Book on board???

[PRH]

I'm wondering about the pros and cons of booking on board. What's your experience? I've heard a few horror stories about dealing with viking after the fact. What questions do I need to ask? Thanks

 

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[molymoo]

On our last cruise we booked another (Southern Mediterranean) with the representative there on the ship. It was a simple and pleasant process and went without a hitch. The advantages to booking on board is the fact that they do offer some additional incentives. In addition to the "previous cruisers" discount, we received an another discount of $200/pp and a small ($100) onboard credit for the cruise we were on. The air was discounted as well, and they were able to give us a deviation to the air itinerary (a three night "stopover" in Madrid) at a reasonable rate ... the final air cost was still under the original rate quoted. The trip isn't until the end of December 2018 so there isn't much to do at this point but we received the email confirmation and invoice within 24 hours and it is loaded in MVJ ... 267 days!

 

The only downside I can think of is the possibility of not getting the cruise you are looking for by the time you get onto the ship ... we are hoping to book another cruise when we are onboard our "British isles Explorer" this summer ... we have several possibilities selected and are watching the availability. It is possible that many or all of our selections will fill up ... but we have five itineraries to "choose from" so we'll see. If things get tight we can always pick up the phone and book before the summer sail.

 

I'm not sure what "horror stories" you have heard about dealing with Viking but we have done10 cruises with them and we have two more booked ... not every trip has gone "like clockwork but we have NEVER had any issues with them at all ... they have always been pleasant, helpful, and very accommodating. Just keep in mind that some people have very high (and sometimes unreasonable) expectations and those with complaints are always the loudest.

[Peregrina651]

We booked on board this past January for the first time. The hardest part was getting my husband to decide on which cruise. We saved a total of $1000pp on a 15 day cruise PLUS the $150pp and free air fare that was the current offer to the public on that cruise AND an OBC for the current cruise. Broken down, it was $400pp past guest discount, $200pp because we booked a combo cruise and a $400pp "management adjustment. We will save another 3% when we pay the balance using e-pay rather than a credit card.

 

In addition to the discounts on the cruise itself, we have the flexibility to make changes to our reservation up to 4 months prior to departure (such as changing the date or itinerary) without a penalty. Moreover, the cruise was immediately put in our TA's name.

[molymoo]

We booked on board this past January for the first time. The hardest part was getting my husband to decide on which cruise. We saved a total of $1000pp on a 15 day cruise PLUS the $150pp and free air fare that was the current offer to the public on that cruise AND an OBC for the current cruise. Broken down, it was $400pp past guest discount, $200pp because we booked a combo cruise and a $400pp "management adjustment. We will save another 3% when we pay the balance using e-pay rather than a credit card.

 

In addition to the discounts on the cruise itself, we have the flexibility to make changes to our reservation up to 4 months prior to departure (such as changing the date or itinerary) without a penalty. Moreover, the cruise was immediately put in our TA's name.

 

I forgot about the "flexibility" option ... and our final payment is/was due at the six month point prior to our cruise ... apparently that is not typical with Viking. We also received the 3.3% by doing the e-pay. It's a good deal if it works for you!

 

What itinerary did you finally choose Peregrina?

[lackcreativity]

Though we weren't really looking to book then, on our first (so far!) Viking ocean cruise, we walked by the booking desk several times and it was always empty. Are there set times for representatives to staff the desk, or is there an appointment system? How does it work? For our October cruise I do have a future booking in mind.

[dln929]

Though we weren't really looking to book then, on our first (so far!) Viking ocean cruise, we walked by the booking desk several times and it was always empty. Are there set times for representatives to staff the desk, or is there an appointment system? How does it work? For our October cruise I do have a future booking in mind.

Yes, it's by appointment. There ought to be a book by the desk where you can sign up for the time and day of your choice. Sometimes though you get lucky and the future cruise person is at his/her desk and you can talk cruises right then and there.

[Mitina]

Broken down, it was $400pp past guest discount, $200pp because we booked a combo cruise and a $400pp "management adjustment.

 

Great deal. I'm still trying to determine where the $400 and the $200 came from. Past guest is usually $200pp and we also got the $400 "mgt adj" for a cruise we booked on board last year.

 

Your past guest discount was $400? Also not sure what's a combo cruise. Thanks for the advice. We plan to book another one on board shortly.

[Peregrina651]

I forgot about the "flexibility" option ... and our final payment is/was due at the six month point prior to our cruise ... apparently that is not typical with Viking. We also received the 3.3% by doing the e-pay. It's a good deal if it works for you!

 

What itinerary did you finally choose Peregrina?

 

DH picked the B2B/combination river cruise France's Finest. Other than "Windmills and Tulips," I can't remember what else was on the list. Sometimes I give him a couple of choices and other times it is "Hey. What do you think about this one? Should we book it?" Midnight Sun was one of the latter.

