Viking River Cruises
Reviews and Complaints

We have an extremely complicated reservation situation that we are trying to resolve. We initially reserved a cruise for 2020 in May of 2019. Further, we booked excursions in January of 2020.

Then the pandemic hit. We decided to attempt the cruise in 2021, but evidently we did so about TWO WEEKS TOO EARLY, as we were given vouchers to apply to our new cruise (but only partially), even though the cruise never sailed and Americans were banned from Europe that summer. I'm not sure if it was the penalty that was turned into a voucher and the rest was applied to the new 2021 cruise.

Then 2021 hit and COVID was even worse, we then slid the cruise to 2022. This time with no further vouchers or penalties.

Now in 2022, we decided to cancel. Our travel agent called to cancel, and behold it was processed immediately, but WE LOST THE VALUE OF THE VOUCHERS! I want to reiterate that at no time did Viking or my Travel Agent tell me that we would simply lose the value of the vouchers (2239.40) if we did so. I would have NEVER made the decision to cancel if I had known that. Now, because we canceled (less than 24 hours ago), this is all a done deal and we can not make it right. We have lost the value of the voucher completely, and cannot get it back. $2200 has gone in to Viking's pockets for providing absolutely NO SERVICE. While this may in within the terms of thier contract it is morally corrupt and ethically bankrupt.

More insultingly, That original cruise, for which we got the vouchers in the first place DID NOT SAIL. I am livid and I want resolution immediately. I want one of the following

1) Reverse the cancellation - as it was done less than 24 hours ago
2) Re-instate the vouchers for a future cruise.
3) Give us back ALL of the money we paid to Viking.

I believe that it is the moral obligation of the company to do one of these three things. As a proud Norwegian-American (som snakker Norsk), this is the first time that I am ashamed to be associated with Norway!

Linnea Bradshaw
[protected]

We are in a Catch-22 situation due to Covid and have been unable to resolve it to our satisfaction in our various exchanges with Viking. My husband and I were scheduled for the Portugal cruise leaving 3/26/20. On 3/16/20, everything shut down in our state as we began grappling with Covid. Viking offered us the option of taking a voucher and postponing our cruise. Viking subsequently canceled that cruise and others that followed, giving people the option of a refund or voucher. Two years have passed, our health status has changed and it seems highly unlikely that we will ever use these vouchers. Viking has refused to give us a refund because we canceled the trip, even though two weeks later, Viking canceled that and other cruises. They have offered to extend the time to use the vouchers or to allow us to sell them for someone else to use. We just want our $10, 000 back. To say that we chose to cancel the cruise and are not eligible for a refund is ludicrous under these circumstances. This cruise would have been our 4th trip with Viking and we were happy with our experience - until now.

One day before departure, 1/3/2022, the two travelers' three children were exposed to Covid 19. The two travelers were quarantined until testing could be accurately completed and thus were unable to travel. Viking was notified of inability to travel on 1/3/2022 and refused either rebooking of trip, voucher for new trip, or refund, stating that because cancellation was less than 14 days before departure, there was no refund, rebooking, or credit. Booking number was 6607119.

We have had three cruises canceled on us. And each time we rebooked using the vouchers. Told them at the time I had health issues. They told me with note from a doctor the trip could be canceled and and I could get a refund. I was told to that's just not true. Some one having a issue with balance should not be on a board nor should he be on any kind of steep hills. The person that I talked to me some how magically my money hard-earned money turn into a voucher and I can't get it back. And if I do I have to wait till December 2022. That means viking will have had my money for over two years. And I'm sure about the only person that has this problem.

