vslparis

On 3/21/2022 at 2:17 PM, beauty1492 said:

Vikking air has been a nightmare for us. We have spent hours and hours on hold. Saturday we check Delta and now we are double booked on first leg, after we have been ticketed.  Seems Delta canceled first flight add a new one. OK I will admit I//m picky where I sit. But now we have lost our seats and there are only a few seats left mostly singles. If this wasn't a bucket list trip I would canceled the whole thing.

You are sure that you have been ticketed (you have the 13 digit ticket number ) ,right ? 
Since your original first segment was cancelled by the airline you can’t be double booked . If both segments show up when you look on delta.com, then that means you haven’t been re ticketed with the new option  and you might want to check with Viking and/or Delta .

With regards to the seats, since I think this is for your June trip (correct?) you have time to keep looking to improve your seating. I would keep checking on delta.com. Remember that upgrades are done for those that have requested them, between 72-24 hours before the flight and that would open up economy seat assignments .Just don’t check in before looking one more time if you haven’t gotten seats together before that time. once you check in , you can’t change your seat assignments until the airport. And remember, better a lousy seat assignment than no seat assignment at all 😏

2 hours ago, The Other Tom said:

Thanks, that makes sense.  But, once ticketed, any changes are really between you and the airline. At least that's how I've always looked at it.   I suppose Viking tries to help with those situations, but they really aren't obligated to do so.  I guess people get mad and upset if they don't help, which is why they delay ticketing.  

Well, that it not necessarily true. Once ticketed  Viking can and should help with schedule changes made by the airlines  ; it just has to be with the same airline . I have had them do that for me.

One  other reason they are holding off ticketing these days is that if there is a major schedule change ( one that causes very long layover for

instance )on the airline that they have on hold , they still have the option to put you on different airline that they have a contract with if that schedule is better. 

Once ticketed , you don't get the option to change airlines which , as you mentioned , upsets people. 

1 hour ago, The Other Tom said:

Maybe things have changed from a few years ago, but it used to be that once the ticket was paid for, then it could be ticketed.  Personally, I'd call back and talk to another agent, and a supervisor if necessary.  But that's just me.

It was that way but since the massive schedule changes due to the Covid situation  , Viking , along with other companies that offer airfare with their cruises and tours, have been delaying their ticketing until closer to the sail

date . It prevents a good bit of extra work by the air department if they don’t have to reissue tickets 3 or 4 times . 

18 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

It truly is magnificent.  I believe you can Google the water taxi location.  It is a bit of a walk through the airport with the bags but darn well worth it.  I have taken the Vaporetto many times but refuse to crowd onboard with a bunch of luggage.  Just rude to the locals.  Not even sure if the Vap goes to the airport.  The water taxi can take you right to your hotel or just about anywhere else you want to go.  Beautiful mahogany (fast) boats.🍸

Jim, there is a special Vaporetto  from the airport to Venice Island 

(https://www.alilaguna.it/en/airport-lidovenicecruise-terminal-or-vice-versa) but having taken it a few times with carry on luggage I can tell you it is a pain . I have seen people with 26 inch ( and larger ) suitcases try to navigate getting on and off and it isn’t pretty . There is a major cost difference between the two methods but since my husband will be still recovering from a shattered humerus ( result of a fall on the WC in January 😕) when we go to Venice in June, we will don our sunglasses and pretend to be movie stars on a private water taxi !  

18 hours ago, SJD117 said:

 

Good to know there's a water taxi from the airport! We fly to Venice next April for two days on our own before we board the ship to Athens. A water taxi will be the perfect way to start the trip.

There are private water taxis from the airport to Venice Island but be prepared for some sticker shock as they tend to be in the $200 - $250 range per boat . But you do really feel like a movie star traveling to Venice Island that way 😎.  It is really great when your hotel has it’s own dock on a side canal or close to the Grand Canal otherwise you might be dragging your luggage a ways.  Your hotel can tell you if they have their own dock or how close a dock is to them. 

