Refunds- July 25 sailing...Next step

[Azulann]

I think there is a cruise board somewhere on TripAdvisor. If you post there, you can say that you will accept email questions to your post. The connection will be done through the TA site, so you don't post your email address for the world to see. Perhaps, someone could try a test.

 

I just tried it, the cruise forum now comes back here to CC. But, perhaps you could decide a on a forum to "meet" on the TA site.

 

The cruise forum on Trip advisor will indeed take you to Cruise Critic.

I have the same moniker on Trip Advisor. When on a roll call I can get private conversation on posts through home page on your

Trip Advisor. TA hosts private emails.

BTW doesn't Trip Advisor now own Cruise Critic?

Each cruise line also have their own google+ community.There you can send private postings to those in your circles.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Azulann

[buggins0402]

The cruise forum on Trip advisor will indeed take you to Cruise Critic.

I have the same moniker on Trip Advisor. When on a roll call I can get private conversation on posts through home page on your

Trip Advisor. TA hosts private emails.

BTW doesn't Trip Advisor now own Cruise Critic?

Each cruise line also have their own google+ community.There you can send private postings to those in your circles.

 

 

I was following the same path as you...if you follow the link that LHT28 provided, you will get into a lightly accessed cruise forum within TA. There, someone involved in the issue could post and others could post private emails away from watchful eyes.

Edited August 14, 2015 by buggins0402

[LHT28]

The cruise forum on Trip advisor will indeed take you to Cruise Critic.

.

 

See post #29 the link I posted will take you to the cruise forum on TA

 

Lyn

[TERRIER1]

Not home yet. Received 50 percent refund and vouchers today. Both are $100 less than paid for trip.

[HMforcruise]

Not home yet. Received 50 percent refund and vouchers today. Both are $100 less than paid for trip.

 

We have been home since the night of Aug. 3.

 

We have a credit for our initial deposit, posted to our cc which was posted quickly. It came with no email or call explaining it. Our travelling companions had the email explaining the 65/50 compensation sent to them, for all 4 of our party. It includes all our names. But nothing has come to our email. Our travelling companions have their vouchers via email. Not us.

 

I have been in touch with TA but there is no word yet that CAA has received any money.

 

I have emailed, Valerie , customer relations rep, who originally called us on Aug. 5. No response.

 

Our stance...we are not interested in the voucher. We want our TA to get more involved. Vacation time has impacted on her advocating further at this point. We hope for more progress on Monday.. The Viking rep that CAA deals with is also on vacation til Monday.

 

More grrrrr....

 

Has anyone had any luck getting through to guest/customer relations on the phone?

[CharTrav]

The cruise forum on Trip advisor will indeed take you to Cruise Critic.

I have the same moniker on Trip Advisor. When on a roll call I can get private conversation on posts through home page on your

Trip Advisor. TA hosts private emails.

BTW doesn't Trip Advisor now own Cruise Critic?

Each cruise line also have their own google+ community.There you can send private postings to those in your circles.

 

 

Trip advisor owns Cruise Critic...since 2007

"TripAdvisor" on @Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TripAdvisor?wprov=sfti1

[OBX Cruisers]

Curious. Do your refunds include cost of flights?

[TERRIER1]

Curious. Do your refunds include cost of flights?

 

We booked our own flights after much wrong information given to us by Viking. Our refund does not include air. The voucher doesn't, work for us since we do not river cruise and we would have to add more of our hard earned money to complete the cost of another cruise plus air with viking. Basically it is throwing away good money after bad.

 

We went onto Bergen and the hotel room was small, no safe, 4 hangers, cafeteria chaos breakfast, dinner with only 2 drinks and no choice of entree. One night we had pork necks comprised of all gristle and another night we had tough chicken that no one ate. We were fortunate to get to Bergen but this is NOT what we paid for. I noticed that Viking didn't add any interest to the refund since they had our money for two years.

