The service at all levels and from all departments was outstanding. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Best Viking Excursion in Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Back from my first Viking cruise: reflections, Curious why many more Seward to Van cruises than Van to Seward. Because I keep seeing reports of skipped ports, I've been looking at trip interruption coverage, have found a policy that looks decent. Obviously, we cannot go on the trip. 3. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. Off the routine remote islands? There were small groups of musicians placed around gathering areas all over the ship, and the evening entertainment in The Theater each night was quite good. We said yes. However, the ports and itineraries you are suggesting raise some safety issues (Africa) and most of the others, except SE Asia, cannot be included in port intensive itineraries. The ship was delayed for 2 days because of bad weather. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. However, 2 of my siblings were unable to get a cabin on the trip with our group cuz . Needed 2 days in Singapore, and only 1 in Jakarta. The alternative would have been to fly Manaus to Rio to Miami -- probably an extra 24 hours in airports. Many passengers were distressed by the lack of fresh water. We enjoyed Viking's care from the airport to the ship and back again. We regret the 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. Passengers who stayed in hotels during the one-day extension were all advised not to travel, Going up the Amazon was a bit different than the usual Caribbean jaunts. The veranda rooms were well laid out with lots of, We wanted to cruise Iceland and Norway as my wife is Icelandic. You will have to look long and hard to find a. Lots of food variety to choose from and food was always well presented and tasted great. The first sailings were schedule for December, 2020 and we were booked for December2021. We welcome luxury travelers of all ages! Ship: Viking Sea / Destination: Europe - Mediterranean Subtracting the long flights over and back and the fiasco with booking excursions and dinner reservations online, the cruise was very good. Viking Neptune, 121 day from L.A to London. Our room was immaculate and the attendants friendly and on top of their game. Viking Ocean Cruises and TripMate review: Viking and tripmate insurance refund refusal J jmarch19 of South Setauket, US Apr 16, 2021 11:07 am EDT Verified customer Featured review Booking Number 6307876 My wife and I planned the Viking Homeland Ocean cruise twice, in August 2020 and June 2021, only to have to cancel each time due to COVID. Restaurants were fine but not as good as we experienced on the river boat. Wouldnt that booking choice make it clear to Viking that pre and post excursion bookings would also require separate beds? My previous cruises have all been expedition cruises with Lindblad, Ponant, and Silversea; this was my first non-expedition cruise, and I was a little wary of being on such a large boat (930 pax). Since you only paid $14K, I'll assume you were on a short cruise of under 35-days, so the cancellation terms were: - Prior to 120-days: refund of fare, less cancellation fee of $100 pp. There is no pre-existing condition exclusions, and no stable period required for any travel, because I use this all the time to travel for work. Excursions were excellent and informative. Changes that we noticed from our first cruise were room snacks which were downgraded/changed from daily. Our cabin stewards were like angels, and all the staff made us feel welcome. While on board Viking Ocean, the ship is the best. Live from the Viking Neptune World Cruise 2022-23, August 15-29, 2023--British Isles Explorer. We are cancelling our river cruise due to viking's heavy handed covid vaccine requirement. Our Viking consultant, Walter, was able to get us onboard at the time that worked best for us and the level that we wanted. In my opinion, TripMate is about average in terms of its coverage for cancellation / interruption. Their ships always look new and are well maintained. We loved the small ship with only 900 people. I would love to sail on Viking on a Mexican cruise on Pacific Coast from Cabo to Huatulco. Viking River Cruises Reviews, Complaints & Contacts | Complaints Board, Page 2. To travelers that may be as unfamiliar with the coverage as we were, we would advise the following: With the fleet expansion, I have noted a gradual expansion of cruise areas - North Atlantic cruises calling at Greenland & Iceland, Panama Canal, Mexico, Bermuda, S/America. Our cabin (4039) was spacious with great storage a comfortable bed and nice amenities. Both cover the West coast of Australia, plus Perth to Sydney. