Posted Saturday at 06:49 PM. I was on the 3rd week of the affected trip. If you have a consumer problem,please contact our team at Elliott Advocacy through this form. I have to say that I'm surprised by your post and experience. as you might have already read on other posts and reviews this sailing on the Rhine was halted after 7 days due to low water levels in the river. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Plan your voyage risk free. Fosse and her husband had initially booked a cruise for April 2020. 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. VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. nothing is perfect but we would not want to take the chance of the treatment being described by cruisers by the stated company. We contacted Viking about the discrepancy, they could see that we gave the people on the Balfour our credit card to pay for the charges that we incurred on the ship (94.50 euros). :confused: Have you read the cruise contract to see what your rights are? Four days into our cruise, it ended abruptly.The Rhine river was too shallow.We were given no choice but to pack our bags and climb onto a tour bus. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By 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. They may sound sympathetic. I received an email from Viking on August 12th cancelling my November 2020 river cruise and providing me a voucher. (And you'll typically have a much larger room in a nice hotel). Guests will have 24 months to select their new date and use their Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. Shame on them. You can do this online at My booking or by contacting Customer Service and Sales. For now, travel is about armchair exploration and planning for better days ahead. (Sounds like something we would really enjoy.) Our award-winning daily newsletters keep you posted on our random acts of consumer advocacy. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. And when travel is less complicated, we are ready to resume operations and explore the world in comfort, again. If they got enough complain, they might open an investigation. The Ship may adjust compass, drydock or go, on ways before or after commencement of the voyage and may sail without pilots, tow or be towed, and assist vessels in all situations and deviate for the purposes of, saving life or property. MonFri 08.0017.00SatSun 09.0015.00Finnish time. 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. Years in Business: 26. Business Started: 1/1/1997. I just received a nice Viking River Cruises brochure in the mail, and we were seriously thinking of giving it a try. Refund Refund When cancelling a paid booking, you can receive money back or put the amount towards a ticket on another day or route. Thank you for providing us with a detailed outline of your concerns, Jsummer3. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. And it did so twice. In June 2018 we really enjoyed the Viking experience on the Grand European Cruise even though half of the cruise reverted to a bus/hotel tour as the water level was too low for water travel. Free shipping for many products! Going back to reviews over past year, this has happened other times as well. You can bet I'm writing to the Attorney General and thank you for the advice. I would not recommend Viking River Cruises to anyone. How do you know a company will use travel math? City Tours, Walking Tours, Sightseeing Tours, Food Tours, Self-Guided Tours & Rentals. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. Viking should not sell a product that it cannot convey. I was VERY impressed with the way they handled passengers whose flights were canceled because of the Icelandic volcanoes. *This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. You still had your local tours and many other items included. Check out Elliott Advocacy Today, our free, daily newsletter with links to your favorite commentary, tips and news about consumer advocacy. Their claim was denied and the couple let Viking know. Good luck on your cruise! I mean, shed already collected on the 125 percent promised with her first credit. And i forgot to mention the six hour little boat ride from hell. Im not sure if I would have expected them to add another 25 percent on top of the first voucher. Ive called repeatedly to complain - I was told someone would call me. But all was not lost. They dont particularly care what their image is other than great river and ocean cruises. % The representative promised to get back to Keyles. Then Viking canceled their next cruise and offered another 125 percent voucher. Plus, the ride to the airport cost us $49.00 each. Ten days later, on March 30, Viking announced the cruise was canceled and 100% cash refunds would be given to customers but only for those who hadnt canceled previously. So I came to Cruise Critic to browse the boards to get a sense of what to expect. The booking must be cancelled before applying for a refund. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. endobj It's an act of a very greedy and dishonest cruise company making big bucks by suckering us. 