viking river cruises cancelled 2022

We booked a river cruise from Istanbul to Venice. Labeled Verified, theyre about genuine experiences.Learn more about other kinds of reviews. There are critical points, like the one on the Rhine River, right in the Rhine Gorge, Schreiner explained. Not impressed and wi never book another trip with this company. It turns out that for the most part, if the ship sank, we would be high and dry standing on the sun deck. This complaint was posted by a verified customer. A Vaccinated Passenger Tested Positive for COVID-19 on My Icelandic Weve been cruising since March with no issues until August, said Schreiner. However, the same problems do not affect river cruise ships. By. . If you are concerned about the water level on your upcoming river cruise, do your due diligence before you take any action. 1. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, The best places to see cherry blossoms around the US this spring, Looking back: How my points and miles strategy has changed over the years, The best increased card offers to sign up for this March. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. I checked with many countries and all their restrictions have been dropped. The river flows are falling so if you are booked for a cruise this year, check with your cruise line and obtain their current assessment of operating conditions. Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. Now I see all this advertisement that waives ar fares , deposits and other things we paid for Horrible company in terms of customer service. Look at the Mekong you dont cruise in May, June, July and August because its too hot. 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. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. River Cruises Respond to Austrian Lockdown, Impact on Sailings If water levels fall, riverboats can have trouble sailing all the way to Budapest. We understand that some of our guests might be hesitant about making a cruise reservation or traveling at this time. 2023, International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., separately incorporated Better Business Bureau organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Inc. All rights reserved. We have a very good rain forecast for this Thursday/Friday, and fairly heavy rains coming, so [the situation] might change.. Viking offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% We booked a Viking cruise from Venice to Athens in late 2020 for September 2021. Viking Mississippi cancels Oct. 15 cruise due to low river levels 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. 05 Aug 2022. 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. Thank you. Anybody got any idea what do I do? One of the most popular rivers, the Rhine has river levels falling fast. Disappointed with Viking Cruises cancellation policy. We called Viking and there is nothing that they will do to be able to use the over $7,000 paid for the trip. Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. On July 10th, 2022 my husband called Viking to inquire when the schedule becomes available. Enrollment required. On December 9, 2019 we booked********************************* and paid ********* March 11, 2020 that cruise canceled by Viking due to COVID. They have a working relationship with Lufthansa but insist the flight has nothing to do with them, That is a strong cop out. 4. In Europe, we dont cruise in January, February and into early March because its too cold, he explained. Maybe 10 years from now we cruise the Danube and Rhine in January/February/March and we stop in the summertime because August is too hot and there are low water areas., We dont know what the future will bring, he continued. Thanks for reaching out, Itom, although we regret to learn of your experience with booking excursions. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. **** called finally, apologized and said that he 'misread the rules', misunderstood the rules and this isn't a big deal (his attitude). After many failed conversations with Viking Cruise customer service reps to obtain reassurance that we will automatically receive Booking number 7141933 The next indicator of river flow problems is the Thames River in England. Oceania officials said Russian and Ukrainian ports would be removed from 2022 itineraries, while Viking River Cruises canceled . Bookings with more than 30 persons Conference bookings made by Customers Service and Sales Department Bookings paid by invoice by companies Companies with annual agreements Bookings with more than 5 hotel rooms The specific conditions that apply to your booking can be found in your . We are not asking for a refund for the vouchers but to simply have them reissued to be used toward another cruise. Viking's treatment of it's customers makes no sense.they combined two of my trips (without asking) into one "butterfly trip" which meant when I had to cancel the first, it cancelled the 2nd. The 13-city cruise was supposed to take passengers between St. Paul and New . Regent Seven Seas Cruises was the cruise line forced to change the most stops planned for Russia, which included visits to the Solovetsky Islands, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St. Petersburg, as well as Odessa, Ukraine. All I got was 'you must pay in full for your trip before booking extras'. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. The confirmation email said cancellation for any reason loss of deposit. The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. More details in attachment. 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. 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. This insurance company is worthless and doesn't live up to the stated reimbursements as advertised in its' brochure. Cruise Lines Planned Reopenings: The Complete List Will the drought in Europe affect your river cruise vacation? This was really Should you wish to change your reservation, you can choose which policy works best for you: Vikings Risk-Free Guarantee or standard cancellation policy. This will surely increase the credibility of your complaint. What? Companies will need more ships to carry the same amount of cargo, increasing transportation costs all of which have a negative impact on the European economy. It will take a lot for us to travel with you again. Because these problem spots are well known, river cruise lines can find ways to mitigate the issues with savvy itinerary planning. 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 We booked a cruise, paid the full booking amount. Viking Cruises cancels 2022 Black Sea and Kiev (Ukraine) sailings 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. They would fly to Italy and take an 8-day Viking River Cruise called . Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. He made the commissions, we will not sail and lose 14,000 dollars. The US gov has basically declared the "plandemic" over and all other mandates have been drop but Viking still won't change their policy. 