Booked cruise with 6 ports based on information on Viking.com website. Itinerary was altered by eliminating 3 ports. They refused to give money back or issue a voucher for a future cruise. There excuse was they had the right to vary the ports that they offer as replacements. They did not replace the ports just eliminated them. They refuse to deliver what they sold me. This is a pure case of bait and switch. The original itinerary that I purchased still remains on their website to this moment so it can be seen what I bought and when I received the final invoice the itinerary was completely different. The supervisor, Nessa refused to escalate the call to upper management and stonewalled me. I was forced to search for the number and when I spoke to Lisa in customer relations she agreed and sympathized with me and asked if I would accept a voucher for a future cruise and when I said that would be acceptable she said she would work on it and call me back. She never called me and had the original supervisor who had lied to me on the first call call me and told me they would do nothing claiming the fine print contained the information that allowed them to"vary" the itinerary. Their excuse was that nothing was their fault as the ports to be visited were closed by the country to be visited. It was not my fault either and because of their company policy I become their victim.

We booked a trip for the Grand European cruise for Sept. 2020. Due to our age and the pandemic, we talked with the travel agent (Brandt Travel) and discussed cancelling the trip. We were advised it was better to postpone and then we wouldn't "lose" our insurance. The insurance was important to us as we were traveling with my husband's sister and her husband. Between us, we are ages 67-78, and my brother in law has Parkinson's. The travel knew of our ages and medical info and knew having the insurance was significant to us.
We received vouchers when we rebooked but were never given any information that this would null and void any insurance or any chance of getting our money back should we not be able to travel. Given our situation, we never would have rebooked if we had been given that piece of information.
My brother in law's doctor does not feel he should travel, and so we were planning on cancelling and being reimbursed. We were shocked to find out that due to the vouchers and rebooking (of which we were never informed) a refund is no longer possible. Prior to the rebooking, we could have received a full refund.
We are highly disappointed in the travel agent and in Viking Cruises.
They have a good product... They host lovely cruises. Why they would need to resort to "used car" sale tactics is beyond me. It cheapens their name!

I am writing this to let you know that I am very disappointed in Viking River Cruises. We booked a river cruise for four (based on two people per room) in 2018 for 2019; this was before COVID 19. In 2019 Viking River Cruises was forced to cancel all cruises due to the Pandemic. Viking canceled our cruise, and instead of requesting a refund, we accepted Vouchers because we had enjoyed our previous Viking River Cruise and planned on making this a yearly way to vacation. We knew that once everything opened up, we would be ready for a vacation and the best way to vacation was with Viking River Cruises.

We ended up re-booking a river cruise for June 2021, and along with this booking, we were issued Vikings "Risk-Free Guarantee". This Guarantee was a temporary cancellation policy for bookings made between May 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021, and states that Future Cruise Vouchers are transferable, " this is written in two separate places in this document. Sadly, we were forced to cancel this cruise due to one of the members of our group's health declining and becoming too ill to travel. This member ended up passing away.

When this cruise was canceled, Viking did issue vouchers but issued them incorrectly as non-transferable even though we had Vikings Risk-Free Guarentee. One of the vouchers was issued in my daughter's name, and she will not be able to use her voucher. I have requested that the voucher be re-issued in my name since I am the one who originally paid for the cruise (Viking can easily see that it was my check that paid for the cruise). Viking is refusing to honor the "Risk-Free Guarantee" and transfer my daughter's voucher to me. I have done everything Viking has asked and followed all their procedures to request that this voucher be transferred.

I am very disappointed that Viking would do this and not honor their "Risk-Free Guarantee" issued when I re-booked a river cruise with them. It is important to note that the Risk-Free Guarantee was not issued when the original booking was made (pre-COVID) but was issued when we re-booked the cruise. If this "Risk-Free Guarantee" was not going to be honored, why even issue it when I booked the cruise?

I have heard all kinds of excuses from Viking management stating that the "Risk-Free Guarantee" does not apply to this voucher or not valid for my daughters voucher. Now I am being told that since the previous cruise canceled due to COVID included an added cash value to entice customers to accept vouchers instead of refunds the risk free guarantee does not apply. The problem is: The original booking in 2018 canceled due to COVID did not come with the Risk Free Guarantee . The Risk Free Guarantee as added when we re-book the cruise for the following year using our vouchers. So technically Viking should have never attached the Risk Free Guarantee to the cruise? When we had to cancel the 2021 cruise there was not another added cash value. Why give me a Risk Free Guarantee when Viking knew it would not be worth the paper it was written on. When I was issues the risk-free guarantee it states it applies to the booking and that is what I was told when I re-booked. Also, I was told when we had to cancel the cruise that we had the risk-free guarantee, and the vouchers would be transferable.

