Dukefan

It appears that all six of Vikings Ships are headed to the UK and/or Norway.   

Viking Star - currently near London

Viking Sun - currently headed to London

Viking Jupiter - currently in the Mid Atlantic headed toward Europe

Viking Sky -  currently in the Mid Atlantic headed toward Europe

Viking Sea - currently north of the UK headed toward Norway

Viking Orion - currently headed west under Australia (since Alaska is its next scheduled cruise site in appears to be headed toward Europe instead)

What do you think the plan is ?

7 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

It would seem that Viking has some sort of relationship with Trip Mate that allows it to act as, essentially, a middleman and that there are agreements in regard to cancellations that the latter must abide by. Neither you nor I are privy to all the machinations going on. People are distressed that, having paid insurance to Viking, Viking is unwilling to refund same. Folks are used to dealing with the entity to whom funds were paid. I was one of those people ----- having a tidy pile of credit and not being able to use it rankles.

Duquepart,

I don't know your business background but almost all companies form partnerships with other companies to expand the services they provide,  Some of these partnerships result in special terms, for instance Vikings partnership with certain air carriers probably allows them to get a full refund when a cruise is canceled (something you as an individual may not be able to obtain without paying full fare).     Viking's insurance partner is Trip Mate.     This relationship may result in Viking receiving a commission on the policies they issue or a special price for insurance that they can pass on to their clients.   In any case, your insurance provider is Trip Mate.  Viking provided you the details of their policy and you chose it hopefully because you thought their policy provided you good value for your money.  Hopefully, before you purchased the policy, you reviewed their terms and conditions and decided that they were right for you.    Viking didn't twist your arm or force you to buy from them.   Viking simply shared with you their policy information and recommended that you get insurance for your trip.   At my age (mid 70's) I always buy insurance but I seldom buy it from my travel provider.   Since I have various types of coverage provided by my former employer, my credit card companies and personal insurance, I only want certain types of additional coverage depending on the trip that I am taking.  If I would take Viking's Trip Mate policy I would be paying for certain parts of their coverage for which I am already covered.  In any case, the bottom line is that your insurance is form Trip Mate and while Viking did act as Trip Mates selling agent, Viking has no obligation to you under the policy for providing you a refund - that is up to Trip Mate based on the terms and conditions of your policy.   This is why I think Viking is going the extra mile in "costumer service" by providing you a full future cruise credit for the cost of the policy.  I am sure that if you read your policies terms and conditions you will find nothing in them that requires this action on their part.   My advise is to quit complaining about Viking and thank them for doing this for you.

Viking provides Trip Mate Insurance but Trip Mate Insurance is not part of Viking.  They are an independent company that is used by many in the travel industry.    The rules on what they cover and whether they rebate any money paid to them are Trip Mates rules and are spelled out in your policy.  The fact that Viking is welling to provide a Future Cruise Credit for the cost of Trip Mate Insurance is surprising and again shows the "customer focus" Viking has.   Most companies would tell you to work out any concerns you have with Trip Mate directly and just provide you with the information you need to contact them.    As an aside,   we generally buy our own insurance for travel useless a travel agency's or a travel provider's insurance is a better policy value.  It rarely is.  

This decision by Viking does not appear to be a decision by a company that has any major short term financial concerns:

http://crew-center.com/viking-crew-receive-goodwill-payment-new-hires-eligible-financial-support

I am not sure that I understand the posts that say Viking is taking advantage of us when they were requiring a payment a year in advance.  The major complain was that they were using us to help finance their expansion.

Well the facts are:

1) Viking like every other cruise line is in business to make money.

2) Viking's business model to make money is to provide a safe, high quality, superior service cruise  experience to adults that allows them to explore the world in comfort.

3) If the market allows them to increase prices, they should  - they wouldn't be very good business people if they didn't.

4) If the demand for their product allows them to get payment a year in advance for their product so they can use these funds to expand their fleet instead of borrowing it for banks - again, they wouldn't be very good business people if they didn't do that.

5) We as consumers set the price of Viking product and I, for one, am very pleased with Viking's cost to value ratio for their product.

