Viking Air questions please...

[sandianc]

Well, some interesting information here. I guess part of the problem was a Viking sales agent who wasn't very knowledgeable or particularly helpful in explaining some of this. Before I booked the trip through a tour agent, I talked to a Viking Sales person on the phone and tried to ask them about it. I usually fly on United and they call their extra legroom seats.... Economy Plus. I have used Delta a few times and they call their extra legroom Comfort +. I explained that I was only interested in getting the extra legroom on the international flight and asked if that was possible. I told the sales person that I wanted Economy Plus or Comfort + type seats. They didn't explain that Premium Economy was something different altogether and I had never heard of it and certainly didn't know that it was only available on certain flights and not others. If that had been explained it me, at the time, like Murphy 27 and Mark_T did, I probably would have chosen the Premium Economy. The Viking agent that I spoke to only said that for "the type of seating that I wanted", I would have to pay for the Premium Economy and that it was only guaranteed for the international flight. That agent even said that I could go online, with the airline after they bought the tickets to change the seats for the flights, if they weren't satisfactory. That part was partially true... I could go on and change the seats within the category that put me in... just not to another category.

- A better informed agent or at least, more detailed explanation from the Viking agent, would have allowed me to make a more informed decision and been a happier customer. Not sure if it is too late to change my mind now or not. The tickets have not been paid for. I am going to call the travel agent this morning.

 

Thanks to all for the more thorough explanations. This was my first experience with a tour purchasing my tickets. Live and Learn.... especially with information from Cruise Critic members :)

[Mark_T]

Thanks to all for the more thorough explanations. This was my first experience with a tour purchasing my tickets. Live and Learn.... especially with information from Cruise Critic members :)

 

It is indeed a bit of a minefield to navigate :)

 

If you want to post a little more detail about the flights you currently have it is easy to determine which aircraft you are actually going to be on and which options actually exist on that flight...

[MURPHY27]

Well, some interesting information here. I guess part of the problem was a Viking sales agent who wasn't very knowledgeable or particularly helpful in explaining some of this. Before I booked the trip through a tour agent, I talked to a Viking Sales person on the phone and tried to ask them about it. I usually fly on United and they call their extra legroom seats.... Economy Plus. I have used Delta a few times and they call their extra legroom Comfort +. I explained that I was only interested in getting the extra legroom on the international flight and asked if that was possible. I told the sales person that I wanted Economy Plus or Comfort + type seats. They didn't explain that Premium Economy was something different altogether and I had never heard of it and certainly didn't know that it was only available on certain flights and not others. If that had been explained it me, at the time, like Murphy 27 and Mark_T did, I probably would have chosen the Premium Economy. The Viking agent that I spoke to only said that for "the type of seating that I wanted", I would have to pay for the Premium Economy and that it was only guaranteed for the international flight. That agent even said that I could go online, with the airline after they bought the tickets to change the seats for the flights, if they weren't satisfactory. That part was partially true... I could go on and change the seats within the category that put me in... just not to another category.

- A better informed agent or at least, more detailed explanation from the Viking agent, would have allowed me to make a more informed decision and been a happier customer. Not sure if it is too late to change my mind now or not. The tickets have not been paid for. I am going to call the travel agent this morning.

 

Thanks to all for the more thorough explanations. This was my first experience with a tour purchasing my tickets. Live and Learn.... especially with information from Cruise Critic members :)

 

You can still use the Air Plus Department since you are not yet ticketed. Suggest you call them 877-523-0580 and request info on upgradeable economy plus seats. It helps to first go online and find specific flights that have available plus seats and with the times/connections you want. Viking will book any United, or other preferred airline, if the fare falls within a set amount. (For instance, any Viking air fare charged and the credit listed on your invoice would be your uppermost limit. Example- My free air is listed as a credit of $1295 on the invoice.)

 

See what they offer and if satisfied, pay the $50 pp for them to book and then request EARLY ticketing & ask to waive that fee. You will have an eticket within a few days (sometimes hours) that you can then immediately upgrade online. Without requesting the early ticketing option, tickets aren't issued until shortly before travel; by then plus seats are usually no longer available. Like all issued tickets there is a "change fee" so know what you want beforehand and immediately insure you trip.

 

If you have an agent, they can also deal with Air Plus using your credit card and also obtain free early ticketing. Quite frankly an experienced river cruise agent should have known about early ticketing.