I want Viking River Cruises to know that we are very disappointed in their business practices and not doing the right thing but transferring my daughter's voucher to me and honoring the "Risk-Free Guarantee" they issued me. Viking will be stealing over 5000 dollars of my money. Before all this happened, we booked the Russia Cruise for 2022, and if I could cancel and get my money back, I would. We have also put a deposit down on the Paris Cruise for 2023 (which I am now planning on canceling). I have been recommending Viking River Cruises as a way to vacation to all my family and friends, but I will no longer do this. I will recommend against using Viking Cruises. I want Viking to know that they are losing good customers, and although I am not looking forward to using other river cruise companies, but we will move our business over to your competitors.

History/Timeline of this issue:

Original Booking #5719622 canceled by Viking due to COVID

Booking #5719622 re-scheduled on May 28, 2020, new booking #6041628 (Risk-Free Guarantee added by Viking to This Booking)

Booking #6041628 had to be canceled on March 23, 2021, due to the health decline of one of our parties, who was unable to travel and has since passed away.

Booking #6299126 Waterways of the Tsars scheduled and paid in full for October 7, 2022

Booking #6565142 for October 10, 2023 deposit paid; however, we will have to cancel because Viking refuses to issue voucher RPLT-nC 1876776 for Caroline Dupree, which should have been issued as transferable.

Thank you,

Michael Dupree

[protected]

We booked and paid for the Budapest to Passau, with stops in Linz and Vienna, Austria; and in Slovakia, Austria and Slovakia now are CLOSED for tourists, and Passau and the last minute added other port in Germany are in Bavaria and are on LOCKDOWN. They "added" a stop that is 30 minutes by car from Budapest -- so not really an "added port".

We have had ZERO communication about HOW the cruise will dock in Germany, as the ports might or might not allow docking -- into a city with lockdowns and severe restrictions. Our onward journey is now impossible, as Christmas markets are cancelled and lockdowns prevent entry to most shops.

We have demanded a refund, and Viking has refused.
"Sailings can be alter due to world events. If Viking can proceed with a sailing there is a possibility of changes to the ports in order to continue with travel. The terms are listed in the documentation provided. Viking has received feedback from guest electing a schedule change rather than a full cancellation of the sailing. Once return from their sailing they may contact Customer Relations to see if there can be additional offered​​​​​​​ compensation due to change. We do understand this change was out of all parties control and therefore Viking offered the 25% voucher for a future sailing. Guest may attempt to seek reimbursement thru their Travel protection company. The sailing will proceed and is not cancelled.

When situations like these occur, the request for exceptions are quite common and it would be impossible to grant every request. These situations are very difficult for us personally to address since this is a very challenging time for all concerned. Regrettably, we cannot accommodate your request at this time."

We feel that we are paying 100%, and getting 20% -- with ZERO opportunity to convert.

. Booking #6474246 Maggie MacPherson and Judi Dittmer, Passage to
Eastern Europe

On September 10th of this year while on a river cruise with Viking to Eastern Europe, I had a freak accident which resulted in breaking my femur into three pieces. An ambulance took me to the nearest hospital in Vidin Bulgaria, and my Viking boat sailed away. My emergency contact, my daughter, was never contacted. It was soon evident that I needed surgery and the closest place for that was 150 miles away by ambulance - an unbelievably painful trip for me on a rough road over the Balkan Mountains. Before the ship sailed one of the local guides who had led the Viking excursion that morning and was with me at the hospital in Vidin tried to get Viking to allow her to accompany my traveling companion, Judi Dittmer, who followed my ambulance to the PiroGov Emergency hospital in Sofia. She was very concerned that we would have difficulty there as we did not speak Bulgarian. She was certainly correct! The internet states that if you go to this hospital "try to take a Bulgarian speaker with you." Viking personnel on the boat refused her request. The accident report I later requested from Viking stated, "Discharge from our care. No follow-up required." How about having some concern for an injured client's well-being?

