VIKING 75% credit on future cruise

[Amtico]

I felt it might be a good idea to explain the reality of the 75% credit on future cruise offer by Viking (applicable to the Danube Waltz Cruise - 2 June 2013) - so there are no misunderstandings. Someone asked me a couple of questions about it earlier.

 

The offer is - 75% of the price paid for the 'cruise' I have just undertaken can be deducted from a future cruise price.

 

So, if I chose to go on a 2014 Danube Waltz cruise, where the prices have inevitably gone up - I would not get a full 75% off.

 

The Danube Waltz being only a week long cruise is one of the cheapest cruises Viking offer. So to choose a more expensive cruise from their catalogue would reduce the credit percentage still further.

 

Their current offer within the UK of £1000 off the price per person is only being advertised as applicable until the end of June 2013, on 2014 sailings too - the credit is applicable to whatever the published price is at the time of booking.

 

I felt it important to clarify that - it is most definitely NOT a straight 75% off ANY future Viking Cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I understand that this is in reply to a post in another thread asking for clarification. But the offer as explained is exactly what I had assumed it would be. This is how such offers usually play out.

 

Why would someone (I'm not saying this is your situation exactly) who paid for the cheapest cabin on the cheapest cruise expect that "75% off" meant they could get a Penthouse on the most expensive cruise for 25% of the cost of their earlier cheap cabin?

 

You have a dollar credit, calculated at 75% of what you had paid for the deficient cruise, that you can use against the sale price of the future cruise of your choosing. So you're not even forced to take the same cruise again, and you can combine this credit with any other sale offer.

 

This is still much better than the mileage guarantees on car tires: a discount pro-rated on the wear of the old tire taken off the LIST PRICE of the new tire, so that you often would have to pay even more than the "street" price.

[Mark_T]

I felt it might be a good idea to explain the reality of the 75% credit on future cruise offer by Viking (applicable to the Danube Waltz Cruise - 2 June 2013) - so there are no misunderstandings.

 

Not really sure why anyone would misunderstand or expect anything other than what you have described.

 

Seems like a very reasonable offer, to me at least.

[MarkBearSF]

Of course that makes sense once one thinks about it for a minute.

 

However, I'd bet if you stopped a person on the street and said someone got "a 75% discount on a future cruise," they'd incorrectly just apply the discount to the next cruise's price. So, someone unfamiliar with cruise details upon hearing that phrase could be confused. There should be no penalty for making oneself clear.

 

For what it's worth, "a 75% credit from the old cruise towards a new cruise" might be misinterpreted less often.

[Amtico]

Thank you Mark. :)

 

The question was brought up on another thread and I also had a private message asking me to clarify, hence my post.

 

 

 

 

Of course that makes sense once one thinks about it for a minute.

 

However, I'd bet if you stopped a person on the street and said someone got "a 75% discount on a future cruise," they'd incorrectly just apply the discount to the next cruise's price. So, someone unfamiliar with cruise details upon hearing that phrase could be confused. There should be no penalty for making oneself clear.

 

For what it's worth, "a 75% credit from the old cruise towards a new cruise" might be misinterpreted less often.

[CruisinGert]

I felt it might be a good idea to explain the reality of the 75% credit on future cruise offer by Viking (applicable to the Danube Waltz Cruise - 2 June 2013) - so there are no misunderstandings. Someone asked me a couple of questions about it earlier.

 

The offer is - 75% of the price paid for the 'cruise' I have just undertaken can be deducted from a future cruise price.

 

So, if I chose to go on a 2014 Danube Waltz cruise, where the prices have inevitably gone up - I would not get a full 75% off.

 

The Danube Waltz being only a week long cruise is one of the cheapest cruises Viking offer. So to choose a more expensive cruise from their catalogue would reduce the credit percentage still further.

 

Their current offer within the UK of £1000 off the price per person is only being advertised as applicable until the end of June 2013, on 2014 sailings too - the credit is applicable to whatever the published price is at the time of booking.

