Viking Final Payment

[Coral]

8 hours ago, capecodollie said:

 

 

I have learned some of Viking's reasons for the extraordinarily early full payment.   As part of their business model they require full payment so they can staff their ships, book personnel for excursions and lock in provisions at today's rates (or as much as possible).  So for them, it's an inflationary control.  Apparently early, committed (paid in full passengers) has contributed to their success.

 

Not to exaggerate but if I book with any other line right now, I am locking in that price as well. And most cruise lines will be sailing full so this argument is irrelevant as they all have crew that they will be paying and they know the tours they will be having.

 

Viking has a great marketing department. They definitely have North American's convinced that they are the only river cruise line and the best cruise line as very few non-travelers can name any other company.

 

I hope you have a great cruise with Viking. 

 

I am sailing in October 2025 with Tauck and I won't make final payment until June of 2025. My guess is I will have more things included on my cruise as it is pretty much all inconclusive. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Coral said:

Viking has a great marketing department. They definitely have North American's convinced that they are the only river cruise line and the best cruise line as very few non-travelers can name any other company.

Their commitment to the truth is less notable.  How many posts here state that Viking told them that 'only' Viking does something that we all know is also done on other river cruise lines?

[Canal archive]

We have a bookcase full of books written by marketing men from around the world, guess what side of business DH was in? I believe this mantra most probably still holds today - something about the ‘truth’ well told. I will pin his lordship down for the full expression.

[Canal archive]

Got it - sales = ‘the truth well told’. Marketing which I think most probably suites this case - the illusion over substance.

[CDNPolar]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Their commitment to the truth is less notable.  How many posts here state that Viking told them that 'only' Viking does something that we all know is also done on other river cruise lines?

 

True... very true, because we have found that we thought Viking was the only one a couple of times, but it is also in marketing speak very well crafted wording that allows them to say what they say.  Viking will have a twist on something that is unique to their offering, but it does not mean that no one else offers the same thing, it is just minus Viking's little twist.

[notamermaid]

I work partly in marketing. Viking really does it well, I am quite impressed by the business/marketing. I just do not agree with it. Not my thing/style. There is no doubt that Viking tells the truth, but you can say much and omit so much when you get the words right. Perhaps my favourite of Viking is "prime location". That is correct, they just may not say that in Rüdesheim for example the prime location is further out than other companies' docking locations. Looking at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz is a prime location but you may be rafted on the inside of another Viking ship and not see the Fortress from your cabin window. And the prime location is not the dock 200 metres away? I would say it is. And on the Moselle at the Old Castle and the Balduin Bridge is not a prime location? As regards view and access to the old town I regard it as prime.

 

There are many details that we have discussed here on CC that hopefully will not cause any disappointment with the OP of this current discussion or their friends. Such occurrences can happen with other companies, it is just that I find Viking is not perfect at handling them and while no others are perfect I see the tendency of others being more customer-friendly.

 

notamermaid

 

[3Shelaghs]

^ well said

[CILCIANRQTS]

13 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Got it - sales = ‘the truth well told’. Marketing which I think most probably suites this case - the illusion over substance.

Promise them anything, but give them the shaft.

 

[Coral]

13 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

True... very true, because we have found that we thought Viking was the only one a couple of times, but it is also in marketing speak very well crafted wording that allows them to say what they say.  Viking will have a twist on something that is unique to their offering, but it does not mean that no one else offers the same thing, it is just minus Viking's little twist.

To be honest, I sailed Amawaterways in 2007 and their marketing was completely off from the product. What we experienced and what was written in brochures were night and day. The onboard experience was awful, the tours were subpar, etc...

Edited December 22, 2023 by Coral

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, Coral said:

To be honest, I sailed Amawaterways in 2007 and their marketing was completely off from the product. What we experienced and what was written in brochures were night and day. The onboard experience was awful, the tours were subpar, etc...

 

That is / was unfortunate for you.  I have experienced this same thing with hotels.  The Sheraton Buenos Aires last year showcased beautiful rooms but ours was nothing like the pictures.  This is not uncommon with hotels as they will show corporate standard but the BA hotel was badly in need of a refresh.

 

I have fortunately always found Viking Cabins and ships to be in top form and personally never experienced any wear and tear with Viking.

 

I was quite disappointed last year with Uniworld on The Nile because I had always heard that Uniworld ships were beautiful.  This ship was not.  Tired, old, and bordering on dirty.  Not what their marketing builds you up to think you will experience.  But, the Nile ships are leased and I think this one had been through several lives before Uniworld leased it.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, CDNPolar said:

 

 

I was quite disappointed last year with Uniworld on The Nile because I had always heard that Uniworld ships were beautiful.  This ship was not.  Tired, old, and bordering on dirty.  Not what their marketing builds you up to think you will experience.  But, the Nile ships are leased and I think this one had been through several lives before Uniworld leased it.