54 minutes ago, mhb1757 said:

We used the air plus service several times precovid. Always had knowledgeable agents, good service etc. we always felt it was well worth the additional cost. However working with them this year was a nightmare. Found out later that Viking (along with most other cruise lines, according to my TA) had outsourced Air and Air Plus to a foreign agency. The agency agents were very poorly trained and many problems occurred. Someone posted above that Viking has now brought it back in house. I sure hope this is correct because they made a shambles of our air for our June Baltic cruise (which I ended up canceling anyway, since the itinerary changed significantly). 
 

I sure hope by the time we book air for our next cruise they have managed to find agents that know what they are doing. 

I agree, dealing with new and not very knowledgeable agents this last year was a big problem. Unfortunately, Viking is not the only company to outsource to a foreign agency ( a trend that has been around for several years but seems to be increasing) as they continue to try and get more help while also trying to cut costs. This is when a good TA really comes in handy . 

I have learned to ask for an agent in the US and even then there are no guarantees that they will know what to do beyond the set script. That is where a supervisor has to be called. 

Even as in the past, I always think that it is a good idea to have a few flight schedules that you would like written down before you call or if not doing air plus, then after Viking sends your flight schedule. 

A few points  to understand a bit how these changes come about -

1. no matter how you book a plane ticket ( thru Viking Air Plus or just on your own) , if there is a schedule change made by the airline you can easily wind up with a schedule you don’t like , but generally there are

options ( such as leaving earlier may allow you to make a connection or connecting thru a different city).  

2. Even if your flights are ticketed, a schedule change by the airline will invalidate what you have booked. You can’t fly on a flight that is not operating. 

3. When there is a schedule change, a computer looks for the alternative that its’ programming tells it is the closest to what you had.  Sometimes it can be a major change which could be a 10 hour layover or change of airport ,or even a change of day ( for instance if your airline  is no longer flying non stop to Budapest on Tuesdays, the computer will rebook you to Monday).  Again, it doesn’t mean that what the computer found is the best option for you. You need to either look for alternatives with your chosen airlines ( so you can request those from Viking ) or from another airline which hopefully Viking uses or keep at the Viking air department to find a good alternative.

4. The reason that Viking is not wanting to ticket early is so that if your chosen airline does not have a good alternative for that crazy schedule change, they will be able to offer something on another airline that they use .Once the ticket is ticketed, that option goes out the window and you are stuck with trying to find an alternative with your chosen airline or one of their partners .

5. It is not that Viking is arbitrarily making your schedule change, it is all generated by the airline ( and because of the world situation with Covid, this is happening so much more than before ) .  I guarantee you that Viking would greatly prefer not to have to deal with making any changes 😉.  It doesn’t matter if your flights are ticketed or not; the effects of a schedule change will still happen.

3 hours ago, Rdcjward11 said:

I recently received a notice from Viking telling me that they've changed my cabin from DV6 to DV4, an upgrade of two categories (although the cabins and amenities are identical, it is just one deck higher).  I don't like the location of the new cabin and was told by a representative of Viking that there was nothing they could do about it.  Supposedly, they are renovating the original cabin choice.  I went from middle of the ship several cabins away from the stairs to middle of the ship where everyone will be standing right outside my door for the elevators.  The cruise is not sold out but DV4 is.  Should I insist that they upgrade me again since I liked my old cabin location better than the new one?  Do I have any options?

To answer your question, I would say that yes you have options.  I would  pull up a deck plan and with that in front of you call Viking , explain the situation , that the move was not at your request and you would prefer another location in the same category , then ask the agent to find another available D6 cabin for you.  If the agent says they can’t do

it ( which is not true because I have moved cabins within the same category) , then ask for a supervisor.  As long as there are other D6 cabins available, you should not have to accept one that you feel you will not like. 

You shouldn’t have to be persistent, but you may have to be by calling several times to find a helpful agent or by emailing tellus@vikingcruises.com . 

5 hours ago, KTRaveller said:

So sorry to hear that but it was good to hear that you got appropriate help from Viking Medical.  Maybe when you do cruise again it will be able to be without masks!  Congratulations on the new grandchild.

