#24 states a different situation than yours, so maybe your TA is at fault. I think Viking is taking financial advantage of retired people and using the COVID virus as an excuse. Future Cruise Vouchers valued at 125% are available exclusively for those guests whose cruise was cancelled due to, or associated with, our suspended operations. Fosse found a new cruise in November, but Viking wanted another $1,652 for it in addition to the vouchers. We paid $1325. Looking forward to my next trip, This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. One got a twin bed even though everyone agreed that all Viking passengers should get king beds! And when travel is less complicated, we are ready to resume operations and explore the world in comfort, again. Plus, we have insightful letters, insider tips, and more. Started June 21, 2021, By Guests who prefer to forgo the added value voucher and request a refund, can call Viking at 1-833-900-0951 or their Travel Advisor bythe deadline provided in the communication notifying them of the cancellation of their cruise. Ive waited a year for my river cruise refund. There are historically low water levels this year. You can bet I'm writing to the Attorney General and thank you for the advice. Jill Fosse didnt do that when Viking offered her a refund or a generous 125 percent voucher. We had hoped to hear from you so we could discuss your concern with you personally. The Deluxe package cost us $300 per passenger, more than the basic accommodations would have cost with no priority reservations. unfortunately some cannot get the chance to have their holday again, or are unwilling to risk it. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. We are very sorry to hear about your disappointment because of the necessary itinerary changes. Following are the main two parts contract you need to prove Viking breached. $10.00 In that case, it seems like you should be in touch with them too (if your position is that you would have cancelled if you had known). CC Help Jenn 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. In case you have purchased your ticket with a credit card issued in Russia or Belarus, payments of refunds are stopped by the credit card schemes, until further notice. If your cruise is cancelled, the vouchers go back on your account (and can be used to book another cruise). 909. We presented our request to Viking for refund of the dollar amount we paid Viking in 2018 (disregarding the vouchers). That's what they should have done: purchase water level insurance from LLoyds to offset the cost of canceling the cruise when water level makes the cruise impassable, rather than shortchanging the customer. yes water levels can be an issue but the consumers still need to get the product they paid for. When you are covered by the Risk-Free Guarantee you may change your cruise reservation with notification to Viking. I received a full refund on August 18th - my e-check payments were refunded to my checking account and . September 30, 2008. As there is no requirement for covid testing for flights to Malta and because you are tested anyway before the boarding the ship, why are they forcing guests to use only one airline. The Irrawaddy is the largest and most important river in Burma (Myanmar). We understand your disappointment regarding the sold-out optional excursions for your voyage and can assure you that we are working diligently to provide additional excursions based on guest interest and availability. Covid hit and we were unable to go in May 2021. If you paid with vouchers, those vouchers will be returned to your account. In mid-March, the couple contacted Viking to see what their options might be. Read (or re-read) post #24 above. Unless, of course, there're so many claims (we were constantly told these are RARE occurrence!!! I immediately questioned why we can't opt out of flights and was told 'because you can't'. My Samsung tablet wont hold a charge. Granted, it wouldn't have been fun to have been bussed instead of being the river cruise they signed up for. Further, Viking added that "non-compliance . 6. (Christopher Elliott, Elliott Advocacy). If you have a facebook account, Viking has a page there. We were shuttled around on a bus from one ship to another. I will certainly take your advice and write the State of California. <> Reviewed December 16, 2018 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. Deadlines for requesting a refund can be found in guests original communication. Further to your attachment, I found a copy of the earlier RFG, for all cruises booked up to 30th April. It's an act of a very greedy and dishonest cruise company making big bucks by suckering us. If we had waited even one more day, we would have only been entitled to 50% cash and 50% travel vouchers, Keyles said. Vrbo took my $1,270! Online booking is always at your service! endobj After 24 months, if you are unable to use your 125% Future Cruise Voucher, simply return your expired voucher to Viking and we will send you a refund equal to the original amount paid to Viking to the original form of payment. .. this is not an Act of God. its a lot of money to spend and most want value for money. How do you know a company will use travel math? We went on the Western Meditteranean Cruise and planned to extend our stay in Venice two days. Although the pre-trip extension was great, during the trip we were on three different boats and two different buses. Travel companies always do the math so it favors them. We have friends who highly recommended GCT. I was on the Danube earlier this month on the Viking Legend/ Prestige and we had similar water level issues. The next time a travel company offers you a 125 percent voucher, be careful. 