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$200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Multiple tests were run, including a Covid test, which came back positive. ), We booked a cruise in 2019 to sail early in 2020. Editor in Chief I was told I would have to pay full retail fare in addition to what had already Viking made an error and owes me reimbursement for charges made on February 1. Heres what you need to know. If water levels fall, riverboats can have trouble sailing all the way to Budapest. Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. #VikingVictims. 3. Desired outcome: Several Cruise Lines Cancel Scheduled Stops in Russia, Ukraine Part refund, at least 25%. We are told now that change is not possible at all because vouchers have expired. My experience with Viking River Cruises is that if they cancel, they will either refund your money or give you a voucher in excess of the cruise value for you to rebook. Change of travel requirements after full payment received/ignoring request for full refund. 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. 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. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. Breeze through security with CLEAR lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. However, the most important part of any cruise, for me is the excursion choice. Crystal River Cruises has canceled its four remaining Crystal Ravel sailings this December. Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary . Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Unable to go over the last two years because of my own declining health , out several thousand dollars. The cruise line said it was evaluating 2022 itineraries that visit Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. Then in Philadelphia I paid my travel agent in full for my cruise well before the due date, but was unable to access online booking as Viking claim the payment wasn't made. In November 2020, we rebooked, the Cities of Antiquity and Holy Land Cruise, scheduled for Nov-Dec 2022, paying the additional fare. The guest services lady said well you can complain at the Share your photos and videos with others to prove the truth of your words. ST PAUL, Minn. There's been a lot of fanfare surrounding America's Great River cruise operated by Viking Cruises. I specifically mentioned this scenario when I used the voucher and we were told as long as it was 120 days before departure we could rebook using our voucher. Expires March 31, 2023. "But this is not a problem at all" - he said, because all we need is to make a booking for any date, just as a placeholder. Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works However, my husband just got out of the hospital with congestive heart failure. This met the 11/30 deadline for a "risk free guarantee" enabling change of plans up to 24 hours before sailing. The plane returned to the gate and he was transported to the local hospital. Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall close to the point where the river cannot hold ships anymore. The line confirmed the steps to TTG on Wednesday (2 March) and said it was "deeply opposed" to the . By March 2020 Viking announced cancellations due to covid, with an additional 25% for a future booking. I complained initially that I was not given a direct flight. Viking River Cruises 548 complaints 314 resolved 234 unresolved File a complaint to Viking River Cruises Viking River Cruises contacts (added by reviewer) Phone number +1 800 304 9616 Address 5700 Canoga Ave, California United States Website www.vikingrivercruises.com Category Cruise Lines View full information Most discussed complaints Risk-Free Guarantee - Viking River Cruises 140 complaints closed in the last 12 months. The US gov has basically declared the "plandemic" over and all other mandates have been drop but Viking still won't change their policy. That' our policy,. Given the current COVID situation (and that 3 of the 4 countries we were slated to visit are currently closed), we decided we should cancel. If you happen to be in the same position there is a group forming to file a class action law suit against Viking. The dire news youre reading about low water levels in Europe now, especially along the Rhine River, mostly concerns the cargo shipping industry in Europe. Not for the voucher amount. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. We booked a 14 day cruise with extra days upon arrival in ****** and departure in **** in ****. Viking is probably the most unsympathetic/unprofessional company I have ever experienced. After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive Booking number 7141933 If the water issues are closer to the beginning or end of an itinerary, cruisers may have to spend a few days in hotels or bussing to destinations rather than sailing there. The whole experience was a disaster. Very disappointed with Viking River Cruises - Fodor's Europe is now seeing the same kind of climate change conditions that are affecting the Western United States. On 10/14, we filed a claim with Trip Mate. This made it impossible to catch the next flight from ***** to buenos Aries. It was our first river cruise it was 23 days Bucharest to Amsterdam with Viking . Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. They can go up, they can go down, rain can come in.. Viking Cruise Offers We called Viking and there is nothing that they will do to be able to use the over $7,000 paid for the trip. Feb 1, 2023. This complaint has been resolved automatically due to user's inactivity. Related: Booking your first river cruise? Telling us that a voucher has no cash value is a shoddy business practice at best. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. A sales representative ******. We look forward to exploring the world with you, whenever and wherever you choose to sail with us. Cruises - Very disappointed with Viking River Cruises - Reservation # 2672768 We were supposed to do a river cruise and ended up doing a motor coach tour due to low river levels. The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customers satisfaction. Booked a trip just before covid hit which had to be canceled for obvious reasons. 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. Don't sail Viking unless you are guaranteed of going on the trip. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. 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. Voyages offering the excursion to Floriade 2022 operate between July 16 and August 27, 2022 aboard River Empress. Taking over the Hilton in Taupo NZ, they were obnoxious. Wanted us to travel with 3 flights via 2 countries, when we complained they hid behind T & Cs very sneaky & very poor customer service, they cited they couldnt absorb costs of a more direct flight routing. "The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority," a Viking representative told Travel Market Report. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. we went to our connecting American Airlines flight with our Boarding But due to a serious health issue we along with our Drs said that it was not feasible for us to go. 2) Risk-Free Guarantee for guests who made a reservation between March 1, 2021 to October 31, 2021; 3) Risk-Free Guarantee for guests who made a reservation between May 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021; 4) Risk-Free Guarantee for guests who made a reservation prior to April 30, 2020. We are unable to meet their requirements and therefore want our funds returned to us. . Verification can help ensure real people write reviews about real companies. Under our flexible deposit policy, qualified guests can cancel their booking before final payment due date and receive deposit back in the form of a future cruise voucher. Should your cruise be canceled, the cruise line will also offer compensation. Viking European River Cruises - 6 Key Must-Knows Before You Go Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems. Sandi. I contacted Viking and was told the vouchers were not refundable because we had not cancelled at least 2 weeks prior to departure. 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. I had insurance and filed a claim. My only hope now is for someone to cancel what I want.About time to give my loyalty to another cruise line. I asked the captain how deep the ship would be if it sank. The first thing that I noticed when I boarded is that all river ships are built to similar dimensions. The food was excellent. Pharaohs & Pyramids. Thank you. I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. Obviously, we cannot go on the trip. Check with your cruise line on current cruising conditions and what you can expect from them. Because we were given a voucher, we can not get out money back. Unfortunately, my husband unexpectedly passed away last month. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. 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. This site is for entertainment purposes only. 12 reviews. Many passengers were still on board at this time and were unable to flush toilets or wash their hands. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright. I could sail on another cruise line for a lot less money. They are just taking the thousands of dollars we gave them from us and we are getting nothing in return. We used these to book on cruise OJUXXXXXX Booking Number XXXXXXX. We booked a cruise, paid the full booking amount. A river level that is too high or too low can affect an otherwise great cruising experience. A Vaccinated Passenger Tested Positive for COVID-19 on My Icelandic NEW! 4. When Viking informed me that the alternative flight was booked, I was not told that I had to pay the tickets myself in order to obtain the boarding pass. You can see why people are worried. But our plea was denied. Viking River Cruises, Inc. | Complaints | Better Business Bureau Profile If you search Viking the risk free still pops up you have to read the fine print to realise its all over so be aware. Viking Cruises Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of Enrollment required. Do your homework and always make informed decisions. Enrollment required. Published: Aug. 08, 2022, 9:30 a.m. Richard Andersen booked a fully-paid Viking cruise with his partner but it was canceled because of COVID. We will not cancel any cruises, said Shreiner. This cruise has been sold out for weeks so if Viking reinstates the voucher, the cabin could be resold. As compensation we have been offered a derisory 200 voucher towards a future cruise. These hotels are Marriott and hilton properties that have such rooms. On November 26, 2021 when speaking with VRC representative we were informed that out ********* is in the form of a voucher and has no cash value and cannot be refunded. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Not one thing but some flowers in the rain and unsafe steps and more Booking number 7141933 Viking already runs a number of river cruises. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Viking Cruises, and Other Lines, Changes Plans Because of Ukraine News $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Viking's 2022 World Cruise Sold Out so Quickly, It's Offering - Leisure Disassembling the shades on the sun deck. Viking Cruises | Cruise Ship List - Delta Skymiles Cruises Part refund, at least 25%. In fact, we specifically asked their travel consultant if the vouchers would be reissued if we had to cancel again and we were told they would. Vikings inability to resolve an issue with their on line booking. Customers should not be treated this way. At no point when we rebooked using our vouchers, were we told the vouchers were not covered under the insurance plan. My bag didn't make it. They would fly to Italy and take an 8-day Viking River Cruise called . Our longtime Cruise Specialists Voyage Host, Tom Mullen, shares his thoughts from the last few days of the voyage, which took place January 5 to February 6, 2022. We booked the *********** cruise with Viking prior to COVID *****************. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. 'Not the cruise I signed up for': 30-fold increase in Covid cases However, you wont be entirely out of luck if your itinerary changes once you arrive at your ship. The bottom line is, we have ********* at VRC. An insult! That's our policy. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising has a lot of fluctuations in water levels. Heres what you need to know. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link, 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. 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. Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. Business Section was crowded 8 units wide while first class just in front They just decided to keep our hard earning money. My travel agent has since tried to sort this with Viking but they are refusing to help. Guests and travel advisors with affected departures have been notified. Desired outcome: Many passengers were distressed by the lack of fresh water. In June, there were places along the Po that completely dried up. SA. Viking Announces Return of European River Cruises in July - Travel During our Antarctica cruise, as suggested by the on board customer services, we submitted our request for the reimbursement with receipts. Cannot go on a cruise if not jabbed even to countries which have no covid requirements any more. Vikings' policy allows no refund under the circumstances (i.e. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. My bag is still missing and I will request (!) Spoke to several people today, including a supervisor My husband and I were scheduled to leave for our Viking cruise around Spain on Jan. 11. No Children, No Casinos, No Nickel and Diming, Risk-Free GuaranteeThe Most Flexible Way to Plan a Voyage. If you want to cancel a cruise right now in October because of low water, I will tell you, Sorry, we dont know if theres low water in October, said Schreiner. Why? 2. Four excursions that I wanted are already sold out. Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. You could tear down the house and build a dam there, but that is not what is going to happen.. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. We have rescheduled 2x as we refuse to get the Covid vaccine and Viking will not allow boarding if you are not 100% vaccinated. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. This 'placeholder booking' means nothing he assured us. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. After contacting viking to inform the situation, Viking booked another flight for us. I never come across a big bunch of ignorant, geriatric, moronic a$$holes as this group I had came across today! BBB is here to help. The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. Cruise Lines Planned Reopenings: The Complete List We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage. Viking is bringing back river cruises to Europe in July. Scenic. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. We will not be booking with Viking again. Viking Chief Health Officer Dr. Raquel . This is known as ship swapping. The sailings. When we arrived ************* to get our boarding pass, we were told that viking booked our tickets but did not pay for the tickets. Cruises beginning in 2009, this is not the first error and being loyal 2023-2025 OCEAN CRUISE AND AIR SAVINGS: Offer applies to bookings made from March 1-31, 2023. 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 years summer drought in Europe could affect your upcoming river cruise, but its highly unlikely your cruise will be canceled outright. This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback. Bad cruise experience, shore excursions, bad weather bad handling, cold food, etc. Viking has cancelled all 2022 departures of its Russian river cruise itineraries and ceased all operations in the country for the remainder of the year. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Holland America Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. They offered us a 150 dollar non refundable credit to be used onboard. She and her husband Ed recently took an 8-day cruise on the Viking Venus off the . On 10/12 as our plane was taxiing for departure, my husband suffered a medical emergency. Another point that travelers should understand is that when the news reports low water levels, its not that an entire river has dried up and is impassable. This happened 52 days before sailing. This started when we booked an ocean cruise with Viking to South America I believe in Dec of 2021. Anybody got any idea what do I do? It is a basic human right to be able to have access to flushing toilets and handwasting facilities. We called our AAA travel agent and she notified Viking on September 17,2022, we were scheduled to leave on September 22,2022. Other ships were docked at the pier. Confirmation attached. If you book a river cruise, you acknowledge that you might not get the exact itinerary you signed up for. For the cabin on the cruise, we indicated separate beds for their cabin. them to clean my clothes again and every night I am on the cruise, Read full review of Viking River Cruises and 1 comment, 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. Desired outcome: Is it cheaper to stay out in the bay and use your own tender? Since the ships are nearly identical, if you do transfer to another ship, you should be in a similar stateroom as the original ship. Just realized that the cruise booked was from Antwerp to Amsterdam. London was on an older plane with 3 seats on the left and right. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare. 23. In November ******************************************* She had major surgery December 12th. We are older and don't want to keep rescheduling this with the hopes of one day being permitted to board their ship. 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. Not at all, according to Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder AmaWaterways as long as youre willing to be a little bit flexible. Service representative escalated our complaint that we were misinformed, tricked, lied to, defrauded - because we cannot sail on that date, we are not healthy and can't sail in the fall or 2023! 1. At the other end of the Po, ocean water has flooded the last 12 miles of the river damaging crops and contaminating drinking water. Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur. How the Coronavirus Might Impact My Upcoming Viking River Cruise, Update: My Viking River Cruise And Their Coronavirus Response, Reivew: Nile River Cruise on the Grand Princess Amwaj. 1. Another factor that should be considered is trip insurance. If you have a question or would like to make a press inquiry, please contact: Scott Mackenzie We are cancelling our river cruise due to viking's heavy handed covid vaccine requirement. Booking number: *******. I advised Viking that my wife and I could not get the vaccine ever and asked for a refund of our primary payment. Viking Mississippi cancels Oct. 15 cruise due to low river levels Passes which had been canceled since BA flight had been late. There are no uniform river flows and water levels are unpredictable. If the level is too low, the vessel may run aground or need an alternative docking arrangement. 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. by Steve CaseLast updated September 6, 2022. A recent CNN article proclaimed that summer droughts like the current one, plus global warming, could signal a death knell for river cruises in the near future. All other passages from ******* for the same Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis got their boarding passes with no problem. However, as everyone knows, predicting the weather is not an exact science. Because of COVID, we had to cancel the cruise, and received a voucher from Viking. service we should have received at least a partial refund . Very disappointing. Subscribe to Apple News. As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. We are not asking for a refund for the vouchers but to simply have them reissued to be used toward another cruise. We booked a river cruise from Istanbul to Venice. Just got order from Doctor to cancel due to sudden onset of autoimmune kidney disease. Cruise lines scrap Russian, Ukrainian ports from 2022 itineraries MVJ is locked for this specific cruise , and if you try to book the cruise (UK website) the first available Fjords cruise in now April 2022. Viking Cruises cancels 2022 Black Sea and Kiev (Ukraine) sailings The cruise line announced the return of select itineraries in Portugal, France and . 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. What It's Like Aboard an 8-Day Cruise With Viking River Cruises On 11/22 we received an email from Trip Mate regarding the resolution of our claim. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Here's our experience with the Viking cancellation policy. After a further communication with Viking, the second answer was because the flights were on a promotion deal, any delay or cancellation was not covered by Viking. Editorial disclaimer: 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. ***. It is getting harder and harder to book excursions on Viking cruises, so I would advise anyone planning a cruise with them to think twice, if excursions are important to them. $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. This account has been claimed by Viking River Cruises customer service / representatives through our verification process. Thats because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ships bottom and the water line). One thing Amawaterways and many other river lines do is run two ships simultaneously on the same one-way itinerary, with one ship starting at one end and the other on the opposite end. Man finally takes fully-paid Viking cruise canceled by COVID - nj 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. Media Center - Press Releases - Viking Cruises Europe Is Reopening For Vaccinated Travelers: See It Via These Viking Viking Cruises' New Safety Protocols Include Daily COVID-19 Testing Had a planned eastern European river cruise starting mid-October for over a year. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice.