viking---unbelievable and even worse

[Hydrokitty]

Not comfortable with that! Tom Harper River Cruises also required an e-check and we all know how that turned out :([/quote

 

I wouldn't do an e-check either but I haven't seen any signs to make me suspicious of Vantage....or with many of the others, including Viking. But know you guys arengiving me something to think about.

[twinkletoes4445]

I'd love to know which ones too because I have Amex Corporate; Visa, MC and Cap One and none of them offer cancel for any reason trip insurance. Most travel companies will only let you put the deposit on a credit card but not the full trip because the fees are too high. They also won't let you buy a car with a credit card.....I know I tried thinking I'd get a bazilion points...but Toyota said ....nice try...we'll need a bank check please. :D

 

I don't know about the other cards, but we used our AMEX for our deposit and final payment on Uniworld. I love the points, so I am glad they allow us to do this. I probably would not sail any line that would not allow us to use a credit card. You really have nothing to fall back on should problems come up. That's funny about the car! I would have also tried. One time when we were buying a car (through our company), the car company did let me put the down payment on our company AMEX.

[CPT Trips]

Are you saying that Vantage won't take any credit cards? That means your money is at risk from the minute you pay!

 

What I remember from checking Vantage with BBB there was at least one complaint about a delay in refunding payment to a credit card. Seems to indicate they accept plastic. They do offer a discount for payment by e-check.

[didicruiser]

What I remember from checking Vantage with BBB there was at least one complaint about a delay in refunding payment to a credit card. Seems to indicate they accept plastic. They do offer a discount for payment by e-check.

 

I have used a credit card to pay Vantage all costs

[YoungDubFan]

I travel with Avalon and they take credit cards for the deposit as well as final payment. Since I tend to book very early, we normally make installment payments leading up to final payment. This way I'm not putting a huge charge on the credit card at final payment and everything is paid for and paid off before I leave for the cruise.

 

Kelly

[Los_Pepes]

I met someone who wanted to take advantage of Uniworld's pay in advance discount. He searched for credit cards that were running a 0% interest on balance transfers and applied for one. He charged the full amount of the cruise to his current card and did a balance transfer to his new 0% card for the amount. Some cards will offer 12 months at 0% and I have seen ones upwards of 18 months.

 

Saved thousands for what amounted to 15 minutes of work.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Los_Pepes

[Bailey Swedishfish]

I met someone who wanted to take advantage of Uniworld's pay in advance discount. He searched for credit cards that were running a 0% interest on balance transfers and applied for one. He charged the full amount of the cruise to his current card and did a balance transfer to his new 0% card for the amount. Some cards will offer 12 months at 0% and I have seen ones upwards of 18 months.

 

Saved thousands for what amounted to 15 minutes of work.

 

That's what we do.

[Los_Pepes]

That's what we do.

 

We did it on our currently booked Uniworld cruise after I learned how easy it was.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Los_Pepes

[Los_Pepes]

After cruising for 30 years more or less and on 6 lines and 16 or 17 cruises, we decided to venture onto Viking for a european river cruise, we had missed keukenhopf at peak twice so timing was critical in this case. we booked a cruise, that with air, cost over 13 thousand which was a lot but not a record for us.

 

Then after my deposit is down i found out that i had to pay it all 9 months in advance... wow is all i could say but i broke the amex out and choked it all down. So now i'm 13 thousand out of pocket but hoping that it would be worth it in the end.

 

suddenly yesterday i get an email out of the blue from my travel agent "they have canceled your cruise and you have 30 days to rebook". I call my agent who spends an inordinate amount of time confirming that this is true but all Viking wants to do is resell me on a different cruise. NOT INTERESTED i say and after about the 5th time my travel agent understands and tells them i want a refund and compensation for the money they've had all this time (3 months) for nothing. He relays that not only do i get no compensation, i get no refund for 3 or 4 weeks WOW.

