Viking cancellation policy

[Twitchly]

I was just looking at our booking documents for our upcoming cruise in January (which we booked last spring), and I got confused by the cancellation policy. I’d like to run this by you all and see if I’m understanding things correctly. 

If I decide to cancel our January cruise and:

 

1. … I want a refund rather than a voucher, then Viking’s standard cancellation policy applies, which means if I’m less than 120 days out from our cruise, I lose a percentage of my refund that increases as the departure date approaches.

 

2. … I want a voucher rather than a refund, then I get a voucher worth what we’ve paid, which I can use toward a future cruise. (They weren’t offering the 125% option when we booked last spring.)

 

Does that sound accurate? (Not taking into account our travel insurance here, which covers us if we have to cancel for medical reasons.)

 

For some reason, based on what I thought some folks here were saying, I thought we could cancel right up until 14 days before sailing and get all of our money back. Sounds like that’s not the case? Or maybe those were the terms for people who booked before we did last spring?
 

 

 

 

 

[Azulann]

I was on the  Viking web site and read the "risk free offer' promo.

 

"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 14 days before their planned departure—and Viking will waive any fees. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made between March 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021."

 

It does not talk about a refund but a future voucher to be used within 24 months.

 Hope this help.

[Squawkman]

Twitchly -

 

Here’s the policy if you booked before 4/30;20. It’s different from what’s on the website now:

 

 

10APR-200501_RiskFreeGuarantee.pdf

[TayanaLorna]

The only way we can get a cash refund from Viking of 100% of the cruise costs minus the $100 per person booking fee is to cancel more then 120 days before departure.

 

If you have a covered reason under your private insurance policy, it is possible to get a full refund if you can prove your claim.  Viking would pay the monies allowable under their standard cancellation and the insurance would cover the rest.  At least that is how the policies i have gotten read.

 

If you have insurance through Viking and cancel under their cancel for any reason clause, the monies go toward a future cruise voucher you do not get a refund.

 

If you use the Risk Free Guarantee that Viking had in force at the time you booked, you get a voucher for a future cruise.  You have to look at what Risk Free deal was  offered on the date you booked your particular cruise as there were different ones depending on the booking date.   Every time i request a Guest Invoice to be emailed, one of the attached documents is always my Risk Free Guarantee.  Do not depend on what others say they were offered, look at your own document.

[zalusky]

Just to see if my understanding is correct.  Vikings worry free policy says you have 24 months to use the voucher.  It does not say like other lines that you have to sail by in 24 months.

 

There booking tend to go out 2 years in many cases so if you have 24 months to book and bookings go out 24 months it seems like you have a potential range of 48 months to sail.

 

The second thing I noticed on their worry free is that the vouchers are transferable which I typically don’t see on other lines such that might be able to sell them or give them to your say kids.

 

The only big difference I saw between the earlier worry free and the one this year is the 24 hours vs 14 day notification.  We have two cruises booked.  One was booked last year for next summer and the wording says we can activate the worry free up to 24 hours before the sale.

 

‘We have another we booked earlier this year for 2023 that says we have to notify them at least 14 days before to activate the worry free vouchers.

 

Am I wrong on any of this?

[Twitchly]

Thanks. That’s pretty much what I thought. The refund penalty starts once you’re 120 days out. For us, that’s … tomorrow!
 

We aren’t planning on canceling at this point, though we won’t be surprised if Viking ends up canceling our cruise instead. (It includes Israel, which isn’t admitting Americans without a 14-day quarantine.) I assume in that case we’ll get a full refund. 

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

Here’s our experience with the Viking cancellation policy. We booked a Viking cruise from Venice to Athens in late 2020 for September 2021. In May, Viking canceled that cruise. They offered us a voucher for 125% or a cash refund. We opted for the voucher. We booked another cruise for later in September. When we booked this later cruise, Viking issued a no risk guarantee that said if we canceled, we would have two years to book another cruise. At the end of August, British Airways canceled our flight. With the Delta Variant and our canceled flight, we opted to cancel our Viking cruise. Our vouchers were reissued. Here is where the confusion and misunderstanding arises. When Viking came out with their 2023 Mediterranean schedule this week we attempted to book a 2023 cruise using our vouchers. They said sorry, you can only use them for 2021/2022 sailings. Evidently, the no risk guarantee they issued us in May when we rebooked following their cancellation, doesn’t really apply to us. When we opted for the voucher the rules in effect at that time applied and not the rules in the new guarantee they issued us. I asked Viking how were we to know that and why they would issue us a no risk guarantee if it didn’t apply to us? They apologized, but said there’s nothing they can do. We already have two cruises planned in 2022 and didn’t want to do another. Oh well, lesson learned. Don’t believe everything you read from Viking and it may be better just to get the refund when available. 

