Disappointed with Viking

We were all ready to book a Viking cruise at a great price when I was told full payment would be due now - almost a year in advance! With 3 big cruises this year, no way could I do that. I guess waiting for the last minute is the smart way to go with Viking . I haven't given up, just resigned to waiting. Bummer....

We were all ready to book a Viking cruise at a great price when I was told full payment would be due now - almost a year in advance! With 3 big cruises this year, no way could I do that. I guess waiting for the last minute is the smart way to go with Viking . I haven't given up, just resigned to waiting. Bummer....

I think this is one of the biggest complaints against Viking and probably costs them many bookings. Company appears to be solid and solvent so you have to wonder why they do it because when you ask someone to pay in full a year in advance it kind of makes you wonder why they need the money so badly....and what am I not aware of? :eek:

Agree 100%. For us in planning our first river cruise after numerous ocean cruises, it was a total turn-off. I expect if booking inside of 90 days or so, which we frequently do with ocean cruises, that you make the entire payment then, but not full payment over one year in advance.

Our business went elsewhere.

There are lots of other choices out there, Viking is not the only fish in the river cruise world.

I see you have a lot of posts on Cruise Critic, but not on the River Cruising forum, so welcome!

I suggest you start by reading the sticky New to RIVER CRUISING??? at the top of this forum, especially the downloadable pdf:

http://pdf.cruisecritic.com/travel-guide/UltimateGuidetoRiverCruising.pdf?et_cid=1262487&et_rid=99616845[\url]

which discusses each cruise line and compares them to ocean cruise lines and hotels [this will give you a frame of reference]. The range among river cruise lines that market in the US is fairly small -- but there are differences from the bottom to the top, and the prices don't vary as much as it first appears because the more expensive lines include more things that cost extra on the "cheaper" lines. For information on choosing a river, read the sticky River Cruise Basics articles on Cruise Critic at the top of this forum. I also recommend the book Berlitz River Cruising in Europe by Douglas Ward, which may be found at your public library.

We were all ready to book a Viking cruise at a great price when I was told full payment would be due now - almost a year in advance! With 3 big cruises this year, no way could I do that. I guess waiting for the last minute is the smart way to go with Viking . I haven't given up, just resigned to waiting. Bummer....

DON'T DO IT!!!! Try one of the other wonderful river cruise companies. They all have great promos going on and do not require payment until 90 - 120 before sailing.

Read this board very carefully in regards to how various companies have treated there customers!

Yes, Viking has a stupid pay a year in advance policy. So, I will not be booking them a year in advance. The other ships are as nice or nicer, and they actually look similar to the viking ships sailing by the beautiful places in the Viking ads...:D

I love watching the Viking ads, but no way am I going to pay that far in advance. Kudos to them that they can get people to do it.

jc

We went on a Viking Oceans cruise this spring and had to pay in full a year and a half in advance. So their Oceans side is even worse than the River Cruise side!

We booked a Viking river cruise for June 2016 and our final payment is due 90 days prior. Are the payment policies different for Viking River Cruises Canada?

We cruise several times a year and I have always wanted to do a river cruise . The price and date just fell into place for this Viking promotion . I will keep a watch for specials on other lines that don't require full payment , maybe I will get lucky.

We booked a Viking river cruise for June 2016 and our final payment is due 90 days prior. Are the payment policies different for Viking River Cruises Canada?

It appears that in the USA Viking want payment in full on booking, other countries differ. In UK you pay deposit on booking and rest about 2 months before departure.

As I have stated in previous posts, I simply told them that I would not pay a year in advance and they set the final payment date 120 days before sailing. Just try asking, nicely.

We were all ready to book a Viking cruise at a great price when I was told full payment would be due now - almost a year in advance! With 3 big cruises this year, no way could I do that. I guess waiting for the last minute is the smart way to go with Viking . I haven't given up, just resigned to waiting. Bummer....

Check the other companies, prices and itineraries. I think you will find that Viking isn't your only option. ;)

Cole

As I have stated in previous posts, I simply told them that I would not pay a year in advance and they set the final payment date 120 days before sailing. Just try asking, nicely.

When I booked in January 2015 for a December 2015 trip I was asked to pay the balance by April 1st, but if I needed more time all I needed was to ask.

Also, while other lines may not require full payment that far in advance, they offer incentives to pay early and by e-check. Vantage for example offered I think 10% if I paid in full by November 2015 for a May 2017 trip. That was 18 months in advance.

As I have stated in previous posts, I simply told them that I would not pay a year in advance and they set the final payment date 120 days before sailing. Just try asking, nicely.