The hospital in Sofi was not accredited by U.S. standards, and the fact that I didn't speak Bulgarian left me at a huge disadvantage. It took days to realize that water, toilet paper, diapers, medicine for my bed sore, wipe-ups and probably sheets (as they were not changed in the 10 days I was there) all had to be brought from outside the hospital. Because it took four days to realize Wi-Fi and internet service had to be purchased, I was unable to use my phone or computer. I was not able to contact my family and felt very alone. If my traveling companion had not been with me for the 10 days, I don't know what I would have done. Viking indeed never followed up on me! My son and his wife worked around the clock to help me get back to the U.S. while I felt helpless in the Bulgarian hospital for 10 days.
I was told by numerous Viking Customer Relations personnel that if I had purchased the trip insurance Viking offers, I would have been taken care of much better. I purchased my trip insurance from a very reputable company - AIG. My traveling companion who purchased the insurance from Viking has yet to receive any compensation for her interrupted trip. I reviewed my trip on Trip Advisor, posted details of my accident on Facebook and sent emails to 300 travelers alerting them of what I learned from my accident. I wrote:

"I have always felt that when something negative happens, it is important to insure that something positive comes out of the experience. For me it is passing on to anyone who plans to travel what I learned from my freak accident while on a Viking River Cruise in Eastern Europe. What I was not aware of was that trip insurance policies are designed to protect your wallet. Companies get a kick-back from every policy they sell. What you also need are medical experts to manage your situation from beginning to end. Jim Sano, former head of Geo Expeditions, leader of the 1983 American Man and Woman Everest Expedition, former Yosemite Park ranger and long-time friend recommends travelers purchase medical assistance and evacuation assistance membership service through Global Rescue for every trip for the entire year. They provide emergency assistance and evacuation service anywhere in the world 24/7, and they are not nearly expensive as trip insurance. Many travelers do not comprehend that you can go a la carte - you can buy the cancellation/interruption insurances separately but should be aware that as many bundled trip insurance policies only refer travelers to the nearest medical facility. When you have contracted with Global Rescue you have a phone number that is answered by trained medical people who are backed by the John Hopkins Emergency Medical Division to insure that your medical needs are monitored. It also means making sure that there is someone who speaks the language of the country where you are aiding you."

At 75 I have traveled in all 50 states and 52 countries on every continent. I am a retired wilderness and trekking guide. Luxury travel is relatively new to me. I often wondered how many of Vikings clients who did not have the experience I have could have endured this difficult situation. Throughout my ordeal I thought often of the prisoners of war, concentration camp victims and refugees who have faced conditions far worse than mine. My nightmare ended when so many people worked to get me home. Viking was never part of that.

I was very upset when I viewed Vikings response to my Trip Advisor posting. See below:
Response from VikingCruises, Community Specialist at Viking Cruises
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with a review of your experience, Maggie, although we regret to hear of your lingering disappointment with our service. While we can see that you have since been in contact with our Customer Relations team for assistance with the third-party insurance vendor, please know we remain available to continue the discussion should you wish to share more at [protected]@vikingcruises.com. We appreciate the opportunity to respond and wish you well.

Viking never resolved anything with me after abandoning me at the dock. I have talked to a number of people at Viking's Customer Relations and sent several emails. No one has ever accepted any responsibility or assured me that this will not happen to a future Viking customer. I have had no explanation of why my emergency contact, my daughter, was never contacted. Many of my friends and relatives who know of my accident are very upset about how Viking treated me, especially when they hear Vikings ads on PBS' Masterpiece Theater about Vikings' concern for their passenger. Many have suggested getting my lawyer involved. I just want Viking to take responsibility for their lack of follow-up once they left me in Vidin and assurance that they are doing something to make sure this does not happen to anyone again. It would please me immensely to post on Facebook and email my traveling contacts that Viking did something positive to bring me closure while I continue to recuperate.