[CCWineLover]

I assume you are just venting.  Understandable.  Not sure what you want us Cruise Critic people to do.

[zalusky]

2 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

I assume you are just venting.  Understandable.  Not sure what you want us Cruise Critic people to do.

It's education more than venting.  What I understand from the story is that the worry free is one and done so to speak.  Once they are used on a booking those protections are done.  Reissued vouchers due to subsequent cancellations use whatever rules apply to the reissue.  If anybody wants to clarify that further feel free to correct me.

 

I have been going through similar things with Royal Caribbean.  Our initial booking was first cancelled by us and the issued certs applied to a cruise that was subsequently cancelled by them.  The current booking is next March that we are still nervous about and if we cancel that I THINK we have till next September to reuse it.  They somehow got changed to a line of credit somewhere along the way and my TA lost her commission somewhere in the process.  She is pretty pissed and does not want anything to do with them anymore.

[LindaS272]

3 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

Here’s our experience with the Viking cancellation policy. We booked a Viking cruise from Venice to Athens in late 2020 for September 2021. In May, Viking canceled that cruise. They offered us a voucher for 125% or a cash refund. We opted for the voucher. We booked another cruise for later in September. When we booked this later cruise, Viking issued a no risk guarantee that said if we canceled, we would have two years to book another cruise. At the end of August, British Airways canceled our flight. With the Delta Variant and our canceled flight, we opted to cancel our Viking cruise. Our vouchers were reissued. Here is where the confusion and misunderstanding arises. When Viking came out with their 2023 Mediterranean schedule this week we attempted to book a 2023 cruise using our vouchers. They said sorry, you can only use them for 2021/2022 sailings. Evidently, the no risk guarantee they issued us in May when we rebooked following their cancellation, doesn’t really apply to us. When we opted for the voucher the rules in effect at that time applied and not the rules in the new guarantee they issued us. I asked Viking how were we to know that and why they would issue us a no risk guarantee if it didn’t apply to us? They apologized, but said there’s nothing they can do. We already have two cruises planned in 2022 and didn’t want to do another. Oh well, lesson learned. Don’t believe everything you read from Viking and it may be better just to get the refund when available. 

So it’s probably important to carefully read the T&Cs for vouchers. Now if they didn’t issue you T&Cs for your second voucher, then you should have some recourse. But I would bet that there were T&Cs on their website at least that applied. This is also where it helps to have cancel for any reason trip insurance. We have an upcoming cruise that was booked under the risk-free guarantee, but if we have to cancel less than two weeks out (which were the terms in effect for us), we will have to rely on our trip insurance to 75% of our money back.

 

Then there’s a cruise we’re thinking of booking for late 2022 which will partially be paid for with a risk-free voucher we got from a cruise cancellation this summer. I presume that if we then have to cancel the late 2022 cruise, we would not get any of that voucher money back but would have to use our insurance. It gets complicated!

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

On 9/18/2021 at 12:41 PM, CCWineLover said:

I assume you are just venting.  Understandable.  Not sure what you want us Cruise Critic people to do.

I must have missed the CC policy requiring anyone posting or commenting to need help.

I was just venting and wasn’t expecting anyone to solve my issue. It was meant to be a heads up. When we rebooked and Viking sent us a new document with the risk-free guarantee rules spelled out, we assumed that it applied to us since they sent it to us. In hindsight, before canceling our rebooked cruise, I should have confirmed our options. Lesson learned. We will figure out some option to use the vouchers.

[Twitchly]

These stories and others like them here on CC have been instrumental in our decision to ask for cash as a refund rather than vouchers (should our cruise get canceled, which I hope it won’t be). Things just get too complicated with the vouchers.

[zogrand]

We cancelled our Viking River cruise on the Duoro due to sail early this month.  We booked early enough that we could cancel up to 24 hours before our flight.  We could not get  a refund, only a voucher which states the following:  *This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. This voucher is non-transferable, cannot be used as payment for a Travel Protection Plan, and the voucher must be redeemed by the expiration date prior to final payment. Once redeemed, it cannot be re-issued or used towards another cruise, and any unused balance of the voucher is lost and has no cash value.

