stephenandrew

You might take a sweater for the dining rooms…I found them to be a bit chilly.

FWIW, If you are unable to book this with Viking, I wouldn’t worry. You can book this same excursion independently….just google it to find the company/website. Instead of relying on Viking getting you to the excursion, you’ll just need to catch a cab, which won’t be a problem.

We went to Virgin Gorda on our own…took Sensations Ferry at 8:30 am, and returned on their 1:45 pm Ferry. They have a “package” where they will drive you from the pier in VG to the Baths and back with RT Ferry tickets for a reasonable price…I forget what it is, but way cheaper than Viking. Easy to do yourself. We booked an Island Tour with a guy named “Royston” on St Kitts. He will take you pretty much wherever you want to go—-we saw the entire Island….lots of scenic views, hit the beach, saw a fort. You can get his contact info on the St Kitts port of call Board. Caution: it is not a deluxe tour—-his Toyota van is uber run down, but it adds to the experience. Nice kid too. St Lucia we used Israel King and took a speed boat tour around the island….hit some beaches, did some snorkeling. If you want to do some hiking ad go to the volcanic baths, you can do that too. Jerome was our Captain….very nice guy as was his first mate—-Chris. We booked their larger boat….Israel King II….very comfortable. St Thomas…we used Stormy Pirates out if Red Hook and took a cat ride for 6 hours….snorkeling, lunch, sailing. By far our favorite excursion, but we had perfect weather. The owner is a bit particular about how she handles things, but the entire operation is well done, very professional. I’d do this trip 100 times more.

We did not take any of the Viking excursions except for the included (free) walking tour of Old San Juan. I’m not a big fan of group tours, but the the San Juan walking tour was pretty decent—-good guide, saw some interesting sights, time spent was appropriate at different places, etc. For the other islands we booked our own excursions and got a few suggestions on the port of call boards here. We like snorkeling and sailing so that’s where most of our focus was, but we did take one island tour on St Kitts. You can walk into town for all of the ports—-you should have no trouble hiring a taxi at any of them. We were partial to Virgin Gorda, St Lucia and St Thomas, but we spent all our time on the water or at the beach on those places which is kind of our thing.

We just got back from the 12/20 to 12/30 cruise. This was our first Viking experience. It was very nice and we enjoyed ourselves, but based on our experience I wouldn’t be rushing back just to sail Viking. If we found a cruise with an attractive itinerary, price, and schedule, we would certainly consider another Viking cruise, but I’m not sure taking what is essentially a standard Southern Caribbean cruise on Viking represents a fabulous value. Don’t get me wrong, the food, service, cabins, etc. were all solid (though not without issue) but for the price, I think you can get a nearly equivalent experience for less money. This may have to do with the itinerary…Caribbean ports are “standard” places to visit, and the things people like to do are go the beach, sail, snorkel, shop, etc. I can see where being on a smaller ship that is run by an entity that specializes in more “exotic” ports of call would be superior to larger mainstream cruise lines, but I just don’t see Viking adding a lot of value for this itinerary. Again, I’m sure you will enjoy yourself…it is overall a very nice experience. I know I could have taken a similar itinerary for a significantly lower fare…and for me, Viking doesn’t add enough value to justify paying for this itinerary. I’m happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

That makes complete sense. The idea that they would not allow you to rebook the same sate after you canceled the original booking does not.

From the original post, I'm under the impression that Viking won't allow poster to cancel their cruise and rebook the same itinerary/date. Just strikes me as unfriendly customer policy. I didn't recall vouchers being part of the issue in question.

Not that I don’t believe you, but why would Viking require you to book another date? If you cancel, you are subject to losing your deposit…and the agreement between you and Viking would be over. If you call back the next day and book the same cruise, wouldn’t it be just like starting over…new deposit, new terms, etc? If they don’t let you do that, I’d be kinda pissed.

Hi….if I understand you correctly, the promotional change would allow you to get a cheaper airfare and hold on to your cash for a few extra months. I don’t know how Viking does things, but in a worse case, wouldn’t you just be able to cancel your original booking with a loss of your deposit ($100 for two people), and be able to rebook? If the savings from the new airfare is more than $100, you’d come out ahead, plus having the benefit of a not paying in full until later. Hopefully, Viking and your TA will come up with a resolution that makes you happy.

Maybe try harder

Always interesting to see different perspectives on financial matters. I’m sorry Viking’s early payment policy seems to be an impediment to your continued travels on their ships. Fortunately there are many other options.

