Extensions/Air Travel Questions

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

For past cruises, we obtained our own air and did our own thing, including a little "pre-extension" adventure of our own. Now I want to book a cruise and am tempted by the inexpensive airfare (to Rome from Maryland, back from Barcelona). I'm also tempted by a post-Barcelona extension. I will eventually get around to asking Viking a couple questions about those, but in the mean time thought I'd ask here. My questions are:

 

Air:

 

Could I use Viking's air but do my own extension (i.e., transportation and hotels)? If so, do I pay for an air deviation to go back two or three days later than disembarkation day? If I go to Madrid, can I fly back from there with the deviation? (I believe that's one city that's allowed as a deviation on Med cruises.) With the deviation, are you allowed to select flights or is there an extra charge for that - or no extra charge to be able to select, but often an upcharge due to difference in price that Viking will pay?

 

Does Viking offer any flight upgrades like premium economy on flights that have it? If I have Viking's air, can I do that through the airline, or does it have to be arranged by Viking? Also, I know that in general, air arranged by cruise lines is not the best, since contracts are used, flights are booked somewhat later than many people tend to book them, and a lot of seats must be found to accommodate cruisers. Also, it most certainly depends upon where you are flying from and to. However, if anyone would like to comment on how good or poor Viking's air arrangements are, at least from a major U.S. East Coast city to/from Rome and Barcelona, I'd love to hear your opinion.

 

Extensions:

I know hotel stay plus transportation to the "extension" city (Madrid) and from the hotel to the airport are included in the cost. However I didn't think to ask if there are any excursions involved, or any meals (although I realize that could vary with the hotel). Generally, is there at least a tour, or are you on your own?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[philw1776]

Yes, you pay for an air deviation. If you also pay for Viking Air you may have more flight selection but bounded by what Viking partners & offers.

Viking does not (in my experience) offer upgrades. You MAY get such through the airline. I have. If you buy Viking Air ask if they'll help you upgrade. Anyone here let me know if you've done this. I'll try tomorrow.

Extensions always offer at least a basic walking/bus excursion like our Lucerne extension. Some offer much more, like the Loire valley Chateaus extension. Breakfasts usually included. On your own for lunch & dinner except for some special dinners in a few pricey excursions. In other words, read the extension details online.

[Vineyard View]

We are going into San Juan early, then flying out on disembarkment day (same port). We will be paying for custom air as well as the deviation to arrive or depart early. The cost is $150pp. If we wanted to have more say in our flights and fly into and out the actual cruise dates we would pay $50pp, so the deviation is an additional $100pp. We will be making our own hotel arrangements prior to the Amazon cruise, and will be making our own transportation as well. We like the opportunity to plan our own time and pick our Hotels, rather than ship arranged pre or post cruises. Just a personal thing.

Like you this will be the first time we will be using Viking air vs buying our own and using miles to upgrade. From what I read, it could be more difficult to upgrade into San Juan rather than ‘International’ flights. Plan to do this all next week and can let you know how it goes if you are interested (you may not since non-Europe). Hopefully the costing is helpful though as this is consistent regardless of where you travel.

[Wants to cruise]

For past cruises, we obtained our own air and did our own thing, including a little "pre-extension" adventure of our own. Now I want to book a cruise and am tempted by the inexpensive airfare (to Rome from Maryland, back from Barcelona). I'm also tempted by a post-Barcelona extension. I will eventually get around to asking Viking a couple questions about those, but in the mean time thought I'd ask here. My questions are:

 

Air:

 

Could I use Viking's air but do my own extension (i.e., transportation and hotels)? If so, do I pay for an air deviation to go back two or three days later than disembarkation day? If I go to Madrid, can I fly back from there with the deviation? (I believe that's one city that's allowed as a deviation on Med cruises.) With the deviation, are you allowed to select flights or is there an extra charge for that - or no extra charge to be able to select, but often an upcharge due to difference in price that Viking will pay?

 

Does Viking offer any flight upgrades like premium economy on flights that have it? If I have Viking's air, can I do that through the airline, or does it have to be arranged by Viking? Also, I know that in general, air arranged by cruise lines is not the best, since contracts are used, flights are booked somewhat later than many people tend to book them, and a lot of seats must be found to accommodate cruisers. Also, it most certainly depends upon where you are flying from and to. However, if anyone would like to comment on how good or poor Viking's air arrangements are, at least from a major U.S. East Coast city to/from Rome and Barcelona, I'd love to hear your opinion.