We booked and paid in full for this river cruise in Sept. 2019 and when it was cancelled we took the vouchers with their risk-free guarantee.
They tried to rebook us in April 2021 when they weren't even clear to sail yet. We rebooked for this fall date (with flights not included so paid
extra for that & for air plus & an additional fee to use Delta (never even heard of that before). We had done all of the pre-cruise documents, VeriFLY app, digital entry into Germany, scheduled our Covid test with our clinic so we could be sure of timeline for results, we're packed and ready to drive to Minneapolis for our flight. They said we should rest assured, on the slight chance a fully vaccinated person should get a positive result an agent would find us a time that would work & we could enjoy. But guess what! When my husband got a positive result
(With no symptoms) we had 24 hrs to find a new time and use it within 30-60 days which put us in December. They cancelled the cruise, we did not but they said we had used our vouchers and needed to take "something" or lose all our money. (approx $6000). The virus can remain in your system for up to 90 days according to all testing facilities so there was no way to guarantee he would be clear in 30 days. They said they
would review it then and maybe extend it 30 more days. January, when they have no river cruises. December is impossible for us to get away
as we live in heavy snow country & have animals to find a caretaker for. The cruise they suggested was in early Dec for Christmas markets
and I walk with a cane and do not do the walking tours & to keep the price close it would be in a standard room (not French balcony)
which has stairs, which I also don't do well. We felt coerced to take anything so they could not keep all of our money. We repeatedly asked
to rebook in March when they started up again and we could be sure my husband could be negative. The rates are less then so they would be ahead and we had paid in more than enough to cover any actual costs to them. Of course they charged a $350 each fee for the airline and Delta
who we paid extra to use did not. (We could have cancelled up to 24 hrs before with them.) They consider this a goodwill gesture after
assuring us they would find us something safe & enjoyable! And now Austria is on total lockdown and the majority of cruise is in that country
so how will they compensate passengers for that? I spent the entire week (of the cruise dates) on phone calls (with no return calls), emails
certified letters and fax messages to resolve this in a timely manner with no results, just a "we're sorry"
We consider this a breach of contract since they are not providing the cruise we booked and paid for over 2 years ago. Basically they got a no interest loan from us and many others who got cheated with their voucher program.

I had a river cruise booked to France for Aug of 2021 but due to Covid was cancelled in April of 2021. A full Voucher was given to me for all monies I paid. I subsequently booked an Amazon cruise for January 2022 using the FULL AMOUNT of the Voucher. Less than 60 days before the cruise, the cruise was modified because of problems in Brazil. They changed the cruise to be all Caribbean islands. The big issue is that the cost of the cruise is LESS than the original. So the voucher amount used is no longer the FULL AMOUNT of the cruise. There is $1250 remaining on that voucher. The voucher MUST be used PRIOR to the cruise. Maybe if I pre book a lot of excursions I can get to $800. And maybe if I prepay gratuities at $360 I can get to $1160. The balance CANNOT be carried forward to shipboard credit. So they are taking my money that I paid and making it nearly impossible for me to use it all. I was given the option to cancel the cruise (Can't do it) or upgrade my room (don't want to). This all seems pretty trivial until you also bring up the SBC Vouchers. Because Viking changed the cruise, they gave us $1200 as a nice gesture. BUT it can only be used ON BOARD (where the other voucher must be used PRIOR to boarding). So what is left to spend the $1200 ON? Excursions, gratuities already paid from the previous voucher. Can't get the drinking package (I don't drink that much). So it is really hard to spend this remaining 1200. Viking says that Previous vouchers MUST be used in its entirety. Which I DID on the original cruise. But once they changed their cruise to a less expensive cruise there was money left over (My money). This whole event is disgusting that Viking is not making some exception and allowing changes to make this mess a little less painful. They are doing this to a 12 trip Viking user with already booked trips planned for May, August of 2022 and July of 2023. After speaking to a manager at Viking their policy of "splitting" a previous voucher CANNOT and WILL NOT be done. Even in this very exceptional circumstance. Come on Viking! Be a little customer friendly. I did NOTHING wrong. I followed your rules. You changed the cruise to make this problem happen. Make an exception.

