class ticket for the "free air" which I assume is for a bulk purchased deep economy ticket Viking has negotiated with the airlines?  Will Air Plus provide any value to us that I don't already have because I am comfortable doing my own air ticketing and the airport transfers are a moot point anyway since we are deviating on both ends of the trip?

 

(Can't reply to additional comments or questions for the next 10 hours.)

[Azulann]

Viking Air , free promo or not , is to  travel on the day of embarkation and  fly home the day the cruise is over. To stay longer before or after  with Viking air, you pay $100. pp  for deviation  before cruise or another $100. to stay  days  after the cruise. 

So in your case ,using Viking Free air and getting Viking Air plus($50.00 pp) with your travel plans, it will cost you $250.00 pp  The ticket you get will be in economy class.

 Do not know about upgrading at time of booking Viking Air plus.  I did upgrade  to "economy comfort "after I got my Viking Air Plus ticket. Paid for the upgrade myself on my United Air app. 

IMO, I would just do your own air  for this cruise. Flying near the Holidays is always popular time.  Do it now and get the best flight times and seats and prices will probably only go up...

Edited August 31, 2021 by Azulann

[Heidi13]

Assuming that the flights for the 20th December are included, as they are on the 4th December cruise we booked.

 

If you use the included flights without paying for Air Plus, although you can input preferences into MVJ, you have no guarantee of getting flights on a preferred airline. You also have no input into times, connections, etc.

 

With Air Plus, you can request specific airlines and flights. We provide our TA up to 3 preferences, in order. We have received our 1st choice on all flights. Note - they can charge extra if your preferred flights are more expensive than the budget.

 

Note - Cruise Line/Marine flights are often a fare class that cannot be upgraded to First/Business/Premium Economy and you will not know the fare class until tickets are issued.

 

If you opt to purchase your own flights, you will not receive a credit for the "Included" flights.

 

For the 4th December cruise, we are going with Viking Air and once we receive the tickets will try to upgrade to First/Business.

[whitbob]

We just booked the Dec 4th LA - Hawaii Cruise, and were noodling on flights today, as we want to arrive Dec 3rd, rather than the day of Embarkation.  The Viking Air is going to cost $150 additional per person based upon Azulann's detailed explanation, and by the way, thank you for your quick response to mc_reeve.  Using your calculations, we are also regular Delta flyers, I just booked round trip using points at just under 75k points for both tickets at our preferred times.  With status, the tickets were already upgrade to comfort.  I hated to waste a free ticket through Viking, but flying in on the day of the cruise, and spending the extra to deviate didn't seem like the best idea this time.  We have our second Viking Cruise booked for August 2022, so we will we completing this exercise again very soon, and perhaps the Air Plus will be the way to go then.

 

Thanks again Azulann and Heidi13 for your advice.  Heidi13 we hope to meet you on the ship.

 

 

 

 

[Heidi13]

7 minutes ago, whitbob said:

We just booked the Dec 4th LA - Hawaii Cruise, and were noodling on flights today, as we want to arrive Dec 3rd, rather than the day of Embarkation.  The Viking Air is going to cost $150 additional per person based upon Azulann's detailed explanation, and by the way, thank you for your quick response to mc_reeve.  Using your calculations, we are also regular Delta flyers, I just booked round trip using points at just under 75k points for both tickets at our preferred times.  With status, the tickets were already upgrade to comfort.  I hated to waste a free ticket through Viking, but flying in on the day of the cruise, and spending the extra to deviate didn't seem like the best idea this time.  We have our second Viking Cruise booked for August 2022, so we will we completing this exercise again very soon, and perhaps the Air Plus will be the way to go then.

 

Thanks again Azulann and Heidi13 for your advice.  Heidi13 we hope to meet you on the ship.

 

Likewise, here is the link to the roll call

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

Note - they can charge extra if your preferred flights are more expensive than the budget.

 

Note - Cruise Line/Marine flights are often a fare class that cannot be upgraded to First/Business/Premium Economy and you will not know the fare class until tickets are issued.

 

Two VERY important notes, which everyone should remember.  Thanks for posting them.

 

Also, these notes apply not just to Viking air, but for almost every other cruiseline.  A bit more background for everyone:

 

The first relates to the inventory made available to the cruiseline through their negotiated contract.  That inventory does not include all flights - and in order to fulfill your request, the cruiseline may need to either use higher priced contract inventory that may be available to them (a form of "contingency" inventory that's higher priced within the contract) or buy the ticket on the spot market directly from the carrier.  And you pay for using those higher priced options.