 

Extensions:

I know hotel stay plus transportation to the "extension" city (Madrid) and from the hotel to the airport are included in the cost. However I didn't think to ask if there are any excursions involved, or any meals (although I realize that could vary with the hotel). Generally, is there at least a tour, or are you on your own?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

Here's my experience on Viking (1 previous Ocean and 1 River and 1 upcoming World). You can use Viking Air and do your own extensions. If you do this, you also must make your own arrangements to/from port/airport/hotel. Any number of days seem to be ok but I have no experience on changing the city. If you want to do anything other than what they want to book, there is a charge. Mine was $50pp to have a say on flight times and $100pp to deviate on flight days. On the upcoming World cruise, they waived the deviation fee. Viking offered upgraded seats but at the upgrade cost. If you are looking to use points (miles or CC), you do that thru the airlines after booking. Sometimes the fares were good, sometimes not so good. For my flights (ATL, Istanbul, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Bucharest, London, MIA) they offered Delta and its partners, United and its partners and American and its partners. because I paid the $50pp, I got to pick the times and seats and because I paid the $100pp, I got to pick the days. I've done my own excursions (Amsterdam) and theirs (Bucharest). When they did it, they had tours for each day of the extension that had options and they provided transfers from port to hotel and then from hotel to airport along with breakfast each day and one excursion had a meal. When I did my own, no meals provided and I had to arrange the port to hotel and hotel to airport. This was my experience. I was very satisfied with their arrangements when they did it. Hope this helps.

[Peregrina651]

As to extension, my advice would be to do what makes you feel happy/comfortable.

 

When we did Viking's NYE in the Med cruise for 2016-17, we did extend our stay in Spain after the cruise using Viking's airfare (which at that time was an unbeatable $445pp). As already explained, we paid a deviation fee plus we lost the transfers on that leg of the journey. There was a possibility that the airline would charge us some sort of fare supplement (they had a name for it) but in the end, they did not. The fare supplement is not something that Viking controls.

 

We stayed an additional 7 nights. Flights to Granada, hotels and transfers cost us less than Viking's post-cruise extension in Barcelona (can't remember if it was 2 nights or 3). But, we have traveled in Spain, so we felt very comfortable doing it entirely on our own.

 

On the other hand, we have done Viking extensions. We used them for Prague to avoid having to figure out how to get to Budapest for the start of the cruise and we used them to stay on in Kiev, just so we had the reassurance of the Viking help desk. It really depends on where we are going and just how comfortable we feel doing it on our own.

[Azulann]

For past cruises, we obtained our own air and did our own thing, including a little "pre-extension" adventure of our own. Now I want to book a cruise and am tempted by the inexpensive airfare (to Rome from Maryland, back from Barcelona). I'm also tempted by a post-Barcelona extension. I will eventually get around to asking Viking a couple questions about those, but in the mean time thought I'd ask here. My questions are:

 

Air:

could I use Viking's air but do my own extension (i.e., transportation and hotels)? If so, do I pay for an air deviation to go back two or three days later than disembarkation day? If I go to Madrid, can I fly back from there with the deviation? (I believe that's one city that's allowed as a deviation on Med cruises.) With the deviation, are you allowed to select flights or is there an extra charge for that - or no extra charge to be able to select, but often an upcharge due to difference in price that Viking will pay?

 

Does Viking offer any flight upgrades like premium economy on flights that have it? If I have Viking's air, can I do that through the airline, or does it have to be arranged by Viking? Also, I know that in general, air arranged by cruise lines is not the best, since contracts are used, flights are booked somewhat later than many people tend to book them, and a lot of seats must be found to accommodate cruisers. Also, it most certainly depends upon where you are flying from and to. However, if anyone would like to comment on how good or poor Viking's air arrangements are, at least from a major U.S. East Coast city to/from Rome and Barcelona, I'd love to hear your opinion.

 

Extensions:

I know hotel stay plus transportation to the "extension" city (Madrid) and from the hotel to the airport are included in the cost. However I didn't think to ask if there are any excursions involved, or any meals (although I realize that could vary with the hotel). Generally, is there at least a tour, or are you on your own?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

I recently used Vikiing air for our TA cruise from San Juan to Barcelona. We paid $50.00pp for air plus and $100.00 pp deviation fee to fly into San Jaun two nights early. We took the Viking post extension of two night in Barcelona. Others on our cruise did the Madrid post extension. They took a train to Madrid and had a guidedtour one day with breakfast included for two days. Transportation was included in the post extention price.They flew out of Madrid back to US.