We originally booked this cruise in 2019 (invoice 5883528) for a trip taking place in 2020. It was then cancelled due to COVID, which was understandable. We were told if we let Viking keep our money we could rebook the cruise and would receive a voucher worth 25 percent more than we paid to apply to excursions, drinks, etc. The original booking included free air fare and we paid an additional $150 to be able to alter the flight to our liking.

We accepted the voucher and the next year we booked the same cruise/ same time period (invoice number 5991789). This included free air fare once again. That cruise was also cancelled due to COVID, and again we understood. When it was cancelled in 2021 we asked for our money back and were told it was not possible since we accepted a voucher and we would have to let the voucher lapse 2 years before we could get our money back. We then tried to rebook the same cruise a third time in 2022. We were then told airfare is no longer included, but without any reduction in the price we paid. We asked for our money back and were told it was no longer an option. We had the burden of a significant jump in price and no recourse to get our money back.

Feeling we had no options we rebooked the trip believing at least we would get a discounted airfare. We now had to pay even more money out of pocket. After everything was booked I received the invoice for airfare and realized it was $350 more per person than if I had booked directly myself with British Airways. So, not only has Viking had the benefit of my money for 2 years, they also are now increasing the cost of my trip almost 50 percent and to make matters worse they are overcharging the fees the airlines charge directly.

I was booked on a spring 2020 Viking River cruise. Due to covid, it was cancelled and I received a voucher for a cruise at a later date. I booked that cruise for the spring of 2021, which was also cancelled. I was given another voucher for a future cruise. I am currently booked on a cruise for spring 2022.
Here is the problem. Viking requires ALL passengers to be vaccinated and I am not able to be vaccinated. When I contacted Viking, I was told my only option was to cancel my trip and be given another voucher for a future cruise.
My ONLY options at this point are to lose my $4400 or keep booking and cancelling future cruises until Viking no longer requires passengers to be vaccinated. This we know may NEVER happen. They have had my money interest free and are holding it captive giving me NO option for a cruise or refund if they never change their vaccination policy.
As a final note, I even offered to gift my paid spot on the 2022 cruise to my niece who is vaccinated. This would have allowed Viking to fill my vacated spot immediately, use my money they already have, and benefit my niece. This they said was not allowed.

Our river cruise was canceled for 2020- My husband, 2 chilldren (16/17) and myself were to be on this cruise. We received the cancelation due to the pandemic and received the vouchers. We booked for June 2021 and the cruise was canceled again due to pandemic. We received vouchers and rebooked for 2022. At this time, my 2 children (18/19) are not able to go. I emailed Viking stating that we need to more the 2 reservations to 1. I was told that we can do that but new vouchers would be issued to my children so they can use up to 24 months away. My issue is my husband and I paid for the trip and for my 2 children. I asked for the voucher to be transferred back to the original card holder - myself and I was told no that could not happen. I am not asking for Viking to return the money. I'm asking for the money to be issued back to who booked the cruise. The money would be used for the current trip not to be booked on another. My children would not have been able to purchase the trip at 16/17 and they could not now due to being full time students. I was instructed by the customer service represented that the vouchers were not transferable after they were used. Here is a copy of the email I received and this is not indicated on the email.