 

I felt it important to clarify that - it is most definitely NOT a straight 75% off ANY future Viking Cruise.

I understand your post, Amtico, & I agree with you -- it needed some explanation.

 

To me "75% off" meant just that -- 75% off the same cruise, in the same category cabin, at a future date. I never thought for heartbeat it meant 75% off ANY cruise, in ANY category of cabin, as Jazzbeau stated. I expected that should I choose a more expensive cruise, or a higher category of cabin, I would pay the difference.

 

And, yes, that is quite different than receiving a credit of 75% of what you paid. Prices do go up ... your 75% is not truly 75% any longer.

 

And as far as "What do you expect?" -- I expect a river cruise. I expect the river cruise I've paid for. If I had wanted a bus tour, I would've gone to Globus.

 

I was on a scuba diving cruise several years ago, when one of the engines failed. Instead of 4 days of diving on Guanaja, Roatan, Belize & Cozumel, we received 2 days of diving on Cozumel. That company gave all of us a free cruise, to be used within one year. Their rates were higher the following year, but we didn't have to pay the difference. 100% meant 100%. I don't remember hearing one complaint.

 

Yes, Viking is out a lot of money. So are it's passengers, and not just for the cruise. Flights, hotels, change fees, etc. are costs we will not get back. I don't think it's too much to ask Viking for compensation of the same cruise, in the same category of cabin. I was more lucky than some -- on my 15 day cruise, we cruised for 1 day.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

Keith

[freddie]

Amtico - I now understand the 75% offer; but I am not clear regarding what other compensation, if any, was offered for the "non-cruise". Did Viking offer any sort of actual refund of $$$ that you'd paid? A refund is quite different from a future cruise credit, which is merely a discount on a future cruise and something that might be of no interest to someone who no longer trusts Viking.

[Amtico]

As of this moment Viking have only offered the future cruise credit.

 

If this changes - I shall, of course, post an update.

 

 

 

 

Amtico - I now understand the 75% offer; but I am not clear regarding what other compensation, if any, was offered for the "non-cruise". Did Viking offer any sort of actual refund of $$$ that you'd paid? A refund is quite different from a future cruise credit, which is merely a discount on a future cruise and something that might be of no interest to someone who no longer trusts Viking.

[cgoing]

Agree with Amtico and would add that a credit from Viking would have to be spent with a Company that I wouldn't again trust with my safety, let alone that of my Wife.

I may well want to Cruise the Danube again but I'm afraid Viking would not be one of my choices.

[CruisinGert]

As of this moment Viking have only offered the future cruise credit.

 

If this changes - I shall, of course, post an update.

 

As far as i know, Viking has not refunded any portion of post-cruises, either. Anyone who paid in full for a post cruise, even though they left the cruise early, will only receive a 75% credit. When I spoke w/ Viking Customer Service, she told me they do not give refunds. Credits only.

[heathcharnock]

a credit from Viking would have to be spent with a Company that I wouldn't again trust with my safety, let alone that of my Wife.

 

What in the present unfortunate situation gives you any grounds whatsoever to question the safety of Viking ships. Has anyone been injured or worse for which Viking are responsible ?

[pully8]

we pray that will not happen.

[Mark_T]

So is this credit for 75% off a future cruise off of their full listed price? The full listed price is always 50% off, so if they are giving you 75% off, you are only getting 25% more.

 

Not enough in my opinion.

You should get a full refund in cash.

 

Not sure how you got there from anything you read in this thread?

 

Based on what has be said so far, they have been offered 75% of what they already paid Viking as a credit to be applied to the invoice for a future cruise.

[rockwall99]

Thank you for your post. I think it was me that asked this question originally.

 

After thinking about the situation more, I think given the circumstances I would have been pretty happy with Viking's offer. If it had been me, (and it might very well be as we leave in a week), since I was already there and had paid for airfare to get there, a bus tour might have been the best option. Especially considering that I was getting 75% refunded towards a future cruise.

