The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. Norwegian Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. 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. The cruise was cancelled due the pandemic ($11,367.50) Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary. Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions. Viking has responded to his passing by cancelling the nearly $9,000 I paid for my husbands share of the trip. $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. Enrollment required. Viking River Cruises is probably the best known European river cruising company, and has a wide range of river cruise options in Europe. Confirmation attached. #6339759. We appreciate you sharing your experience, Trevor, although we regret to hear of your disappointment. A place on the excursion I tried to book. We did not see ANY of Spain. This was our second cruise, I would have to say our first one was wonderful, this one was not bad. We called Viking and there is nothing that they will do to be able to use the over $7,000 paid for the trip. It is obvious to the casual observer that VRC is not in financial distress as they have added ships to their fleet and the CEO is listed a a billionaire. This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback. That' our policy,. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Viking changed their policy after they took all our money, lured us into taking now worthless vouchers. I contact Viking customer relations, and was first told that the flight tickets were paid by Viking already. At best, youll do a ship swap mid-cruise, a slight inconvenience that will allow you to follow your planned itinerary. Its not an American company so they feel like they can treat Americans any way they want. The Po River flows 400 miles across the top of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. How could we?? The area is protected and thats where you have the low water issues. The sailings. The booking # is *******. Before you decide to. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. 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. My husband and I booked with Viking in December 2019 for the Rhine Getaway Cruise for December 2020. The key dimensions of the Avalon Vista are: River boats are built in such a way that for bridge clearance, the mast, pilot house, and sun shades can be lowered. I want Viking to honour its Guest Cancellation Schedule and reimburse the $15,640.19 (Canadian) my husband and I paid for the Italian Sojourn cruise scheduled for May 15, 2023. I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. About 20 poeple's bag on the flight didn't make it. We rebooked our trip but Viking canceled it again and another voucher was issued. . Yazmin Hope and Libby Gallagher Voyages offering the excursion to Floriade 2022 operate between July 16 and August 27, 2022 aboard River Empress. We were given misinformation by their employee, to which their supervisor stated that verbal statements do not count. The dream vacation I have waited for 8 years has gone down the drain. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. Booking # XXXXXXX Originally booked in 2020, paid in full. over night stay we got back to Cincinnati the next day. We are not asking for anything other than our money back. Booking your first river cruise? This would mean that river cruise lines could face severe disruptions . We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Desired outcome: Sheila Davies is a retired gas industry professional based in Northumberland, England. Why didn't Viking pay to dock? We were told that since we used vouchers we were not eligible for a refund per policy. 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. They refuse. Viking Neptune is a new ship that will join the fleet in 2022. Desired outcome: Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or cant this week but can next week. 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. The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. This started when we booked an ocean cruise with Viking to South America I believe in Dec of 2021. Find the right card for you. It turns out that for the most part, if the ship sank, we would be high and dry standing on the sun deck. At this point we feel it's discrimination and want our money refunded. 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. Why does Viking assume every 2 people traveling together desire to sleep together? I thought that Viking was reputable, so I put too much faith in them. I have contacted Watcdog BBC who are interested. Many passengers were still on board at this time and were unable to flush toilets or wash their hands. The trip was for 2021 but was also cancelled and moved to September 22, 2022.On September 16,2022 *********************** and shattered his knee-cap and needed surgery. Mind you, my cruise cost over $27,000. Should your cruise be canceled, the cruise line will also offer compensation. I appreciate the time. We also carry about 500 tons of water, that is ballast and fresh water for the guests.. Bad cruise experience, shore excursions, bad weather bad handling, cold food, etc. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. We were given the option of a voucher or cash 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! BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. Here is a message that appears on the Viking River Cruise webpage: The cruise line may elect to cancel your cruise. We booked a 14 day cruise with extra days upon arrival in ****** and departure in **** in ****. The departure flight from ******* was delayed due to the storm. Booking number: *******. ST PAUL, Minn. There's been a lot of fanfare surrounding America's Great River cruise operated by Viking Cruises. - Refusal to honor its cancellation policy, Viking trip shortened due to weather, no refund. What does Viking do Nothing. Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River. We were routed to resolution manager who was extremely obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, wasn't listening to the issue, saying 'yes, ok, sales rep make a mistake, mistakes do happen. Due to Covid pandemic our cruise got cancelled. 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. And rebooked the following summer My travel partner , my sister, died 6 months before our trip that next summer die to COVID. . I never come across a big bunch of ignorant, geriatric, moronic a$$holes as this group I had came across today! 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. This meant I was unable to book any excursions or drinks package, despite trying as soon as they were released. Viking Cruises. It was not a condition of completing this trip. In times of high water, river boats can reduce their height by: Another aspect of river cruising is how much water does the ship draft? Virgin Voyages. We have one ship starting in Amsterdam and one ship starting in BaselIf they cannot pass Kaub [the critically low water point on the Rhine], then [the passengers] all disembark on either side," he explained. Jan. 17, 2022. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. If have a river cruise planned for the end of the summer or the fall, should you be concerned? , I am out the $3500 no matter what) and a friend who will take my place must pay her full share of the room as well! For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. Desired outcome: The 13-city cruise was supposed to take passengers between St. Paul and New . 2023 Trustpilot, Inc. All rights reserved. This insurance company is worthless and doesn't live up to the stated reimbursements as advertised in its' brochure. Holland America Cruise Line | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols. The whole experience was a disaster. 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. Not every river cruise line takes the same stance. Viking Cruises cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev (Kyiv, Ukraine), Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russia's conflict with Ukraine. 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. If ships have to lighten their loads to cross shallow water, fewer goods can be transported at once. Their luggage has been moved over automatically so by the time they arrive on the ship they have their luggage, and then they sail on the other ship back to the destination.. For that reason, the Rhine River is feeling greater effects of river flow and sooner than compared with the Danube. 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 had to cancel our river cruise because of their ludicrous covid policy. Pharaohs & Pyramids. Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. This is insulting and is clearly bait and switch type behavior. 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. . They are just taking the thousands of dollars we gave them from us and we are getting nothing in return. Any help to resolve this matter will be greatly appreciated. This happened 52 days before sailing. The US gov has basically declared the "plandemic" over and all other mandates have been drop but Viking still won't change their policy. Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine. If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions. 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. A *** incentive ********** was offered and accepted by us to use toward future booking. Look at the Mekong you dont cruise in May, June, July and August because its too hot.