[Chico Mima]

We got home Wednesday. We were part of the Bergen group and the post Iceland group. There was a partial credit to our cc posted on 8/10 and full credit posted on 8/5 for the paid shore excursions. I sent an email yesterday to the one posted by Viking (TellUs@vikingcruises.com) stating that we were shorted a refund according to my calculations. Also asked about the vouchers for the discount on a future trip. I got a response from Valerie today stating there was a second deposit made in the correct amount to the cc and I also received two vouchers (one for me and one for my DH) in the amount totaling 50% of the cost of our cruise price. I checked my cc and sure enough the credit was there dated 8/10, so I missed it somehow. I think how they are doing the future cruise discount is based on the price you paid for this cruise and giving you a 50% discount based on that value. At least that is how it penciled out for us. I don't think it will be a discount on any cruise you choose, just a voucher with a set amount. There is an expiration date for a year out from the date of issue. So as I see it, you will have one year to use the voucher on a future cruise which could be in 2016 or 2017, not one year to take a cruise. This is just my opinion and I will definitely clarify with Viking.

[HMforcruise]

We did get a response from Valerie today outlining the amount their calculation is for our 50 % refund which is coming in the mail to our home address....not our TA as I assumed. I assume this will be in US dollars, as the initial deposit to our cc was credited in US dollars.

 

She says, " the additional 15% promised in the email message you received is awaiting processing by accounting."

 

"The future vouchers are valid on a cruise (River or ocean) booked within 12 months and are combinable with all of our promotional offers, including your past passenger discount."

 

The vouchers came today for an amt in CDN dollars. I have to ask our TA why this is when we paid in US dollars...

 

I really would like our Viking air refunded for 50% as we did not get our scheduled return and instead got the nasty flight out of Tallinn to home.

 

Lots to talk to our TAgent about on Monday.

[JVilleGal]

Canadian Dollars??? Weird when paid in U.S.

[katie scarlette]

Viking canceled the cruise and is refunding us for the price of the cruise (only) at this point: the price paid per passenger for the cabin. The amount refunded varies between 115% and 100%, cash and credits, depending on how the cruise ended for each passenger. At this point, we all appear to have 50% of our cabin fares available to us to apply to a future Viking sailing, to be used in one year (we don't have our vouchers, and I'm going on what all of you are reporting). This part of the remediation is not a refund at all and is earned revenue for Viking.

 

The moving chess piece, Viking, admitted to canceling the cruise and voluntarily issued refunds and credits for the cabins, so is it not fair to say that the entire airfare should be refunded since the cruise was canceled? Sure, we were all there, but Viking admitted to canceling the trip. We had no need for air travel since the cruise was negated.

 

To apply Viking's apparent philosophy, we should receive a 50% refund on the air travel as well.

 

Specifically, we are a group of four working adults. Pulling off this trip with our schedules and work demands took coordination and planning. Board meetings and other significant events were scheduled to accommodate the timing of the trip. "Viking Homelands" was the trip we all wanted: not a river cruise or something else. We would not have made the effort and spent the money to fly to Stockholm, spend a few hours in Helsinki, enjoy two days in St. Petersburg, and then end the trip with five days in Tallinn. All ports were worthwhile, but the point is that we paid for and anticipated something very different. One more day in Tallinn, and I was going to apply to be a tour guide.

 

Even with the credit, more money will return to Viking to pay for a trip (unless it's one of the shorter trips in the lower price range). Why should we take a trip we never intended to take because our trip was canceled? Why should Viking be entitled to that revenue?

 

I have sent email to "tellus" and have opened a claim with Travel Guard. I was refunded independent tour costs by each respective agency EXCEPT Norled like a couple of you (TJ Tours in St. Petersburg quickly refunded the tour I arranged to Berlin).

 

We flew home from Frankfurt - row 93. Granted, we arrived safely and without event, but we have never had the experience of being in row 93. Indeed, worse things could have happened, but we paid for a return from Bergen to London to LAX, on BA, and certainly not in row 93!

