They offered me a voucher for 125% of my . This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Viking Air guarantees ground transportation. Just got the official email from Viking saying our cruise has been canceled with the details of the 125% future cruise voucher which must be used on a 2021 or 2022 cruise. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We booked a river cruise (Danube) for March 2022. On March 23, Costa Cruises announced it would utlize the laid-up Costa Magica (soon to transfer to Carnival Cruise Line) to house those fleeing the conflict, while AmaWaterways has made an out-of-service river cruise ship docked in Amsterdam available to refugees arriving into the Netherlands from Ukraine. All airlines recommend arriving at the airport at least 3 hours before an international flight. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113573780', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');flight #LH1003 leaving at 8:05 am. In all, the line accounts for about half of all river cruises taken by North Americans in the region. These are all the cruise vessels. "We stand for peace, and our thoughts are with those who are in harm's way," the company said in a news release. "We are following the sad developments closely, and will consider alternatives," a spokesman said. Recent updates have been made to cancellation schedules and refund guidelines for various cruise lines. If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email customerrelations@vikingcruises.com, Monday Friday, 6:00 AM 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM 4:00 PM, PT. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. (Dave Kettering/Telegraph Herald via AP). YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. When necessary changes are made, Viking Guest Services will notify all impacted guests and their travel agents.. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email customerrelations@vikingcruises.com, Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. The text appears: onwards, Destination-focused journeys on all seven continents, Click this link to navigate to the Find A Cruise page, Call a Viking Expert, or see your Travel Agent, Call a Viking Expert, or see your Travel Agent 138 747. 10 more were launched in 2013, and additional 18 launched in 2014 (including 2 smaller ships purpose-built for Douro River in Portugal). Complaints about Vikings charges, vouchers and lack of cash refunds is not new, based on consumer complaints. A spokesperson for Viking Cruises confirmed to Insider on Monday that all 2022 departures on its Kyiv, Black Sea, and Bucharest itinerary have been canceled. The line has announced that on all 24 calls in St. Petersburg will be replaced with other ports, which vary by itinerary, ranging from an overnight in Stockholm, and calls in Visby, Sweden and Gdansk, Poland. MSC Cruises had four ships due to call in at St. Petersburg this year, with the first -- MSC Preziosa (May 7) and MSC Grandiosa -- occuring as early as May 7. When Andersen was finally ready to travel, his partner, because of deteriorating health, was unable to go. Discovery Company. 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. "Our company was founded in Rotterdam around the mission of helping immigrants find a better life. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. She verified that Viking had been notified that our 8:05am flight to Frankfurt had been cancelled. 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. Viking Ocean Cruises Is NOT All I Thought It Was Tips For Travellers 355K subscribers Join Subscribe 3.4K Share Save 144K views 9 months ago #VikingCruises #VikingOceanCruises Returning to. You may have well received the cancellation notice directly and been able to work out an alternate flight before you even reached the airport. Among the rivers in Europe where Viking has a major presence are the Rhine, Main and Danube in Central Europe; the Seine, Rhone, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde in France; the Douro in Portugal; the Moselle and Elbe in Germany; and the Dnieper in Ukraine. As a frequent traveller and Platinum Medallion client of SkyTeam (Delta, KLM etc.) 3 appreciated. I explained to her that we were going to miss our rebooked flight Delta0071 because of the long wait in the KLM Economy Class line. I can't help but feel that 'Carol H' is rather inexperienced in flights when the world is in turmoil [Wait till the French Air Traffic controllers have their annual strikes] and we are still under the control of 'Covid'. Make sure your cell phone will work in different countries if you need to make calls. Viking Cruises has cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev, Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Demand direct, non-stop flights that depart from the closest airport to your home if possible. The Viking agent said that I would have to pay an extra $9,898. Viking Cruises announced that it will resume limited voyages in the UK in May. Andersen did some research. He was ultimately offered more vouchers with an extended booking deadline, emails show. Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Published on March 17, 2021. They never promised to book you the most convenient or expedient flights. 2. Viking is a newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, but the destination is a big growth area for the line. 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. I don't think the suit is going to be as clear cut as the OP thinks. 