We have been told we have to book - not sail - by 24 months after our our original trip would have begun.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, zogrand said:

We cancelled our Viking River cruise on the Duoro due to sail early this month.  We booked early enough that we could cancel up to 24 hours before our flight.  We could not get  a refund, only a voucher which states the following:  *This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. This voucher is non-transferable, cannot be used as payment for a Travel Protection Plan, and the voucher must be redeemed by the expiration date prior to final payment. Once redeemed, it cannot be re-issued or used towards another cruise, and any unused balance of the voucher is lost and has no cash value.

We have been told we have to book - not sail - by 24 months after our our original trip would have begun.

 

The FCV's have changed a number of times. It sounds like your voucher is similar to the first one we received. The FCV should include an "Issue Date", as our vouchers were valid to book a cruise within 2 yrs of issue.

 

 

[fudgbug]

My advice would be to take the cash refund and run!

[randpw]

My husband and I booked a sailing to Norway in December of 2019 (booking number *******, paid in cash ) and Viking canceled it in December of '20 due to covid. Along with the cancelation notice they sent us vouchers good for 125% of what we had invested, with the promise in writing that using them to re-book was Risk Free. The voucher letter even states that if we used the vouchers to re-book that the Risk Free Guarantee would apply to our booking. DON'T BELIEVE THEM IF THEY OFFER THIS TO YOU!!! Instead of dealing with the cash refund offer that was also given, and then using that same cash to re-book the very same cruise for 2022, we ignorantly just used the voucher to immediately re-book. Same everything but the dates. (Booking number #######, paid with resultant voucher.) When we re-booked, the Viking agent assured us that we were taking NO RISK in doing so! We could make changes or cancel at any time up to 24 hours before departure without penalty and get a refund. The new paperwork all came showing that we had used the voucher as payment on Page 1 of the Guest Statement, the Standard Cancelation Schedule is on Page 2, and the Temporary Cancelation Policy that was also attached CLEARLY put us into the covered category -- with choices of either a refund or a voucher again should we need to make any changes. All good, right?

Now our ability to travel has changed significantly due to covid restrictions so we need to cancel...and Viking last week tells us that our reservation now has NO REFUNDABLE CASH VALUE!! It's like our cash payments to them just went down a rabbit hole! They are standing firmly behind an UNpublished policy that they say states that since a voucher was used and no 'new money' was applied to this trip we can now get NONE of our money back! (TOTALLY OPPOSITE of what all of our paperwork says!. And NOWHERE does it say that any 'new money' has to be used to qualify! In fact, it CLEARLY states in the voucher letter that using the voucher DOES qualify for the guarantee!! And the guarantee CLEARLY has 2 choices!!!)

We might get a voucher (that now has no cash value) good for another 2 years -- but our ability to travel is unlikely to change in that time and then the voucher will be useless. And they will have had a significant amount of our money (about $11, 000) for 4 years by then, with no refund certain even then, and no services provided!!! Guest Services personnel hide behind the tiny little writing at the bottom of the Guarantee page that says 'other restrictions might apply'. Again, DO NOT TRUST anything they say, even in writing it seems. We now have NO respect for this company and their underhanded and unethical business practices! It is a shame really as we had liked traveling with them before and had planned to do so regularly as long as we were able. Not any more...this experience has totally soured us on the whole company.

[Squawkman]

I attached the RISK-FREE GUARANTEE - TEMPORARY CANCELLATION POLICY FOR BOOKINGS MADE BETWEEN MAY 1, 2020 TO DECEMBER 31, 2020, which would be applicable to the rebooking of your cancelled cruise made in December, 2020. Your description of the guarantee is accurate with one exception - there is NO mention of getting a cash refund under this policy. You were offered a cash refund when the cruise was cancelled, but opted for the 125% FCV. This guarantee lets you change the booking - but never offers cash again as you claim. Had you taken the cash and rebooked, you would be covered under the standard policy as per your booking statement which would entitle you to prorated cash reimbursement per the schedule on page 2.

 

I can't vouch for what you claim you were told, but I have booked over a dozen cruises, had 4 cancelled and cancelled one myself. I never experienced any underhanded or unethical situations as you describe. If you have what you claim about guaranteed cash refunds in writing from Viking , please post it here.