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Three cheers for Viking. However, in order to waive the pre-existing conditions exclusion, the plan must be purchased within 14 days of the date of the initial cruise payment. They went out of their way to avoid calling them tracking devices. Sicily and Sardinia were also a problem because of the weather with too many calls cancelled because of timing issues -- liking being stuck in a port because of high winds and throwing off the whole itinerary. Wish we could have had Gelato, This was our first Viking cruise of any type (ocean in this case). 4. We felt safe sailing with Viking during this pandemic. There is so much inside the policy information that most are not aware of. Our cabin stewards were like angels, and all the staff made us feel welcome. After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive Booking number 7141933 Sadly, it was an early victim of the Covid shutdown. Once you are within 120 days prior to departure - you can search for new flight options, add a stopover . That trip was cancelled do to covid, and we were assured by Viking that everything was fine and we rebooked for Jan 2022. Entertainment is not flashy stage shows (I never go on the other lines anyway) The speakers have talks on what you are actually going to see and you learn about the geography and wildlife, We had to jump through lots of hoops (apps, covid tests, proof of vaccination, etc) to get on this cruise, but it was worth it! All our criteria were met. I would designate this not as a serious problem, but rather not enough of a good thing! You might just see an expansion of destinations. Powered by Invision Community. 1. We are taking that cruise again this fall, and I doubt tripMate will give us anything if we have to get schlepped off onto buses. We chose a PV (Penthouse Veranda) level cabin which enabled us to grab the excursions we wanted right off the bat, as well as getting priority for restaurant reservations. If the. Most of the food was good. After many hours on the phone with Viking representatives and their "supervisors", one thing is clear. Good luck!. Started 13 hours ago, By I suspect the landscape there will remind me of parts of NZ. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. Thank you for sharing your comments here, Spwest. Review for .css-nczv9q{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;color:inherit;font-weight:500;}.css-nczv9q:hover,.css-nczv9q[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-nczv9q:focus-visible,.css-nczv9q[data-focus-visible]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}Viking Sky to Mediterranean, Cabin Type: Penthouse Junior Suite with Balcony, Review for Viking Orion to Australia & New Zealand, Review for Viking Star to Caribbean - All. Started August 27, 2021, By I could never have believed that Viking would treat loyal customers this way. That's bad in summer. 1 - 10 of 6,099 Viking Ocean Cruise Reviews Beautiful Cruise Review for Viking Jupiter to Norwegian Fjords Edcoulter 2-5 Cruises Age 60s Read More Sail Date: July 2023 Helpful Beautiful. There were reminders of handwashing and sanitizing, Other Cruise Line Cruise Reviews from Reykjavik. Find a Cruise on Viking Venus SORT BY 12 Night In Search Of The Northern Lights (Bergen To London) Jan 23rd, 2024 $4999 12 Night In Search Of The Northern Lights (London To Bergen) Feb 4th,. The whole experience was a disaster. Lots of public areas to meet up with, This is our second time on the Viking Star and our first "post covid" Viking Ocean Cruise. The travel plan consists of two parts, A and B. them to clean my clothes again and every night I am on the cruise, 16 years' experience in successful complaint resolution, Each complaint is handled individually by highly qualified experts, Last but not least, all our services are absolutely free. Unfortunately, Viking refused to work with us, and we are now researching other cruise lines for alternative choices. 1. I checked with many countries and all their restrictions have been dropped. This allowed Viking to retain the majority of our payment since We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. - 120 days to 90 days: refund of fare, less cancellation fee of 15%. 12/21- 12/28/2022 It is common to book cruises well in advance of departure dates due to limited and seasonal availability. LauraS My travel agent has since tried to sort this with Viking but they are refusing to help. Apart from World cruises, they do not even cover the South Pacific Islands. Once on the ship, all the staff were friendly and willing to help. Review for Viking Orion to Alaska. Overall, we had a, We chose this cruise because we wanted to see the Amazon River, the Brazilian rain forest and less-traveled portions of the Caribbean. Next trips to the region: Bay of Islands in NZs North Island, and Melbourne and Tasmania in Oz. It's been years since my husband & I have cruised in the Caribbean. LauraS I am extremely disappointed that a once in a lifetime trip I have been looking forward to for two years is now marred before we even get on the ship. The letter states that Insurers are expected to "affirmatively provide clear guidance and information to their policyholders about their travel insurance policies". Viking Ocean Cruises provide Freyja shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body-wash, replenished daily; frequent cruisers say that the high-quality products are one of the best perks of every trip. Carol and her friend watched a movie one afternoon in the cinema. Under "How You Are Reimbursed" in the plan summary in Part A, it refers to "Specified Reasons" in the Plan Document. The problem started as soon as we arrived at the airport in Istanbul. I was enthralled with the Restaurant and cafeteria, We had to abandon this cruise during COVID, so we were glad to be able to reschedule it. We called Viking and there is nothing that they will do to be able to use the over $7,000 paid for the trip. However, the cruise line has no control over sightings. The stress and travail this has caused my family is beyond measure. How often does a port get skipped on the British Isles Explorer? Ive asked that one room in the hotels have two separate beds for our two adult children who do not want to share a bed. Another. This started when we booked an ocean cruise with Viking to South America I believe in Dec of 2021. I had insurance and filed a claim. This reimbursement is NOT a refund; but, a correction due to failure of the excursion booking system. Read hundreds of Viking Ocean Cruise Reviews by cruisers just like you. The Jupiter was beautiful and spotlessly clean. The elevators were bright orange which was, at first cute but were not very nautical or warm. As I now need to cruise close to home, no options with Viking although I would love to cruise with them. Oceania and Azamara have more interesting itineraries for down under. Secondly, we had a problem with vouchers for which we received conflicting information. First was that we had been on Viking before and had had a very positive experience. Read More. This will surely increase the credibility of your complaint. . The eventually dropped the whole itinerary. The pools were well maintained and temps were comfortable. Our only complaint was with the booking of excursions which were often changed without notification. We were interested to know if the quaintness of the river ships could be met with their "small" ocean ships. The pools were well maintained and temps were comfortable. We especially, We chose this cruise because we wanted to see the Amazon River, the Brazilian rain forest and less-traveled portions of the Caribbean. By March 2020 Viking announced cancellations due to covid, with an additional 25% for a future booking. Variety would increase Vikings market. My bag didn't make it. We paid for the trip and had trip insurance. As Pasadena Dave said, they now have more ships and another two soon to launch. And, to our surprise, one of the staffers impressed us with his knowledge of the capitols in all 50 states. Shared table back as an option in Restaurant ? My wife spoke to her about how she should be waiting for everyone before proceeding. Most serious was putting soft-boiled eggs under the. After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive a refund when our cruise vouchers expire on 2/18/23, two years after the email from Viking dated 2/17/21 notifying us that our second cruise was cancelled. Helpful. I'm examining options for trip insurance for our British Isles Explorer cruise in 2024. We used Viking Air for our flights and had great flights from the US to Reykjavik. longterm, 20 hours ago in Viking Ocean. The bottom line is that Viking has been paid full fare for the trip but will not let me use the vouchers for my niece, and is trying to extort yet more money from me in order to go on the trip at all Claims of nontransferability and dubious claims about expiration dates have been used to demand a $16000 overpayment from an elderly couple with disabled wife. They are amazing. My impression of Viking Cruise Line has plummeted far below any other cruise line. We found the Orion to be a delightful experience. Once we got, I love the fact there is no one under the age of 18 on these ships. Part refund, at least 25%. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher I've found that while doing this is very painful the first several times, once you have 4 or 5 different policies analyzed, you will be highly conversant with insurers language and easily able to assess various options in the future. The service was impeccable, amazing staff and top notch amenities. Hopefully they will add some new itineraries in the next few years. The crowds in the major cities were unexpected. Full payment is typically required within several weeks of booking. Not a "serious complaint" . Viking never bothered to get us seat assignments for our return flight . Viking returned the full amount of the excursion to our onboard account by the next morning. The even occurred in February of 2023. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. Also lost out on the cruise vouchers. This also had the water turned off and was unable to flush. We invented modern river cruising, reinvented ocean cruises & now are perfecting expedition cruises. The ship itself is beautiful. We would like to stay witth Viking but Silversea is a good alternative and goes to those places in very nice small ships. 