 

Note that you will not necessarily pay the difference that the cruiseline paid.  You may pay more or less, with the cruiseline taking a profit or a loss.  And since no one on the outside knows the negotiated price of the base ticket, you can't figure out which is which.

 

As for the second note, this relates to the "fare basis" of the ticket.  Cruiseline/consolidator/bulk fares are a different "fare" than the published "fares" available directly from the airline.  (And note that "fare" does not mean "price" - "fare" is the combination of price and the underlying fare rules that determine the application of the ticket).  Most all bulk fares have restrictions in the rules, both for upgrading, rerouting, endorsement to other carriers and more.  So be aware that you aren't getting the same "ticket" as if you buy direct.

 

None of this means that you shouldn't use either cruiseline air or any kind of cruiseline "plus" service.  Just be aware of what you are getting and why.

 

 

 

 

 

[rbslos18]

Does anyone want to venture a guess what percent of Viking cruisers use Viking Air and arrive on the day of the cruise embarkation.

[Clay Clayton]

When we had “free air” prior to our 2019 transatlantic we deviated on both outbound and the return it was only $100 per person total. Like Andy, we also added another $50 to be able to request flights where we had status. So for a total of $150 pp we needed up flying from RDU to SJU a day early (in first due to our status) and then rather than flying out of Barcelona on disembarkation day, we flew out of Rome 8 days later back to the US (in biz courtesy of our status, 25,000 points and $300). So for us, spending the extra was well worth it. I priced out our flights and it would have been around $2500 per person. 
 

Obviously YMMV but it’s sure worth looking at AirPlus and deviation fees and comparing to what you can get on your own.  Sometimes it’s worth it and other times it’s not.  I checked on flights for us to fly to the Hawaii/Polynesia cruise yesterday and I can buy nonstop roundtrip for $232 in econ so I suspect we wouldn’t accept the “free” air.  But depending on when (if) we book the cruise, that calculation could certainly change. 

[brushe]

10 hours ago, whitbob said:

We just booked the Dec 4th LA - Hawaii Cruise, and were noodling on flights today, as we want to arrive Dec 3rd, rather than the day of Embarkation.  The Viking Air is going to cost $150 additional per person based upon Azulann's detailed explanation, and by the way, thank you for your quick response to mc_reeve.  Using your calculations, we are also regular Delta flyers, I just booked round trip using points at just under 75k points for both tickets at our preferred times.  With status, the tickets were already upgrade to comfort.  I hated to waste a free ticket through Viking, but flying in on the day of the cruise, and spending the extra to deviate didn't seem like the best idea this time.  We have our second Viking Cruise booked for August 2022, so we will we completing this exercise again very soon, and perhaps the Air Plus will be the way to go then.

 

Thanks again Azulann and Heidi13 for your advice.  Heidi13 we hope to meet you on the ship.

 

 

 

 

Hi whitbob,

I’m so sorry for the long post. 
 

I hope you don’t mind me asking a question within your question/post but there seems to be some knowledgeable people responding. 😊

 

My husband and I are like you in that we travel a lot, mostly within the US, and always make our own travel arrangements. We are taking our first VOC for the Homelands cruise next May 2022. We have paid for Air Plus and also paid insurance on our trip. Because we rescheduled from last year, some friends recommended their TA which we went with. Other than getting the cruise transferred, she has done very little. We found the flights we want coming in a couple of days early and returning a few days after and understand about the deviation fees. Our TA said we should just go ahead and purchase the flights because “she wouldn’t make much off the flights.”  And because we are going to upgrade to at least economy plus or business, we could get them cheaper. Does this make sense to anyone using a TA?  We asked her to check with Viking about the cost and she said she couldn’t and get a refund on what we’ve paid for flights. I’m not sure we need the TA if she cannot assist us. Again, I’m so sorry for the long post. 

[brushe]

3 minutes ago, brushe said:

Hi whitbob,

I’m so sorry for the long post. 
 