 

I tell my wife and she is somewhere between incredulous and upset and insists i must have got it wrong, so I dial Viking and give her the phone. it boils down to:

 

- we still don't know if the ship is actually canceled or they double booked the cabin or they just decided to charter it out.

- Viking "generously" agreed not to charge us a cancellation penalty!!!! yes that's what they said.

- Viking agreed to move us to another ship for no price increase... again their words not mine.

- After we declined their "GENEROUS" offer, she said she would try to expedite our refund but even expediting a refund takes two days for a "DECISION".

 

Only bright spot in this travesty is they could've waited till two days before we were due to leave or something... no matter what however we don't do business this way and Viking is now dead to us but HOW DO WE STOP THE MAILERS EVERY 3 DAYS???

 

Why don't you just go on Uniworld for $1499?

 

http://uniworld.com/en/promotions/2016-savings?utm_source=travelzoo&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2016-savings&utm_campaign=travelzoo_newsflash

[Hydrokitty]

OK..I'm convinced! My next trip I will pay the final balance with a credit card! DH takes care of the checkbooks and I asked him about this, he said the final payment letter only offered two options: bank check or e-check. Since we don't do e-checks, we paid with bank check. Not any more...I'm getting dizzy just thinking about all the goodies I can get with my LLBean card!! THANKS GUYS!!! :D

[xpcdoojk]

That IS interesting. Apparently Vantage won't and I'm not familiar with any of the others, I just thought they all did it, quite frankly, because of the fees they have to pay the card issuing bank.

 

Yes, Avalon, allows credit cards, I just paid my cruise off a couple of months ago, on my Amex Platinum.

 

I am still waiting to hear about the card that covers disasters as a perk. I think I would use that card even if it was as expensive as my Amex Platinum.

 

If any of you have the Amex Platinum, do check out the Centurion lounges in a few airports, they are awesome. A great perk.

 

jc

[pinotlover]

A lot of stuff here;

 

I know that from personal history that Oceania, Viking, and Uniworld all take credit cards for full payment. I will say that since we always use a TA, I don't know who takes the hit, or how, on the cc charges to the merchant. Not my concern.

 

Travel insurance is offered on my CitiCard AAdvantage Platinum MC and also I believe on my Chase United Explorer Card (Visa). It probably does not cover medical evacs and the such but trip cancellations and expenses.

 

Love all the airmiles I get when paying for the cruises and air on my cc's. :)

[zogrand]

Hydrokitty, You're right that Vantage doesn't say they take credit cards for final purchase, but when I have called to make final payment, they've always accepted our credit card. In the end, I guess they are willing to take our money however they can get it!

[twinkletoes4445]

Why don't you just go on Uniworld for $1499?

 

http://uniworld.com/en/promotions/2016-savings?utm_source=travelzoo&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2016-savings&utm_campaign=travelzoo_newsflash

 

Those are some awesome deals!! And we love Uniworld!

[Los_Pepes]

They are incredible deals. I was stunned to see them.

[JVilleGal]

Wow to those deals, I'm calling my sister now about one of them :)

[Host Jazzbeau]

Jazzbeau - should we make this another thread?

 

There is an entire forum devoted to Cruise/Travel Insurance:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

I suggest that people who want advice from the experts have a look over there.

[Bailey Swedishfish]

After cruising for 30 years more or less and on 6 lines and 16 or 17 cruises, we decided to venture onto Viking for a european river cruise, we had missed keukenhopf at peak twice so timing was critical in this case. we booked a cruise, that with air, cost over 13 thousand which was a lot but not a record for us.

 

Then after my deposit is down i found out that i had to pay it all 9 months in advance... wow is all i could say but i broke the amex out and choked it all down. So now i'm 13 thousand out of pocket but hoping that it would be worth it in the end.