 

The way I think I would look at it is this. I paid about $11,000 for my cruise. Instead of the cruise, I now have to take a bus tour of Europe which I didn't want to do but it is pretty much out of Viking's control. BUT, I can now take another similarly priced cruise in the future for only $2750. Or a less expensive cruise for free.

 

It hardly seems like Viking is making out like a fat rat on this deal. After all, the bus tour with the hotel stays, meals, etc. will certainly cost them money too. I wouldn't expect them to do all that AND refund my entire cruise cost.

 

I agree that it would probably have been better to have been given the option to cancel the tour and get a full refund but I'm not convinced that Viking absolutely knew that they wouldn't be able to continue any portion of the river cruise.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Peacemkr59]

Rockwall,

 

I believe Viking as well as all the other cruise lines actually did know of the conditions by June 2 and that they weren't going to get very far at all. I had clients on Avalon that left Budapest on 5/29, and not even that ship could get past Vienna just a couple of days earlier. By the time they were bussed for a tour of Regensberg, that city had already started flooding. While having lunch in a restaurant, the waiters walked through rising water in the restaurant. Do you really think that all the cruise lines weren't aware of what was ahead of them?? Avalon didn't handle that cruise any better than what I'm hearing about Viking. Passengers on that sailing were offered $1000 for their troubles. While I realize that the cruise lines couldn't do anything about the floods, they should have cancelled the cruises and refunded the passengers their money like some others did.

 

 

Thank you for your post. I think it was me that asked this question originally.

 

After thinking about the situation more, I think given the circumstances I would have been pretty happy with Viking's offer. If it had been me, (and it might very well be as we leave in a week), since I was already there and had paid for airfare to get there, a bus tour might have been the best option. Especially considering that I was getting 75% refunded towards a future cruise.

 

The way I think I would look at it is this. I paid about $11,000 for my cruise. Instead of the cruise, I now have to take a bus tour of Europe which I didn't want to do but it is pretty much out of Viking's control. BUT, I can now take another similarly priced cruise in the future for only $2750. Or a less expensive cruise for free.

 

It hardly seems like Viking is making out like a fat rat on this deal. After all, the bus tour with the hotel stays, meals, etc. will certainly cost them money too. I wouldn't expect them to do all that AND refund my entire cruise cost.

 

I agree that it would probably have been better to have been given the option to cancel the tour and get a full refund but I'm not convinced that Viking absolutely knew that they wouldn't be able to continue any portion of the river cruise.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[rockwall99]

Since Viking did start cancelling cruises very shortly after these cruises started, I would suggest that it is possible they were overly optimistic and hoping that it would get better before it got worst. I don't really know, it's all just speculation. However, if they were of the mindset that, "We'll get our money by just putting everyone on busses", than they wouldn't have cancelled any cruises.

 

I'm not trying to absolve Viking of all responsibility. When they had customers requesting to have their cruise cancelled due to the obvious issues starting out, they probably should have given them that option.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Viking Guests,

 

There are a few topics in this discussion which we would like to address…

 

Departures in the First Week of June

We get the sense that some of the posts here that are expressing disappointment are from departures that occurred in the first few days of June. We understand that when you arrived you were taken by surprise at the conditions of the rivers; we were taken by surprise, too. Our Switzerland-based teams worked diligently and in good faith trying to make arrangements as needed and keep their guests informed. We’ve heard frustration over instances where a crew could not provide answers on contingency plans that were beyond the next day, and we apologize for this, to both our guests and our crew, as it was surely frustrating for both parties. With conditions changing quickly, we did the best we could to provide each crew with complete information as it became available. Please understand that a few hours or a few centimeters of difference can have an enormous impact on a ship’s sailing schedule.