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. Big Mistake! Windstar Cruises. And I'm urging everyone who got shafted to do the same. Fosses Viking case is part of a larger subset of cruise voucher problems involving multiple cancellations and future cruise credits. This tour was our first and last river cruise at least with viking. Great advertisement but horrendous customer relations. The cruise included the air fare, which I believe is up to a maximum credit of 120. What Viking advertises in not what you get. Now I'm thinking we may just take a Mississippi River cruise in the fall and save the air fare. But all of these excursions last only one and a half to two hours per day. more. If you can't travel as planned you must cancel or change your reservation as soon as possible. Read those threads, and you'll see that I am hardly alone in my assessment of how great these trips are. With all Cruise cancelled, but refused to give us a refund. :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. Our trip last May was extraordinary. I received the refund 02/21/2023. When we purchased this cruise, we paid for Deluxe Accommodations. %PDF-1.7 However, Viking gets HIGH remarks from many, many people on this board. Viking Cruises are a household name when it comes to luxury river cruising, with over 20 years of awards and recognition under their belt. Sorry. VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises, responded to this review. I'm hoping that doesn't happen to us. We just recieved notice they are sailing in September 2021. The Elliott Report is supported by Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that offers free advice and advocacy for consumers. There are historically low water levels this year. Fosses cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. And I'm urging everyone who got shafted to do the same. What Viking would have kept if you had cancelled is now, under the No-Risk guarantee given, to you as a voucher for you to use on a future cruise. What was her trick, other than contacting the right person? Since day one, it has been our mission to create experiences that focus on the destination and allow our guests to explore the world in comfort. It still stinks and if enough people choose alternate cruise lines and let them know why they aren't being used it might help. Fosses case is a borderline one, when it comes to travel math. That way, you can cancel if the water level disrupt your RIVER CRUISE. But why cant I get a refund? Viking has an office in California. Offer Expires June 30, 2022. Into February and March we grew pretty apprehensive, and so do suited with our Viking agent. 89-60. 6. We paid $1325. It's not a big deal and we always make the best out of the bad river. 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. Is my warranty dead, too? Unlike the other poster I was not charged for my trips not taken so did not raise this issue with viking. nr. Again, they are holding all the cards but still doesn't make it any better. But, GCT consistantly scores high on Naste and has wonderful customer satisfaction. Location of This Business. 2 0 obj The Covid pandemic arrived and the 2019 cruise was cancelled, vouchers were issued and a subsequent Ocean/River Cruise was booked for 2020. Business Started Locally: 1/1/1997. You the paying customer have no say in the matter. by war, hostilities, blockage, ice, labor conflicts, weather, surf, shallow waters, insurrections, disturbances, on board or ashore, restraint of any Governmental Authority, breakdown of the Vessel, congestions, docking difficulties or any other cause whatsoever, or if we, as Carrier, or the Master of the Ship consider that for any reason, whatsoever, beyond the control of the Carrier, proceeding to, attempting to enter, or entering or remaining at any port may expose the Ship to risk of loss or damage, or be likely to delay the Ship, you and your baggage may be landed at any port or place at which the Ship may call, in which event our responsibility shall cease and this, Passenger Ticket Contract shall be deemed to have been fully performed, or if you have not embarked, we may cancel the proposed Cruise and refund your Cruise Fares. VIKING RIVER CRUISES, INC.: Viking River Cruises, Inc. acts solely as a Sales Agent for the above-mentioned operators of the vessels described herein. I can't believe this is legal! This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. 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. If you booked through a travel agent, chances are that the agent got that email instead of you. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. 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. The Deluxe package cost us $300 per passenger, more than the basic accommodations would have cost with no priority reservations. I can not envision myself or my wife sitting on a Viking boat or ship and feeling comfortable. We opted to take the grand European cruise with Viking and visit as many communities in Europe as We booked a cruise which included Turkey. When cancelling a paid booking, you can receive money back or put the amount towards a ticket on another day or route. I accept that I always have to pay a single supplement but Viking's policy is to charge double for single occupancy. 100% of Full Fare. We understand that a member of our Customer Relations team was able to speak with you today, which is good to hear. $10.00 at least month before we went on our trip in October for optional cruises that were subsequently cancelled. They canceled my flight. You'll find it cost considerably less. 59 or less. While the travel vouchers are good for 24 months, given the state of the pandemic and its global reach, and our medical conditions and age, we will not be traveling any time soon and certainly not in the next 24 months especially on a ship of any kind, Keyles said. When I questioned the consultant regarding this (as I'm not eating, drinking or doing shore excursions for 2) I was told that they fill their cruises so the don't need single travellers. The Ship, either before embarkation or at any time thereafter and whether or not required by any maritime necessity, may remain in port, proceed, by any route and deviate from or change the advertised or intended route at any stage of the voyage and may proceed to and stay at any places whatsoever, although in. Had she done so, Fosse could have avoided this mess. At Viking, your experience means the world to us. Check out Elliott Advocacy Today, our free, daily newsletter with links to your favorite commentary, tips and news about consumer advocacy. 