[Peregrina651]

Great deal. I'm still trying to determine where the $400 and the $200 came from. Past guest is usually $200pp and we also got the $400 "mgt adj" for a cruise we booked on board last year.

 

Your past guest discount was $400? Also not sure what's a combo cruise. Thanks for the advice. We plan to book another one on board shortly.

 

The past guest discount has two levels of reward (not sure how it is figured) and that may be doubled when booking on board . The management adjustment seems to me to be a catch-all kind of a discount. On our cruise it seemed to be dependent on the length of the cruise that was booked. France's Finest combines two separate cruises in one itinerary --the Provence cruise on the Rhone river and the Paris to Normandy on the Seine--hence, the "combination" discount.

[azdrydock]

The past guest discount has two levels of reward (not sure how it is figured) and that may be doubled when booking on board . The management adjustment seems to me to be a catch-all kind of a discount. On our cruise it seemed to be dependent on the length of the cruise that was booked. France's Finest combines two separate cruises in one itinerary --the Provence cruise on the Rhone river and the Paris to Normandy on the Seine--hence, the "combination" discount.

.

If I recall you get $100pp if you cruised with Viking in the past 2 years and $200pp if you cruised in the past year. This has nothing to do with booking on board. The management adjustment is based on the length of the cruise you are booking and if you change to a shorter cruise you risk loosing the adjustment. On some cruises they may have other perks but they are usually not exclusive to onboard booking and usually air related. We did an onboard booking and wanted a PV1 cabin. The agent tried talking us into a PS? for an additional $1000pp (same offer as current flyer had). We declined the offer and he said "you know that also includes business air at same price as standard air for the PV". We took the offer!

We found out the offer was not only available on board but was available via a promo code in some of their mailings.

[Peregrina651]

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If I recall you get $100pp if you cruised with Viking in the past 2 years and $200pp if you cruised in the past year. This has nothing to do with booking on board. The management adjustment is based on the length of the cruise you are booking and if you change to a shorter cruise you risk loosing the adjustment. On some cruises they may have other perks but they are usually not exclusive to onboard booking and usually air related. We did an onboard booking and wanted a PV1 cabin. The agent tried talking us into a PS? for an additional $1000pp (same offer as current flyer had). We declined the offer and he said "you know that also includes business air at same price as standard air for the PV". We took the offer!

We found out the offer was not only available on board but was available via a promo code in some of their mailings.

 

That is because the on board offers are in addition to any current promos not instead of them. When we booked, there was a current deal on offer which added another $150 plus free air to our savings but it was for that particular itinerary on specific dates. Booking on board gave us an additional $800 in savings that we would not have gotten otherwise --not even in perks from our TA.

[azdrydock]

That is because the on board offers are in addition to any current promos not instead of them. When we booked, there was a current deal on offer which added another $150 plus free air to our savings but it was for that particular itinerary on specific dates. Booking on board gave us an additional $800 in savings that we would not have gotten otherwise --not even in perks from our TA.

 

Correct. The $800 is the 2x400pp onboard bonus (management adjustment) based on the length of the new cruise. This is only available on board. This is in addition to any current Viking offers for that itinerary including mail promos. Your original TA is still the agent of record and you are eligible for any 3rd party perks they may offer.

[Vineyard View]

So there are absolute real dollar extra savings by booking on board? If so that in itself is a great reason to do so - with possibly a couple exceptions? I have read where it was a new itinerary not yet posted and the pricing didn’t shake out well, so based on that it seems that maybe established itineraries are the better way to go?

Also, is there a difference if you choose B2B that would equate to maybe 16+ days vs a longer single voyage, or is is just total days that drives total discount?

[Peregrina651]

Correct. The $800 is the 2x400pp onboard bonus (management adjustment) based on the length of the new cruise. This is only available on board. This is in addition to any current Viking offers for that itinerary including mail promos. Your original TA is still the agent of record and you are eligible for any 3rd party perks they may offer.

 

Not correct. First, my numbers are per person; second, the management discount is only part of what we received for booking on board, and third, I counted a promo as an on board discount.

 

Savings generated because we booked on board was $600 per person ( not $800pp as I had said because I forgot to take out the $200pp combination discount which I believe is a promo available to all)--in other words an extra $200pp for the doubled returning guest discount and another $400pp management discount. This $600pp is in addition to $550pp in returning guest and other promo discounts (and not including free air fare) that I would have gotten if I had just booked through my TA.

 

To be clear, the total returning guest discount was $400pp; it was doubled. So $200 pp counts toward the board booking bonus and $200pp is what I would have gotten anyway. (These numbers do not include the free airfare promo in affect and an OBC for the cruise we were on when we booked). This is what we received; others' mileage may vary.

