Risk Free Guarantee?

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, alidor said:

I think this “risk free guarantee” is somewhat of a marketing tool.   If you have last minute Covid reasons, you are not protected but this policy.  It would be nice if you had to cancel 2 weeks prior because you know you will have Covid or be exposed so close to departure, but it does not work that way.

 

That's why we purchase travel insurance to protect our investment.

[jonthomas]

here is my answer....

 

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Regrettably, the Risk Free promotion is no longer offered on 2023 or 2024 sailings. Therefore, we recommend all guests purchasing Travel Protection for any unforeseen issues that may arise.

 

If we can be of further assistance at this time, please reply to this email or you may call our Contact Center at (888) 663-8454 to speak to any specialized service agent.

[alidor]

I have to comment about Viking.   I have been a travel agent for 45 years and I often think the best way of judging a cruise line is how they react to various situations.  Most of the time, things are going well and all is fine.   But if things go wrong, and it does happen in all kinds of circumstances, that is how a good cruise line measures up.

 

Oceania is horrible to deal with - period.  Won’t go into details of things that have gone wrong, but Oceania is horrible to deal with.  Recently have found the same thing with Viking and that surprised me.  Have a problem with them and have contacted all kinds of people at Viking and have gotten no response.  Kind of insulting.  Interestingly, a lot of travel agents don’t think that highly of Viking.  They have very impressive ads for sure, and great marketing but their product is not as great as their ads are.

 

Just wanted to put my two cents in..,

 

[MikeyB]

6 minutes ago, alidor said:

they have very impressive ads for sure, and great marketing but their product is not as great as their ads are.

I would only disagree to say that it's not the product you might object to, but Viking's agents.  Many are simply clueless about the company's product.  Viking is successful because the product sells itself while onboard.

 

[jonthomas]

I agree with both of you.

[alidor]

It’s just not employees I have contacted. I have contacted the head of customer relations in the US, her 2nd in command and even the president!  Responses from no one.  Very poor relations.  Like I said, I measure a cruise line by how they respond to some problems.

[Humbb]

22 minutes ago, alidor said:

It’s just not employees I have contacted. I have contacted the head of customer relations in the US, her 2nd in command and even the president!  Responses from no one.  Very poor relations.  Like I said, I measure a cruise line by how they respond to some problems.

So in the category of best customer service during difficult times, what would be your top three cruise lines?

[CCWineLover]

53 minutes ago, alidor said:

I have to comment about Viking.   I have been a travel agent for 45 years and I often think the best way of judging a cruise line is how they react to various situations.  Most of the time, things are going well and all is fine.   But if things go wrong, and it does happen in all kinds of circumstances, that is how a good cruise line measures up.

 

Oceania is horrible to deal with - period.  Won’t go into details of things that have gone wrong, but Oceania is horrible to deal with.  Recently have found the same thing with Viking and that surprised me.  Have a problem with them and have contacted all kinds of people at Viking and have gotten no response.  Kind of insulting.  Interestingly, a lot of travel agents don’t think that highly of Viking.  They have very impressive ads for sure, and great marketing but their product is not as great as their ads are.

 

Just wanted to put my two cents in..,

 

Interesting.

Most certainly we all form our opinions based on our own personal experiences.  And those will vary from very good to very bad if you have a large enough people with opinions.  (Witness looking up hotels on TripAdvisor and seeing ratings from 1 to 5).

 

For us, we've been dealing with Viking for 5 years now.  We've taken 7 cruises and had 4 cancelled and thus several more on the books.  We have worked with TA's.  We have had some minor issues and some major issues.

 

Our experience:

-Every TA we've dealt with in a couple firms, as well as those our good friends have (who are different), have ALL felt highly of Viking - and the common theme is integrity and respect for the customer.

-We have had EVERY problem resolved for us (both pre and post COVID).  When I submit a well documented email to tellus@v   I am always given a call back within a few days.

-I realize that we may just have won the Viking interaction lottery, but we also are not lawyers and not demanding people - we try to give and take and negotiate in good faith.