[sandianc]

There sure is a lot to this... We have been to 45 countries, but mostly land tours. We did a Uniworld Cruise to Vietnam & Cambodia and that experience is what made us want to try some other cruises vs land tours. We only had 25 people on our ship because it was a river tour and it was wonderful. Uniworld doesn't do ocean cruises so we decided to try Viking and it has been a lot more confusing. I have heard good reviews of the actual cruises, so once we get their air procedures down, it will probably be ok. My husband is 70 and I am closing in on it.... so, it helps when they explain the options better. People on here have told me much more than the Viking sales agent or the travel agent. I can forgive the travel agent more than the Viking rep though because the travel agent sells tours for several different companies, land, river and ocean cruises. The Viking sales person should have given me the various options when I was discussing my concerns, especially since I had asked about leg room options AND about adequate time at layovers in case a flight was delayed.

 

I'll be much better informed now for any future trips and will take the suggestions about searching for the flights myself first. The only real reason that I agreed to let them book my air in the first place was that I had bought the "Ultimate Italy pre extension" and with that extension, they are supposed to pick us up at the airport.... drive to Tuscany and have lunch at a farm in the Chianti region before going to the hotel. I was afraid that if I bought the tickets myself, I might not arrive within the required timeframe, whereas, if they bought the tickets, they would be sure that we arrived on time for that. Again... I asked the Viking person what time I would need to arrive at the airport for this extension and couldn't get a straight answer out of her. So.... I let them buy the air and ended up in this mess.

 

Thanks to people on here, I did contact my travel agent.... Viking wouldn't even talk to me about options or pricing to change since I purchased the cruise through a travel agent. Again, I wrote and told them that I thought this was poor customer service since my trip was paid for in full.... that they should accept some responsibility for customer service and talk to me directly at this point... but no dice. :(

The travel agent was able to get them to accept my payment for Premium Economy this morning. They have canceled my first flights since Premium Economy wasn't available on those particular planes and will book my new flights now. I think things are looking up.

 

By the way, you must have traveled with Viking before.... once you get on the cruise, are the cruises really nice? I know a ship with 930 won't be the same as 25 and the rooms are a bit smaller than what we had on Uniworld.... but hoping that the ships are nice and the optional excursions are nice.

[MURPHY27]

There sure is a lot to this... We have been to 45 countries, but mostly land tours. We did a Uniworld Cruise to Vietnam & Cambodia and that experience is what made us want to try some other cruises vs land tours. We only had 25 people on our ship because it was a river tour and it was wonderful. Uniworld doesn't do ocean cruises so we decided to try Viking and it has been a lot more confusing. I have heard good reviews of the actual cruises, so once we get their air procedures down, it will probably be ok. My husband is 70 and I am closing in on it.... so, it helps when they explain the options better. People on here have told me much more than the Viking sales agent or the travel agent. I can forgive the travel agent more than the Viking rep though because the travel agent sells tours for several different companies, land, river and ocean cruises. The Viking sales person should have given me the various options when I was discussing my concerns, especially since I had asked about leg room options AND about adequate time at layovers in case a flight was delayed.

 

I'll be much better informed now for any future trips and will take the suggestions about searching for the flights myself first. The only real reason that I agreed to let them book my air in the first place was that I had bought the "Ultimate Italy pre extension" and with that extension, they are supposed to pick us up at the airport.... drive to Tuscany and have lunch at a farm in the Chianti region before going to the hotel. I was afraid that if I bought the tickets myself, I might not arrive within the required timeframe, whereas, if they bought the tickets, they would be sure that we arrived on time for that. Again... I asked the Viking person what time I would need to arrive at the airport for this extension and couldn't get a straight answer out of her. So.... I let them buy the air and ended up in this mess.

 

Thanks to people on here, I did contact my travel agent.... Viking wouldn't even talk to me about options or pricing to change since I purchased the cruise through a travel agent. Again, I wrote and told them that I thought this was poor customer service since my trip was paid for in full.... that they should accept some responsibility for customer service and talk to me directly at this point... but no dice. :(

The travel agent was able to get them to accept my payment for Premium Economy this morning. They have canceled my first flights since Premium Economy wasn't available on those particular planes and will book my new flights now. I think things are looking up.

 

By the way, you must have traveled with Viking before.... once you get on the cruise, are the cruises really nice? I know a ship with 930 won't be the same as 25 and the rooms are a bit smaller than what we had on Uniworld.... but hoping that the ships are nice and the optional excursions are nice.