Wonder what would happen if EVERYONE asked nicely to do final payment 120 days in advance? :eek:

The only 'downside' would be if you booked air through Viking, it might impact your flights ?? Mind you I usually book air through Princess EZ Air and don't pay until 75 days out and it has never been a problem.

I would be leery about paying by e-check--granted, you are given a discount, but when paying by credit card more protections kick in.

In the UK, Viking require a deposit of 25% on booking plus the cost of any required Visa Fees.

Final payment is due at least ten weeks prior to departure.

We just booked with Viking for Aug 2016. Many of the room choices were already sold out. We could book post cruise in Lucerne but had to juggle the dates a bit. Amsterdam - which we planned on doing on our own was booked up for pre-cruise. I knew about the upfront payment and we'd already saved the money, so it's not a problem for us. We've got to pay it eventually and we got the insurance. If you wait to book, you may not get your choice. I'd rather have my choice and pay up front.

Here is a positive experience booking with Viking. We booked our October 2015 Viking river cruise in April 2014 - 18 months in advance - through a travel agent (US). We also booked our airfare through Viking at the same time. We selected the flights we wanted, and Viking was able to book them. We only had to put down a deposit at the time of booking - we were never pressured to pay in full. Final payment was due 6 months prior to departure. When we made the final payment, we asked Viking to issue the airline tickets so that we could upgrade our seats through the airlines on our own. Viking did this without any questions or problems. Our travel agent speaks highly of Viking, works well with them, and we have not encountered anything but great service. Just sayin' . . .

Here is a positive experience booking with Viking. We booked our October 2015 Viking river cruise in April 2014 - 18 months in advance - through a travel agent (US). We also booked our airfare through Viking at the same time. We selected the flights we wanted, and Viking was able to book them. We only had to put down a deposit at the time of booking - we were never pressured to pay in full. Final payment was due 6 months prior to departure. When we made the final payment, we asked Viking to issue the airline tickets so that we could upgrade our seats through the airlines on our own. Viking did this without any questions or problems. Our travel agent speaks highly of Viking, works well with them, and we have not encountered anything but great service. Just sayin' . . .

I rather think this report attests to the superior skills of your TA and her ability to "outwit" the Viking back office issues :)

I ran into that as well. Avalon had the same route I wanted and I didn't have to pay more than $500.00 to hold the cruise and the cabin I wanted. I also liked the suites on Avalon better. I'm glad I opted to explore other options.

When I booked in January 2015 for a December 2015 trip I was asked to pay the balance by April 1st, but if I needed more time all I needed was to ask.

 

Also, while other lines may not require full payment that far in advance, they offer incentives to pay early and by e-check. Vantage for example offered I think 10% if I paid in full by November 2015 for a May 2017 trip. That was 18 months in advance.

This was our experience as well. We booked in Jan, 2015 for a Dec,2015 cruise with Viking. They asked for final payment by 4/1 but said we were welcome to ask for an extension if that date didn't work for us.

This TA company said full payment in a few days... So now I'm thinking it may not be just Viking. I have a company I work with a lot. I may check with them. Normally the payment wouldn't matter, but we have a 2week cruise in the UK in three weeks, a 2week south America cruise in January, and a Caribbean cruise in May. And they are all a 90day before cruise full payment. Too much money to tie up with Viking.

We booked a Viking river cruise for June 2016 and our final payment is due 90 days prior. Are the payment policies different for Viking River Cruises Canada?

I think it's fairly recent that Viking has come out with Canadian pricing. When we booked our Nov/15 cruise in Jun/14, it was quoted in USD. We were able to get final payment deferred to Dec/14. That actually bit us in the butt as the CAD went down and the cruise cost us an extra C$700/person by Dec/14, due to the exchange difference. Now we're about 90 days from sailing, and the CAD has tanked even more. I'm quite thankful we made our final payment so far in advance.

Ok, so, I am an economist. If you are wanting to speculate in currency.... then when you know when to buy you buy. When you need to sell you sell... That has absolutely nothing to do with paying for a cruise in advance. That is speculation, aka, gambling. My stock holdings went down several percent the last few days, had I known a week ago, I good have sold them turned them into something that won this week, and made a fortune.... That is called trading.

We generally don't know our national currency is going to inflate or devalue...

I am speaking of general practices, ceterus parabus (all things being equal) I would rather not give you my money today for something I will buy 14 months from now.

How many of you would pay a roofer to roof your house today, with him planning to reroof your house next August....? I am not signing up for that deal. Hey, but that is just me.... think how awesome it would be next August when the roofer declared bankruptcy in June...

Caveat emptor.... buyer beware.

jc