Thank you. I was amazed at the size of the medical center and  how many people were working there.  They were very efficient and I hope never to have to see them again 😉. Viking’s onshore medical company kept in constant contact to make sure all his medical needs were taken car of , and Mara from Guest Services also was in contact to make sure that we were set in the hospital and I had a hotel. 

Yes, I am hoping by the time of our trip in June  that Covid  testing entry requirements are gone along with mask wearing  but will do what is necessary in order to travel. 

8 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

Oh no!! I am so sorry!! Was it his leg? Arm? I'm glad that they took good care of him in Puerto Vallarta and I sure hope that you are able to do the trips that you have planned for the future. What a disappointment, but I'm glad that he is on the mend.

 

Congratulations on your new grandbaby!

8 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

Oh no!! I am so sorry!! Was it his leg? Arm? I'm glad that they took good care of him in Puerto Vallarta and I sure hope that you are able to do the trips that you have planned for the future. What a disappointment, but I'm glad that he is on the mend.

 

Congratulations on your new grandbaby!

He fractured his humerus in about a dozen places ; not a pretty picture ! Mara from Guest Services was very helpful , sending someone from housekeeping to help me pack, and was a pit bull in dealing with the local port agent and customs officials  ( I let them duke it out and told them when they figured it out they could find me at the Living Room bar  🤣) . Yes, this was a major disappointment and going to doctor’s appointments and taking him to PT was not how I planned on spending my time ,but we are thankful that he didn’t hit his head or had any kind life threatening injuries. He still has one good arm to hold our grandson ! 

5 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I am SO sorry to hear this.  But glad you are home, have a new grandchild, and I have my fingers crossed for your next trip!

Thanks . It took awhile before I could start reading the blogs that are posted as it was a bit depressing but now I am living vicariously thru the two blogs posted here and another one that I get via email.  Going down to San Antonio next week to meet our grandson 😀 and have started looking for a Viking trip for later this year.  We are booked in August 2023 on the Saturn from Bergen to NY .

Just now, SantaFe1 said:

Thank you.  Haven’t heard from you lately.  Hope you are enjoying the cruise.  

Unfortunately , we had to get off in Puerto Vallarta because my husband tripped and fell in the WC 😬. Viking medical arranged for him to see an orthopedic doctor there so I checked him into the hospital and myself into an all inclusive hotel about 5 minutes from the hospital . He had surgery and we had to stay in PV  about a total of 10 days before flying home to DFW . Not the way I planned on spending the first 4 months of the year .

now I am hoping that he will be OK to travel in June when we have a Greek Is.es trip with his sister and brother in law.  On the plus side , we were home when our first grandchild was born last Saturday 🥰

47 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I don’t quite know where to post this, but on our 2019 WC I celebrated my birthday 3 years ago today.  So I guess that’s how they knew, but today I got a personalized birthday card from Viking.  Now that’s something!  Definitely good PR!

Happy Birthday !

It wasn't until our 3rd Viking cruise that I even knew that there was a Cinema 1 & 2 ,and then until our aborted WC this year ( due to my husband falling and fracturing his humerus in multiple place 😬)  that I knew how those Cinemas got there.  

18 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

It was Aaron Syfert on the Ft Lauderdale to LA segment. Not sure if it still is, but he was the best CD we ever had.

Yes, it is still Aaron.

46 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

Maybe this is posted above and I missed it.  The flyer we got in our cabins this afternoon says that we will meet in the Star Theatre at 10am on Sunday.  World Horizons from LA will leave as planned.  "It is anticipated that we will rejoin the current scheduled itinerary from March 29 Jeddah continuing to London and Bergen as planned.".  Therefore we will find out on Sunday where we go from Los Angeles until we get to Jeddah on March 29th!  Where we go, only Viking knows!

Interesting that my email does not mention rejoining the original itinerary in Jeddah . I am OK with that( I think 😉) . We have our Covid tes5 tomorrow morning and then I changed our DFW TO LA flight to after the webinar just to make sure  , but this sounds good to me.