[azdrydock]

So there are absolute real dollar extra savings by booking on board? If so that in itself is a great reason to do so - with possibly a couple exceptions? I have read where it was a new itinerary not yet posted and the pricing didn’t shake out well, so based on that it seems that maybe established itineraries are the better way to go?

Also, is there a difference if you choose B2B that would equate to maybe 16+ days vs a longer single voyage, or is is just total days that drives total discount?

 

We were told we could rebook or change the cruise up to the first payment date with no penalties however we would loose all of the original offers (other then the loyalty and on board bonus) and would be rebooked with the current offers and pricing. One of the included offers we had was an early booking discount and even though there were subsequent offers that appeared better we still came out ahead with the original offer. We had another on board booking and changed our minds so we were able to switch to a River Cruise keeping the bonus with no penalties. Our TA did it while we were on hold.

We discussed doing a BB on board and were told it would be treated as separate bookings. We didn't do it, but I think we would have been better off than a single voyage since the loyalty part would have been applied twice and there may have been a limit on the on board part. This was 18 months ago and I think they have done things recently to encourage BB's.

We have done it twice and will probably book two more on board our River cruise in June.

Edited April 7, 2018 by azdrydock
readability

[Peregrina651]

So there are absolute real dollar extra savings by booking on board? If so that in itself is a great reason to do so - with possibly a couple exceptions? I have read where it was a new itinerary not yet posted and the pricing didn’t shake out well, so based on that it seems that maybe established itineraries are the better way to go?

Also, is there a difference if you choose B2B that would equate to maybe 16+ days vs a longer single voyage, or is is just total days that drives total discount?

 

If my experience is any indication, then yes there is.

 

And yes, there are exceptions so I agree that I would stick to established itineraries whose prices have already been posted.

 

Not sure on the B2B thing. In any case, a b2b that isn't already being sold under its own name would probably add up the stated days for each cruise and then subtract one day because the last day of leg one is also the first day of leg two. Example: two eight day b2b cruises starting on Sunday, you would board on Sunday, Day 1 on the following Sunday, Day 8, you stay while non-B2Bers depart and new guests arrive, Sunday, Day 15, you head home.

[azdrydock]

Not correct. First, my numbers are per person; second, the management discount is only part of what we received for booking on board, and third, I counted a promo as an on boa...................................others' mileage may vary.

 

Didn't realize you were effectively doing a BB and they combined the offers.Still don't think anything other then management bonus and OBC were things you would have gotten off ship.

 

The management bonus is a big deal and it alone makes on board booking worth it.

[stretchcruz]

Azulann is currently on the transatlantic and she posted the book onboard deals:

 

Here is the most current onboard bookings discount.

It was in a letter about 2020 bookings. Usual two for one off brochure price. $200pp past passenger discount

.booking on board receive $200pp for 7-9 days,$300 for 10-12, $400. For13-15 and $500 pp for 16 plus days.

Finally you also receive OBC, to use on this current sailing for booking multiple Cruises. $100 for one cruise, $250 for 2 and $500 for three or more.

When we booked onboard we booked 2 back to back....Auckland to Sydney and Sydney to Bali. One a 15 day the other 17. We got $400 past passenger off per person plus $900 off per person ($400 plus $500 for the 15 day and the 17 day) plus $250 shipboard credit to use on the cruise we were on. We were very lucky and still got 12% off from our TA (down from the 15% it used to be). We booked a few months before Viking changed their rules. We also got the 6 month final payment which our TA did before anyway...and the special on the air.

We did not get any days "subtracted" from our credits...we booked a 15 day and a 17 day on the same ship. So we got one credit for the 15 day and one for the 17 day. The amounts are above.

Edited April 7, 2018 by stretchcruz

[sherrar]

Can you book river cruises when on an Ocean cruise and are the discounts the same? Also how does it differ for UK guests - we wouldn't even consider paying the balance six months before - more like 12 weeks.

 

We are thinking of booking the China tour for 2019 and may wait until our Ocean cruise in September this year if the savings are worth it.

 

Thanks

[molymoo]

Can you book river cruises when on an Ocean cruise and are the discounts the same? Also how does it differ for UK guests - we wouldn't even consider paying the balance six months before - more like 12 weeks.

 

We are thinking of booking the China tour for 2019 and may wait until our Ocean cruise in September this year if the savings are worth it.

 

Thanks

 

Not sure if everything is applicable to UK passengers but yes, you can book a river cruise and receive the book on board discounts.

[broker1217]

I recommend booking your appointment withe the future cruise person early in your cruise.

We are at the end of our cruise and there are no appointments left. They are not returning voicemails so we may miss out on the onboard booking discount.