I hope you don’t mind me asking a question within your question/post but there seems to be some knowledgeable people responding. 😊

 

My husband and I are like you in that we travel a lot, mostly within the US, and always make our own travel arrangements. We are taking our first VOC for the Homelands cruise next May 2022. We have paid for Air Plus and also paid insurance on our trip. Because we rescheduled from last year, some friends recommended their TA which we went with. Other than getting the cruise transferred, she has done very little. We found the flights we want coming in a couple of days early and returning a few days after and understand about the deviation fees. Our TA said we should just go ahead and purchase the flights because “she wouldn’t make much off the flights.”  And because we are going to upgrade to at least economy plus or business, we could get them cheaper. Does this make sense to anyone using a TA?  We asked her to check with Viking about the cost and she said she couldn’t and get a refund on what we’ve paid for flights. I’m not sure we need the TA if she cannot assist us. Again, I’m so sorry for the long post. 

Apologies, mc_reeve is the original poster. 

[FlyerTalker]

Brushe:  Without a lot more details, it is hard to make an informed opinion.

 

The one thing for sure, and this is a heads up to other readers:  Why did you go with this particular TA?  If it was merely "well we use this person", then I'm sorry to say that you did not do due diligence.  First off, what service/benefit do you expect/want from your TA?  Then, what information leads you to believe that you will get that from any prospective agent?  I know a lot of people only want "cheapest price" and evaluate on that basis alone.  Others want a knowledgeable person who will provide service, rather than just be an order taker.  Seems like you got the latter.  I'd be having a serious talk with those "some friends".

 

As for the air:  Remember that you may or may not be able to upgrade tickets obtained from the cruiseline.  If you absolutely need to upgrade, the only way to ensure that is to buy the flight cabin you want upfront.  Fare rules are tricky and can bite you on consolidator tickets.

 

Since your TA is refusing to help you out, you'll need to do one of two things.  If possible, transfer the booking to a TA that you KNOW will provide service, not just an invoice.  And if that's not possible, take the bull by the horns and contact Viking directly.  Explain your situation and see what they may be able to do to help you.  And remember the Pro Tip:  TTHUCA.  (Thank them, hang up, call again)  Pro Tip #2: be sure to get the name of the agent each time you call, so if you get a bad one, if you TTHUCA and get them again, you can just say "sorry...must have hit the redial by mistake", rather than endure them again.

 

 

[whitbob]

brushe,

Good Morning.  I think you were asking mc_reeeve for advice, and you already have a great response from Flyer Talker on the behind the scenes of bulk tickets.  I have learned allot from their posts in the last few days of combing the VO boards on CC.  My 2 cents is, your agent sounds like a dudd.  Our TA is ready and willing to help us by booking the cruise/land trip, hotels, shore excursions (outside of what the ship offers), transportation, and of course air fare.  I am however a bit of a serial researcher, so once we settle on a cruise, I will start researching flights though various on-line booking tools.  If the TA books through the cruise line, I will give him the flights and even the seat numbers.  We have used the cruiseline (not Viking) air programs frequently for international flights, but only because they have been able to offer cheaper tickets on premium economy or first class tickets.  I have also been able to upgrade or been upgraded because of status with Delta on Cruiseline air tickets, but I have also used the locator number to call Delta within 24 hours of booking, and checked to see if the class of ticket could be upgraded.  

 

The December cruise is our first Viking Ocean,  because it is close to the holidays and flights will start to book up, we decided we didn't want to WAIT for Viking Air to do their thing.  We have however  booked and paid for Viking Air for our August 2022 trip.  When we booked and paid for the cruise the TA told us that we could get our money back so long as we cancelled Viking Air prior to them booking our tickets for us.  To be clear, we paid for the tickets, I am not sure that included AirPlus fees just yet.  I am hoping a more experienced traveler with Viking can tell you if they have cancelled AirPlus and gotten a refund.  I am also hoping your TA is wrong about the refund.

 

I don't think Viking has an on-line booking tool for air, someone correct me please.  They do have an Air Services site in the Viking Ocean website.  You can find details about the program under the menu and My Trip section.  The reservation department number is 1-800-304-9616.  I would make a call to them and see if they can help you with your airfare booking, and answer questions about the AirPlus refund, if you cannot get the tickets you want.  If you don't get the answer you want, I wouldn't be afraid to call back and speak to someone else, or escalate.  

 

Good luck and smooth sailing once you start your trip.

 

 

[Mike981]

14 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Brushe:  Without a lot more details, it is hard to make an informed opinion.

 

The one thing for sure, and this is a heads up to other readers:  Why did you go with this particular TA?  If it was merely "well we use this person", then I'm sorry to say that you did not do due diligence.  First off, what service/benefit do you expect/want from your TA?  Then, what information leads you to believe that you will get that from any prospective agent?  I know a lot of people only want "cheapest price" and evaluate on that basis alone.  Others want a knowledgeable person who will provide service, rather than just be an order taker.  Seems like you got the latter.  I'd be having a serious talk with those "some friends".