 

All that being said - the one big area we believe Viking needs to improve in (and other companies as well), is in communication.

-Either through lack of education, follow-through or whatever, one can get different answers from different Viking people - there is a somewhat alarming trend downwards here that is a bit distrubing.  It takes time to constantly HUCA, get things in writing, etc.

-The 2nd lack of communication is exhibited by Viking not keeping lines of communication open to customers pro-actively (such as during COVID when ports are dropped, or cruises are cancelled, or whatever).  In business I have always found the best course is to keep my customers in the loop, even if it isn't good news and even if I have to tell them I have no new news or updates.

 

Just some thoughts.

[Azulann]

3 hours ago, alidor said:

I have to comment about Viking.   I have been a travel agent for 45 years and I often think the best way of judging a cruise line is how they react to various situations.  Most of the time, things are going well and all is fine.   But if things go wrong, and it does happen in all kinds of circumstances, that is how a good cruise line measures up.

 

Oceania is horrible to deal with - period.  Won’t go into details of things that have gone wrong, but Oceania is horrible to deal with.  Recently have found the same thing with Viking and that surprised me.  Have a problem with them and have contacted all kinds of people at Viking and have gotten no response.  Kind of insulting.  Interestingly, a lot of travel agents don’t think that highly of Viking.  They have very impressive ads for sure, and great marketing but their product is not as great as their ads are.

 

Just wanted to put my two cents in..,

 

Interesting that is your view, and you post on Viking today. 

Did you also post on Oceania? 

 I have used various TAs  and also have  booked everything myself through cruise lines.

 My experience with Viking has been  stellar. For my Bermuda sailing(July) with Viking Air, Delta was overbooked so cancelled some of us. Viking response was within 34 hrs. They rerouted me on United and flew me in a day early and put me up at Marriott Hotel , no additional charge. I used a long time Viking rep who was stella fro this booking .

then I used a TA from  a luxury agency for my Malta trip in Oct. he was fine , and their agency helped with a great hotel in Barcelona. We booked on board for 2023 and we gave him our booking .   Two tA's said "you are very travel savvy and I do not have to hold your hand. You are flexible". The best was a woman who helped  for  a post cruise in Istanbul and a TA could who  helped with a Italian vill for 6 od us many years ago.   Both of them had lived in the  countries are really knew the various venues.  

 

[zalusky]

Our travel agent commented that a lot of travel agents quit during the pandemic as business really dropped off.  As a result a lot of her good connections to the various cruise lines have been lost.  I currently have 3 cruises booked with her.  Two through Viking and 1 through Royal Caribbean.  She commented how difficult it was for her to deal with Royal and how long she had to wait to get somebody.  

[MikeyB]

19 minutes ago, Azulann said:

For my Bermuda sailing(July) with Viking Air, Delta was overbooked so cancelled some of us. Viking response was within 34 hrs.

And for every stellar experience, I could tell you about the time, last month, when I looked up my airline booking number on Delta a month after I booked with Viking Air.

The booking number didn't exist,  I called Viking Air.  I couldn't understand the initial agent's accent.  Asked for a supervisor who told me that because of the numerous changes the airlines are making, Viking wasn't going to bother me with a change until much closer to flying.  It's a May 2022 river cruise.

Communications with their client base is lacking.

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, alidor said:

I have to comment about Viking.   I have been a travel agent for 45 years and I often think the best way of judging a cruise line is how they react to various situations.  Most of the time, things are going well and all is fine.   But if things go wrong, and it does happen in all kinds of circumstances, that is how a good cruise line measures up.

 

Oceania is horrible to deal with - period.  Won’t go into details of things that have gone wrong, but Oceania is horrible to deal with.  Recently have found the same thing with Viking and that surprised me.  Have a problem with them and have contacted all kinds of people at Viking and have gotten no response.  Kind of insulting.  Interestingly, a lot of travel agents don’t think that highly of Viking.  They have very impressive ads for sure, and great marketing but their product is not as great as their ads are.