 

What would make me happy and more likely to return to Viking is a 100% refund of the cabin cost and the airfare. With the very unique nature of the ship and the sailing, Viking would do themselves well to grant such a cash refund to all of us AND to give us a 50% credit, valid for 2 years, to be used as we please.

 

Even the IRS pays interest. Sure, we all agreed to pay for the trip two years ahead of time, but the outcome and final memories will be the sum of the parts and the refund.

[Norman T. Stormsewer]

Viking might become a first class operation IF they spent half as much time and money on treating their customers fairly as they do on advertising. As evidenced by their meagerly reimbursements and cavalier treatment of those on the recent Star fiasco, that's probably never going to happen! I'm not sure if their top management are all completely inept or just don't care.

 

Their right hand does not seem to know what the left hand is doing. When we were told something while in Tallinn, it was almost always the opposite of what we had just been told! It appears that those who went on to Bergen were also fed false promises similar to those of us who got booted home from Tallinn.

 

We have just been told by a Viking Customer Relations Agent that Viking management is ADAMANT that a 65% refund and 50% voucher is their final offer. What a way to win customer loyalty!! :mad::mad::mad::mad:

[TERRIER1]

Has anyone submitted to Viking receipts for prepaid nonrefundable out of pocket expenses such as private tours for reimbursement? I was told on board that they would be covered but still have not heard from a Viking rep.

[FLtimes]

Have you all received vouchers already? We have not, but we don't really want one because we probably won't be able to fly. I am curious though why we don't have a voucher though. Also, did you get a refund of part of your airfare? We didn't book through Viking because Viking Air couldn't seem to change from the economy class airfare to business class when we decided 8 months ago that health conditions would necessitate business class air travel. We decided to fly home from Tallinn after the first letter when someone at the explorers desk told me that they could not guarantee that we would reach Bergen in time for our original flights and that if Viking made the arrangements they would send us home on coach. If you made your reservations through viking air, did they refund part of your airfare or include it in your voucher? If you made air reservations independently, did you get any compensation for that?

[BSU Fan]

Has anyone submitted to Viking receipts for prepaid nonrefundable out of pocket expenses such as private tours for reimbursement? I was told on board that they would be covered but still have not heard from a Viking rep.

We got our independent tour refunded by the vendor. Not sure how Viking would handle that. If you have insurance you should be covered if Viking doesn't.

[BSU Fan]

Have you all received vouchers already? We have not, but we don't really want one because we probably won't be able to fly. I am curious though why we don't have a voucher though. Also, did you get a refund of part of your airfare? We didn't book through Viking because Viking Air couldn't seem to change from the economy class airfare to business class when we decided 8 months ago that health conditions would necessitate business class air travel. We decided to fly home from Tallinn after the first letter when someone at the explorers desk told me that they could not guarantee that we would reach Bergen in time for our original flights and that if Viking made the arrangements they would send us home on coach. If you made your reservations through viking air, did they refund part of your airfare or include it in your voucher? If you made air reservations independently, did you get any compensation for that?

We received our vouchers by email. Probably taking some time to personalize all of them. Calling Viking should clear it up.

 

As far as air, we went through Viking air and went to Bergen. We then caught our original flights home. No reimbursement for air.

[TERRIER1]

Have you all received vouchers already? We have not, but we don't really want one because we probably won't be able to fly. I am curious though why we don't have a voucher though. Also, did you get a refund of part of your airfare? We didn't book through Viking because Viking Air couldn't seem to change from the economy class airfare to business class when we decided 8 months ago that health conditions would necessitate business class air travel. We decided to fly home from Tallinn after the first letter when someone at the explorers desk told me that they could not guarantee that we would reach Bergen in time for our original flights and that if Viking made the arrangements they would send us home on coach. If you made your reservations through viking air, did they refund part of your airfare or include it in your voucher? If you made air reservations independently, did you get any compensation for that?

