How dare they sell shore excursions and get prepayment and then basically say, "ha ha, got cha" and not refund our money. So another powerful channel of complain is letter to the California Attorney General! And even if not now, it builds a history for the next time Viking dare to pull the same trick again! The next time a travel company offers you a 125 percent voucher, be careful. I mean, shed already collected on the 125 percent promised with her first credit. I encourage all dissatisfied customers from the first 3 weeks to write to all channels of complains, whether it's California state attorney general or their local medie. Yes they have problems with water levels not in their contol, but, we took what was to be a 15 day CRUISE and ended up being 7 day cruise and 8 days on buses and hotels which isn't what we paid for. I called them the next day to request a refund instead of the voucher. On 9/18/2021 at 12:41 PM, CCWineLover said: 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. When I didn't get my phone calls answered, I posted there and they reacted. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. So, don't understand how you were not reimbursed if you couldn't book pre-trip. (if you read through the couple of threads on Danube and Rhine, you'll see the Viking rep acknowledging their new tactic in view of the reaction from previous customers). Check out our directory. Weve just passed the one-year anniversary of the pandemic and it is nice to finally have some closure on this issue.. Had she done so, Fosse could have avoided this mess. Business Started Locally: 1/1/1997. We reached out to the company to ask it to reconsider, especially because some of its customers did indeed receive full refunds. We were able to take all of our included excursions in each port on the Viking Legend/Prestige Nov/Dec then proceed to next port to meet up with the ship. VikingCruises, community specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. Sorry. read more. These are generally worthwhile, but aside from a short introductory tour, you are on your own. Maintenance came and made adjustments above the ceiling and the smell did go away.It appears to me that Viking passengers get the leftover rooms.Again, the cruise was absolutely amazing and highly recommended. I thought I should let you know the results, she told me. Guests who prefer to forgo the added value voucher and request a refund, can call Viking at 1-833-900-0951 or their Travel Advisor bythe deadline provided in the communication notifying them of the cancellation of their cruise. #1. Instead, Viking made the shore excursions available to all passengers on our sailing and several others simultaneously. We are taking our first river cruise in April through Holland and Belgium. Were always here to help. I attended an information session at the Sydney Hilton to try to clarify this. They pride themselves on being different to other cruise lines"no children under 18, no casinos, no umbrella drinks" They should add to that list no single travellers so we don't waste our time looking at their cruises. Consumer Alert: No more automatic refunds for skipped ports? When you are covered by the Risk-Free Guarantee you may change your cruise reservation with notification to Viking. We look forward to assisting you, and thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. its a lot of money to spend and most want value for money. We had such a pleasant experience with Viking in spite of the inconvenience, and with great expectations we immediately booked the Ocean/River Cruise for 2019. I then asked whether we could board the ship in Valletta if already in Malta on holiday. Called on 5/28/2020 notified Viking I wanted a refund not voucher for future travel. The cruise line didnt say when it would return to the seas and waterways because it couldnt know. Most Viking cruises offer extensions either at the start or the end of the trip. This article was published on June 25, 2021, and updated on June 23, 2021. Once you accept a voucher from Viking, you cannot get your cash back (until after the expiration date and then, to my understanding, only on certain vouchers). Read those threads, and you'll see that I am hardly alone in my assessment of how great these trips are. Chicago SW Suburb. Fosses case is a borderline one, when it comes to travel math. Our conversations with Viking were going nowhere until we reached out to you, she said. But whats this $452 bill? A: Viking should fully refund your cruise. Were interested in learning more and encourage you to connect with us directly at Tellus@Vikingcruises.com for further assistance. One got a twin bed even though everyone agreed that all Viking passengers should get king beds! All of Vikings competitors made the same offer. <>/Metadata 582 0 R/ViewerPreferences 583 0 R>>
#24 states a different situation than yours, so maybe your TA is at fault. endobj
So Fosse had no way of knowing how they were calculating the percentage. So I came to Cruise Critic to browse the boards to get a sense of what to expect. Viking has an office in California. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. With all At 60 days, there were NO Shore Excursions available for reservations. Is this legal? <>
Our trip last May was extraordinary. But for me, the best explanation is that the company is in business. When a cruise is canceled or delayed by 24 hours or more, the proposal would require full refunds to be paid to passengers within 60 days of the passenger's refund request. There. Deadlines for requesting a refund can be found in guests' original communication. Contact your Sales Agent or our Customer Service department online, via email, or by phone at 1-800-427-8473 and ask about potential opportunities for flexible cancellation policies, rebooking opportunities and other options. I was on the Danube earlier this month on the Viking Legend/ Prestige and we had similar water level issues. operators in regard to the cruises described herein. Mandatory vaccine cards to cruise are required. Fosses Viking case is part of a larger subset of cruise voucher problems involving multiple cancellations and future cruise credits. ROYAL VIKING LINE LAST BROCHURE 1995 ROYAL VIKING SUN & QUEEN INCL DECK PLANS. Author. After 24 months, if you are unable to use your. We were not given the benefit of the Priority Shore Excursion Reservations that we paid for. %PDF-1.7
