viking river cruises cancelled 2022 viking river cruises cancelled 2022

By Alyssa Lukpat and Ceylan Yeginsu. Because we were given a voucher, we can not get out money back. On 10/12 as our plane was taxiing for departure, my husband suffered a medical emergency. , I am out the $3500 no matter what) and a friend who will take my place must pay her full share of the room as well! About 20 poeple's bag on the flight didn't make it. We accepted the vouchers in good faith. Viking Mississippi is one of Viking's largest river ships, measuring 450 feet (137 meters) long and weighing approximately 5,000 gross tons. They offered us a voucher for 125% or a cash refund. The low draft and the adjustability of the ballast allow the ships to navigate through sections of the river where the water levels are not very deep. Schreiners advice is simple: Just go. Review for Viking Osiris to Middle East Swirling Kilt 2-5 Cruises Age 60s Read More Sail Date: December 2022 Cabin Type: Suite with Veranda Helpful Christmas on the Mississippi Review for. Last week, the cruise line cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev, Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary and said it was evaluating 2022 sailing that call in Russia. Very disappointing. Refund or partial credit. Viking is not a good company to work with. Utter and total joke. Mind you, my cruise cost over $27,000. I was aware that cruise lines' cash flow issues and accepted the voucher. Courtesy Sheila Davies. He will call us immediately - he said. Want all money refunded. We booked a Viking River Cruise with AAA travel in August of 2019 for $14,497 for two people which excludes the insurance cost. We have been waiting patiently for two years for a refund, relying on the We had planned a trip in 2021 and when Viking changed their requirements we chose to cancel our trip. At no point when we rebooked using our vouchers, were we told the vouchers were not covered under the insurance plan. Passengers from across the country say they've. I also booked this trip years ago when there was not a vaccine mandate.They will not return my money of around $22000.00 They told me I did not need vaccinations for 2022 ,now I found out we do .We do not believe in the vaccinations and I told them that right out front. We have a very good rain forecast for this Thursday/Friday, and fairly heavy rains coming, so [the situation] might change.. Other viking customers from ******* on the same cruise were also booked the same flight. A *** incentive ********** was offered and accepted by us to use toward future booking. We have had to cancel our river cruise because of their ludicrous covid policy. The cruise line said it was evaluating 2022 itineraries that visit Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. The bottom line is, we have ********* at VRC. When we arrived ************* to get our boarding pass, we were told that viking booked our tickets but did not pay for the tickets. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating, My husband and I took an Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis Dec 25 to Jan 7' as an all inclusive trip, all airfares and transportations were included . A river level that is too high or too low can affect an otherwise great cruising experience. Viking changed their policy after they took all our money, lured us into taking now worthless vouchers. We opted for the voucher. In Europe, we dont cruise in January, February and into early March because its too cold, he explained. Viking suggested that I should talk to my travel insurance company to reimburse the cost of additional airfare cost. Customers should not be treated this way. Then before the departure, Viking cancelled operations and offered us vouchers for future cruises. Because of COVID, we had to cancel the cruise, and received a voucher from Viking. Thats because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ships bottom and the water line). Before you decide to. was 4 units wide . This is insulting and is clearly bait and switch type behavior. All other passages from ******* for the same Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis got their boarding passes with no problem. This also had the water turned off and was unable to flush. We were treated like animals. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. No one expects to have to cancel a cruise. In May, Viking canceled that cruise. Princess Cruises | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. Later after giving our deposit (another $8,000) we found out that ******** become a requirement to sail.My husband and I, both for health reasons can not get the vaccines and Viking to this time has been holding our money ($11,367.50) for 3 years (going to the 4th) even when we have requested several times and even hired an attorney to get our money back.When we booked the 2nd cruise, no one told us that we will loose our chance to get a refund. As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels. She is scheduled to start ************ this week. Booked a trip just before covid hit which had to be canceled for obvious reasons. I have contacted Watcdog BBC who are interested. The difference between what they gave us as a credit for a 2023 cruise (which we booked so we didn't lose all of our money) and what we originally paid is $3,494 dollars. The key dimensions of the Avalon Vista are: River boats are built in such a way that for bridge clearance, the mast, pilot house, and sun shades can be lowered. The flight from Amman Jordan to This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. AAA travel called Viking many times to rectify this and in December we were finally told that they would give us a $10,000 dollar credit toward another cruise and a $1,500 dollar shipboard credit. I was sailing aboard the Avalon Vista two months ago on a cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland along the Rhine River. by Steve CaseLast updated September 6, 2022. Related: Booking your first river cruise? The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River. I hope this is something you can help with. They will charge you a lot of money but would not care for you at the end of the day.The places I saw needed much to be desiredI was told that at the airport someone will help us until we boarded our plane. "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. The sailings. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email customerrelations@vikingcruises.com, Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. Thank you. scott@travelcodex.com, For updates: This they American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. They refuse. 