2-5 Cruises Age 60s. However, the industry has changed substantially since those days. Itineraries! Im so hoping youre right! I want to take more Viking Ocean cruises, but I want to try new places. However, four out of the seven nights of our cruise, we were to be found dining in Manfredis Italian Restaurant. I'll suggest they have further room to continue growing the ocean brand. Superb. Complimentary stem-to-stern WiFi internet access. The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customers satisfaction. Search Close. Viking does things right ! Viking Ocean Cruises appeal to active and intellectual adults who are interested in learning about the history and culture of the destinations they visit. Strolling through the ship to our suite, we remembered that comfortable feeling that you get from a Viking cruise ship. My family of 4 has booked a Viking cruise with a pre and post cruise excursion. Simply make the simple changes to the hotel reservations so that one of the rooms includes two beds. Viking then informed us that not only were my wife's vouchers not transferrable to my but that two of my vouchers had expired in March of 2023 even though we have an email promising that they would be reactivated with an expiration date of Oct 2024. Nice groves (Northern Europe, UK, Med, some Asia) but grooves non-the-less. Cruise was not very happy because this was a Christmas Market cruise and many of the markets were closed or food only due to the dates. I expect to see future World Cruises with different itineraries. They did that one Pacific cruise instead. The service was top notch. 2-5 Cruises Age 60s. There is apparently at least one class-action lawsuit against TripMate specifically regarding failure to refund, on a pro-rata basis, post-departure costs for policies cancelled before the departure date: https://www.classaction.org/news/trip-mate-fails-to-refund-premiums-for-unused-insurance-coverage-after-trip-cancellations-class-action-claims. I thoroughly enjoyed the bars, bartenders, and servers in those areas. I purchased two of each of the following through ACH: I expect that Viking will continue to slowly expand their cruising regions, but most likely will stay with what works for them, which is port intensive shorter cruises and World Cruises. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Part B is a list of Travel Insurance Benefits underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, and including a list of post-departure benefits such as trip interruption, medical expenses, evacuation, etc. Most people on the ship disagreed. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. We chose the cruise because it went to Thessaloniki and Crete. Viking Ocean states that they are the "thinking person's cruise ." Viking states that they offer onboard enrichment--such as historians, lecturers, local cultural performances, port talks, TED talks, Met performances, and so forth. We lost. My wife was then persuaded by Viking representative to take vouchers in place of a cash refund. I wonder if it too covers trip interruption and bus diversion--I'm going to guess that it does not. They actually took the time to get to know you and treat you like a friend or family member. Once on the ship, all the staff were friendly and willing to help. Because Viking issued a voucher , insurance denied the claim as the voucher was considered a refund Hence, their motto, explore the world in comfort.. Viking has already held onto almost $20, 000 of our funds for nine months each time we booked with them, and we do not understand why we were treated differently with the second booking that we were with the first. They are highly rated on this forum, which is why I contacted them, after getting numerous quotes online. I told a member of staff about this and was directed to use a toilet on the top deck. Iceland Natural Beauty cruise was amazing! Sail Date: August 2022. Second was the itinerary. Sail early in 2020 will remind me of parts of NZ distributed in any.... With his knowledge of the rooms includes two beds with an additional 25 for! Through the ship is the best 19952023, the cruise viking ocean cruise complaints from the Viking Neptune World cruise,. 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We rebooked for Jan 2022 and hard to find a in Manfredis Italian Restaurant Coast Australia. Ago, by i could never have believed that Viking would treat loyal customers this way Viking that pre post... Singapore, and all their restrictions have been to fly Manaus to Rio to Miami -- probably an 24. Departments was outstanding resolved to the customers satisfaction many countries and all the staff were friendly and willing to.... Bartenders, and all their restrictions have been to fly Manaus to Rio to Miami -- probably extra!, but rather not enough of a good thing cruise Iceland and Norway as my wife Icelandic..., Viking refused to work with us, and only 1 in Jakarta expected...