10MAY-201117_RiskFreeGuarantee.pdf

Edited September 28, 2021 by Squawkman
grammar

[zalusky]

I see some scenarios here and I would appreciate if someone one the know could just clarify for all of us:

 

1) Risk Free Guarantee - cancel either 24 hours or 14 days depending on booking date

Cash or voucher given

 

2) Apply a worry free coupon to a new cruise and then cancel

Do standard cancellation rules apply?

• 120 days or more - voucher reissued - $100 cancellation fee
• 120 or less they reissue voucher with less money
• Something else?

3) What about attempting moving the date to a subsequent year on a coupon paid for cruise?  Is that the same as a cancellation or more generous?

 

4) If Viking cancels a coupon paid for cruise - do you get a money option or just a reissued voucher.

 

5) Does Tripmate insurance get affected if you move a voucher paid for cruise?

 

6) How does Tripmate work on a voucher paid for cruise if you want to cancel for any reason?

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by zalusky

[Squawkman]

I can answer #4 - happened to me last year, and I got a reissued voucher for the same amount. Not sure if anything changed since then.

[CurlerRob]

21 minutes ago, zalusky said:

I see some scenarios here and I would appreciate if someone one the know could just clarify for all of us:

 

1) Risk Free Guarantee - cancel either 24 hours or 14 days depending on booking date

Cash or voucher given

 

2) Apply a worry free coupon to a new cruise and then cancel

Do standard cancellation rules apply?

• 120 days or more - voucher reissued - $100 cancellation fee
• 120 or less they reissue voucher with less money
• Something else?

3) What about attempting moving the date to a subsequent year on a coupon paid for cruise?  Is that the same as a cancellation or more generous?

 

4) If Viking cancels a coupon paid for cruise - do you get a money option or just a reissued voucher.

 

5) Does Tripmate insurance get affected if you move a voucher paid for cruise?

 

6) How does Tripmate work on a voucher paid for cruise if you want to cancel for any reason?

 

 

 

I'll offer my thoughts, with the caveat that I'm not an expert, and others on the board have addressed these at other times ...

 

1) Risk Free Guarantees - these have morphed over time, so the answer (and how much you get back) depends on when the RFG was issued. Currently, if you exercise the RFG, you receive a voucher for 100% of monies paid - there is no cash refund under the RFG.
 

2) This one is interesting - the RFG references the option to exercise the Standard Cancellation schedule. Viking's T's & C's around cancellation speak to the penalties and what is considered a 'cancellation', but are silent on what the term "refund" means (whether it could be cash or voucher). My personal expectation is that I could not ever get any cash back, even under the standard approach, only a new voucher that may be discounted for penalties. I'd love to hear otherwise!

 

3) My expectation would be that if I initiated a reschedule, this could be under the RFG (if in time), or could also fall under the standard cancelation terms. Viking base terms are very clear - "Cancellation fees also will apply to changes to departure date; substitutions of itinerary; substitution of another person for original booked passenger(s); and changes to a promotional fare."

 

4) The history has been that when Viking has cancelled, pax have been offered either 100% cash back, or a voucher of varying amounts. I subscribe to the "once a voucher, always a voucher" belief, and would not expect a cash option for other than cash paid for a cruise that Viking cancels.

 

5) I'm uncertain - others have discussed at times, and it's complex. I approach Tripmate as "once paid, never to be seen again", but I believe there are exceptions.

 

6) Tripmate - my version is clear that if I use the CFAR approach, I receive a voucher, period. If I paid  in cash, I can only get reimbursement in cash if I cancel for a covered reason, such as illness. (The cash option remains available under standard cancellation, albeit with penalties.

 

Hope that helps a bit, and that I'm not horribly wrong in some areas ... 🍻🥌

[Clay Clayton]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:47 PM, zalusky said:

It's education more than venting.  What I understand from the story is that the worry free is one and done so to speak.  Once they are used on a booking those protections are done.  Reissued vouchers due to subsequent cancellations use whatever rules apply to the reissue.  If anybody wants to clarify that further feel free to correct me.

 

I have been going through similar things with Royal Caribbean.  Our initial booking was first cancelled by us and the issued certs applied to a cruise that was subsequently cancelled by them.  The current booking is next March that we are still nervous about and if we cancel that I THINK we have till next September to reuse it.  They somehow got changed to a line of credit somewhere along the way and my TA lost her commission somewhere in the process.  She is pretty pissed and does not want anything to do with them anymore.

Have you tried emailing TellUs?  I think that you might have some wiggle room given the two cruises you already have booked and how yours went down. 