1. It's also a classic cruise itinerary. Unfortunately, there are still cruises being cancelled in 2022 due to Covid-19 and the uncertainty surrounding it. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. the Lufthansa person told me I need to fill out the form required for returning Americans to USA and she was not helpful .I missed my flight and had to stay overnight to a dingy hotel in tears in a French country who doesn't really want to help you . We used our voucher prior to the expiration of the voucher, to book a cruise for March of 2023. Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall close to the point where the river cannot hold ships anymore. By. SA. US. Expected weather conditions during the cruise. Then they said (under the Risk Free Guarantee) we could have a voucher, but it would be a combined voucher which could only be used for one future trip. We also ensure all reviews are published without moderation. Articles are of a general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. There is rock on the bottom; theres also this little house in the middle of the river. Rather than focusing on the number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved. Get up to $300 back per calendar year on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card. Subscribe to RSS The whole experience was a disaster. If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions. Viking Celebrates Start Of Inaugural Season In North America's Great Lakes Read More May 17, 2022 Newest Ocean Ship In Viking's Award-Winning Fleet Named By The Countess Of Carnarvon Of Highclere Castle Read More May 12, 2022 Viking Takes Delivery of Newest Ocean Ship Read More April 25, 2022 Viking Ocean Cruises has sailings listed for June, 2021. Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising. "We are currently evaluating itineraries that call. London was on an older plane with 3 seats on the left and right. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. Viking have done this every year since 2012, knowing they are unable to dock there but still taking Port Tax from every passenger. At the other end of the Po, ocean water has flooded the last 12 miles of the river damaging crops and contaminating drinking water. Another factor that should be considered is trip insurance. We were issued the vouchers that had an expiration date October 2022. Call to book now: 1-800-207-7286. This is an awful company to deal with. The Po River flows 400 miles across the top of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. This was a question that I asked myself before booking my Rhine River cruise. We have had to cancel our river cruise because of their ludicrous covid policy. River boats are unique because they can float in just five to six feet of water. Confirmation attached. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. They are just taking the thousands of dollars we gave them from us and we are getting nothing in return. He was assertive and very confident, pushy and eager to make the booking. Just as with ocean sailings, theres always a risk that weather and river/sea conditions can impact that itinerary, and cruisers must accept that itineraries cannot be set in stone. We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. How could we?? When I called to cancel they said we did not purchase the insurance. That' our policy,. **** called finally, apologized and said that he 'misread the rules', misunderstood the rules and this isn't a big deal (his attitude). I purchased two of each of the following through ACH: Then when operations started again, we decided to book a cruise to sail November 2021 At the time we booked, vaccines were not a requirement. When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints. Viking Cruises is a cruise line providing river and ocean cruises, with operations based in Basel, Switzerland. Viking booked the hotels for these excursions. We promise not to send you any unrelated messages, Click here if youd like to unsubscribe from notifications about new complaints of Viking River Cruises. We are unable to meet their requirements and therefore want our funds returned to us. Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. Four excursions that I wanted are already sold out. Part refund, at least 25%. We would never do a river cruise again, Paid for a cruise in Nov 2021 for an Oct 2022 cruise, 2 days before departure I broke both wrists, contacted Viking about a credit for for a future cruise - a very rude man said Viking would do nothing- they had my money for almost a year and basically told me "to bad". Viking Cruises has ceased all operations in Russia this year in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I want Viking to honour its Guest Cancellation Schedule and reimburse the $15,640.19 (Canadian) my husband and I paid for the We appreciate you sharing your experience, Sandy JJ, although we regret to hear of the events you've described here. Weve been cruising since March with no issues until August, said Schreiner. Airfares vary on other gateways & departures. My family of 4 has booked a Viking cruise with a pre and post cruise excursion. Viking Cruises. Is it cheaper to stay out in the bay and use your own tender? Also lost out on the cruise vouchers. Trip value now ********** On 12 November 2020 we booked another cruise and added an additional ******** to bring our out of pocket total to ********** All transactions took place before before the rollout of a "vaccine", vaccine cards, a Presidential and CDC mandates. Due to my cancellations, Viking held onto $8,000 of my Funds for about two years. The 13-city cruise was supposed to take passengers between St. Paul and New . We missed 2 ports of call and 1/3 of our sites to see the auroras. On 9/12/21 we realized the 2022 sailing impractical and cancelled for cruise credits (#s XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX) We were told that since we used vouchers we were not eligible for a refund per policy. Beware of Viking excursion policies. coach. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. 