Viking river cruise. Questions about air

[Mary229]

My plan is to take a Viking river cruise after a rather lengthy ocean cruise with another line:
 

Reading about Viking it says air is included in all fares, is this correct?

I read you can customize your air for a fee, how customizable is this?  Can I pick dates other than their prescribed dates? Do they tell you which flights you are assigned so you can make a reasonable decision whether to customize?   
If you choose not to use their air is there any compensation?

 

thanks for your input 

[knoxclone]

No compensation. Included flights are offered as a promotion for certain sailings, but not all.  

 

Others can elaborate more on their experiences using Viking Air.

[Mary229]

8 minutes ago, knoxclone said:

No compensation. Included flights are offered as a promotion for certain sailings, but not all.  

 

Others can elaborate more on their experiences using Viking Air.

Ok, that helps a lot.  I will just watch for a non promoted sale.  I have plenty of time. 

[Canal archive]

I may have missed something Mary229 but, trying not to be rude is there a reason your really set on Viking, just interested and being nosy!

Edited September 2 by Canal archive

[CDNPolar]

12 hours ago, Mary229 said:

My plan is to take a Viking river cruise after a rather lengthy ocean cruise with another line:
 

Reading about Viking it says air is included in all fares, is this correct?

I read you can customize your air for a fee, how customizable is this?  Can I pick dates other than their prescribed dates? Do they tell you which flights you are assigned so you can make a reasonable decision whether to customize?   
If you choose not to use their air is there any compensation?

 

thanks for your input 

 

Let me break a few things down for you.  I am not sure where you got the information about Air being included in all fares?

 

I am assuming that you are American and purchasing the Viking cruise from the US site, as other nationalities can have different rules and breakdowns.

 

For US and Canadian guests Viking advertise the price for a Cabin based on category of cabin.  Then on the pricing grid there is the cost for air.  Sometimes the air is free, but if free it is not included in the cabin fare.  Free air is one way that Viking do a promotion.

 

If the air if free, then it is economy class and if you want any upgrade you will pay for that.  If you choose not to use the free air, there is no discount or "refund" against the cabin price.  The free air is the promo, so if you don't use it you lose it.

 

In general NO compensation if you don't use Viking Air.

 

If the air has a cost beside it then that is the cost for economy flights, and you may be eligible to upgrade for a fee to Premium or Business.

 

Sometimes that air price is a deal, and sometimes you can do better on your own.

 

Now - customization...

 

If you take the air at the price it is and don't do anything else, then about 150 days from sailing in your MyVikingJourney account, air options will populate.  You the option to make changes up to the point of ticketing which generally happens about 60-75 days from sailing.  Not all changes are free or included in the price you are paying.  Some schedules and flight options have a additional price attached.

 

IF you are using Viking Air and you want to arrive earlier than the day of embarkation or leave later than the day of debarkation, then that is known as a "deviation" and you will pay $100.00 per person.  (We have only deviated on one of pre or post and not both, so I am not certain if you want to come early and leave late if you will be charged twice)

 

If you want to do this and use Viking "standard" air, you just have to give reservations your arrival and departure dates, they will charge the deviation fee and then the air that populates 150 days out will be on the requested dates.  

 

Then you have the option of Viking Air Plus.  This is $150.00 per person and you can then customize all your flights, but that does not mean that there will not be additional air fees for specific airlines and schedules that you choose.  The Viking Air price is for Viking's contracted economy fares.  If you choose something outside of what is in the contract rates - which you won't know until you call - then you will have to pay more.  Often we have gotten the airline and the schedule we want without paying more.

 

We always take free air because our thought is, why wouldn't we?  That is a deal.

 

With air that has a price beside it we make a decision if the cost of deviation and Air Plus is worth it or if we make our own arrangements.

 

Air Plus and deviation for two would be $500.00. ($150X2 + $100X2)

 

Now, if you use Viking Air or Air Plus and you are arriving on the day of embarkation or debarkation, you have included airport transfers.

 

If you are planning a deviation and you are not using a Viking pre or post extension then you do not get transfers and the cost of those are out of your own pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2 by CDNPolar

[Mary229]

4 hours ago, Canal archive said:

I may have missed something Mary229 but, trying not to be rude is there a reason your really set on Viking, just interested and being nosy!

Viking fits my plan and so what if I was being nosy? The forum’s primary purpose is information.

[Mary229]

@CDNPolar  thank you for the detail

 

would anyone happen to know how far the embarkation date a pax can use the air?  My first cruise is 30 days so I am doubtful I would be able to use the Viking air for the first flight.  I assume I can choose to use Viking for one way?

[Canal archive]

Mary 229 definitely not you being nosy it was ‘ME’ so sorry that you got the wrong interpretation. I do apologise. Also thank you for your clarification.

Edited September 2 by Canal archive

[CDNPolar]

23 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

@CDNPolar  thank you for the detail

 

would anyone happen to know how far the embarkation date a pax can use the air?  My first cruise is 30 days so I am doubtful I would be able to use the Viking air for the first flight.  I assume I can choose to use Viking for one way?

 

I believe that deviations are only 2 days on either side....

 

I have never done more than a couple of days.  

 

Others will chime in here for sure.