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. 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. ***. Related: Booking your first river cruise? My experience with Viking River Cruises is that if they cancel, they will either refund your money or . Europe is experiencing unprecedented drought and heat conditions. I advised Viking that my wife and I could not get the vaccine ever and asked for a refund of our primary payment. They have no intentions of giving my money back .Do I not have any rights? We are not asking for anything other than our money back. Viking's 2022 World Cruise Sold Out so Quickly, It's Offering - Leisure Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. 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. Viking River Cruises - Cancelation of cruises - ComplaintsBoard.com I'm with Robin (see below). Pharaohs & Pyramids. The dream vacation I have waited for 8 years has gone down the drain. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk. In the case of low water, the crew can dump the ballast water and reduce the freshwater to 60 tons (two days worth), and just refill as needed. The trip was more expensive so we paid with our vouchers as well as cash. The food was awful , the service bad some waiters were very rude we were forced to do a lot of included tours or couldnt leave the ship . Verification can help ensure real people write reviews about real companies. 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. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Or, you might have a few port stops changed out for new ones, or spend more time than you prefer in busses or hotels, possibly with shorter visits to destinations that now require longer bus rides. Weve taken note of your feedback and while we understand you have already been in contact with our team, if you'd like discuss this matter further we welcome you to email TellUs@vikingcruises.com with your booking information. All I want if a refund for our primary payment so we can sail on a ship that does not require the vaccine since we can not get it. Submit a complaint and get your issue resolved. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. On 9/12/21 we realized the 2022 sailing impractical and cancelled for cruise credits (#s XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX) Viking Mississippi cancels some cruise passengers four days ahead of Each time I received a pro forma answer saying "it is company policy that future cruise credits have no cash value and cannot be refunded or exchanged once booked." It, along with the Viking Sky, is classified as a small ship, with 465 staterooms, capable of carrying 930 guests. Viking has lost four loyal customers with 10 past cruises between us. 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. My family of 4 has booked a Viking cruise with a pre and post cruise excursion. My only hope now is for someone to cancel what I want.About time to give my loyalty to another cruise line. coach. 2023-2025 OCEAN CRUISE AND AIR SAVINGS: Offer applies to bookings made from March 1-31, 2023. I contacted Trip Mate and was told the vouchers were not covered and that I needed to contact Viking because they handled vouchers. Travel Codex is owned by Travel Codex, LLC. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. Viking River Cruises: Reviews, Complaints, Customer Claims Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Just return on our river cruise . Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare. Royal Caribbean International | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. As a consequence all water amenities, main pool, infinity pool, jacuzzi and spa were closed for the whole of the cruise! The trip was for September 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Passengers wait to board the luxury cruise ship Viking Mississippi, berthed at Lambert's Landing in St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. 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 . "Given recent developments and the developing conflict in Ukraine,. This met the 11/30 deadline for a "risk free guarantee" enabling change of plans up to 24 hours before sailing. I contact Viking customer relations, and was first told that the flight tickets were paid by Viking already. Viking Cruises chairman: 'COVID is really behind us' - Fortune I have three times tried to contact Viking, by phone, email, and chat. 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. By the time I could ring Viking, the excursion was sold out and the drinks package price had increased. Mind you, my cruise cost over $27,000. Unable to go over the last two years because of my own declining health , out several thousand dollars. Virgin Voyages. You can see why people are worried. What does Viking do Nothing. The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, A beginners guide to picking a cruise line, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up, The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. (I doubt theyll get that right). But it is for us. Other viking customers from ******* on the same cruise were also booked the same flight. This is known as ship swapping. The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customers satisfaction. passengers asked if ports on the new itinerary may close and if there's a chance the cruise could be canceled while underway. 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. The first thing that I noticed when I boarded is that all river ships are built to similar dimensions. This guarantee is combinable with all other Viking offers available. Learn more. European Cruise River Levels Are Falling To Critical Levels - Travel Codex 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. Cruise Canceled Due to Low Water Levels Claim your profile to access Trustpilots free business tools and connect with customers. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. The line confirmed the steps to TTG on Wednesday (2 March) and said it was "deeply opposed" to the . Viking River Cruises Cancellation and Refund Policy It goes against our guidelines to offer incentives for reviews. I believe this policy and practice is clearly unfair and rather reckless. Viking's move follows announcements from other cruise operators saying they are . We will not cancel any cruises, said Shreiner. 