 

As for the air:  Remember that you may or may not be able to upgrade tickets obtained from the cruiseline.  If you absolutely need to upgrade, the only way to ensure that is to buy the flight cabin you want upfront.  Fare rules are tricky and can bite you on consolidator tickets.

 

Since your TA is refusing to help you out, you'll need to do one of two things.  If possible, transfer the booking to a TA that you KNOW will provide service, not just an invoice.  And if that's not possible, take the bull by the horns and contact Viking directly.  Explain your situation and see what they may be able to do to help you.  And remember the Pro Tip:  TTHUCA.  (Thank them, hang up, call again)  Pro Tip #2: be sure to get the name of the agent each time you call, so if you get a bad one, if you TTHUCA and get them again, you can just say "sorry...must have hit the redial by mistake", rather than endure them again.

 

 

 

I just wanted to say thank you for your thoughtful and well detailed posts. I am learning a lot.

[FlyerTalker]

45 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

I just wanted to say thank you for your thoughtful and well detailed posts. I am learning a lot.

 

You are VERY welcome.  I've learned from some extremely savvy folks, and experience, over the many years.  Now, I enjoy sharing that with folks that want to go beyond the quick and simple "answers".  So keep the questions coming.

 

Also, there is a Cruise Air forum here at CC, where you can tap into the knowledge of more than just folks who read the Viking forum.  And FWIW, I'm pretty new to Viking so some of the specific inner working details of the Viking program are just now coming to me as well.

 

Again, happy to answer questions about the "how" and "why", so we can all be more informed consumers.

[Heidi13]

17 hours ago, brushe said:

Hi whitbob,

I’m so sorry for the long post. 
 

I hope you don’t mind me asking a question within your question/post but there seems to be some knowledgeable people responding. 😊

 

My husband and I are like you in that we travel a lot, mostly within the US, and always make our own travel arrangements. We are taking our first VOC for the Homelands cruise next May 2022. We have paid for Air Plus and also paid insurance on our trip. Because we rescheduled from last year, some friends recommended their TA which we went with. Other than getting the cruise transferred, she has done very little. We found the flights we want coming in a couple of days early and returning a few days after and understand about the deviation fees. Our TA said we should just go ahead and purchase the flights because “she wouldn’t make much off the flights.”  And because we are going to upgrade to at least economy plus or business, we could get them cheaper. Does this make sense to anyone using a TA?  We asked her to check with Viking about the cost and she said she couldn’t and get a refund on what we’ve paid for flights. I’m not sure we need the TA if she cannot assist us. Again, I’m so sorry for the long post. 

 

To be honest, you need to fire the TA.

 

I can provide a perspective of the service a TA should provide, based on my chat with our TA yesterday, as I made payment in full for the 4th Dec Hawaii cruise.

 

She advised that she will contact Viking Air next week to book our flights, noting that she assumed we wanted the Air Canada flight, with a preference for First/Business. Correct assumption. She will do the following:

• Request Viking pricing for an upgrade to First/Business. If comparable to Air Canada's upgrade price, she will book direct with Viking.
• If price is excessive, she will check the fare class to determine if the flights can be upgraded. If they can be upgraded, once ticketed, she will contact Air Canada to upgrade to First/Business.
• If the fare class can't be upgraded, she will request if Viking can change the fare class, noting this may cost extra. 
• If we can't get upgraded flights, we will request at the airport.

That's the level of service we expect from a full service TA. If they don't provide this level of service, I certainly wouldn't recommend them to a friend.

 

 

[CCWineLover]

Excellent advice Andy!  Thank you for this bulletized list of what CAN be done by TA's.

I'm going to save it and use it!  Much appreciated.

[brushe]

22 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Brushe:  Without a lot more details, it is hard to make an informed opinion.

 

The one thing for sure, and this is a heads up to other readers:  Why did you go with this particular TA?  If it was merely "well we use this person", then I'm sorry to say that you did not do due diligence.  First off, what service/benefit do you expect/want from your TA?  Then, what information leads you to believe that you will get that from any prospective agent?  I know a lot of people only want "cheapest price" and evaluate on that basis alone.  Others want a knowledgeable person who will provide service, rather than just be an order taker.  Seems like you got the latter.  I'd be having a serious talk with those "some friends".