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). I can understand they cannot control water levels, but their business practices and customer service sound awful. 5700 Canoga Ave #200, Woodland Hills, CA 91367-6569. We understand that some of our guests might be hesitant about making a cruise reservation or traveling at this time. 2. A discussion ensued. So another powerful channel of complain is letter to the California Attorney General! 5. Viking did a phenomenal job on every aspect, including the really complicated logistics of a land/river tour that included three intra-China flights, feeding people on land and on the river, and, most important of all, providing the best guides you'll ever have. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Again, superb advertising. A: Viking should fully refund your cruise. You can find these in the 'Good to know' section. :rolleyes:). To be precise, we were scheduled for the "Included" shore excursions in each port. - 120 days to 90 days: refund of fare, less cancellation fee of 15%. If they got enough complain, they might open an investigation. July 27, 2011. Ultimately she said that she would honor his statement, even if he wasnt authorized to make any offer to us, and would offer us a $500 cash settlement as a gesture of goodwill, Keyles said. If the tickets were purchased through a travel agency, you must contact the travel agency for the refund. 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. We were talked into buying insurance for $1500. By 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 was really torn. A full refund will be given for most optional shore excursions if you give notice of cancellation at least 48 hours prior to the optional shore excursion. . We have friends who highly recommended GCT. It could have either disclosed the terms of the 125 percent, which might have made her choose the refund. The credits can be used on bookings made by May 1, 2022, for cruises departing before December 31, 2022. Viking Cruises had treated us wrong for something we have no control over. 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. Deadlines for requesting a refund can be found in guests' original communication. Now it wont refund my $3,606. 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. No refund, no pro-rated reimbursement for pre-paid services. .. this is not an Act of God. The "free" flight from Venice was arranged by a Viking booking agent. Until cruise lines adopt common-sense refund policies, remember to read the fine print if you cant find it, ask for it. Took cruise from Budapest to Nuremburg and then to Prague. If we had waited even one more day, we would have only been entitled to 50% cash and 50% travel vouchers, Keyles said. READ CAREFULLY. Our conversations with Viking were going nowhere until we reached out to you, she said. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Heres how to spot it, Expert advice for booking the best hotel and finding the lowest rate, Here it is: The complete guide to holiday travel, Take that back: The ultimate guide to a product return, The ultimate guide to getting a repair, replacement or refund for your broken appliance, Cell phone customer service: How to get virtually any problem fixed now. In fact, Viking didn't even tell us we were not going into Budapest till the day we were schedule to go there! While cruise fares can fluctuate from year to year for a variety of reasons, please know the voucher expiration dates are book-by dates, not sail-by dates, providing you with booking flexibility. All rights reserved (About Us). more. If you dont see it, ask for it. If you don't want to spend the time of planning, you can duplicate that by taking a bus tour that covers the similar itinerary. Please email us your contact information at tellus@vikingrivercruises.com so we can call you. Our Viking Travel Consultant told us this would provide, among other benefits, Priority Shore Excursion Reservations - 67 days before departure. Full Fare is defined as the full cost of any cruise, land or air component purchased from Viking. <> It seems the cruise industry knew the COVID-19 situation was dire. Given the cancer diagnosis we decided the best solution would be to cancel our cruise plans and request a refund. endobj 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. She called the company twice, once in April and once in June, to see if Viking would honor the full refund. Nevertheless should you like to continue the conversation we remain open to discussion at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. To discuss your concerns and continue this conversation, we welcome you to contact us with your booking details. read more, We booked a cruise which included Turkey. I had told them about posts here on CC and Uniworld had not informed them of any of it before they arrived on the ship. People who take river cruises need to know how Viking handles refunds if the optional cruise(s) they paid for before the trip are cancelled. We're looking forward to sailing with them in June. Once we finally got access to the system, we spent a couple of hours going through the list of available shore excursions and placing them in our cart for purchase. 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. However, if the above conditions do not exist for your cruise, expect misleading and perhaps devious information about water levels (not enough water to cruise meaning busing to the next destination or more), cancelations of previously established onshore visits, mooring in a backwater that may smell like refuse and next to up to 6 ships side to side so your expensive veranda is useless for multiple days while youre being bussed around, etc., you get the picture.
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