 

I've never ocean cruised with Viking. One ocean cruise years ago cured me of big ship travel. I have looked into your cruise though and the itinerary looks great.

 

I am taking my 4th European river cruise with Viking in the Spring. VRC does a good job with service and I've always enjoyed the excursions and food, but I do my own pre/post cruise plans except for Oxford & Highclere post cruise with Viking last Nov. It was excellent and then we added the Cotswolds for 4-5 days touring on our own.

 

I don't know your origin but I assume you are flying into Florence and departing from Athens? with Premium Eco across the pond on an Air France or Alitalia, and upgrading seats on domestic legs yourself after early ticketing? I've done Prem Eco on both Air Canada and Lufthansa in the past when priced right, and was pleased.

 

BTW, I was in Italy last May for a few weeks and trained between cities. I booked activities and private guides when needed. We chose a Tuscany day tour and visited Sienna, San Gimignano & Pisa, with an included farm luncheon and somehow we still had free time at each location. It was a great day!! You will enjoy your precruise stay.

[sandianc]

Yes, I'm looking forward to the trip. We have been to Italy before, but it has been several years. We have never been to Greece or the other ports. Viking hasn't posted my new flights with premium economy seating yet, so I am hoping they do well with it.

- We are busy getting ready for Uniworld's Splendors of Egypt & the Nile river cruise on 3 March. I'm really looking forward to that. There is an 83 passenger limit on the River Tosca ship. What I like about Uniworld's river cruises is that there are no extra excursions to buy. Everything is included and they did an excellent job on our Viet Nam & Cambodia river cruise. I am a bit concerned about the air pollution in Egypt and plan to take some N95 masks with me for that. Seems like air pollution is becoming a problem in so many destinations.

[Host Jazzbeau]

What I like about Uniworld's river cruises is that there are no extra excursions to buy. Everything is included and they did an excellent job on our Viet Nam & Cambodia river cruise.

 

That is not true of Uniworld river cruises in Europe.

[sandianc]

Very interesting, I'll definitely keep that in mind if I look at any of their European ones. The Vietnam & Cambodia took us on at least 2 everyday and they were all in the price we paid for the tour. They weren't just a little walking city tour either, which made it really nice. They were longer and like the kinds of excursions we have had to pay for on other lines. That is definitely what I noticed immediately on the Viking tour that I signed up for. They advertised an included excursion at every port, but once I started reading more... it was mostly a city tour at each port and one was even listed as a "panoramic tour" which I didn't know until recently apparently means that you don't even get off the bus. lol I can't sign up yet for any excursions because they make you wait till closer and then it goes by what category of room you bought to get a turn to sign up, so I don't have any idea how much the various excursions will end up costing.... but, I'm anticipating having to spend quite a bit more to see more than a walking tour of each city. The Egypt one seems to have nice excursions included also, including museums, temples, boat rides, village visits etc. So, I guess maybe that's because it isn't one of their European ones also. I hadn't even looked at the European ones because we had done land trips to all of those areas already.

[MURPHY27]

Very interesting, I'll definitely keep that in mind if I look at any of their European ones. The Vietnam & Cambodia took us on at least 2 everyday and they were all in the price we paid for the tour. They weren't just a little walking city tour either, which made it really nice. They were longer and like the kinds of excursions we have had to pay for on other lines. That is definitely what I noticed immediately on the Viking tour that I signed up for. They advertised an included excursion at every port, but once I started reading more... it was mostly a city tour at each port and one was even listed as a "panoramic tour" which I didn't know until recently apparently means that you don't even get off the bus. lol I can't sign up yet for any excursions because they make you wait till closer and then it goes by what category of room you bought to get a turn to sign up, so I don't have any idea how much the various excursions will end up costing.... but, I'm anticipating having to spend quite a bit more to see more than a walking tour of each city. The Egypt one seems to have nice excursions included also, including museums, temples, boat rides, village visits etc. So, I guess maybe that's because it isn't one of their European ones also. I hadn't even looked at the European ones because we had done land trips to all of those areas already.

 

A few options-

Call Viking and ask an agent re excursions and prices for 2017. That will give you an estimate. If they dont have the info immediately available, ask them to get back to you with it via email.

Find and post on a thread for the Empires cruise and ask there.

You can also look into some private tours and guides for your ports for more info.