 

Just wanted to put my two cents in..,

 

 

I certainly agree with you that the best way to judge a company is how they respond to changing circumstances, especially emergencies, in accordance with their Safety Management System.

 

Can only assume that your negative comment is solely based on your interactions, or lack thereof, with the Viking US Office, which frequently receives negative comments.

 

I have spent 45 yrs working on ships and based on Viking's response to the COVID situation during the 2020 WC, they are one of the best cruise lines I have worked with, or cruised as a pax, with respect to the onboard experience.

 

Personally, we suffer the US Office, to receive a brilliant onboard experience.

[Azulann]

34 minutes ago, MikeyB said:

And for every stellar experience, I could tell you about the time, last month, when I looked up my airline booking number on Delta a month after I booked with Viking Air.

The booking number didn't exist,  I called Viking Air.  I couldn't understand the initial agent's accent.  Asked for a supervisor who told me that because of the numerous changes the airlines are making, Viking wasn't going to bother me with a change until much closer to flying.  It's a May 2022 river cruise.

Communications with their client base is lacking.

Living in a major hub of Delta and having a number of neighbors  who are flight attendants and pilots  many took retirement buyouts in 2021. Other are on leave of absence, and In any given week are out with COVID, therefore flights are changed and cancelled  sometimes under these conditions. 

 As you get closer to your river cruise your flights  data and it probably will change  up to the week before.

 Many folks buy their own air  to not have the stress of not  getting a answer to a flight issue  in hours.   Viking is first a  river and ocean cruise line ,then they also sell Viking Air if you want to purchase through them.

Enjoy your river cruise, I have never taken one.

Have you ever taken a Viking Ocean Cruise?  

Edited January 18, 2022 by Azulann

[MikeyB]

14 hours ago, Azulann said:

Enjoy your river cruise, I have never taken one.

Have you ever taken a Viking Ocean Cruise?  

Not sure where your going with this, but I'll bite.

I have taken six Oceans and seven Rivers.

Two more Rivers scheduled for 2022.

And thank you, Rivers are very enjoyable.

[Vineyard View]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:41 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

I am rather pessimistic about the whole  return to "normal" thing.  I don't think that we will be seeing a return to normal by March (and if we think we do, it will quickly disappear due to yet another variant); I don't even think we will see it at all in 2022. I personally think that masks, testing and even possible "bubbles" will part of the travel routine for a couple of more years at least.

 

But, I will be happy to be proven wrong.

We haven’t sailed since Covid but are itching to do so again.

 

Our biggest hesitation are the long prepayments with Viking (yes, we have historically done so), but also the bubble requirements.
We have experienced cruise vouchers with Viking in the past, and yes, you do need to use them or loose them.. you should also make sure when you use them  it is for the itinerary most attractive to you as you would have a very difficult, if not impossible  time rescheduling with it. Likely regardless of future Covid status. 
That all said, there are a lot of experienced people on this board, some of which have sailed since Covid. In your opinions, will Europe continue to require bubbles this Spring and Summer, or further? While I understand this works for a lot of people, that is our biggest hesitation on booking right now. I know no one has crystal balls, but it might be good input for those who are looking at FCC and booking using them. 

[Peregrina651]

4 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

In your opinions, will Europe continue to require bubbles this Spring and Summer, or further?

 

That's the $64,000 question and I don't think that anyone can predict what things will be like next month let alone next summer.  Virus mutate and they mutate in unpredictable ways. This particular virus has hit medical resources (hospital beds, ventilators and practitioners, etc.) very hard. I think that is one reason why countries are imposing restrictions on visitors: they are having enough trouble treating their own citizens and don't want visitors taxing already overburden systems. I think that we will continue to see restrictions on foreign visitors for much longer than many people are hoping.

[khurley20]

On 1/15/2022 at 8:47 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

We weren't just told "you are now going to Mexico." We were given a choice to keep the booking or cancel for a full refund and as far as I know without losing any vouchers.  We stuck with the trip so I can't speak personally about the cancellation process but none of the people on our roll call reported any issues. Those who stayed on were given an OBC commensurate with the cabin category in recompense; it was more than enough to cover the three tours we wanted to do and the gratuities. 