Refund-Please note, if any vouchers were applied to your booking, they will be reinstated at the original value. Reinstated vouchers will be valid for 24 months and are available for your immediate use. Vouchers can be applied to any river, ocean or expedition cruise

We've enjoyed Viking and we have recommended Viking to our family and friends. Never would I have thought this would be an issue or we would consider another cruise line.
Tracie McDonald

8/10/21 cancelled booking 6021131 scheduled for 11/2022

8/27/21 submitted claim for Albert Jones to TripMate

9/9/21 Claim response: not enough info to support cancellation; refund not possible because vouchers had been used to pay for trip

9/14/21 Appeal sent with additional medical info and request to have vouchers transferred from A.Jones to spouse J.R-Jones. due to A.Jones' irreversible mobility changes due to neurological disease progression.

11/9/21 no appeal response; called Viking to ask if A. Jones' vouchers can be transferred to spouse. Viking refused.

Viking setup our travel arrangements and then when that went wrong, they instructed us to get a new rapid result covid test in the airport and that we would be reimbursed. Once the Cruise was completed, they went back on there word and refused to reimburse us.

Viking - Christmas Cruise
We haven't even been on this cruise yet and have already encountered major issues. Hopefully this will serve as information to anyone else planning a cruise with Viking!
When we booked, the only thing that was compulsory in the terms and conditions was that all passengers had to be fully vaccinated and download a verifly app to prove this. No problem, done! After we had booked and paid for the trip Viking changed the conditions - you had to have a PCR covid test 72 hours before your first "Viking activity"(which, translated means embarkation day for those who weren't flying with them). As we are flying in from South Africa, this test has to be done in Switzerland. If we are positive then we lose the cruise (no refund). SA travel insurance has different terms to USA travel insurance (we can't claim from our insurance for this, pandemic cover is specifically excluded in SA). It just proves the point that Viking don't want or understand the needs of non USA guests.
The Viking admin centre are imposing rules on non USA guests to suit their USA guest regulations, the bias is extremely obvious and they are incapable of answering questions relating to guests from outside the USA - even the website link is addressed to "US Guests". Their attitude is "we changed the rules, this is not a legal requirement for your travel, but that is too bad, live with it!". No customer focus and they cannot deal with issues raised. I am still waiting for an answer as to why they changed the T&C (in SA this would not be permitted), as South Africans don't need a covid test as a government requirement for the countries we are visiting in Europe, or to leave RSA. I understand that as we reside outside of the USA we are not their target market but they need to advise this on booking, that they can't cope with non USA guests and should have advised us to go elsewhere. If you are from the USA you probably won't have an issue, if you aren't, then be very wary.
Still haven't decided what we are going to do - watch this space!

Viking Cruises, Woodland Hills
5700 Canoga Ave Ste 200
Woodland Hills, California, [protected],

We just canceled our Empires of the Mediterranean cruise re-scheduled ……due to covid-19, from the first week of APRIL 2021 to mid MARCH 2022. When we booked for 2021, the itinerary was for the first week of April, Venice to Athens, in a DV4-Deluxe Veranda.

When VIKING re-scheduled us for 2022 we were told that we would receive 125% of our funds if we left them with Viking for the year. We took this option (as we had already done with a Portugal Duro River cruise).

After the October 2021 Portugal cruise it was time to get excited about Empires of the Mediterranean. When we looked, we found it to be in the reverse itinerary- Athens to Venice - a week earlier and in a V-2 stateroom. Not what we planned.

When we inquired, we were told that the price of this particular cruise went up since we originally booked and paid, and that THIS is what the money we had on account with VIKING (for more than year) would cover. VERY DISAPPOINTING.

If we had been able to take this cruise in 2021 we would have had what we booked: The Venice to Athens itinerary, the stateroom and the week we booked. And these changes are not up to our liking, nor does the change of week fit into our family calendars. We have been waiting too many years to go to Greece and Croatia and do not want to travel with a poor attitude and a sad face because of changes made for us by the cruise line without even a consult. People book, what they choose for many reasons. These personal reasons cannot be known to Viking. So, how can the entire booking just arbitrarily be changed.? So, we, very sadly, canceled.