 

Yes, you can choose Viking air only one way, and if air is free, there is no reimbursement for the one way, but if air has a price, then you would get a one way fare quoted by the Viking Air department.

Edited September 2 by CDNPolar

[JJK2008]

Call Viking direct with your questions. We used them and were very satisfied. Good luck.

[Mary229]

15 minutes ago, JJK2008 said:

Call Viking direct with your questions. We used them and were very satisfied. Good luck.

I can and I will but many people on CC have much more experience than the agent answering the phone.  I appreciate the forum’s experience and wisdom and that is why I come here 

[JJK2008]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I can and I will but many people on CC have much more experience than the agent answering the phone.  I appreciate the forum’s experience and wisdom and that is why I come here 

@Mary229 Yes, there are many experienced cruisers. Perhaps you'll find one that gives you the answers you're looking for.

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, JJK2008 said:

@Mary229 Yes, there are many experienced cruisers. Perhaps you'll find one that gives you the answers you're looking for.

Two gave me high quality information. 

[CDNPolar]

22 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Two gave me high quality information. 

 

As one giving you advice here, I have sailed with Viking many times and have used all of their services.

 

When it comes to Viking, you also have to know who to call when you have a question.

 

For Air, you should call the Viking Air Plus department which is a different number than general reservations.  The general reservations don't have all the knowledge about air.  They should, but they don't always.

 

There is also the tactic that sometimes when we call Viking and don't like or agree with the answer, we hang up and call back.  Sometimes we get a completely different answer.

 

We just booked a cruise for 2026.  The first person we talked to we gave a promotion code and she told us that it was not valid and did not meet the booking requirements.  We thought different based on the promo language, so we paid our deposit, then called back to another agent, got the code applied and saved $500 per person.

 

So, you have Viking reservations, Viking Air, and then the best department ever that is only available through email to start - tellus@vikingcruises.com

 

 

[ural guy]

Mary-  We had a Viking cruise canceled by Covid in 2020, we had air deviation and were set to fly into Dublin one week prior to cruise.  Viking Air, as others have said, will have a definitive answer. 

[bottomfeeder]

My son and I took a Viking River cruise this winter.  He flew off to Spain after the cruise ended in Amsterdam to vacation there.  We had the free air through Viking, so he just moved his return from AMS to home out 10 days, and paid the $100 air deviation fee (and then booked tickets between AMS and Spain on his own.)  It worked out great.  Not sure how far out you can go with "deviation" and still get the free air, but definitely more than a couple of days.  At least 10, in fact, unless it's changed since January.  🙂

 

Oh and it might also be worth mentioning for anyone who comes by this thread in the situation I was in--my son and I shared a cabin, but he flew from SFO and I flew from Florida and that was not a problem as far as getting the free air.  I had been a little worried about that before I booked.

[Mary229]

2 minutes ago, bottomfeeder said:

My son and I took a Viking River cruise this winter.  He flew off to Spain after the cruise ended in Amsterdam to vacation there.  We had the free air through Viking, so he just moved his return from AMS to home out 10 days, and paid the $100 air deviation fee (and then booked tickets between AMS and Spain on his own.)  It worked out great.  Not sure how far out you can go with "deviation" and still get the free air, but definitely more than a couple of days.  At least 10, in fact, unless it's changed since January.  🙂

 

Oh and it might also be worth mentioning for anyone who comes by this thread in the situation I was in--my son and I shared a cabin, but he flew from SFO and I flew from Florida and that was not a problem as far as getting the free air.  I had been a little worried about that before I booked.

Thanks. Our plan is coming together and I will be calling them soon.  This is very helpful as just today we considered doing the river cruise first and add the Glacier Express before that.  So it would be Glacier Express train, river cruise then Ocean Cruise. Anybody want to come along😉

[Evi55]

On 9/3/2024 at 6:03 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

As one giving you advice here, I have sailed with Viking many times and have used all of their services.

 

When it comes to Viking, you also have to know who to call when you have a question.

 

For Air, you should call the Viking Air Plus department which is a different number than general reservations.  The general reservations don't have all the knowledge about air.  They should, but they don't always.

 

There is also the tactic that sometimes when we call Viking and don't like or agree with the answer, we hang up and call back.  Sometimes we get a completely different answer.

 

We just booked a cruise for 2026.  The first person we talked to we gave a promotion code and she told us that it was not valid and did not meet the booking requirements.  We thought different based on the promo language, so we paid our deposit, then called back to another agent, got the code applied and saved $500 per person.

 

So, you have Viking reservations, Viking Air, and then the best department ever that is only available through email to start - tellus@vikingcruises.com

 

 

Could I please ask if you would be willing to share the code you used? We have a deposit paid, but were searching for a code before we make our final payment. TIA.  😊

[Breckski]

On 9/4/2024 at 5:42 PM, Mary229 said:

Thanks. Our plan is coming together and I will be calling them soon.  This is very helpful as just today we considered doing the river cruise first and add the Glacier Express before that.  So it would be Glacier Express train, river cruise then Ocean Cruise. Anybody want to come along😉

I know the thread is a bit old but stay in Zermatt a couple days if you haven't before.  A true winter wonderland.  No cars really enhance the winter experience.  

 

Obviously, assuming you are going in winter.  If not, void my recommendation.