Delayed final payment when booking onboard

[longterm]

We've already booked a cruise for 2026--from Barcelona to Istanbul; I booked it a couple of weeks ago, but have 2 questions:

 

1. We'll be on-board the Viking Neptune for the British Isles Explorer in July; while on board, I could book that same cruise. My question is this: when booking on board, is a delayed final payment always offered?

As it stands now, we have to pay the final payment by January 2025, but if we booked on board, I'm hoping we could get a final payment date that's only 6 months from our departure. Is this a standard offering when booking on-board?

 

2. I've been advised that, if we DO book the same cruise while on our trip this summer, that we should REVISE our existing booking, rather than canceling the first and re-booking. Is this good advice, and will the shipboard agent be aware of this procedure?

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[WanderingBrit]

You should be able to get the same deferred final payment date for your 2026 cruise on the basis of already having a July 2024 cruise booked. Just ask them to change the date for your 2026 cruise.

We did basically the same thing: Booked a 2025 cruise with a 2023 cruise booked, got 6 month final payment. Recently booked a 2026 cruise and requested 6 month final payment based on the 2025 cruise reservation - which hasn't been fully paid yet.

[longterm]

5 minutes ago, WanderingBrit said:

You should be able to get the same deferred final payment date for your 2026 cruise on the basis of already having a July 2024 cruise booked. Just ask them to change the date for your 2026 cruise.

I don't want to change the cruise date, just the final payment date (that may be what you meant); I'll give them a call and see how it goes, and will report back. Thanks!

[formernuke]

Certainly if you book a new cruise on board you can get the 6 mo pig if you have another cruise booked. Done it a couple of times. But need to ask. Not automatic 

[WanderingBrit]

1 hour ago, longterm said:

I don't want to change the cruise date, just the final payment date (that may be what you meant); I'll give them a call and see how it goes, and will report back. Thanks!

Understood - you don't need to rebook or change anything, just ask for deferred final payment.

[Jim Avery]

Nuke is right.  You don't get what you don't ask for.  Sometimes you have to ask a bit forcefully.  Be prepared to walk if you don't get what you want.

[CDNPolar]

We always have more than one future Viking cruise booked and most of the time we have to "fight" to get the 6 month payment.  Sometimes they put us on hold several times before they begrudgingly agree.

 

This last booking, I was amazed as the 6 month payment was applied immediately without asking.  I think that the agent was more experienced.

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, longterm said:

We've already booked a cruise for 2026--from Barcelona to Istanbul; I booked it a couple of weeks ago, but have 2 questions:

 

1. We'll be on-board the Viking Neptune for the British Isles Explorer in July; while on board, I could book that same cruise. My question is this: when booking on board, is a delayed final payment always offered?

As it stands now, we have to pay the final payment by January 2025, but if we booked on board, I'm hoping we could get a final payment date that's only 6 months from our departure. Is this a standard offering when booking on-board?

 

2. I've been advised that, if we DO book the same cruise while on our trip this summer, that we should REVISE our existing booking, rather than canceling the first and re-booking. Is this good advice, and will the shipboard agent be aware of this procedure?

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

You already have a cruise in the future so you already qualify for 6 month payment terms.

[longterm]

UPDATE: Called my Viking rep and he updated our booking so that we don't have to make final payment until 180 days out...

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

We always have more than one future Viking cruise booked and most of the time we have to "fight" to get the 6 month payment. 

NEVER had to "fight" but ALWAYS had to ask , or have our TA ask.  Never did Viking reluctantly do it.  When asked, it was done with a smile.  Not automatic, but never a fight.

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

NEVER had to "fight" but ALWAYS had to ask , or have our TA ask.  Never did Viking reluctantly do it.  When asked, it was done with a smile.  Not automatic, but never a fight.

 

A couple of years ago we were denied the 6 months payment terms by 2 different agents at Viking.  It took several calls to get it.  It happened again on the next booking that we made.

 

Maybe not fists, but it was not done easily.

 

I put most of these things down to poor Viking training of their agents.

[sharkster77]

Interesting---while our TA was on the phone with Viking booking our 2025 ocean cruise, the rep offered the final payment for 180 days out (we sail on rivers next month).   Was going to have her ask for it---wasn't necessary.

[FetaCheese]

On Star now.  Looked at book onboard offer.  $100 OBC for current cruise. 6 month PIF date.

 

Will try to post a pic of sheet later.  Onboard agent is Victor.

Edited March 22 by FetaCheese

[longterm]

3 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

NEVER had to "fight" but ALWAYS had to ask , or have our TA ask.  Never did Viking reluctantly do it.  When asked, it was done with a smile.  Not automatic, but never a fight.

Fortunately, I had booked the cruise with a really helpful guy, whose extension I had, and he was great. 

 

He did ask if we had another cruise booked--I'm assuming that in order to make that allowance, you have to have another cruise booked--at least, that's how it sounded. At any rate, all good.

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, longterm said:

Fortunately, I had booked the cruise with a really helpful guy, whose extension I had, and he was great. 

 

He did ask if we had another cruise booked--I'm assuming that in order to make that allowance, you have to have another cruise booked--at least, that's how it sounded. At any rate, all good.

 

Everyone has such a great option available to them now with the $25 deposit in North American bookings.  You can book a second cruise in the future and get the 180 day payment terms on your existing booking.

 

We always keep at least one future Viking booking out there as much as two years out to ensure that we get the 180 days payment terms.

 

Having that booking is not a firm commitment, you can move the 50 bucks to any other cruise before final payment, or lose 50 bucks max.

[sharkster77]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Everyone has such a great option available to them now with the $25 deposit in North American bookings.  You can book a second cruise in the future and get the 180 day payment terms on your existing booking.