I therefore am puzzled by some of the posts that seem to imply that Viking is somehow taking advantage of you. Viking owes you nothing.   You each determine what your own personal price to value ratio is and probably act accordingly.  Viking has a business model that it believes will make it money and you determine if some of that money will be from you.   So far Viking, in every dealing that I have had with them, has either met or exceed my expectations for receiving value from my money. As long as this continues they will continue to earn my business.

Heidi13,

I have looked forward to your posts every day for the last month.   Your cruise has been a pleasure to experience with you via the cruise critic board at a time when so many other pleasures are on hold.

Thank you!!!

DukeFan 

We always try to book an Aft cabin on Deck 6 because we like the overhang.   It provides more protection from the weather (both rain and sun).   As for the view if you go to the railing your view is not blocked for photos unless you are trying to get a photo of the sky.  I do not believe "TayanaLorna"'s photo in a previous post was taken from the railing on the veranda but from a chair or maybe even the doorway since none of my photos from the railing have ever showed the overhang.

Because of the current conditions I recently canceled a Viking Cruise 85 days before it was due to depart.   According to the Terms & Conditions that I agreed to when I booked this cruise over a year ago, I should have only gotten 65% of my fare back.   Viking gave me a voucher for 100% of my fare because of COVID-19.   Based on the Terms & Conditions that my purchase was made under, they didn't need to do this.   I believe they were more that fair with me.   

The cruise that I was booked on is still over 60 days away.   It was my decision to cancel because we felt uncomfortable traveling in today's environment, so we made the decision to cancel.   For the folks that are still booked, if Viking cancels this cruise that they are prepared  to go on and they get a 125% voucher and we don't get the additional 25%, I will still think that we were treated more than fair.  

5 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

@Dukefan, the next once-in-a-Decade event I'm looking forward to after Dubai is

Amsterdam's 2022 Floriade

https://floriade.com/en/at-the-expo/

https://tulipsinholland.com/floriade/

 

"The Floriade is an international garden festival and exhibition that is held every ten years in the Netherlands."  Yes there are a ton of stunning tulips in beautiful fields.  But it's so much more... really like a horticultural World Fair of it's own.

I went to the one in 2002 - one of my fave experiences ever.

Missed 2012.

I must see 2022 Floriade.

 

 

You can email me at 
TravelInsuranceCompared@gmail.com
though I've paused my spreadsheet comparison for now...

Can I hire you are my vacation consulate? Just joking but seriously thanks for the travel idea! 

50 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

 

Exactly. 

True at any age, but more impactful with each year.

 

Then there are the truly Once-in-a-lifetime events.  

Example:  the Dubai World Fair.   (aka "Expo 2020 Dubai")

I went to Dubai to speak at a conference in 2017, and LOVED it. 

Was SO looking forward to this as a Christmas vacation:  

https://www.expo2020dubai.com/

 

You can email me at 
TravelInsuranceCompared@gmail.com
though I've paused my spreadsheet comparison for now...

Wow!   The Dubai World Fair looks interesting and as a bonus the Three Day Pass is free for folks above 65 years of age.  Probably can't make it in December but maybe during the winter trip we take each year when there are no home Duke Basketball games.  Thanks for telling us about it!!

34 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

 

Agreed. 

 

In addition, people may want smaller ships going forward.   This favors Viking.

 

@Dukefan, as someone who camped overnight in K-ville for 4 awesome seasons of bball, March Madness cancellation was another emotion destroyer this week. 

 

Between 'small things' like that cancellation, SXSW cancellation,  cruise news,  and the scale of the 'big things' like the human tragedy unfolding and economic value destroyed,  this does seem worse than 9-11. 

 

 

You can email me at 

TravelInsuranceCompared@gmail.com

though I've paused my spreadsheet comparison for now...

As Duke Men's and Women's season ticket holders this has been a kick in the butt.   The Men's ACC Tournament was cancelled just hours before Duke played.   Both Men and Women qualified for the "Big Dance" and it gets cancelled. I take some wine classes at Duke and they were cancelled.  Then yesterday Canada announces they are closing Vancouver to cruises ships until July 1st (we had a Viking Alaska and Inside Passage Cruise all of there scheduled for June 25th).   Three months is a long time, so we will see what happens between now and then.   Viking says they are working on it.  It has been that kind of year for many of us cruise folks - Wait and See!   We have another cruise on Viking this year in early October out of Venice  - hopefully things get better by then and allow us to make that cruise.   When you are in your 70's, you really hate missing major vacations because you have no idea how many are left.  But all of these disappointments are nothing compared to the folks that have actually gotten this virus! 