 

As for the air:  Remember that you may or may not be able to upgrade tickets obtained from the cruiseline.  If you absolutely need to upgrade, the only way to ensure that is to buy the flight cabin you want upfront.  Fare rules are tricky and can bite you on consolidator tickets.

 

Since your TA is refusing to help you out, you'll need to do one of two things.  If possible, transfer the booking to a TA that you KNOW will provide service, not just an invoice.  And if that's not possible, take the bull by the horns and contact Viking directly.  Explain your situation and see what they may be able to do to help you.  And remember the Pro Tip:  TTHUCA.  (Thank them, hang up, call again)  Pro Tip #2: be sure to get the name of the agent each time you call, so if you get a bad one, if you TTHUCA and get them again, you can just say "sorry...must have hit the redial by mistake", rather than endure them again.

 

 

Hi @FlyerTalker,

 

Thank you for your response.  If I were you and reading my post, I would also think I didn't do my due diligence.  And, in some ways you are correct.  🙂  I thoroughly review and research everything.  I love doing my own research on traveling and am really good at it.  But, because some dear friends who we are also traveling with on this cruise suggested this TA and have had great results with her, we blindly went along.  We regretted the decision almost immediately but because we had never been on this type of cruise (we have been on several others), we thought we might need someone with expertise in this area.

 

As to the flights, when we actually set up a call with our TA, we were prepared, and had done our research on flight options and pricing.  We knew how much we had paid to Viking on air fare, which flights we wanted and connections including layover time.  We also had done research on additional days before the cruise in Stockholm and what type of hotel we wanted for those extra days.  Same for our days after the cruise in Oslo.  That's when she told us it would be best to go ahead and book the flights ourselves, which we can absolutely do.  My husband and I looked at each other and said, why do we need a TA if we are doing everything????

 

Ok, I'll stop whining.  I know what needs to be done as far as this TA.  I actually enjoyed dealing directly with Viking and their staff but Covid and all the many things that could possibly go wrong has us a little spooked.

 

Thanks for your input and letting me vent.  :)

[brushe]

6 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

To be honest, you need to fire the TA.

 

I can provide a perspective of the service a TA should provide, based on my chat with our TA yesterday, as I made payment in full for the 4th Dec Hawaii cruise.

 

She advised that she will contact Viking Air next week to book our flights, noting that she assumed we wanted the Air Canada flight, with a preference for First/Business. Correct assumption. She will do the following:

• Request Viking pricing for an upgrade to First/Business. If comparable to Air Canada's upgrade price, she will book direct with Viking.
• If price is excessive, she will check the fare class to determine if the flights can be upgraded. If they can be upgraded, once ticketed, she will contact Air Canada to upgrade to First/Business.
• If the fare class can't be upgraded, she will request if Viking can change the fare class, noting this may cost extra. 
• If we can't get upgraded flights, we will request at the airport.

That's the level of service we expect from a full service TA. If they don't provide this level of service, I certainly wouldn't recommend them to a friend.

 

 

Hi @Heidi13,

 

It sounds like you have a wonderful TA! We are not looking to upgrade to first class but probably premium economy or business class.  Either way, it should not affect how our TA responds, should it?  And, we have relativity easy connections.  We live in Houston and have one stop each way.  

 

 Enjoy your cruise to Hawaii!

[brushe]

16 hours ago, whitbob said:

brushe,

Good Morning.  I think you were asking mc_reeeve for advice, and you already have a great response from Flyer Talker on the behind the scenes of bulk tickets.  I have learned allot from their posts in the last few days of combing the VO boards on CC.  My 2 cents is, your agent sounds like a dudd.  Our TA is ready and willing to help us by booking the cruise/land trip, hotels, shore excursions (outside of what the ship offers), transportation, and of course air fare.  I am however a bit of a serial researcher, so once we settle on a cruise, I will start researching flights though various on-line booking tools.  If the TA books through the cruise line, I will give him the flights and even the seat numbers.  We have used the cruiseline (not Viking) air programs frequently for international flights, but only because they have been able to offer cheaper tickets on premium economy or first class tickets.  I have also been able to upgrade or been upgraded because of status with Delta on Cruiseline air tickets, but I have also used the locator number to call Delta within 24 hours of booking, and checked to see if the class of ticket could be upgraded.  

 

The December cruise is our first Viking Ocean,  because it is close to the holidays and flights will start to book up, we decided we didn't want to WAIT for Viking Air to do their thing.  We have however  booked and paid for Viking Air for our August 2022 trip.  When we booked and paid for the cruise the TA told us that we could get our money back so long as we cancelled Viking Air prior to them booking our tickets for us.  To be clear, we paid for the tickets, I am not sure that included AirPlus fees just yet.  I am hoping a more experienced traveler with Viking can tell you if they have cancelled AirPlus and gotten a refund.  I am also hoping your TA is wrong about the refund.

 

I don't think Viking has an on-line booking tool for air, someone correct me please.  They do have an Air Services site in the Viking Ocean website.  You can find details about the program under the menu and My Trip section.  The reservation department number is 1-800-304-9616.  I would make a call to them and see if they can help you with your airfare booking, and answer questions about the AirPlus refund, if you cannot get the tickets you want.  If you don't get the answer you want, I wouldn't be afraid to call back and speak to someone else, or escalate.  

 

Good luck and smooth sailing once you start your trip.

 

 

Hi @whitbob,

 

Thank your insight and advice.  Researching is part of the fun of traveling.  I love it.  I think we know what to do with our TA and how to book our flights at this point.  🙂 

 

Enjoy your next cruise!

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, brushe said:

Hi @Heidi13,

 

It sounds like you have a wonderful TA! We are not looking to upgrade to first class but probably premium economy or business class.  Either way, it should not affect how our TA responds, should it?  And, we have relativity easy connections.  We live in Houston and have one stop each way.  

 

 Enjoy your cruise to Hawaii!

 

Correct, your TA should be your representative and should action your requests, or explain why they aren't possible.

[mc_reeve]

Thanks everyone - hopefully this helped others as much as it did us.  We also got some helpful information from folks who live in our community in SC many of whom have sailed Viking previously.  In the end, we decided to forego the Viking free air offer and go directly to Delta and purchase the tickets we wanted. 

 

 

If you want to know more - here are few more details about our reasons:

 

From two previous cancelled trips we had almost $1000 each in e-credits with Delta that we wanted to use so it made sense to just book the airline tickets ourselves.  We booked fully refundable tickets this time.

 

Viking and Viking Air are slammed right now with people trying to get refunds or re-book a cruise just like we were.  Our spring 2022 HK to Vancouver cruise was just cancelled at the end of August.  Others in our community who are leaving on a European cruises this fall have had very long waits on hold and lots of confusion over last minute Covid-related travel issues.  I am sure the Viking travel reps are doing the best they can in this tough situation - but we didn't want to depend on them to book our air at such a time.  Maybe a bit more costly but worth it.

 

And lastly - it's a holiday cruise and waiting until Viking had the time and manpower to deal with us about our December cruise when they have crises to deal with for customers on September/October cruises just didn't seem like a wise choice. 

 

It is our first Viking cruise and I think one thing that is obvious from some of these posts is that Viking Air and Air Plus can be quite confusing to first time Viking cruisers.  We have also used another cruise line's online self-booking site with great success and Viking's process just seems like a crap-shoot on ticket class and airline.  We are booking direct with Viking and not using a TA.

 

Now we just have to hope this one doesn't get cancelled too.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

4 minutes ago, mc_reeve said:

From two previous cancelled trips we had almost $1000 each in e-credits with Delta that we wanted to use so it made sense to just book the airline tickets ourselves.  We booked fully refundable tickets this time.

 

Careful.  If you used flight credits to buy a new ticket, the new one is NOT eligible to be refunded as cash.  Once they are credits, they stay as credits.  So "fully refundable" may not mean what you think.

 

 

[mc_reeve]

1 minute ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Careful.  If you used flight credits to buy a new ticket, the new one is NOT eligible to be refunded as cash.  Once they are credits, they stay as credits.  So "fully refundable" may not mean what you think.

 

 

Thanks - was worth a try

[mc_reeve]

Just an final update to help close the issue,

 

We waited to see what Viking would give us before deciding if we would use their tickets or ours.  The tickets they gave us (with no use by us of Viking Air Plus) were Delta non-refundable main cabin seats - the outbound tickets were a class eligible for an upgrade, the return flight in January were not.  We just emailed our Viking rep and had them taken back as using Viking Air Plus and upgrading the tickets was a higher cost than we would lose given the expiring credits we have - and less hassle for me.

 

I also made a change to the “refundable” tickets we had - that used e-credits (from previous non-refundable tickets) to partially pay for the refundable tickets.  To our surprise the $115 difference (lower) per ticket was refunded to our credit card.