 

Compensation for Impacted Sailings

We have extended compensation in the form of a credit voucher of varying percentages of the cruise fare paid for the impacted 2013 sailings – this thread in particular is obviously discussing vouchers worth 75% of the cruise fare paid. These sailings were provided alternative travel arrangements, dining, lodging, and excursions to destinations on the original itinerary (where possible) and substituted places of interest. However, based on sentiments expressed here and elsewhere online, as well as with our Customer Relations department, it is clear that some of you are unsatisfied with our attempts to make amends for a difficult and challenging situation. So, please do contact us directly if you would like to discuss your experience. Our Customer Relations team is starting to return to normal levels of incoming calls and emails after a few weeks of very high volume, and they would be happy to continue the conversation with any of our guests. We can be reached at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and will be pleased to put guests in touch with a member of our Customer Relations team.

 

Safety

In response to the concern of safety that has been expressed, we want to reiterate that the safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority; in every deliberation we had it was our primary focus. We are happy and grateful to report that no Viking guests were injured as a result of the flooding. However, we recognize that some of our guests have voiced concerns about their safety and we take those concerns very seriously; please contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so we can further discuss your particular experience.

 

We’ll Say It Once More: Please Contact Us

Even if you have already done so previously we ask that you contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We are re-doubling our efforts to address concerns with guests who may feel that they have not been adequately heard. We understand that there are members in this community who remain disappointed and we hope that each of you will contact us again so we may discuss your particular situation.

 

We sincerely hope to hear from you again soon.

 

Warmest regards,

Viking Cruises

[Cruzin Terri]

Viking,

My question to you is this:

Some of the people on these sailing were so dissatisfied with their experiences that they have indicated that they will never sail with you again. Your offering of a 75% voucher means nothing to them. A real gesture of good will would be a monetary offering in place of a voucher. You may actually win back some customers that way.

 

I have no stake in this. I did not sail on any of the affected voyages and have no future voyages planned with Viking. However, I do not think that if I were any of these people I would ever sail with you again.

 

I had a bad experience with a tour company (bus tour). When I wrote to them about the experience they sent me a voucher. It landed in the trash. Why would I subject myself to the same thing twice, even at a discount.

 

I think you need to rethink what you are offering those affected by those cruises. Or maybe you don't care!

Terri

Dear Viking Guests,

 

There are a few topics in this discussion which we would like to address…

 

Departures in the First Week of June

We get the sense that some of the posts here that are expressing disappointment are from departures that occurred in the first few days of June. We understand that when you arrived you were taken by surprise at the conditions of the rivers; we were taken by surprise, too. Our Switzerland-based teams worked diligently and in good faith trying to make arrangements as needed and keep their guests informed. We’ve heard frustration over instances where a crew could not provide answers on contingency plans that were beyond the next day, and we apologize for this, to both our guests and our crew, as it was surely frustrating for both parties. With conditions changing quickly, we did the best we could to provide each crew with complete information as it became available. Please understand that a few hours or a few centimeters of difference can have an enormous impact on a ship’s sailing schedule.

 

Compensation for Impacted Sailings

We have extended compensation in the form of a credit voucher of varying percentages of the cruise fare paid for the impacted 2013 sailings – this thread in particular is obviously discussing vouchers worth 75% of the cruise fare paid. These sailings were provided alternative travel arrangements, dining, lodging, and excursions to destinations on the original itinerary (where possible) and substituted places of interest. However, based on sentiments expressed here and elsewhere online, as well as with our Customer Relations department, it is clear that some of you are unsatisfied with our attempts to make amends for a difficult and challenging situation. So, please do contact us directly if you would like to discuss your experience. Our Customer Relations team is starting to return to normal levels of incoming calls and emails after a few weeks of very high volume, and they would be happy to continue the conversation with any of our guests. We can be reached at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and will be pleased to put guests in touch with a member of our Customer Relations team.