I agree with @broker1217 , Viking definitely uses the information obtained by Verifly . They don’t necessarily ask for it at check in since the information is already uploaded to your profile. When we checked in for our cruise in Iceland, the agent there  mentioned that they had our Covid info already noted in Verifly .

It is also a way for the passenger to know that they have gathered the correct information needed to board the ship.

We also use it when we fly on Internationally on AA ( as it is part of the One World airlines  that use Verifly) ; instead of having to take out our Covid cards and PCR test results at the airport , the agents just check our Verifly APP .  

16 hours ago, sleepybobo said:

 

I followed the Sea 11/29 Barcelona to San Juan roll call.  So this is not news to me.

 

Back to Covid, now that there's more evident that Omicron will be a major wave in the US in the coming weeks.  Anyone who will be cruising in the next few weeks has second thought?

 

I still plan to go.  But can't say I'm not worried.

Set to do the World Horizons 119 day trip in a few weeks.  No second thoughts.

14 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

Iceland seemed SO short a trip!  But, Unfortunately, we get off the day you get on.  Early on we decided not to do a WC this year and changed to just the Panama Canal cruise, leaving on Dec. 24 and ending Jan. 10.   Luggage Forward picked up our bags yesterday.  Not the only thing standing between us and the cruise is a negative Covid test.  

Too bad, I thought that we would finally get to meet.  Our next scheduled Viking trip is on 02 August 2023 on the Viking Saturn from Bergen to NY .

6 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

Thanks, as always.  We fly in 12 days.  

 A pleasure, as always !  Even though we missed each other on the Iceland trip, we have 4 months to get that drink in the Explorers Lounge 🥃. We are in cabin 5034 .  Valerie and Ray Lederle 

On 12/9/2021 at 4:29 PM, SantaFe1 said:

I used to have this number but can’t find it  would you an able to post ir on this thread. Thanks. We fly in two weeks. 
 

Here you go - 877-523-0576

I see both my bookings just fine.

2 hours ago, eylarson said:

We make the final payment to Viking using e-check for the discount.  However, our Travel Agent requires us to pay 7.6% of the balance using a credit card paid to the Travel Agent.  Has that been your experience?  

I am a TA and can tell you that this is not how any payment to Viking ( or any other cruise/tour company ) should work.  I would question that ( is the charge to your card going to show from the agency itself or still show as being charged by Viking ) and tell them that you want to pay in full directly to Viking to get the full amount of the discount . It’s not like the agent’s commission is going to be reduced by you getting that echeck discount so I can’t see any logical reason why they want you to pay that 7.6% via credit card. 

1 minute ago, SantaFe1 said:

My thoughts exactly!  And I have many of them.  With all this turmoil I am truly surprised that there are any passengers out there on Viking ships right now.

I also think that some passengers are getting a little too worked up about this though. Perhaps leaning towards the within 72 hours of departure rather than within 72 hours of boarding the ship since the testing can be done in the US . Of course imagine  that all of them are arriving more than 3 days before the cruise  . Maybe not , and I don’t mean to disparage anyone’s choices, just think that maybe we all need to take a deep breath here. . 

I have my own thoughts as to what I would have my clients do or what I would do myself. 

Also meant to clarify that the no Covid test needed to enter Spain and Florida is for US passengers . UK and some others do need the test.

4 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

We have discussed this thoroughly on our roll call for the TA Nov. 29 on the Sea out of Barcelona. We have spoken with a Viking agent and received verification in writing that we only need to do ONE test within 72 hours before our first flight on Nov. 26. We are testing Nov. 23 and have confirmation from Viking that that is sufficient.

Oh my, based on this and the two different responses below for Florida sailings it seems like Viking’s policies are caught in a testing vortex and spinning out of control😏.  On the plus side, neither of these two trips require the passenger to be tested in order to enter the country which has a much greater consequence than showing up to the ship with something Viking says it needs to board you .   It will be interesting to see what that final instructions email says . 

I would just be brining a copy of the email showing it was OK to do what you did and let them work it out.