This is one of those situations where the ship was leased also. I didn't have issues with the ship itself (I had seen a video so I knew what I was getting into ship wise) it was that there were only 2 Amawaterways' employees on the ship and it definitely felt like a different, inferior cruise line. They advertised private visits to things they knew were going to be closed for years (it was publicly known), they did not prioritize visits to things when they were open so we went places when things were closed and could only see the outside, the food was horrible, etc... Very disorganized.

[CDNPolar]

10 minutes ago, Coral said:

This is one of those situations where the ship was leased also. I didn't have issues with the ship itself (I had seen a video so I knew what I was getting into ship wise) it was that there were only 2 Amawaterways' employees on the ship and it definitely felt like a different, inferior cruise line. They advertised private visits to things they knew were going to be closed for years (it was publicly known), they did not prioritize visits to things when they were open so we went places when things were closed and could only see the outside, the food was horrible, etc... Very disorganized.

 

Interesting about the crew.  I am not sure who our crew "belonged" to... They were all 100% Egyptian, and the service and food were both outstanding.  That was the best part.

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 hours ago, Coral said:

This is one of those situations where the ship was leased also. I didn't have issues with the ship itself (I had seen a video so I knew what I was getting into ship wise) it was that there were only 2 Amawaterways' employees on the ship and it definitely felt like a different, inferior cruise line. They advertised private visits to things they knew were going to be closed for years (it was publicly known), they did not prioritize visits to things when they were open so we went places when things were closed and could only see the outside, the food was horrible, etc... Very disorganized.

Where was this?  I know that AMA used to do cruises in Russia with leased ships.  My understanding is that none of the cruise lines doing cruises there could match their normal standard of service.  So AMA dropped that itinerary.  None of our four AMA cruises have had any of the problems you cite.

[hfahmy]

I am an experienced cruiser, been on more than 25 cruises. Viking is a terrible company to do business with... We attempted to make cruise reservations with them for a river cruise for our honeymoon and they initially told us in writing that the final payment is due a month after the deposit and after taking our deposit, all changed and payment was demanded immediately!!!! Called their 800 number, red tape and nothing can be done... Supervisor says deposit should not have been taken and promise for a month to the final payment should not have been made but go pound sand... we don't care whatsoever!!! Supervisor was very quick to threaten to cancel our cruise booking because of a promise they made that was never delivered... did not care that this is going to be our honeymoon or try to at least offer an incentive to compensate us for their screw up...
 

Escalated to their executive team and finally they adjusted the date… now looking at the air reservation and the absolutely picked the least favorable and cheapest routes… absolutely no regards to guest experience… 

 

I am really debating if it is worth it to sail with them…

Edited February 2 by hfahmy

[JES4845]

I’ve learned the hard way - when in doubt, don’t … given what you’ve been through it will likely cloud your experience.  Glad we dropped them after they did a bait and switch on us as to the deposit and final payment being over a year before the trip!

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, hfahmy said:

 

Escalated to their executive team and finally they adjusted the date… now looking at the air reservation and the absolutely picked the least favorable and cheapest routes… absolutely no regards to guest experience… 

 

I am really debating if it is worth it to sail with them…

 

Payment date aside, if you are booking air with Viking because it is a deal, or free, then of course you are getting contracted rates and possibly the least favourable times and routes - this is what you have to expect from contract rates.  

 

You don't have to do your air through Viking.

 

We book our air through Viking when a free or reduced offer, but we always use Air Plus and select our own flights.  We know who they contract with and we have had great results.  We are also a gateway departure city directly to European destinations, so we have that advantage too... we are not connecting once inside the US as many Americans may be.

 

We also book our own air and sometimes get much better rates than Viking, or we find that the fares are the same or very similar.  

 

If you book on your own you lose the free transfers to and from the ship.

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, JES4845 said:

I’ve learned the hard way - when in doubt, don’t … given what you’ve been through it will likely cloud your experience.  Glad we dropped them after they did a bait and switch on us as to the deposit and final payment being over a year before the trip!

 

We have had our "experiences" with Viking customer service and reservations.  Many times on CC it is talked about the land vs. shipboard experience are very different.

 

We deal with the sometimes poor customer service and the fact that the information is not the same from each person you talk to because in our opinion the shipboard experience is worth it.

[HSBC]

On 2/2/2024 at 9:22 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

Payment date aside, if you are booking air with Viking because it is a deal, or free, then of course you are getting contracted rates and possibly the least favourable times and routes - this is what you have to expect from contract rates.  

 

You don't have to do your air through Viking.

 

We book our air through Viking when a free or reduced offer, but we always use Air Plus and select our own flights.  We know who they contract with and we have had great results.  We are also a gateway departure city directly to European destinations, so we have that advantage too... we are not connecting once inside the US as many Americans may be.