 

 

We received the refund that appeared on our credit card but no notification from Viking that the transaction occurred. Several days later we received the vouchers via email. We made our own air arrangements and used the air so no air refund was included.

[Norman T. Stormsewer]

Viking has Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/VikingOceanCruises for their ocean ships. Posting a critical review probably will not cause them to rethink their shabby 65/50 refund/voucher, but at least it will be cathartic. :D

Edited August 18, 2015 by Norman T. Stormsewer
Forgot the URL

[TERRIER1]

Viking has Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/VikingOceanCruises for their ocean ships. Posting a critical review probably will not cause them to rethink their shabby 65/50 refund/voucher, but at least it will be cathartic. :D

 

Viking can remove any negative post to their Facebook page so this vehicle to vent doesn't work.

[katie scarlette]

We received our vouchers by email. Probably taking some time to personalize all of them. Calling Viking should clear it up.

 

As far as air, we went through Viking air and went to Bergen. We then caught our original flights home. No reimbursement for air.

 

Yesterday I spoke to Valerie, who told me that the vouchers will be sent to each passenger via email and may take a couple of weeks. As most of us know, Viking stands firm on the credit offer. The vouchers will be good for a year, but, theoretically, a cruise could be booked in 11 months for a future date to extend the time frame. I told her that Viking's position on the highly-touted and much anticipated liner was bad for PR and the Viking employees. Most of us were very satisfied (and more) with the ship and the crew, but the miscommunication and ensuing disappointments have left some with no taste for an Viking cruise in the future.

 

I've read similar posts about other aborted or diverted cruise from Viking, and the company's position is similar.

 

On a more disturbing note, the reviews of the insurance (Travel Guard) are not good at all for reimbursement for our situation.

[Guynacci]

We were on a 2013 Viking river cruise that was disrupted by flooding - moored and bused more than half of the two week trip. (Yes, I know the flooding wasn't Viking fault.) In return we received 50% vouchers for my wife and me of about $6,000 total for a future cruise. We selected Viking Homelands for 25 July, 2015. We received cash refund and future cruise credit from this debacle for only "out-of-pocket" cruise fare, not including our vouchers. I claimed that we should also receive compensation for that $6,000.

 

Viking said "no" in both email and phone conversation. They say that once we used the "flooding" vouchers they were no longer of any value. Viking finally offered to provide half of the $6,000 as additional future voucher because of our "unique" situation. I still believe that we should have been fully compensated, receiving the other half as, at minimum, future credit, ideally as cash refund.

 

It seemed like a very logical request until after my last conversation with Viking customer relations. My logic and theirs are quite different. As I said to the agent, when we got the "flooding" vouchers no one at Viking said, "Oh, by the way, if your future cruise is disrupted by mechanical failure, then your vouchers will be worth only half." Good luck to all of you with future vouchers.

[TERRIER1]

 

On a more disturbing note, the reviews of the insurance (Travel Guard) are not good at all for reimbursement for our situation.

 

I also have Travel Guard. What have you heard? Are other insurance companies better? Thanks.

[kathy9]

I also have Travel Guard. What have you heard? Are other insurance companies better? Thanks.

 

We have used Travel Guard in the past and actually had to file a claim which was eventfully settled.

We were on a HAL cruise and our home was flooded. At first we did not think it was too bad but we realized we had to cut short our trip and fly home.

Travel Guard did pay for our airfare from Iceland, transportation from the airport, meals during travel and days we missed from our cruise.

It did take a lot of work to get them to payout and my TA had to get involved but We did not give up........

Edited August 18, 2015 by kathy9

[Mammacat]

One of your fellow travelers who was on that ill fated trip that ended in Estonia...

 

The TV broadcast: http://www.kvoa.com/clip/11769310/in...roup-thousands

 

The written story: http://www.kvoa.com/story/29799822/d...roup-thousands