Viking drops Belfast on BIE cruises

[HHI Cruiser1]

Recently Viking sent out emails to BIE cruisers stating that Belfast was dropped and a 'sea day' was added.  Little information was provided as to reason why - emial made statements like "necessary due to a number of variables.....due to operational changes" - whatever that means.  

 

Does anyone know why Viking dropped Belfast as it's a significant port on this itinerary with many great excursions?

 

Also, Viking greatly undervalued stated compensation for dropping Belfast and adding another great 'sea day'.  While I know they can do whatever they want per contract, it seems they think no one will care that they dropped Belfast, feels like passengers are being taken for granted maybe. 

[molymoo]

There may be any number of reasons for dropping Belfast.  Was it dropped from ALL BIE cruises or just one?  If it was just one it probably falls into the "stuff happens" category and you may never know.  I have done the BIE twice and missed popular ports both times.  The first in 2018 they did not stop in Liverpool and substituted Glasgow instead.  We missed Ullapool for weather reasons and had another sea day.  No compensation was offered ... and frankly I wouldn't have expected it.  The last BIE we missed Orkney ... again, weather and no compensation was offered but I'm guessing someone asked as they issued an email after the cruise stating that "things happen" and they did not feel compensation was warranted ... I agree.  That is a cruise that is busy and "port heavy".  I was thrilled to have an extra sea day to rest and recoup for the rest of the trip!  I honestly don't understand the clamouring  for "compensation" for every little thing that seems so prevalent nowadays.  

[Moonlion]

11 hours ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

Recently Viking sent out emails to BIE cruisers stating that Belfast was dropped and a 'sea day' was added.  Little information was provided as to reason why - emial made statements like "necessary due to a number of variables.....due to operational changes" - whatever that means.  

 

Does anyone know why Viking dropped Belfast as it's a significant port on this itinerary with many great excursions?

 

Also, Viking greatly undervalued stated compensation for dropping Belfast and adding another great 'sea day'.  While I know they can do whatever they want per contract, it seems they think no one will care that they dropped Belfast, feels like passengers are being taken for granted maybe. 

Which sailing are you on?  We're on the May 9, 2023 sailing and to date haven't received notification from Viking that Belfast (or any other port) has been dropped from our itinerary.  In My Viking Journey, Belfast and all the included/optional excursions for Belfast are still posted and we're 107 days from our cruise.  On some of the FB groups, members have posted that Belfast was dropped on their August 2023 sailings and replaced with Isles of Man; members sailing in May said they have not been notified that Belfast was dropped. 

[Jim Avery]

If Belfast is permanently dropped that will be a shame.  Belfast has made amazing progress in the last number of years and we were pleasantly surprised at the nice things we saw and the people we met.  A very interesting and enjoyable port.

[Newdaytrippers]

We are on our first Viking ocean cruise, British Isles Explorer, from Bergen on August 15, 2023.  We were informed in early October 2022 that Kirkwall, Ullapool and Belfast were being substituted for Scrabster, Stornaway and Douglas, Isle of Man.  No explanation was given and it’s too early to see any excursions in MVJ.  I was wondering if it was just our sailing.  

[SJD117]

17 hours ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

Recently Viking sent out emails to BIE cruisers stating that Belfast was dropped and a 'sea day' was added.  Little information was provided as to reason why - emial made statements like "necessary due to a number of variables.....due to operational changes" - whatever that means.  

 

Does anyone know why Viking dropped Belfast as it's a significant port on this itinerary with many great excursions?

 

Also, Viking greatly undervalued stated compensation for dropping Belfast and adding another great 'sea day'.  While I know they can do whatever they want per contract, it seems they think no one will care that they dropped Belfast, feels like passengers are being taken for granted maybe. 

Why do you assume that Viking takes passengers for granted? That’s never been our experience on five Viking Ocean cruises. We’ve missed a total of five ports, including one in the British Isles (Shetland Islands). In each case Viking gave us ample and detailed notice that we wouldn’t dock at the particular port. We took it in stride and enjoyed the sea day on the ship.

 

My suggestion: Relax and enjoy the wonderful experience that Viking provides!

[formernuke]

We're booked for BIE in April '24 and at least so far, no notice of dropping Belfast.

[Moonlion]

From Viking Roll Call and Viking FB reports, it seems that only the August and September 2023 BIE cruises have dropped Belfast.  Those in earlier cruises (April to July) have not reported - at least yet - that Belfast has been dropped.  If this turns out to be the case, the big mystery is why Viking modified the itineraries in the August/September BIE cruises but not the earlier ones??

[Heidi13]

20 hours ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

Recently Viking sent out emails to BIE cruisers stating that Belfast was dropped and a 'sea day' was added.  Little information was provided as to reason why - emial made statements like "necessary due to a number of variables.....due to operational changes" - whatever that means.  

 

Does anyone know why Viking dropped Belfast as it's a significant port on this itinerary with many great excursions?

 

Also, Viking greatly undervalued stated compensation for dropping Belfast and adding another great 'sea day'.  While I know they can do whatever they want per contract, it seems they think no one will care that they dropped Belfast, feels like passengers are being taken for granted maybe. 

 

I can think of many operational and non-operational reasons for cancelling a port of call. Who cares what the reason is, time to move on and enjoy planning the numerous other ports on this itinerary.

