SantaFe1

Third from the bottom

There is not a place where I see that it has been paid. That is on the final invoice. But right away when there was a balance due between the original price of the SSP and the new price, I got red notices at the top of every category on MVJ telling me that I couldn’t access that category (even air) until my balance had been paid in full. So, for example, if yesterday, after purchasing the package in good faith, I had wanted to purchase a spa treatment, I wouldn’t have been able to. And unless I had read about it on CC, I would have had no idea why that message suddenly appeared. This morning my TA paid the difference and the message disappeared. That really doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling about Viking right now!

Well, this is sort of what happened to us. I had the SSP in the cart for $558. I went in and paid for it yesterday. I got a “receipt” for $558 paid and a thank you. But now MVJ shows I have not paid in full for my cruise which is six weeks away. I can’t add shore ex, dining, spa treatments, I can’t even change seats on my Viking air until the difference in SS is paid! And I can’t pay it, because my TA has the booking and the payment has to go through her. I think this is COMPLETELY unprincipled! I may be a Viking cheerleader, but this is very off-putting. I think it has to work both ways. If Viking lowers the price of a cruise you have booked, you don’t get the new lower price, but if Viking ups the price of SSP and gratuities from what it was when you booked, they tack the difference right on. Am I mad about this. You bet!! (And upping gratuities at a time when everyone is complaining about service is just a bad business move, in my opinion.). Sorry to vent…

You get a 3.3% discount if you pay by bank draft rather than credit card. Not much on a $50 down payment but quite a bit on a $20000 cruise!

Thank you for this! We got no email, I just heard about it here. And now we have booked a Mississippi River cruise for May, 2024, over our anniversary. For $48.35 for two, using the 3.3% discount. You can’t beat that! And no final payment until Thanksgiving. Yay!!

We went East to West, Miami to London.

Yep, I now have a notice saying final payment is due, and to contact my TA. So I guess I got charged the whole thing. That’s sort of false advertising. I think Viking is fine raising their rates, but not fine saying you owe 558 then getting paid that abs then adding the the remainder. we are 43 days out from Mediterranean Antiquities. We’re are you off to?

How do I do this?

This was the 2019 WC route. We loved it, as we had never been to S America of Africa. The regular route is predictable on many lines.

Well, I paid, it showed the $538 amount, and thanked me. So I think I got it. It won’t appear on my bank statement for a few days, and I’ll check again. But our Hawaii cruise in 2024 is now $800 for the two of us! We are going to have to stop drinking, LOL.

Valerie, check your cart again. I previously just checked today’s price in the SSP section, not in my cart. The price in my cart is still the old price, $558 for the two of us for our cruise. The price listed if newly ordering today is $700 for the two of us. I just quickly bought the package from my cart, and with the 3.3% discount it was $538 for the two of us.

Ouch! SSP is in my cart and now has increased substantially. That will teach me to procrastinate!!

We are not big New Year’s Eve people. 10 pm is about it. But just wanted to reminisce that four years ago today, we flew two days early to Miami for the 2019 WC. We were supposed to fly Jan 2 for the Jan 3 sail away. But there were blizzards coming and American had already canceled flights. The highway had been closed two days before to even get to the airport. So Viking flew us to Miami two days early, backward through Phoenix. We had to stay at an airport hotel that night, because all else was booked. We arrived at 11 pm, had a glass of champagne at the bar, and went to bed. Two boring days in Miami, and then on to our ship for the adventure of a lifetime! Last year on NYE we were transversing the Panama Canal. Covid was raging on the ship, but I still have a picture of us drinking French champagne and having a good time. So to all who are currently traveling or hope to do so again soon, Happy New Year!

When you go to MVJ to book, you will click on the excursion you want, and then on the right will be your name, the time you want (if there is a selection) and add to cart (or reserve if it is an included excursion.) Then below that there will appear your husband’s name, the time, and add to cart or reserve. They do it this way, I guess, because every now and then we want to do different excursions. In that case, you book yours, then go to the other excursion, and book his. It’s pretty easy.

Yes, I was surprised to read this too. All we ever had was the captain coming on and telling us not to go out on the balcony!

Oh, dear, now you have me worried. We are doing this excursion in March. I had read that it was easier than doing Pompeii. In my experience, excursions marked demanding have never really taxed our limits. Well, I guess time will tell, but if anyone else wants to chime in with their experiences, that would be helpful.

Oh my, we are you! We also assess what we can do. But even the demanding excursions have never been that demanding. My anecdote to you is that on our first Viking cruise in 2017, there was an excursion that I thought we “must” have and it was sold out. Eventually, it opened up, as most of them do, and we booked it, and it was the worst excursion we ever took. So, it will be well. Almost any adventure on Viking is a good one. And sometimes the second choice is even better. I know you will have fun!

No, our account is in both our names. I just have it registered in mine on MVJ because I am the one who does this. It’s fine. You are being meticulous, as I am. But it really is easy and no cause for concern. Nothing in life is guaranteed. But this is close. Just pick your excursions, pick your payment method, and check out. I bet all will be well. ps. I don’t think that the few seconds it will take you to enter the CC info should deter you from using that form of payment, if that is what you prefer.

Yes. You have to enter the credit card info even if entered as you on board CC. You do not have to enter the bank info if it is already entered in MVJ. I have no idea why. But this is the case.

The bank account info is automatically applied. If you want to use the credit card, added on MVJ or not, you will have to register-enter the account info. It doesn’t cost you much time, especially if you have it as an auto add feature.

Couldn’t agree more! We thought Panama City was lovely. Colon is one of the armpits of the world!

You know, I saw that. I lived in L.A. nearly all my life, but have never seen it. Something to think about. But at this point, I do t even know where the ship will dock.

Thanks. Looks like Crowne Plaza will fill the bill. I know it’s months away, but it’s too cold to do anything today except stay in and dream.

We went to both Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound on our 2019 Viking WC. Enjoyed them both!

We are almost 14 months out, but I am wondering where to stay in Long Beach the night before our Hawaii trip in Feb. 2024. I know some of the world cruisers who left from LA have stayed the night before and might have a suggestion. We are from LA, but I must say, I’ve never stayed in Long Beach. Do I remember the Crowne Plaza mentioned?