 

We also book our own air and sometimes get much better rates than Viking, or we find that the fares are the same or very similar.  

 

If you book on your own you lose the free transfers to and from the ship.

CDNPolar,

We'll book air with Viking as it is free international airfare.  How much is Air Plus for one way?

Do they charge double if using Air Plus for both inbound and outbound flights?

Thanks again.

[JES4845]

2 hours ago, HSBC said:

CDNPolar,

We'll book air with Viking as it is free international airfare.  How much is Air Plus for one way?

Do they charge double if using Air Plus for both inbound and outbound flights?

Thanks again.

 

It isn’t free.  Ask them how much credit you get if you don’t have them book it.  Often better to take the credit off the cruise fare and make your own arrangements.  Do you have miles on airlines?  Points on credit cards?  Willing to travel economy?  The ship based arrangements are last minute for them to save money and make you think you got a freebie.  Bad routings, bad connections, bad seats - we’ve heard it all!

[CDNPolar]

10 hours ago, HSBC said:

CDNPolar,

We'll book air with Viking as it is free international airfare.  How much is Air Plus for one way?

Do they charge double if using Air Plus for both inbound and outbound flights?

Thanks again.

 

Viking Air Plus is $100.00 per person (for Canadians) to book the air and this includes the round trip booking.  We always have our choices of airline, times, seats, etc., prepared in advance.

 

If you are flying in early or later than what Viking would book... for example, if you are going to Europe and the cruise sails on the 17th of the month, Viking will fly you overnight leaving Canada on the 16th.  Viking will also book you home the morning the cruise arrives at the destination port.

 

If you want to fly other than these times, such as arrive a day early or depart a day later, then you will be charged a deviation fee of $100 per person for that and this is per person per side of the trip.  So you could be paying $200 per person to do this if you deviate before and after the cruise.

 

Also, if you are flying in early or late transfers are not included by Viking, you would have to pay for those yourself to your hotel, or wherever.

 

We just booked air for an upcoming Europe and we are flying into Amsterdam and home from Budapest.  Our first choice was Air Canada direct to Amsterdam, and then Lufthansa/AC from Budapest to Munich to Toronto.

 

Viking gave us the Air Canada direct to Amsterdam, but the flights we wanted from BUD to YYZ were going to be $153.00 CAD more per person.  Instead they offered us British Air home through Heathrow and the times and connection was good so we took that at no cost.

 

The bottom line is you can make decisions on this instead of being handed an air itinerary a few months before.

 

We are flying in a day early so we paid $100.00 per person for Air Plus, and $100.00 per person for the deviation on the way in.

[CDNPolar]

8 hours ago, JES4845 said:

 

It isn’t free.  Ask them how much credit you get if you don’t have them book it.  Often better to take the credit off the cruise fare and make your own arrangements.  Do you have miles on airlines?  Points on credit cards?  Willing to travel economy?  The ship based arrangements are last minute for them to save money and make you think you got a freebie.  Bad routings, bad connections, bad seats - we’ve heard it all!

 

With Viking there is no credit if you don't use their free air offer.  The price is the price.

 

If you are using Air Plus with Viking it is not last minute, with bad connections and bad seats.  

We just booked our air for our cruise in November of this year and we got the flights, connections and seats we wanted.  

 

With Air Plus you are in control of the decisions made.

[JES4845]

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

With Viking there is no credit if you don't use their free air offer.  The price is the price.

 

If you are using Air Plus with Viking it is not last minute, with bad connections and bad seats.  

We just booked our air for our cruise in November of this year and we got the flights, connections and seats we wanted.  

 

With Air Plus you are in control of the decisions made.

 

Thanks for the clarification.  Yet another reason not to go on Viking.  To each his or her own, but I prefer to control the flights!

[sharkster77]

We used Air Plus in 2019 and got exactly the flights we wanted---when flights open up for our June 2025 Viking Ocean cruise, we will use Air Plus again and hopefully get what we want again.  Going out, Boston to Vancouver shouldn't be hard to book, but coming home, Fairbanks to Boston might be more interesting---hope to get just one connection.

[CDNPolar]

22 hours ago, JES4845 said:

 

Thanks for the clarification.  Yet another reason not to go on Viking.  To each his or her own, but I prefer to control the flights!

 

We feel we DO have control of the flights with Viking when we use Air Plus.

 

Another thing is that Viking Air department will work tirelessly for you if there is a delay or cancelation and get you rebooked.  Yes a TA would do that if you book your flights through the TA...

 

If however Viking is not offering free air - which in 12 cruises now we have only had twice - you are free to book your air yourself and we often do.  We often find that we can get flights the same price or cheaper so we do.