2023-2025 OCEAN CRUISE AND AIR SAVINGS: Offer applies to bookings made from March 1-31, 2023. When you are covered by the Risk-Free Guarantee you may change your cruise reservation with notification to Viking. This matter has not been properly escalated to the legal department.Our time is running off to recover our money and we can not travel due the vaccines requirements and the only absurd respond that we get is to transfer our vouchers.We are extremely disappointed of Viking Cruises after we decided to support the company. How is this hard? We booked the *********** cruise with Viking prior to COVID *****************. I was told Viking doesnt own the hotel and the hotel will not let me make a change since Viking handled the booking. What? They have a working relationship with Lufthansa but insist the flight has nothing to do with them, That is a strong cop out. Special fares plus Free airfare valid on select 2023 departures of Eastern Seaboard Explorer and Canada & New England Scenic Shores. We are told now that change is not possible at all because vouchers have expired. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Do not book with Viking Cruises ,they turned my cancelled trip into vouchers with expiration dates that I never knew about. I was told to claim on my travel insurance if I had any.I had to send three emails to receive a response and cancellation certificate from Viking Cruises. This is why most lines are not offering flexible cancellation policies or waiving penalties for canceling a river cruise because theyre worried their itinerary will get disrupted due to low water levels. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. The 766-mile Rhine is one of Europe's most important trade routes, with container ships plying their way around its looping bends. Tauck says it deals with compensation on a case-by-case basis. Other ships were docked at the pier. This made it impossible to catch the next flight from ***** to buenos Aries. Thank you. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. The first thing that I noticed when I boarded is that all river ships are built to similar dimensions. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Learn more. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. It will take of the expiring vouchers and the booking can be changed with no problem whatsoever once a schedule for 2024 becomes available. We hope that the flexibility provided by this guarantee truly puts your mind at ease when it comes to the decision of whether or not to travel. Booking XXXXXXX. Royal Caribbean Group's Celebrity Cruises has canceled four sailings from March 26 through April 16 aboard the Celebrity Eclipse, which has yet to return to service, a spokesperson for the. Passes which had been canceled since BA flight had been late. Another section of river that can be negatively affected by low water levels is the Danube, past the last lock in Slovakia heading downriver toward Hungary. He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. 488 total complaints in the last 3 years. I am truly an "out-of-the-box" traveler which has enriched my travel experiences. An apology is not good enough. (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business. We have rescheduled 2x as we refuse to get the Covid vaccine and Viking will not allow boarding if you are not 100% vaccinated. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. service we should have received at least a partial refund . At this point we feel it's discrimination and want our money refunded. All I got was 'you must pay in full for your trip before booking extras'. took the call and told us that schedule wouldn't be available most likely till January 2023. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. We Vikings inability to resolve an issue with, Withholding of monies and shore excursion, Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, My bag is still missing and I will request. Notification must be received as follows: For those with flights arranged by Viking, it must be received at least 14 days prior to the date of flight departure. I advised Viking that my wife and I could not get the vaccine ever and asked for a refund of our primary payment. Labeled Verified, theyre about genuine experiences.Learn more about other kinds of reviews. This requirement was enacted after we booked this trip . Just realized that the cruise booked was from Antwerp to Amsterdam. We could not get a negative covid test in time for Just returned from Classis Panama Canal Cruise (11-21 February 2023) on the last day, running water for the shower, hand basins and toilets had been turned off from 5am to when we left the ship at 10.30am. This site is for entertainment purposes only. 3. Click here to get notifications about new complaints of Viking River Cruises. When I asked to speak with a supervisor the "customer service" representative said "I am not allowed to transfer you - the supervisor will give you the same answer." After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive Booking number 7141933 I took into account the following factors and then made an educated guess: Taking all of these factors into account, we booked for mid-June. The only problem was it WAS VERY NOISY, couldnt get a full night sleep due the engine and the bed shaking.We will go back to the other suites.The staff was great! We paid for the trip and had trip insurance. If the whole itinerary is changed, youll get to sail the new itinerary and receive a 100% future cruise credit to book another cruise. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. Cannot go on a cruise if not jabbed even to countries which have no covid requirements any more. In addition to requiring all guests and crew be fully vaccinated before setting foot on board the 930-passenger Viking Sky, the cruise line implemented a robust contact tracing system, daily PCR. Read full review of Viking River Cruises Desired outcome: We booked Amsterdam to Belgium for August 19th 2023 with Viking agent Elena Munari. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. In the same cabin. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. Thank you. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have canceled several trips as the Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc with the cruise . There are no uniform river flows and water levels are unpredictable. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. In 2021, the cruise line plans to launch their seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus. Coach would have been better. The ship can welcome up to 386 passengers, and. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. I thought that Viking was reputable, so I put too much faith in them. Anybody got any idea what do I do? Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine. 1. The climate in Europe is changing and not for the better. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles. I believe this policy and practice is clearly unfair and rather reckless. It also stated that if we were unable to use the voucher we could be refunded the original amount we paid to Viking. My bag is still missing and I will request (!) #6339759. Not your fault but took 5 flights, 1 whole day in airport, 1 whole night and 2 hotels to get to the ship 3 1/2 days late. The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. I appreciate the time. The river cruise lines will tell you that low water levels are rare, and that few sailings are altered due to water levels but the truth is the risk is always present. If the region has had an excess of rain, raising the river greatly, the river ship may have problems clearing bridges and other obstacles. The trip was for 2021 but was also cancelled and moved to September 22, 2022.On September 16,2022 *********************** and shattered his knee-cap and needed surgery. We will never try Viking again! That trip was cancelled do to covid, and we were assured by Viking that everything was fine and we rebooked for Jan 2022. Scenic. Because there was no time for a further delay, we paid the tickets to the airline. We then Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. This cruise has been sold out for weeks so if Viking reinstates the voucher, the cabin could be resold. Unfortunately, my husband unexpectedly passed away last month. 2022. Look at the Mekong you dont cruise in May, June, July and August because its too hot. Booking # XXXXXXX Think 3 times before booking with Viking!!! We paid for trip insurance assuming that it would cover this situation but buying trip insurance through Viking seems to cover much less than most trip insurance policies. This was our second cruise, I would have to say our first one was wonderful, this one was not bad. Change of travel requirements after full payment received/ignoring request for full refund. No partial refund was given and I lost the total deposit of $1000.I understand that the T&Cs outline the refund policy. This complaint has been resolved automatically due to user's inactivity. I asked to speak to a manager and was told by the person I talked to I could not but she would speak with one. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. Business Section was crowded 8 units wide while first class just in front 4. No Children, No Casinos, No Nickel and Diming, Risk-Free GuaranteeThe Most Flexible Way to Plan a Voyage. . Just return on our river cruise . Cannot recommend whatsoever - there are better cruise lines who deliver & care about providing a decent level of customer experience - avoid them if you can. It was too windy and not safe so decided not to try to use their tender. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. With this terrible Passengers wait to board the luxury cruise ship Viking Mississippi, berthed at Lambert's Landing in St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. They refuse to let us rebook with the voucher and actually suggested if we want to rebook we would have to pay them all over again. This would mean that river cruise lines could face severe disruptions . The line confirmed the steps to TTG on Wednesday (2 March) and said it was "deeply opposed" to the . On 11/22 we received an email from Trip Mate regarding the resolution of our claim. Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews. However, the most important part of any cruise, for me is the excursion choice. To date we have sent a certified *** ****** ***** letter to VRC and had no response. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. This river begins in the Alps near the Italy-French border and is fed by snowmelt. If you voluntarily cancel your cruise you may only get a partial or no refund depending on how close to departure you cancel your cruise. In 2020 we were contacted via email and told that this cruise was also cancelled and we could book another cruise and receive a 125% credit toward a future cruise with a risk free guarantee and it said we could change our plans up to 24 hours before departure. Only Viking can make the appropriate reservation. I won't be booking any future cruise with them. Here's our experience with the Viking cancellation policy. 05 Aug 2022. Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works It, along with the Viking Sky, is classified as a small ship, with 465 staterooms, capable of carrying 930 guests. Premium Air. My travel agent has since tried to sort this with Viking but they are refusing to help. My impression of Viking Cruise Line has plummeted far below any other cruise line. In the end, you will have a fantastic vacation and you will get a future cruise credit according to what you miss., He added: Its better than canceling and sitting at home and not doing anything.. Then in Philadelphia Taking over the Hilton in Taupo NZ, they were obnoxious. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. - Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, Viking trip shortened due to weather, no refund. SPRING SALE Special Fares Reduced Airfare Dates: Availability: Should you have any lingering questions ahead of your voyage, we welcome you to call our Service Specialists at [protected] where we would be happy to assist where possible. Viking's move follows announcements from other cruise operators saying they are . My husband surprised me with the explorer suite,the room was beautiful,the balcony was amazing. He replied "absolutely no way both medically and because ************ weakens her immune system!" I'm now wondering what the cozy deal is between Viking and Trip Mate, considering the vast number of Trip Mate complaints from Viking Cruise customers. In order to catch the next flight from ************ to ******* to get to the cruise on time we had to pay the tickets ourselves. Viking Neptune is a new ship that will join the fleet in 2022. Cancellation conditions 2. Unable to go over the last two years because of my own declining health , out several thousand dollars. I asked the captain how deep the ship would be if it sank. . However, you wont be entirely out of luck if your itinerary changes once you arrive at your ship. Looks like our September cruise to the Fjords is in the process of being cancelled! This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Italy is in the worst drought in over 70 years. This site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. We rebooked the trip for 10/12-10/23/22. After 5 Viking Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The cruise was cancelled due the pandemic ($11,367.50) Viking offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% We said yes.