6. The sailings. Viking recently added two new, 378-passenger expedition cruise vessels specifically built to travel to the White Continent. Viking was advertising a 15-day trip in October from St. Paul to New Orleans starting at $12,999. Viking Cruises cancels 2022 Black Sea and Kiev (Ukraine Taiwan loosens COVID control measures on international cruise ships, Fire breaks out on Irish Ferries' ship Isle of Innisfree (Dover-Calais route), Fred Olsen unveils new 106-night Wolrd Voyage on MS Bolette ship, Sidney BC-Anacortes WA ferry service terminated until 2030, Nicole Scherzinger to serve as Godmother of P&O UKs cruise ship Arvia, P&O Ferries takes delivery of the first of 2 new fusion class ferries for its Dover-Calais route, Nassau Cruise Port boasts new 1-day passenger record of 28554, Marella Cruises removes COVID vaccination requirements from May 1st. Be prepared to encounter some chaos, and try not to let emotions dominate over cool, calm action. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Your personal data will be processed and information from your device (cookies, unique identifiers, and other device data) may be stored by, accessed by and shared with third party vendors, or used specifically by this site or app. Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to two of each ships exploratory vessels while still in the protected interior of the ship. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. Oceania Cruises confirmed it would also remove Russian and Ukrainian ports from its 2022 itineraries. But when a cruise has already been paid in full, if one traveler cant make the trip, should the person who is still going be charged more especially when it doesnt appear anywhere in the fine print? Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus In the Mediterranean, the lines main hubs are Barcelona; Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Venice, Italy; Piraeus (the port for Athens), Greece; and Istanbul. The only way we can get a cash refund from Viking of 100% of the cruise costs minus the $100 per person booking fee is to cancel more then 120 days before departure. Did you encounter any technical issues? he was given 60 days to accept or decline the offer. It's also advisable to sign up for alerts from the airline you are flying and also have their app on your phone. Having previously booked air thru a (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? If you are concerned about the water level on your upcoming river cruise, do your due diligence before you take any action. Over in Southeast Asia, a new river ship, Viking Saigon, will cruise the Mekong. By. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Perhaps in the future try booking you own flights, even if it costs a bit more (we did for our trip last month). Tips-- if you are not interested in details, get a very good travel agent who will triple check everything and hold your hand and can reach you easily with changes. As Hagen once told me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are what the company considers Viking country a region where it wants to dominate. Many people find its better to manage their own pre & after (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Top image: The Viking Mississippi cruise ship docks in Dubuque, Iowa, on September 6, 2022, when the river was still passable for the ship. (Dave Kettering/Telegraph Herald via AP). Viking River Cruises Confirms Itinerary Changes Viking River Cruises has canceled all 2022 departures from Kyiv and Bucharest, Romania. Nightmare experience returning home from Viking Cruise May 10, 2022, 12:33 PM Save We are filing a breach contract suit with Viking River Cruises for the following: 1. "Black Sea Sights & Turkish Delights" calls in at Odessa, Ukraine, and Sochi, Russia in May and September; both these cruises will be replaced with Greece and Turkey port calls. Call us at 800-454-0927 to speak to a Cruise Concierge today. Among the lines voyages, there's everything from eight-day cruises in the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world voyages. Related: First look at Viking's stylish new Nile River ship. We dont mean losing the money paid for the person who cant take the trip. Among the longest sailings that Viking offers that include calls in Northern Europe are one-way, 28-night voyages between Bergen and New York City. All rights reserved (About Us). Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113577858', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruise or something similar if they don't want to be bothered with paperwork, but you also sound like very naive travelers who expect everything to be perfect and have too much trust in the "system.". 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. Cruise lines have begun to offer up their out-of-service cruise ships for refugees seeking shelter from the ongoing conflict. Not only does the California-based company offer ocean cruises in almost every corner of the world, it also offers river cruises on many of the worlds major rivers. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. There are a number of threads on the Cruise Critic Message Boards discussing the ongoing situation, including on Celebrity Cruises, HAL and NCL. "We have over 500 Ukrainian crew onboard our ships today and understandably they are extremely concerned and anxious about their loved ones at home.". The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. Plus Ups are excluded. Buy some very good travel insurance to submit claims. CNN Weather forecasts on Friday afternoon dont point to much relief in sight either in key cities along the river through October 15: No rain is expected in Minneapolis. A Viking spokesperson said that the safety and security of their guests and crew was always their top priority. Passengers disembarked in groups on Friday and then were placed on a two-hour bus ride to Memphis to catch their flights home, he said. Can I bring my own alcohol? Memphis has morning showers expected for one day. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. . Many, notably, use the relatively small but famously scenic Norwegian city of Bergen (population 286,000) as a gateway, something no other line is doing. The Mississippi River situation has played out in other parts of the world this year. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. The second ship in the series, Viking Polaris, has just joined its sister in Antarctica this year. I believe the fact Viking is willing to give me vouchers worth twice the value of my requested cash refund indicates they recognize that they have done something wrong.. When Viking River Cruises canceled my cruise in 2021 for Covid, they gave me a cruise voucher for 125% and some optional packages as an incentive to rebook. Select sailings will resume operation with sailings on May 22, May 29 and June 5, 2021 from Portsmouth, England. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. At 104 days out before final payment was due, we had to either lose our entire deposit of $2K+ or get a voucher. The adjusted itineraries are: The Hamburg-to-Kiel itinerary, departing August 26, 2022, and Kiel-roundtrip itineraries, departing September 7,World Navigatorwill drop St. Petersburg, Russia and now call at Kotka and Mariehamn, Finland. However, youll find Vikings seven ocean ships everywhere from North America to Asia and Australia. Right now there are flights being cancelled daily (read some of the posts on the Air Travel forum) , largely due to staff shortages. This was the Trovatos fourth Viking river cruise. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Thus your argument is not reasonable and any compensation would be a gesture. Trovato, who lives in Phoenix, told CNN the ship was stopped on Monday evening after a barge hit the bottom of the river and blocked all water traffic through the area. We just sat on the ship, still got our meals, but we just couldnt do our excursions., This wasnt Viking Cruises fault, it was Mother Nature. Trovato said. Look for a link at the bottom of this page or in our privacy policy where you can withdraw consent. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Whilst Air Viking should have held your hand they are also not responsible for wiping your backside, you should have raised concerns rather than walking blindly into a situation which was easily avoidable. They just dont want to part with the cash, Andersen said. Some cruise lines will charge extra for flights not originating from a select number of airports on their list, which may mean either using an alternate airport or paying yet an additional fee over and above the Custom Air fee. The 766-mile Rhine is one of Europe's most important trade routes, with container ships plying their way around its looping bends. Ill bet my next (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? June 2, 2017. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a drought information website. The Viking Mississippi can hold up to 386 guests and was built in 2022, according to the companys website. Believe me, the Sky Priority line was not much faster when we were in AMS and it was like a cattle call when it came to boarding the plane, as everyone with Sky Priority was mashed together and people were ignoring the placard saying which Sky Priority group was boarding (pre-board, BC, Military, Premium Select, and Comfort +). Extreme weather has taken lives and messed up travel plans across the United State this summer and fall: Wildfires threatened Yosemite National Park; flash flooding crippled normally bone-dry Death Valley National Park; and Hurricane Ian impacted tourist sites in hard-hit Florida and the Carolinas. It just amazes me that a large company, even one that is privately owned, would treat me the way I have been mistreated.. At least you now have some experience dealing with travel problems--perhaps you can wake-up a bit from the nightmare. Your contact Ts&Cs says when things go sideways, they will reschedule you. The line confirmed the steps to TTG on Wednesday (2 March) and said it was "deeply opposed" to the . Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. What you should know about river cruising, MSC Pre Authorization with Debit Card Question, Norwegian cruise lines - ship Prima - 10 day cruise, Cruise newbie - getting to port from Orlando, At sea temperature western med early June. Date of experience: February 18, 2023 Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. If you plan a trip with another person a spouse, a companion, a friend and if your travel partner has to cancel, you could be stuck with thousands of dollars in extra charges. 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 company operates around 70 river ships on a broad swath of the continents rivers far more than any other river line catering to North Americans. We do not have any cruise cancellations because of the Omicron variant," Carnival spokesperson Roger Frizzell told USA TODAY on Wednesday. The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. 