We are currently awaiting the receipt of our vouchers so that we can
happily look forward to another promotion to celebrate Viking's 25th anniversary year and reschedule with happy faces and excitement.

Now to be fair, We had a completely different experience with our re -booked (from October 2020 to 2021) Portugal River cruise. After the covid cancel of 2020, for the rescheduled 2021 cruise, we received lots of perks for being valued and loyal Viking customers….Added a pre-and a post……added the beverage package, and prepaid gratuities.

So, you can imagine how disappointed we were when, for the Mediterranean cruise, our state room was downgraded… the week we chose was changed… And the itinerary was reversed.

And, with all of that, we were told that's what we could afford, even with the 25%, because the cost of the cruise had gone up since we first booked.

In my opinion, we still should have, AT LEAST, gotten what we paid for and gotten something additional for the 25%. That amount of money should not have covered the increase that happened over COVID. I agree that one can charge new bookings an increase..… But that increase should not affect the people who already booked….. paid in full…. And, left the money with Viking for all of COVID….as a matter of good faith for both parties.

While Viking is not responsible for Covid, neither are those who have paid for their cruises that were cancelled/rescheduled.
Viking should provide those customers, going through this difficult time, with, at least, the same terms as their original booking regarding accommodations, excursions, dining, etc. without qualification and with the "extras" that were promised for the 25%.

The goal here would be to keep this process as simple as possible while providing realistic solutions.
Additional charges or "less than already paid for" amenities won't do a company's reputation any good, especially coming out of a pandemic when everybody is trying to get back to "normal".

We've enjoyed two river cruises on Viking. We have recommended Viking to friends and relatives. And we were happy to be bringing two additional friends on the, now canceled, Mediterranean cruise. And though we have taken more than 50 ocean cruises on other providers, we were very excited for our first Ocean Viking cruise. It is a major disappointment to cancel this cruise. I am truly hoping that this situation can be settled in a mutually acceptable manner, so that we may enjoy many more Viking cruises in the future.


Jeanne M Macisco
757 Emory St #507
Imperial Beach, CA 91932
[protected]
And
Angela E. Lewis

I am very upset. Russell and I booked this cruise Budapest to Bucharest 6/14/2020. Due to Covid the cruise was cancelled. We were given an option of full refund or reschedule the cruise and receive and upgrade to our booking. Anticipating that the Covid pandemic would be lessened by October 2021 we rebooked the cruise for October 4, 2021. Both of us are seniors, Russell does have a heart condition and we found the Europe especially Eastern Europe continued to have a high number of Covid cases, primarily the Delta variant. We decided that we should once again postpone this cruise and left the vouchers, which we did receive with the upgrade, open for now until it seemed safer to travel in that part of the world.

Russell has decided that he does not feel that he should go. He has offered to give me his voucher so that I might take a family member or another person. We have attempted to explore this possibility in numerous ways with Viking. Each time we are advised that the vouchers cannot be transferred due to rules and regulations. According to management these official rules and regulations cannot be changed.

Both Russell and I are very upset and angry as he doesn't wish to lose the $5000 that he has invested to date, and he does not wish to take this cruise or any other for quite some time. He very much wants me to go with someone. I understand rules and regulations but this is ridiculous. Viking is not going to lose money on this, there is no difference in anything except a name change on a voucher. I would still like to go but not alone. I absolutely cannot understand your rules on this. It makes not sense. It would be different if it were a security matter but it is NOT.

I have to say, given this unpleasant experience and all the trouble that we have gone through in the attempt to accomplish this, it leaves a bad taste regarding ever booking another Viking anything. I WILL use this voucher and I'm not sure that I will be able to find someone who will go with me who can afford the cruise and I cannot afford to pay for another person.

I would greatly appreciate if you could possibly review this perhaps make an exception to the "rules and regulations". I am a senior and my time on this earth is valuable. I want to enjoy this adventure but not alone. PLEASE make an exception. I am requesting this as a major favor to me.

Thank you, Constance M. Engler