 

Viking taking pax for granted couldn't be further from the truth, in our experience, at the premature conclusion of the 2020 World Cruise. Due to the pandemic, since we couldn't get into any ports, Viking decided to conclude the cruise in Dubai, flying all pax home, regardless of whether they used Viking Air, or not. Once the airlines ceased operations, 8 pax remained onboard the ship.

 

Did Viking kick us off in Dubai - No. We remained onboard until they found a port that would accept us and had access to flights home. We were all upgraded to Explorer Suites, given crew name badges and treated like "Royalty" for 3 weeks. The 3 weeks onboard was totally free, as they mentioned the cruise was cancelled in Dubai, so they refunded us the portion from Dubai to London.

 

Now compare the similar situation on HAL, which concluded their World Cruise in Freemantle. All pax using cruise air got flights home, other were disembarked to make their own arrangements.

 

The only advantage Viking took of us was killing us with kindness, with a pax crew ratio of 8/460, officers and ratings dining with us every evening, and any meal we requested.

[HHI Cruiser1]

Thanks for replies so far, but really hoping for explanation

. 

Having sailed Viking several times, I can agree that Viking does a great job for their passengers and normally compensates passengers fairly in many different ways (kindness, OBC, etc.) for issues/problems; however, in this case Viking has not clearly stated why Belfast was dropped. 

 

Likewise, many have posted how great Belfast is/were on their BIE, but some on these cruises may have really wanted to see Belfast on their BIE and are left without explanation.  Many comments/posts clearly indicated that Belfast appears to be a much better port than those substituted.

[Squawkman]

HHI - whatever the reason, Belfast is being dropped from your cruise but not all dates. Do you want to cancel and rebook for another date that includes Belfast? If so, you should be able to do so with no penalties if you contact Viking Customer Relations and request an alternate date. If you want to keep the date you have, well, it is what it is - no Belfast. I’ve had 2 fairly recent cruises booked that had subsequent port changes. While I knew the reasons, I decided to cancel as the missed ports were the reasons for booking both cruises. Viking was very accommodating in handling both requests.

[Peregrina651]

14 hours ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

Thanks for replies so far, but really hoping for explanation

 

You can keep on hoping but it will not change the fact that Viking routinely does not explain its operational decisions. 

 

Personally, I feel it is because they have figured out that any explanation is grist for the rumor mill. If they say nothing at all, there is nothing to correct later on. 

 

 

 

 

[HHI Cruiser1]

After reviewing updated itinerary, finally realized that changes reduced ports from 12 to 10 and overnight in Edinburgh will cost more since Viking only allows 1 included excursion per port - all at the same cruise price for a complete 12 port BIE cruise.

Yes, you can tell I'm not happy with how Viking is handling this change of ports.

Viking Customer Service has no ideal why ports were changed (only repeats email wording).

But Viking will sell all the cabins as a complete BIE.

Yes, you can tell I'm not happy with how Viking is handling this change of ports. 

Thanks for your comments and statements........

[oskidunker]

My first Viking cruise is in March. Was looking for a better line after the  dumbing down of Princess. Enjoyed Oceania. With all the ports Viking is cancelling etc am watching closely what they do.  
 

we decided to book a land tour to New Zealand after seeing all the port cancellations. 

Edited January 24, 2023 by oskidunker

[Moonlion]

12 hours ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

After reviewing updated itinerary, finally realized that changes reduced ports from 12 to 10 and overnight in Edinburgh will cost more since Viking only allows 1 included excursion per port - all at the same cruise price for a complete 12 port BIE cruise.

Yes, you can tell I'm not happy with how Viking is handling this change of ports.

Viking Customer Service has no ideal why ports were changed (only repeats email wording).

But Viking will sell all the cabins as a complete BIE.

Yes, you can tell I'm not happy with how Viking is handling this change of ports. 

Thanks for your comments and statements........

When did Viking notify you of the port changes?  Some of the other Viking roll call and FB posters reported that they were notified in October.  Honestly, if it were me and I was that unhappy with a product as expensive as a Viking cruise, I would cancel and find other options.  If your cruise is in August, you should still be able to cancel without a large penalty.  

[janetcbl]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

My first Viking cruise is in March. Was looking for a better line after the  dumbing down of Princess. Enjoyed Oceania. With all the ports Viking is cancelling etc am watching closely what they do.  
 

we decided to book a land tour to New Zealand after seeing all the port cancellations. 

A land tour of New Zealand, especially South Island is the only way to “see” New Zealand, IMO. The scenery is wonderful, especially if you include the Milford Sound. A hiking program is the ultimate way to experience NZ.

[SJD117]

3 hours ago, janetcbl said:

A land tour of New Zealand, especially South Island is the only way to “see” New Zealand, IMO. The scenery is wonderful, especially if you include the Milford Sound. A hiking program is the ultimate way to experience NZ.

I agree completely. I’ve been to New Zealand three times, all on my own (no cruises). While I loved the NZ cities, they’re not the reason to travel to this beautiful country. Rent a car and drive! There’s so much to see north to south — wine country, volcanos, spectacular lakes, and alpine scenery. Even better, get out on the trails! I was fortunate to hike the Milford Track, Routeburn Track, Tongariro Crossing, and Abel Tasman Track. I’ll never forget those travels in the New Zealand Bush.

[janetcbl]

Exactly. “Did” the Milford and the Routeburn Tracks and keep pinching myself that they were real. One day on the Tasman, but missed the Tongariro completely. Wish  we could go back, but age caught up with us, unfortunately. Thankful for what I was able to experience.