2. Plan your voyage risk free. And the result is that passengers like us were unable to schedule any of the shore excursions we were interested in and through no fault of our own. Spent over 1 hour on phone with Viking with a rep and his supervisor. Not to defend Viking by any means but Uniworld did this to a friend. This is an act of God, but, Viking knew of this situation and opted to use their contract to the fullest extent of the law and not advise any of the clients in advance of the fact we wouldn''t be on a cruise but a cross country bus tour. The Fosses rebooked their cruise for this April. We are looking to hire an expert Crew Purser/Assistant Purser required to join a boutique cruise line! Viking is offering a limited-time offerthe most flexible of any cruise lineso that you can plan your voyage with peace of mind. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. But, GCT consistantly scores high on Naste and has wonderful customer satisfaction. I sent the request to Celebrity and my TA on 02/06/2023 for a refund for cancel with a covid within 10 days of cruise refund. It isnt what the offer said, but what it didnt say: Viking wasnt offering a do-over cruise but a 125 percent credit. This guarantee is combinable with all other Viking offers available. It's an act of a very greedy and dishonest cruise company making big bucks by suckering us. 5700 Canoga Ave #200, Woodland Hills, CA 91367-6569. Reservation changes under the Risk-Free Guarantee will be reimbursed in the form of a Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Voucher in the amount of 100% of all monies paid to Viking. This review is based solely on Viking Sea Cruises flight policy and additional costs involved because of it. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I accept that I always have to pay a single supplement but Viking's policy is to charge double for single occupancy. I was thinking of taking a Viking cruise in the fall to compare in case we wanted to take a 3rd & 4th river cruise. Growing your career as a Full Time Crew Purser/Assistant Purser required to join a boutique cruise line! Keyles reached out to Bamboozled for help. Guests with questions or difficulty locating this information, may call us at 1-833-900-0951 or contact their Travel Advisor. Now it wont refund my $3,606. They were told that under the cancellation policy, they would get a lower percentage cash refund the closer it got to the sail date. Started August 27, 2021, By Im happy that my team and I could assist. Again, they are holding all the cards but still doesn't make it any better. When I didn't get my phone calls answered, I posted there and they reacted. You the paying customer have no say in the matter. Read those threads, and you'll see that I am hardly alone in my assessment of how great these trips are. Location of This Business. Chicago SW Suburb. Years in Business: 26. Business Started: 1/1/1997. MonFri 08.0017.00SatSun 09.0015.00Finnish time. Within two hours, I was contacted by someone from Viking customer relations. I am so disappointed - no I'm disgusted with Viking cruises management. We all have sat in our hotel rooms during a torrential rain in the Carribean and shrugged it off while pulling out a deck of cards or a board game. Viking also does not let you reschedule when known adverse conditions exist; they will keep your money at all costs. AND watch carefully of the water level prior to departure! Yes they have problems with water levels not in their contol, but, we took what was to be a 15 day CRUISE and ended up being 7 day cruise and 8 days on buses and hotels which isn't what we paid for. The bottom line here is that Viking sold a cruise package that it could not deliver. Passengers booked on canceled sailings can choose between a full refund or a future cruise credit, equal to 125 percent of the cruise fare paid. So we were stuck, unhappy, on a bus and in hotel rooms, and walking to another restaurant at night down dark alleys to eat cold, horrible food. 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. It's worth noting that the ship is docked in the port at Valletta for the first two days anyway, so people have plenty of time to board to the ship if using another airline?They're loss. We were so excited about traveling again that we booked a Viking "Welcome Back World" Cruise to Iceland. Check out our directory. Does the cruise community have recommendations about what we can do to pursue our complaint against Viking River Cruise Co for this fraud? most do research before making an investment in travel products. Family members had all paid. I received the refund 02/21/2023. read more, We booked a cruise which included Turkey. This is a Big Deal! 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. Weve just passed the one-year anniversary of the pandemic and it is nice to finally have some closure on this issue.. 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. Viking was threatening to leave us in Iceland. 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