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." Obviously a 2 week notice was impossible in our situation. All other passages from ******* for the same Antarctica cruise with Viking Octantis got their boarding passes with no problem. We booked a January 2021 cruise. We were never verbally informed when booking that the actual voucher would expire even if we rebooked again. We paid 529+40 USD purchasing fees each for the tickets. But our plea was denied. I thought that Viking was reputable, so I put too much faith in them. It closely resembles one of Viking's highest rated world cruises in the past, Chairman Torstein Hagen said in a live webinar Sunday when passengers were notified of the change. More Cruises Canceled as Omicron Spreads - The New York Times I ask if I could have the number to her managers boss she said no. This requirement was enacted after we booked this trip . I was never informed that the vaccine would be required to sail and that our money would not be eligible for a refund. The booking # is *******. At the time we did we also asked that trip insurance be added. 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. We have since then tried to book a trip two times, and the required medical of a vaccine status made us cancel again. Because we were given a voucher, we can not get out money back. At 104 days out before final payment was due, we had to either lose our entire deposit of $2K+ or get a voucher. . We are unable to meet VRC health requirements to participate in one of their cruises. If the region has had an excess of rain, raising the river greatly, the river ship may have problems clearing bridges and other obstacles. 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. While we may have to make changes to some of our itineraries and have had to cancel a few voyages, impacted guests and travel partners have and will receive transparent updates and the opportunity to re-book onto another sailing, shared Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO of Uniworld, in an email to TPG. We were told that since we used vouchers we were not eligible for a refund per policy. 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. Viking River Cruises Viking Rolf (Photo: Viking River Cruises) . In May, Viking canceled that cruise. 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. On top of that, they are asking for me to pay additional same $ 9,000. amount for me to go on this journey alone! was 4 units wide . 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. Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary . River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems. In November ******************************************* She had major surgery December 12th. We booked a 14 day cruise with extra days upon arrival in ****** and departure in **** in ****. Scheduled and rescheduled elder family care and pet sitting services. 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. The Po River flows 400 miles across the top of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. Many passengers were distressed by the lack of fresh water. To date we have sent a certified *** ****** ***** letter to VRC and had no response. 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. 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. Man finally takes fully-paid Viking cruise canceled by COVID - nj In the same cabin. International Association of Better Business Bureaus. That's our policy. They offered us a voucher for 125% or a cash refund. We again purchased Vikings trip insurance through Trip Mate to cover the cost of the trip. The photo is from my first premium, international award flight in 2012. 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. We have spent $25,000.00 including air far which we are also going to lose if not used by 12/31/2023. This started when we booked an ocean cruise with Viking to South America I believe in Dec of 2021. Not for the voucher amount. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. Then in Philadelphia Refund on premium air payments that we did not receive in premiumservice. 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. The cruise was cancelled due the pandemic ($11,367.50) (Enrollment required for select benefits.). However, I believe the policy is rather onerous. 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. I am going to seek legal advice to, but this ridiculous policy has added hugely to my grieving. Viking River Cruises The line is canceling all 2022 departures of its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary. We also ensure all reviews are published without moderation. They are just taking the thousands of dollars we gave them from us and we are getting nothing in return. This is due to the cruise line planning on new summer UK domestic cruises for UK vaccinated residents only. ************************************* Cruises that was set to sail in April 2020. Booking number: *******. 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. We were treated like animals. Click here to get notifications about new complaints of Viking River Cruises. 2022. . 140 complaints closed in the last 12 months. The climate in Europe is changing and not for the better. 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. A drinks package at the original cost, when I first tried to book it. Other ships were docked at the pier. Booked a trip just before covid hit which had to be canceled for obvious reasons. Viking booked the hotels for these excursions. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. We have taken note of your feedback. Like most cruise lines, Viking canceled all of its sailings during the pandemic. Plus Ups are excluded. At this time, we expect the ship will resume its scheduled operations on February 18, 2023. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. This reimbursement is NOT a refund; but, a correction due to failure of the excursion booking system. Had a planned eastern European river cruise starting mid-October for over a year. Posted May 4, 2021. Received most monies back but they held $1400 back which had to be used by 4/22.Just booked a $25000 trip with them and ask them to extend $1400 to July which they refused. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. For that reason, the Rhine River is feeling greater effects of river flow and sooner than compared with the Danube. Viking refused to admit to us that we were misinformed, and did not apologize, but their policy will not change. Very disappointing. Editor in Chief It will take of the expiring vouchers and the booking can be changed with no problem whatsoever once a schedule for 2024 becomes available. Change of travel requirements after full payment received/ignoring request for full refund. Sure we were free but that's no excuse. We would much rather be able to post how considerate Viking has been (as well as how much we enjoyed the cruise!) If, however, we forfeit the ******* spent in anticipation of this vacation, Viking would loose us as customers, but as a sophisticated internet user, my wife will use her homebound time posting this saga on as many travel sites as possible. We booked the *********** cruise with Viking prior to COVID *****************. Published on May 21, 2021. 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. Information provided by various external sources. 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.

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