Our week of cruising on the Helvetia from Amstradam to Basel ended up as a bus trip. After all, this too shall eventually pass. :mad:First of all The Viking Helvetia is a wonderful ship with great accomadations and excellent food.The entertainment of the one person band on a keyboard was not entertaining, but we were not there to be entertained but to tour Europe above the river boat. If you need help with any problem,please contact us through this form. Now it wont refund my $3,606. The cruise included the air fare, which I believe is up to a maximum credit of 120. But then, for the first time, Viking informed us that this "policy" is found in a minor footnote at the bottom of their web page called COVID 19 Policies and Procedures. I emphasized that we did not randomly make the decision to cancel when we did and that we had called Viking and consulted with one of their representatives first.. Will definitely take a Viking Ocean Cruise in 2020!Only downside was the Palace Hotel in Prague where we were told be the gentleman at the front desk, You Viking people need to come back at 3 pm and you will all be checked in at once. This was said after I watched other people getting checked in. Took cruise from Budapest to Nuremburg and then to Prague. Next time work with LLoyds of London, they'll write insurance for anything. Our help is free. air is received. (Sounds like something we would really enjoy.) We publish the names and emails of customer service managers. As the UK government have just removed the 10 day quarantine period for double vaccinated individuals, I tried to book a cruise from Malta on the Viking Venus for this July. Until cruise lines adopt common-sense refund policies, remember to read the fine print if you cant find it, ask for it. 10APR-200501_RiskFreeGuarantee.pdfThe only cash offer was if you did not use the voucher by the expiry date, Viking would refund the 100% cash value, provided the voucher had not been applied to a cruise. The whole contract is at http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/pdfs/2011%20PAX%20Ticket%20Contract_EU.RU.UK.pdf. Four days on a bus. They never disappoint you. In other words, it just hiked prices to the point where even the 125 percent vouchers were inadequate. The only way we can get a cash refund from Viking of 100% of the cruise costs minus the $100 per person booking fee is to cancel more then 120 days before departure. No refund, no pro-rated reimbursement for pre-paid services. That is why Viking is offering a limited-time offerthe most flexible of any cruise lineso that you can plan your voyage with peace of mind. Change your cruise date up to 14 days prior to departure, The ultimate flexibility: You have 24 months to select your new cruise date, Combinable with all other Viking offers. unfortunately some cannot get the chance to have their holday again, or are unwilling to risk it. By It is difficult to categorize a review as both great and terrible at the same time, but this is the case. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Since we knew with our health concerns and our ages we would likely not take any other cruises, we did not want to risk losing any more money by waiting.. TravelMate travel insurance has a very strong firewall and does not respond to any attempt to contact them nor do they show any indication that they are reviewing our claimno relief there.We now join the growing crowd of very unhappy Viking customers. Looking forward to my next trip, This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Attempts to engage either Viking directly or Viking's in-house travel insurance, TravelMate, have been met with spectacular indifference and silence. I recently wanted to book a very expensive 6 week cruise as a solo traveller. Based on what I see here, I wonder why anyone would do business with this company. We think we were able to reach a reasonable settlement and are glad to put this behind us, Keyles said, noting that Viking asked them to sign a non-disclosure form that prevented them from giving the details of settlement. So we were back to having NO shore excursions. Since we started Viking 23 years ago, we have always cared first and foremost about our guests and our employees. This is a Big Deal! It was cancaled by Viking. That way, you can cancel if the water level disrupt your RIVER CRUISE. Can I get a refund for my Marriott Vacation Club Points? The Viking sales agent dealing with us and her supervisor only respond by saying management can offer no refunds and additional vouchers have been offered (typical sales approach). Recent updates have been made to cancellation schedules and refund guidelines for various cruise lines. Big Mistake! Fosse and her husband had initially booked a cruise for April 2020. Business Incorporated: 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. How do I get a refund from Viking River Cruise? As there is no requirement for covid testing for flights to Malta and because you are tested anyway before the boarding the ship, why are they forcing guests to use only one airline. With penalties and costs that would not be reimbursed, including the cost of travel insurance, the couple had lost nearly $6,500 in cash. There are historically low water levels this year. May 28, 2020 I received the email from Viking CEO, indicating all Viking cruises were cancelled until August 31, 2020. We all have sat in our hotel rooms during a torrential rain in the Carribean and shrugged it off while pulling out a deck of cards or a board game. Nevertheless should you like to continue the conversation we remain open to discussion at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. But, when the company you have paid a very expensive fee to promises something they know is not going to happen . She says Viking ought to be ashamed of itself for misleading and fraudulent offers.. Its been a month and they have not called. In all fairness, every other interaction for us at the Palace was great! They have used them quite a few times. Imagine my astonishment when the 125 percent turned out to be based on the $628 we spent for the rebooked cruise so a mere $785, she says. But all of these excursions last only one and a half to two hours per day. We appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention, jaxxx2016, and regret to hear of the situation you have described. :rolleyes:). for mandatory gratuities.They say everything is includedunless you get sick. A different Viking representative called them back. VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. Given the cancer diagnosis we decided the best solution would be to cancel our cruise plans and request a refund. $10.00 She talked about Vikings new safety protocols and while they sound good, I emphasized that group travel is not in our future.. Were sorry to hear of the miscommunication, polishtraveler32, and regret any disappointment that may have resulted. I wouldnt have. . I can't believe this is legal! How will you calculate the voucher? . Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. All the reasons why you cant get a refund for your destination wedding. Had they waited 10 more days, they would have received the full refund. I received a full refund on August 18th - my e-check payments were refunded to my checking account and . CC Help Jenn it sounds as if the plan b provided was not up to the standard paid for. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. *This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. Free shipping for many products! Refund Refund When cancelling a paid booking, you can receive money back or put the amount towards a ticket on another day or route. We're looking forward to sailing with them in June. The "free" flight from Venice was arranged by a Viking booking agent. The total cost was $15,599, including a three-day land add-on and travel insurance. The cruise line's policy states refunds will be disbursed within 30 to 45 days, but over four months later, funds for the original March trip were still missing. We understand that a member of our Customer Relations team was able to speak with you today, which is good to hear. If your cruise is cancelled, the vouchers go back on your account (and can be used to book another cruise). Does the cruise community have recommendations about what we can do to pursue our complaint against Viking River Cruise Co for this fraud? Ive called repeatedly to complain - I was told someone would call me. Instead of returning that amount of money, they converted the money to euros and back and we received a check for $1149.61 which is over $170 less than we paid. If I tried to duplicate them it would take weeks of planning and organizing, not to mention to calculate the costs involved. When it was clear that COVID-19 was really serious, we canceled, she explains. However, that's not the same as getting satisfactory results, if you know what I mean. In doing that they converted all the credit money to euros and back so we were still shorted over $70. And I'm urging everyone who got shafted to do the same. We will NOT be going to Iceland with Viking as we had planned. I've already done my part. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/pdfs/2011%20PAX%20Ticket%20Contract_EU.RU.UK.pdf, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. CARRIERS RIGHTS. We were talked into buying insurance for $1500. The Fosses rebooked their cruise for this April. The worst part is that they out and out lied about it and held a meeting to tell us they just discovered and were advised that they shouldn't go any further on the Rhinea bold and untrue statement, as even the crew told us later they knew and wished they'd handled it differently..same thing to the folks on the return trip. Change your cruise date up to 14 days prior to departure All change fees are waived The ultimate flexibility: You have 24 months to select your new cruise date Combinable with all other Viking offers Call a Viking Expert at 1-800-2-VIKING or see your Travel Advisor. We are very sorry to hear about your disappointment because of the necessary itinerary changes. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. 3 downloads. The final balance is due based on offer at As a private company, we have the flexibility to do what is best for our guests and our employees, it said in an email. A discussion ensued. In that case, it seems like you should be in touch with them too (if your position is that you would have cancelled if you had known). Full payment was required by the end of 2018 and was paid. I also note that we got an email from Viking ahead of our trip telling us about the itinerary changes and offering us an opportunity to cancel without penalty. I was really torn. Cool Cruiser, if you are still considering Viking don't! This covid crisis has shown companies for what they truely are. Location of This Business. When cancelling a paid booking, you can receive money back or put the amount towards a ticket on another day or route. 2. Their claim was denied and the couple let Viking know. I think copying you on my complaint helped, she says. If you can't travel as planned you must cancel or change your reservation as soon as possible. I immediately questioned why we can't opt out of flights and was told 'because you can't'. This guarantee is combinable with all other Viking offers available. Good luck on your cruise! I haven't been to Europe with Viking, and I don't question anyone else's experiences, good or bad, but I would not write off a company without further research. If you booked through a travel agent, chances are that the agent got that email instead of you. Instead, it offered a voucher for future travel after it canceled your cruise. 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