 

suddenly yesterday i get an email out of the blue from my travel agent "they have canceled your cruise and you have 30 days to rebook". I call my agent who spends an inordinate amount of time confirming that this is true but all Viking wants to do is resell me on a different cruise. NOT INTERESTED i say and after about the 5th time my travel agent understands and tells them i want a refund and compensation for the money they've had all this time (3 months) for nothing. He relays that not only do i get no compensation, i get no refund for 3 or 4 weeks WOW.

 

I tell my wife and she is somewhere between incredulous and upset and insists i must have got it wrong, so I dial Viking and give her the phone. it boils down to:

 

- we still don't know if the ship is actually canceled or they double booked the cabin or they just decided to charter it out.

- Viking "generously" agreed not to charge us a cancellation penalty!!!! yes that's what they said.

- Viking agreed to move us to another ship for no price increase... again their words not mine.

- After we declined their "GENEROUS" offer, she said she would try to expedite our refund but even expediting a refund takes two days for a "DECISION".

 

Only bright spot in this travesty is they could've waited till two days before we were due to leave or something... no matter what however we don't do business this way and Viking is now dead to us but HOW DO WE STOP THE MAILERS EVERY 3 DAYS???

__________________

 

I've been giving the OP's comments a great deal of thought.

Yes, Viking does require payment in advance. You could have waited to book your cruise much closer to your travel date and your up front expense would be the same, but for a shorter period of time. The two for one deal is something Viking offers all the time, so you wouldn't have "missed" it had you waited months to book.

Viking is running a business. It may not be the same business model as other cruise lines or how some of the posters here would like to run it, but that's their business model--if it's so unpleasant, then pick another cruise line. If Viking is the cruise line of choice for whatever reason and you're still upset with their payment policy, feel free to express that in their customer satisfaction survey they ask everyone to complete before the end of each cruise.

I don't think it's really the customer's business to know "why" a cruise was cancelled. Does it matter? Point is, you're not going on THAT cruise. I think Viking was more than willing to provide an alternative trip at no additional cost to you. Which sounds like their policy. I would imagine they don't often get customers who flat out refuse that offer and demand a refund. So I can completely understand their policy or practice of issuing a refund on their timeline. Does it suck? Sure, but it's their business.

What would have happened to your happiness factor if you'd have taken the cruise as scheduled and 1) the flowers bloomed early/late 2) snowfall ruined the flowers 3) heavy rain impeded your travels? I mean, there's a LOT of thing that can go sideways when planning and going on a trip. When we did the Danube Waltz Christmas Market Cruise in 2013, the day we sailed through the Wachau Valley we were completely socked in by fog. Couldn't see the end of the ship. Our poor CD was beside himself trying to appease pissed off cruisers--as if HE had the power of God himself to move the fog. Bless his heart.

 

I have been in upper level management in a customer service driven industry for over 35 years. I can tell you that the more loudly and unpleasantly a customer complains and bellyaches and tries to assert their opinion and disgust and displeasure over something that's very likely out of the control of the person being yelled at--especially when a reasonable accommodation has been offered... there is an equal and opposite reaction on the other side. I suspect that's why Viking has a delayed refund policy. I think they are well within their rights to charge a cancellation fee...you've indeed cancelled a booked trip. They are being generous in waiving that fee. They offered you a reasonable alternative. Was it the trip of your dreams? I don't know, since you didn't describe what the other trip or trips were that they offered.

 

I'm a lemonade girl...I don't get upset when I have to change plans or do something unexpected. You never know what you're going to find down that unexpected path.

 

So it was foggy on the Wachau. Guess what? I sat in the lounge chatting with a lovely couple I might not have met and we are friends to this day.

[JVilleGal]

I don't believe a "Cancellation Fee" is warranted if Viking did the cancelling???? Do you?

[Bailey Swedishfish]

This is from the Viking Terms and Conditions page:

CANCELLATION POLICY

For any cruise/land booking, whether under deposit, partially paid, or paid in full and air-inclusive packages paid in full, the following travel agent or guest-requested situations are considered cancellations and penalties will apply as noted below: changes to departure date; substitutions of itinerary; substitution of another person for original booked guest(s); or changing to a promotional fare. All cancellations must be in writing. For all air-inclusive packages cancelled after issuance of an airline ticket, the air portion of the refund, if any, will be processed only after the return of airline ticket to Viking. The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all written cancellations received prior to departure up to the scheduled time of departure.