6 Russian stops on Viking's ocean itineraries will be modified, and impacted guests and travel advisors will be notified. Also lost out on the cruise vouchers. Viking Cruises cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev (Kyiv, Ukraine), Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russia's conflict with Ukraine. Have a credit card with sufficient funds to buy last-minute tickets if needed. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Sorry if the last leg ruin your cruise vacation into a Nightmare. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Thu 13 Jan 2022 01.00 EST Last modified on Thu 13 Jan 2022 18.22 EST. (The company was founded by a Norwegian family.) The luxury river cruise line, Scenic, scrapped all of its 2022 Russia cruises. The Viking Mississippi can hold up to 386 guests and was built in 2022, according to the company's website. What are the noisy locations to avoid on a cruise ship? First, tell us WHERE YOU LIVE if that info isn't in your profile! We wasted 1/2 hour of valuable time waiting in line for a cancelled flight. Holland America Line is modifying itineraries for six cruises that were scheduled to visit Russian ports this year. Updated Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings -- which together represent the majority of the world's global cruise brands -- have all canceled planned itineraries scheduled to visit Russian ports of call. Given recent events and the developing conflict in Ukraine, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all 2022 departures of our Kiev, Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary. The text appears: #1 on the rivers, A Viking Ocean ship sails in Croatia. CA. Winner of Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2022, Cond Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2021, and Cond Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2022. The half hour airport transfer delay less the fifteen minutes later flight is a resultant fifteen minute overall timeline delay, frankly, big deal. A longer version of the trip features 13 nights on board one of the ships and extra days in Antarctica. When asked what this was for, the reply was that I would get vouchers for future Viking cruises that were worth more than the extra payment, Andersen said. Dubbed Viking Octantis, the first of these vessels began sailings to Antarctica in February 2022. We mean extra charges, just for traveling as a single. He was willing to take the trip alone. What kind of insurance do I need? Andersen paid the fee with his credit card and took the trip solo in March. Thats been pointed out to you above and despite the resultant stress your actual delay was thirty minutes (oh, dear, God) for a flight which was cancelled, and although you were not notified the rebooked flight was fifteen minutes later. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. A short time later, passengers were informed that the cruise was canceled, Trovato said. Explore six continents during 136. In another first for polar expedition cruise vessels, every cabin on both Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balcony-like feel. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. Viking has grown into a major player in Mediterranean sailings, with more than 30 distinct itineraries that include stops in the region. Richard Andersen booked a fully-paid Viking cruise with his partner but it was canceled because of COVID. Read full review of Viking River Cruises Its like nothing happened, he said. Can I remove the auto- gratuity? 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. Viking Neptune is a new ship that will join the fleet in 2022. Contact your Sales Agent or our Customer Service department online, via email, or by phone at 1-800-543-1915 and ask about potential opportunities for flexible cancellation policies, rebooking . Some of Vikings most interesting itineraries are around Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, with many beginning or ending in Norway the homeland of the companys founder and chairman, Torstein Hagen. Viking River Cruises The line is canceling all 2022 departures of its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary. Have to agree that when booking thru tour companies or (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Viking has a particularly large footprint when it comes to European river itineraries, with a wide range of sailings on nearly every European river of any note, from the Douro in Portugal to (until recently) the Volga in Russia. In between, Viking river ships visit the provincial capital of Uglich and the city of Yaroslavl. When we asked while onboard the riverboat if we could change to a direct flight, we were told that it would cost each of us an additional $3,200.00. Select South America and Antarctica itineraries have been canceled through February 2022. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. Azamara has dropped all Ukraine and Russia ports from upcoming Azamara Journey sailings beginning in June 2022. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. Another cruise company, Viking Cruises, has canceled all cruises departing from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary for 2022 and is "evaluating itineraries that call in Russia in 2022 . Thursday wasnt the first time the Viking ship ran into low-water trouble on this voyage.