[zalusky]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Have you tried emailing TellUs?  I think that you might have some wiggle room given the two cruises you already have booked and how yours went down. 

 

Is TellUs a Royal Caribbean thing? 

 

I have 2 booked cruises with Viking in 2022 and 2023 with Worry Free Guarantees.

 

I also have a cruise with Royal Caribbean in Feb 2022 which is the result of multiple bookings/cancellations one by us and one by them.  Because we cancelled 24 hours before and not 48 hours before they did not give us their standard Cruise with Confidence voucher.  Instead we got a voucher for 12 months which we applied to an Aussie sailing that they eventually cancelled.

When that was cancelled it turned into a Line of Credit which through some rangling got applied to a booking Next February.  

 

Things are looking better but as my wife is immunocompromised because of a kidney transplant she is always nervous.  3 months after her 2nd shot she got an antibody test that said she no antibodies.   She got a 3rd Vax shot in early August and 7 weeks later she got an antibody test that says she has high antibodies to the virus.   I am "hoping" that and general improvement in everything virus will make things good for February.

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, Squawkman said:

I attached the RISK-FREE GUARANTEE - TEMPORARY CANCELLATION POLICY FOR BOOKINGS MADE BETWEEN MAY 1, 2020 TO DECEMBER 31, 2020, which would be applicable to the rebooking of your cancelled cruise made in December, 2020. Your description of the guarantee is accurate with one exception - there is NO mention of getting a cash refund under this policy. You were offered a cash refund when the cruise was cancelled, but opted for the 125% FCV. This guarantee lets you change the booking - but never offers cash again as you claim. Had you taken the cash and rebooked, you would be covered under the standard policy as per your booking statement which would entitle you to prorated cash reimbursement per the schedule on page 2.

 

I can't vouch for what you claim you were told, but I have booked over a dozen cruises, had 4 cancelled and cancelled one myself. I never experienced any underhanded or unethical situations as you describe. If you have what you claim about guaranteed cash refunds in writing from Viking , please post it here.

10MAY-201117_RiskFreeGuarantee.pdf 50.65 kB · 3 downloads

Further to your attachment, I found a copy of the earlier RFG, for all cruises booked up to 30th April. Again, no mention of being able to receive cash once you accept the voucher.

 

10APR-200501_RiskFreeGuarantee.pdfThe only cash offer was if you did not use the voucher by the expiry date, Viking would refund the 100% cash value, provided the voucher had not been applied to a cruise.

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

14 hours ago, zalusky said:

 

Is TellUs a Royal Caribbean thing? 

 

I have 2 booked cruises with Viking in 2022 and 2023 with Worry Free Guarantees.

 

I also have a cruise with Royal Caribbean in Feb 2022 which is the result of multiple bookings/cancellations one by us and one by them.  Because we cancelled 24 hours before and not 48 hours before they did not give us their standard Cruise with Confidence voucher.  Instead we got a voucher for 12 months which we applied to an Aussie sailing that they eventually cancelled.

When that was cancelled it turned into a Line of Credit which through some rangling got applied to a booking Next February.  

 

Things are looking better but as my wife is immunocompromised because of a kidney transplant she is always nervous.  3 months after her 2nd shot she got an antibody test that said she no antibodies.   She got a 3rd Vax shot in early August and 7 weeks later she got an antibody test that says she has high antibodies to the virus.   I am "hoping" that and general improvement in everything virus will make things good for February.

No TellUs@VikingCruises is Viking. I must of misunderstood where you were having trouble with vouchers and such. Sorry. 

[Peregrina651]

Once a voucher, always a voucher.

 

Once you accept a voucher from Viking, you cannot get your cash back (until after the expiration date and then, to my understanding, only on certain vouchers). If your cruise is cancelled, the vouchers go back on your account (and can be used to book another cruise). Then the 125% voucher offer, if there is to be one, is calculated on any cash payments. 

 

If you cancel a cruise, the cancellation matrix applies.  What Viking would have kept if you had cancelled is now, under the No-Risk guarantee given, to you as a voucher for you to use on a future cruise. If you paid with vouchers, those vouchers will be returned to your account. Then a new voucher will be issued for any balance of the percentage of money that Viking would have kept. Any balance after Viking issues the vouchers is returned to you in cash.

 

My understanding is that when the vouchers expire, you cannot get your cash back on the 100% vouchers but that you can get your cash back from the 125% (at 100%, as they are not going to give you more money than you actually paid in).  

Edited September 29, 2021 by Peregrina651