 

Cancellation received | Following charges will apply: (Broken out by days before departure) 121 days or more is $100 per person | 120-90 days is 15% of full fare | 89-60 days is 35% of full fare | 59-30 days is 50% of full fare | 29-0 days is 100% of full fare.

Full Fare is defined as the full cost of any cruise, land or air component purchased from Viking.

 

REVISIONS/CHANGES

Once a cruise/land booking has a deposit or air is paid in full, all changes are subject to a $30 charge per change. See prior section under Cancellation Policy for additional details on situations which are classified as cancellations rather than changes.

 

From a purely technical standpoint, yes, a cancellation fee could be assessed. Viking offered an alternative trip. They offered an alternative trip at no additional expense to the OP. It was the decision of the OP to cancel their cruise, not Viking. Viking is making right by the OP by "waiving" the fee. Obviously it's not in their best interest to charge this customer--but by rights, they "could" charge it since they aren't the ones who cancelled the trip.

[JVilleGal]

OMG I can't believe you are actually believing that. Viking cancelled their cruise, period end of report. It does not matter that they offered a substitution, the point is the trip THEY BOOKED was CANCELLED! Are they entitled to anything for the amount of time Viking held their money? NO, but their refund should be promptly handled as this potiental passenger did not do anything wrong. I have to wonder about the TA involved in all of this not advising their client about how soon the final pmt was due and the customer being surprised. At the very least the OP may need a new more experienced TA.

 

Really??????

[Cyber Kat]

Watch those seats carefully! Log in to your reservation on a regular basis and very often toward your date of departure. That way if someone moved your seats as often happens you are in a position to fix it!!!

 

Thanks - but I'm experienced with airlines moving your seats around - I'll be watching them!

[JVilleGal]

Thanks - but I'm experienced with airlines moving your seats around - I'll be watching them!

 

Like a hawk :) !!!

[Cyber Kat]

Like a hawk :) !!!

 

Better believe it! :D

[Los_Pepes]

This is from the Viking Terms and Conditions page:

CANCELLATION POLICY

For any cruise/land booking, whether under deposit, partially paid, or paid in full and air-inclusive packages paid in full, the following travel agent or guest-requested situations are considered cancellations and penalties will apply as noted below: changes to departure date; substitutions of itinerary; substitution of another person for original booked guest(s); or changing to a promotional fare. All cancellations must be in writing. For all air-inclusive packages cancelled after issuance of an airline ticket, the air portion of the refund, if any, will be processed only after the return of airline ticket to Viking. The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all written cancellations received prior to departure up to the scheduled time of departure.

 

Cancellation received | Following charges will apply: (Broken out by days before departure) 121 days or more is $100 per person | 120-90 days is 15% of full fare | 89-60 days is 35% of full fare | 59-30 days is 50% of full fare | 29-0 days is 100% of full fare.

Full Fare is defined as the full cost of any cruise, land or air component purchased from Viking.

 

REVISIONS/CHANGES

Once a cruise/land booking has a deposit or air is paid in full, all changes are subject to a $30 charge per change. See prior section under Cancellation Policy for additional details on situations which are classified as cancellations rather than changes.

 

From a purely technical standpoint, yes, a cancellation fee could be assessed. Viking offered an alternative trip. They offered an alternative trip at no additional expense to the OP. It was the decision of the OP to cancel their cruise, not Viking. Viking is making right by the OP by "waiving" the fee. Obviously it's not in their best interest to charge this customer--but by rights, they "could" charge it since they aren't the ones who cancelled the trip.

 

I read it as the cancellation policy only applies if initiated by the travel agent or guest. It was Viking that cancelled the sailing thus the policy above does not apply.