 

Safety

In response to the concern of safety that has been expressed, we want to reiterate that the safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority; in every deliberation we had it was our primary focus. We are happy and grateful to report that no Viking guests were injured as a result of the flooding. However, we recognize that some of our guests have voiced concerns about their safety and we take those concerns very seriously; please contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so we can further discuss your particular experience.

 

We’ll Say It Once More: Please Contact Us

Even if you have already done so previously we ask that you contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We are re-doubling our efforts to address concerns with guests who may feel that they have not been adequately heard. We understand that there are members in this community who remain disappointed and we hope that each of you will contact us again so we may discuss your particular situation.

 

We sincerely hope to hear from you again soon.

 

Warmest regards,

Viking Cruises

[Cary Cruiser]

Viking,

My question to you is this:

Some of the people on these sailing were so dissatisfied with their experiences that they have indicated that they will never sail with you again. Your offering of a 75% voucher means nothing to them. A real gesture of good will would be a monetary offering in place of a voucher. You may actually win back some customers that way.

 

I have no stake in this. I did not sail on any of the affected voyages and have no future voyages planned with Viking. However, I do not think that if I were any of these people I would ever sail with you again.

 

I had a bad experience with a tour company (bus tour). When I wrote to them about the experience they sent me a voucher. It landed in the trash. Why would I subject myself to the same thing twice, even at a discount.

 

I think you need to rethink what you are offering those affected by those cruises. Or maybe you don't care!

Terri

 

I think if Viking offers a complete 100% replacement cruise that would be the best thing for all involved. If they were my client (based on my 30+ years of marketing experience) that is would I would recommend to them.

 

If you give them a full refund, the company may not get a second chance to make them into a "satisfied Viking customer". If you give a replacement cruise (2 year limit to redeem), I think 99% of them will redeem it and the company gets a second shot to make them happy.

[davidrw]

I think if Viking offers a complete 100% replacement cruise that would be the best thing for all involved. If they were my client (based on my 30+ years of marketing experience) that is would I would recommend to them.

 

If you give them a full refund, the company may not get a second chance to make them into a "satisfied Viking customer". If you give a replacement cruise (2 year limit to redeem), I think 99% of them will redeem it and the company gets a second shot to make them happy.

 

That may be the advice from a Corporate point of view. From a Customer point of view it should be 100% refund plus 500USD against another cruise (which gives the incentive for another booking).

 

Viking have been found guilty in the Court of Public Opinion and should give in gracefully to those affected in the first week of June. I accept that everyone made all of the wrong decisions for the right reasons, however they should start to make their Clients happy and move on !!

[Cary Cruiser]

That may be the advice from a Corporate point of view. From a Customer point of view it should be 100% refund plus 500USD against another cruise (which gives the incentive for another booking).

 

Viking have been found guilty in the Court of Public Opinion and should give in gracefully to those affected in the first week of June. I accept that everyone made all of the wrong decisions for the right reasons, however they should start to make their Clients happy and move on !!

 

David - don't forget we are talking about people here who already did receive some sort of a trip (let's not call it a cruise OK), but they did, in varying degrees spent time on a boat, were put up in hotels, were fed, taken on excursions, etc. This cost Viking a lot of money - I think they deserve a chance to show these guests how well they can do under better circumstances. And I'll bet you 99% of them would jump on a "100% cruise replacement".

[Lobes1]

I wonder when we'll be seeing these 75% vouchers offered on eBay?

[Cary Cruiser]

I wonder when we'll be seeing these 75% vouchers offered on eBay?

 

If they're transferable I'll buy one at a discounted price.

[John99]

Many cruiser have stated that they were offered a 75% credit on a future cruise. This credit must be used within one year. Well, one year is just not enough time.

 

Because of the bad Viking experience -- many cruisers may not want to cruise with Viking. I agree a 100% cash would be best.

 

Please help me understand.

I assume that's 75% is the amount you "paid" for the cruise (sorry bus tour). That 75% credit is not computed against your future cruise amount? It's a flat amount.

If you booked "air" through Viking. Did they offer any compensation?

 

John