I envy your K-Ville experience - we were in school before K-Ville got started!

We are booked out on Vancouver on June 25th.   Because of Canada's announcement yesterday, Viking connected us to say they were looking into what they can do.  Three months is a long time in situations like this.   I guess we will wait and see like so many cruise passengers have done this year.

We have a second cruise this year booked out on Venice in early October.   Hopefully if the Alaska cruise gets scrapped, it will still be a go.     

1 hour ago, Squawkman said:

Totally disagree. If my cancelled cruise was in April and not next week, I probably would have waited. But my doctor insisted that I shouldn’t go so soon. Gee, will it hurt anyone if we who cancelled a few days before got the extra 25% to use towards another cruise? This is a difficult choice for Viking, which is why they’re taking some time to make a decision.

Would it hurt anyone?   In fact, yes, it could hurt everyone.   I believe Viking, like any good business management team, looked at the current situation, their desire for customer loyalty, their cash flow and their bottom line and make a decision to make the offer that they made to the folks whose cruises they were canceling at the time they were canceling them.  If this offer leaked over to folks that were  not in the category of folks that were not in their evaluation, it could have a negative financial impact and thus ultimately end up hurting every future Viking cruise customer.   

That said, I understand your feeling a little disappointed that if you had waited a few more days you might have gotten a better deal.  But ultimately you made your decision on the offer that was available at that time.   

We personally have two cruises booked on Viking this year.   We have not yet cancelled either one, but to be honest with you, since my wife and I each have some health issues and are in our 70's, we could end up cancelling one or both of these cruises.  The good news is that if we do cancel, we will be able to roll over 100% of the money we have paid Viking for a future cruise, thanks to their more than generous offer they made to all currently booked passengers on March 2nd that allows them to cancel a cruise 24 hours in advance.  If we do cancel I do not expect nor do I believe I should expect more.   Since we booked our air fare ourselves on both these cruises we will experience a loss unless the airlines cancel the flights.     

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

We are in the middle of a global pandemic.  Cities, states, entire countries are practically shutting down.  I can't think of anything in my lifetime that is even remotely similar to this, certainly not buying a car.  In this unprecedented crisis, I think as a matter of fairness, everyone should be treated the same.   We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, and hope that we all stay healthy.    

I was not equating the coronavirus to buying a car.   My point is that if someone chooses to cancel their cruise that they are in a different category than someone who cruise is cancelled by the cruise line.  If you have every purchased cruise insurance they treat folks that choose to cancel their cruise differently than those whose cruises are cancelled by the cruise line.  They are two different categories of people.   I don't believe this is that difficult to understand.  I do agree that everyone in the same category needs to be treated the same and I believe Viking is treating everyone in the same category the same.   There is a third category that we haven't even discussed and that is folks that cancelled prior to the March 2 offer that allowed folks to cancel up to 24 hours before their cruise and receive 100% credit toward a future cruise.   Do you feel folks in this category should also have the credits increased by 25%?  We can agree to disagree but I feel each of these three categories are different.   And I further believe that Viking has treated each of these categories more than fair. 

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

You're missing something important here.  Viking on March 2 announced a new, temporary policy in light of coronavirus specifically to deal with these imminent cruises --- cancel and get a FCV or re-book, without penalty, even though folks were in the 100% penalty period.   People sailing in the very near future acted in reliance on that new policy, which effectively invited people to cancel (or rebook)  these imminent cruises, for obvious reasons.