 

You have been a voice of reason for many years on this site. Thank you for always clearing the confusion.

[Vineyard View]

4 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

That's the $64,000 question and I don't think that anyone can predict what things will be like next month let alone next summer.  Virus mutate and they mutate in unpredictable ways. This particular virus has hit medical resources (hospital beds, ventilators and practitioners, etc.) very hard. I think that is one reason why countries are imposing restrictions on visitors: they are having enough trouble treating their own citizens and don't want visitors taxing already overburden systems. I think that we will continue to see restrictions on foreign visitors for much longer than many people are hoping.

 I believe that I  realized that when I asked the question - I think it was more wishful thinking than anything else. Your points are valid Peregrina and I think - in a way- paints the picture with a likely answer. And yes, I really hope it turns out to be inaccurate as well. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Vineyard View

[KBs mum]

The UK government is reported as planning to end all covid measures by the end of March, and thereafter treat it as if it was a very nasty winter flu strain. 

The plan is that, with vaccination programs we will be back to normal by the end of the year

[KBs mum]

14 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

The UK government is reported as planning to end all covid measures by the end of March, and thereafter treat it as if it was a very nasty winter flu strain. 

The plan is that, with vaccination programs we will be back to normal by the end of the year

Confirmed. Statement to the house by Boris, measures due to end March 24 if data trends continue

[zalusky]

6 hours ago, KBs mum said:

The UK government is reported as planning to end all covid measures by the end of March, and thereafter treat it as if it was a very nasty winter flu strain. 

The plan is that, with vaccination programs we will be back to normal by the end of the year

Where do Norway and Scotland stand on Covid measures?

[KBs mum]

8 minutes ago, zalusky said:

Where do Norway and Scotland stand on Covid measures?

No idea about Norway, Scotland is reducing restrictions, at the moment the only ones that might affect someone on a cruise are the quarantine for a positive test, wear masks indoors, and table service only in bars and restaurants. 

[KBs mum]

56 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

No idea about Norway, Scotland is reducing restrictions, at the moment the only ones that might affect someone on a cruise are the quarantine for a positive test, wear masks indoors, and table service only in bars and restaurants. 

Sorry, forgot to mention that tge test within 2 days of international arrival is still in place. Am used to thinking of Scotland covid rules as being in additional to England, as they tend to be more restrictive, as do NI and Wales. Overseas territories and protectorates make decisions about covid independently. 

[zalusky]

25 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Sorry, forgot to mention that tge test within 2 days of international arrival is still in place. Am used to thinking of Scotland covid rules as being in additional to England, as they tend to be more restrictive, as do NI and Wales. Overseas territories and protectorates make decisions about covid independently. 

Thanks I am looking to see where things stand by the full refund date in March  for my July Midnight Sun sailing.  Norway has been one of the most restrictive countries from what I can tell.   I expect we should hear something from the Northern Lights folks.  All the current testing hoops when you have multiple countries make pre and post excursions difficult if not impossible to be done by anybody but Viking.  We were hoping to make our own Bergen to Oslo arrangements by our travel agent as we don't want to do the 4 day which is already filled anyways for our July.

[KBs mum]

1 hour ago, zalusky said:

Thanks I am looking to see where things stand by the full refund date in March  for my July Midnight Sun sailing.  Norway has been one of the most restrictive countries from what I can tell.   I expect we should hear something from the Northern Lights folks.  All the current testing hoops when you have multiple countries make pre and post excursions difficult if not impossible to be done by anybody but Viking.  We were hoping to make our own Bergen to Oslo arrangements by our travel agent as we don't want to do the 4 day which is already filled anyways for our July.

Norway isn't much more restrictive than the majority of countries. Get the QR code certificate through Viking, then you just need to monitor testing and quarantine requirements. We've all got used to dealing with the rules various countries have as a part of international travel. Sometimes aggravating but usually just an extra bit of hassle. 

The Bergen/Oslo train is worth doing for the scenery. Doing it on your own shouldn't be a problem.