If your total cruise fare totaled $50,000, paying 18 months in advance effectively means paying about $3100 more at today’s risk free interest rates. Seems to me by saying you don’t want to pay, you are balking at paying $53,000 for a cruise that you would willingly pay $50,000 for, which is of course a perfectly reasonable perspective. I just sort of add the lost interest to the base price of the cruise and decide how to proceed on a cost basis.

I dunno. Seems to me one video on YouTube by a current or ex-Viking employee would make it pretty easy for everyone to know Viking’s tip distribution policy.

I agree. You don’t say otherwise, but I do think it’s worth noting that this is a public (and pretty much anonymous) forum, so one can express anything they want, but they need to be open to (or at least expect) possible disagreement with any opinions shared.

I’m sure they are dancing “on the inside” when you make your entrance after an absence. Some people dance cerebrally.

I’d hate to see the intensity of your reaction to something that was more significant.

FWIW, I’d suggest using a TA for booking any cruise. In my experience, many of them are able to secure the same booking for you but are able to offer on-board credits or even lower fares than what the cruise lines will offer if you book directly. I’d ask your friends, do some on-line research, etc. to locate an agent that you like.

I really don’t think that is the message you should take….you clearly have a lot of useful information about commercial flights, at least that’s what I have thought based on reading your previous posts. But I think your statement “Hope you know what you bought” probably came across to the poster as patronizing (that’s how I certainly thought it would be interpreted) and in turn, prompted their response. I think your info is great…I never knew business class could mean coach seating with nobody in the middle. I’d just suggest you take a moment to think about how you convey your considerable knowledge, so the responses are focused on the info you bring to the table, and not the manner in which you raise the issue itself.

If any cruise line promises to make some accommodation under your family’s challenging circumstances that differs from their standard cancellation/refund/voucher policy, I would suggest that you get that promise in writing (in triplicate, notarized, witnessed by 3 independent parties, etc) from the cruise line before giving them your funds. The last thing you want to is to be arguing with the cruise line about them not honoring their promise should you need to cancel because of reasons involving your grand daughter. I wish you and your family the best.

Interesting thought re the impact of COVID and current “behavior”… I hadn’t really ever considered the sorts of social impacts that being “locked down” would be perpetuated moving forward. The only thing though….I can understand/see that impacting the behavior of kids…if you’re 10 years old, 10%+ of your entire life was spent in severe pandemic conditions….I can see that impacting behavior…at least temporarily. But, I would think adults (who are often the perpetrators of the bad behavior) would be better adjusted. Strange times whatever the reason.

I don’t think it is just Viking. Rightly or wrongly, folks are far more “casual” with regard to dress and how they comport themselves now. I personally would be more comfortable if cruise lines, airlines, restaurants, theaters enforced a more “traditional” level of dress and a more “respectful/courteous” manner of guest behavior, but I’m absolutely in the minority….businesses are going to accept and adapt to customer behavior that maximizes their bottom line, and even those that are more “restrictive” don’t want to have to become confrontational with guests. I need to become more flexible.

I think this is about right. If one is adamant about the specificity of their travel (like I often am) then it probably makes sense to manage things without Viking’s assistance. If one is more relaxed about their travel arrangements (like I wish I were), then utilizing Viking for assistance with airfare would probably be very satisfactory. Can you imagine being a Viking employee dealing with thousands of different customers with thousands of different air travel preferences? Combine that with the normal difficulties customer service people face when dealing with a some times (maybe often times ?) difficult public, and you have a tough gig.

My opinions…and they may not be shared by others. I think the “warnings” provided by cruise lines, tour providers etc. for excursions are often, like those provided for the Drift Snorkel, exaggerated. It is definitely not like being in a wide, open body of water with an infinite amount of space and no current where you can snorkel absentmindedly without regard for your surroundings. But if you are a reasonable swimmer who has snorkeled before and pay attention to your surroundings while you are snorkeling, the Drift Snorkel is only a mild challenge. And it is a lot of fun. Also, I think you can have plenty of time at the Motu if you do the Drift Snorkel in the AM. The combination of these two activities made for a great day.

I’m no scientist, but from the reading I have done, there seems to be a fair amount of skepticism from knowledgeable sources that alcohol-based gels and wipes are effective “weapons” against the novo virus. After making your selection from the buffet, it might be prudent to wash your hands with soap and water before picking up your utensils and enjoying your meal. Of course this likely means using a public bathroom…….and round and round we go. Using a towel/wipe to pick up the serving utensils on the buffet sounds like a sensible idea to me.

Yuck. I am now forever doomed to bypass the self serve ice cream dispenser. Ha.