I do not believe that policy was made to invite folks to cancel (or rebook).   I believe it was made to allow folks to make a decision up until 24 hours before their cruise rather to book or stay.   I believe that policy was issued to encourage folks not to cancel but to wait.  It was issued to relieve some of the tension that was being experienced at what to do with regard to upcoming cruises.   Since I have two cruises booked with Viking this year, that was how I looked at it.   I do not think if I purchased a new car and got a $1000 rebate and then two days after I purchased that car, they started offering $2000 rebates that I would be entitled to an additional $1000.  I made my decision based on what was available to me and considered it an acceptable deal.     Do you think in the case described above that the dealer should offer me to additional $1000?  What if I had purchased the car two months ago?  Would that change your answer?

It is not unreasonable for Viking to treat folks that cancel on their own differently than they treat the folks that they cancelled.   In the first case you made a decision that you felt was best for you with a complete understanding of the deal you were receiving.  In the second case, your cruise was cancelled and you therefore had no choice.    That said, it will be interesting to see what Viking does since they have a history of doing more than is required.

I believe Viking Management has demonstrated its ability to make sound business decisions for the 23 years it has been in existence.   It has grown from a small River cruise enterprise into the major River cruise organization and into one of the top ocean cruise companies in the world.  Based on past performance, I do not believe this privately held company's  management would make any offers that it feels would be financially destructive to its stability and growth.  Do you folk's have some private knowledge of this company's finance situation that causes you to question their management's approach to dealing with this event?

The  "Magical Mystery Tour" may be the safest place in the world right now.  Everyone has been tested, no one new entering your environment, "coaches" making sure everyone washes their hands, no new folks being allowed on-board, etc. - tell me one other spot in the world that has as controlled environment. Plus you get pampered by the wonderful Viking crew.   I am envious!!!!!

Edgewater601,

As of this morning there are 23 cases of the virus in Washington State, most of which are in one retirement home.  This could change but as of now I would see no reason not to fly through the Seattle Airport.   In fact, we are flying into Vancouver to start our Alaska Cruise in June but  through Seattle on our return.   At this point, I have seen nothing that causes me concern.

Dukefan

We have similar concerns on our port schedules and excursions for our June 25 Vancouver to Seward Alaska and Inside Passage Cruise. (Check out our Roll Call for this discussion)   I have contacted TellUs@vikingcruises.com several times for various classifications.  They say they will let us know but so far nothing.   I can understand when schedule changes happen while on a cruise due to weather or ship problems but to not have your port schedules and excursions set less than six months before a cruise in my opinion is a serious lack of planning.   A cruise passenger can enhance their cruise experience by researching and planning their various port options.   This research becomes extremely difficult if you don't know for sure  when you are scheduled to be in port or if you don't know which port you will be in (Haines or Skagway for instance).  I have been a tremendous Viking Ocean fan but I am seriously questioning rather they now have gotten so large that they can no longer effectively manage their business.  If this is the case it would be a terrible shame.  I believe a final payment shouldn't ever be required until a cruise company can tell you their port schedules yet I believe everyone on the June 25th cruise has already made their final payment.  

Thank you Old Biddy!   This helps alot!

Has anyone taken the Viking Transfer post cruise from Seward to Anchorage?   Is it by Bus or Train?   What time does it depart?  We have an evening flight out of ANC.

Thanks for your help.

I was just reviewing the 2019 list of the best restaurants in the world and Copenhagen has SIX on the list (two in the top 5)!

No. 2 - Noma

No. 5 - Geranium

No. 56 - Relae

No. 85 - Amass

No. 89 - "108"

No. 105 - Kadeau

What a "Foodie" City!!!!

We love the Deck Six Aft Staterooms.   This is mainly because there is an overhang above that allows you to be protected (a little from the sun or a light rain).  If you look at the Deck Six deck plan on the Viking website you can see the overhang.  The overhang starts at about Stateroom 6070 on the Port side of the ship and about Stateroom 6071 on the Starboard side of the ship.  The overhang is greater the further back you go.   We prefer the areas from Stateroom 6086 and back on the Port side and 6087 and back on the Starboard side.   We also prefer Staterooms with a sliding glass door.   Putting these two things together it results in us always trying to book Staterooms 6086, 6088, and 6094 on the Port side or Staterooms 6087, 6089, or 6095 on the Starboard side.  The other Staterooms in this area of the ship have a hinged and windowed door with a separate window.  Hope this helps.

Thanks Soundcruiser for your comments.  I think Norled may be the safest bet!