 

We always keep at least one future Viking booking out there as much as two years out to ensure that we get the 180 days payment terms.

 

Having that booking is not a firm commitment, you can move the 50 bucks to any other cruise before final payment, or lose 50 bucks max.

That is a great strategy!  We will keep that in mind, as we sail in 2 weeks, then again in June 2025---after our next cruise we will consider booking something else during the interim waiting for our 2025 trip. We are 1000% satisfied with Viking river, and are trying Viking ocean next year.

[CCWineLover]

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Everyone has such a great option available to them now with the $25 deposit in North American bookings.  You can book a second cruise in the future and get the 180 day payment terms on your existing booking.

 

We always keep at least one future Viking booking out there as much as two years out to ensure that we get the 180 days payment terms.

 

Having that booking is not a firm commitment, you can move the 50 bucks to any other cruise before final payment, or lose 50 bucks max.

Exactly what we began doing when the $25 deposits came out.

I viewed it like a stock option.  Put $25 pp down on a cruise as far out as you can (we did 2026) and you:

-Lock in the 6 month final payment due for any cruise you book now

-Lock in the cruise price of the distant cruise (so make sure it is one you do want) as prices keep going up!

 

Our hand-picked 2026 cruise for $50 was the new Viking Vesta in March 2026 that does the new Med itinerary that includes Malta.  Given its popularity I'm sure the prices will rise.  Worst case we lose $50.  You can also think of it as "insurance", but it seemed to me more like a stock option (pay $50 for the chance to "buy" the far out cruise at a given price).  If the price is lower 6 months out, then I cancel and rebook at the lower price.

[CDNPolar]

Yep - all good things.

 

We have 4 advance bookings that lock in price for cruise cabin and air and all at $50 to hold per booking.

[FetaCheese]

Here it is, not specific with discounts.  Does not specify PIF dates by region.  Also not sure onboard rep will give current promo codes. 

 

When calling in to Viking sales agents, customer must provide promo code.  Was told phone reps not allowed to tell customers of available codes.

 

In my opinion, I think V wants you to make appointment with onboard rep, so a sales presentation can be made.

Edited March 23 by FetaCheese

[CCWineLover]

38 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

In my opinion, I think V wants you to make appointment with onboard rep, so a sales presentation can be made.

We've been to the Cruise Consultants many times onboard in our past cruises (We've done 16 Viking now).   we NEVER had a sales presentation from the consultant.  I've been surprised but they never pushed anything - other than if you liked this you might try that.

 

It really helps if you have an idea of what you want and then can get into the nitty-gritty.  If you go in and say I just want to cruise and have no idea what to do, then things might be different.

 

Yes - we go armed with discount codes as well.  Thanks to the wonderful Cruise Critic thread that has been going on for awhile and seems to be updated daily, you can learn every new code that can be used.   Since it is so easy to see the codes, that doesn't bother me as much.

 

We've had nothing but good experiences with the Consultants even though some are A+ and some are B+.   We have our TA registered in our on-line files and if we buy something onboard, they get notified immediately and the reservation automatically passed over to them.  We still get all those onboard credits.  (Although they used to be good in COVID times like $600 pp but are now down to $100 pp OBC last month).  Supply and Demand!

 

What we do like about booking onboard, however, is that you can put a hold on a specific cabin.  You can then immediately go out and look at it, and other alternatives, in person in a few minutes, since all the Star class ships are the same layout.  Helped us with one in particular where the plan diagrams showed a cabin facing the elevator and stairs, but when we looked in person, it was down the hall 6 feet and would not be affected.  Little things like that.

 

Here's the promo thread, started by Clay Clayon in 2022.

 

Edited March 23 by CCWineLover

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

We've been to the Cruise Consultants many times onboard in our past cruises (We've done 16 Viking now).   we NEVER had a sales presentation from the consultant.  I've been surprised but they never pushed anything - other than if you liked this you might try that.

 

 

 

We have a couple of times on Ocean attended a sales presentation by the Consultant in the Star Theatre.

I think that they may happen on each cruise, or perhaps they stick one in if sales are not happening fast enough...  We have often however been off the ship when the presentation happened.

 

We find these rather like the port talks... they highlight a few new or popular cruises, but will also take questions.

 

 

[CCWineLover]

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We have a couple of times on Ocean attended a sales presentation by the Consultant in the Star Theatre.

I think that they may happen on each cruise, or perhaps they stick one in if sales are not happening fast enough...  We have often however been off the ship when the presentation happened.

 

We find these rather like the port talks... they highlight a few new or popular cruises, but will also take questions.

 

 

Agree with you!  They've had these on every cruise we've been on.  If we are available, we'll attend. (Some are better than others).  The most recent one was really good as the Consultant took a different twist.  He is a wine lover and so focused his presentations on which cruises provided excellent wine/food opportunities (i.e. South America, many of the European ones, etc).  Caught our interest!  Was very well done.  (Viking Saturn a few weeks ago - his name is Hamed Esfahanian).  We had a number of great discussions on wine throughout the cruise one on one.  A unique experience!

[Mike07]

Negative experience with the onboard cruise consultant on my most recent trip.

 

I'll put it to you this way, I see no point in booking onboard since all they do is point and tell the same itineraries anybody can access on Viking.com (or whatever the site actually is). The limited OBC or instant monies off is not enough to move me.

[millybess]

1 minute ago, Mike07 said:

The limited OBC or instant monies off is not enough to move me

The OBC would pay, or at least contribute, to the gratuities at the end.  Or you could splurge on a Viking jacket!

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, millybess said:

The OBC would pay, or at least contribute, to the gratuities at the end.  Or you could splurge on a Viking jacket!

We did just that on a previous cruise!!  Both of us with Viking jackets.  Better than losing it