In Barcelona ,we stayed at the Hilton with breakfast included but no tours. We felt it was a wash to do the post extention with Viking . We got breakfast for two mornings, transportation from ship and to airport and did not pay any deviation fee for staying later. The transportation was seamliess and they took our luggage right into airport to UA desk where I checked in for flight back to US.

I upgraded to PE on AA down to San Juan and on UA from Barcelona to Newark. I did this when I got the ticketed fare about 99 days out. We flew in March and April 2018.

In fact ,I got a text from UA that I could have upgrade to 1st class for an additionall $320 in flat seats while on my cruise. I did not opt for it. I had an aisle seat in PE with no one next to me. The plane had lots of empty seats BCN to EWR.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

[lackcreativity]

Yes, you pay for an air deviation. If you also pay for Viking Air you may have more flight selection but bounded by what Viking partners & offers.

Viking does not (in my experience) offer upgrades. You MAY get such through the airline. I have. If you buy Viking Air ask if they'll help you upgrade. Anyone here let me know if you've done this. I'll try tomorrow.

Extensions always offer at least a basic walking/bus excursion like our Lucerne extension. Some offer much more, like the Loire valley Chateaus extension. Breakfasts usually included. On your own for lunch & dinner except for some special dinners in a few pricey excursions. In other words, read the extension details online.

 

You are right to read the extension details carefully, because not all of them include an excursion. I know that the Rome extension and the Barcelona extension really just include the hotel, breakfast, transfers, and a Viking guide at the hotel to answer questions. Some do include a tour or even more than one. All have the convenience of Viking taking care of getting you from place to place, and some have much more than that.

[vnb2003]

Yes, you pay for an air deviation. If you also pay for Viking Air you may have more flight selection but bounded by what Viking partners & offers.

Viking does not (in my experience) offer upgrades. You MAY get such through the airline. I have. If you buy Viking Air ask if they'll help you upgrade. Anyone here let me know if you've done this. I'll try tomorrow.

Extensions always offer at least a basic walking/bus excursion like our Lucerne extension. Some offer much more, like the Loire valley Chateaus extension. Breakfasts usually included. On your own for lunch & dinner except for some special dinners in a few pricey excursions. In other words, read the extension details online.

 

Philw1776, Viking offers an upgrade to PE and business. The price for upgrade is very high. Last year it was $345 compare to Lufthansa $200 for PE. This year it's $999 for PE and $1,999 for business. Prices on the same cruises are also up this year. Oh, the prices I listed are per person.

 

I'm not sure those prices are good for all itineraries but I saw them on quite a few of them.

[Vineyard View]

Azulann, are you saying that if you had decided to also stay at the end of your cruise for an extended time without doing the Viking extension, that this would have incurred another $100pp in addition to the $100pp deviation that you paid to go in early at the front of the trip?

[Azulann]

Azulann, are you saying that if you had decided to also stay at the end of your cruise for an extended time without doing the Viking extension, that this would have incurred another $100pp in addition to the $100pp deviation that you paid to go in early at the front of the trip?

Yes, extending days after cruise has a deviation fee too of $100.00 pp when using Viking Air. One of the reason we used the post extension.

I never go from ship to airport after any cruise since the first one I did many years ago.

In spite of the additonal fees , Viking Air was cheaper than flights on my own when traveling from MN on these open jaw flights.

[philw1776]

Philw1776, Viking offers an upgrade to PE and business. The price for upgrade is very high. Last year it was $345 compare to Lufthansa $200 for PE. This year it's $999 for PE and $1,999 for business. Prices on the same cruises are also up this year. Oh, the prices I listed are per person.

 

I'm not sure those prices are good for all itineraries but I saw them on quite a few of them.

 

Good to know. I have seen their business upgrade posted at their high price but never saw upgrade to PE.

Talking with my TA and Viking Air late today about my economy seats. Found out our seats are in the only row that does not recline. I expect more from Viking Air when paying a fee.

 

Checked here to discover the bad news about our seats...

 

https://www.seatguru.com

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm still unclear about some things:

 

I'm assuming you pay up to $150 per person for special air booking, depending upon what you want to do, for the trips both "to" and from the cruise, right? That sounds reasonable. I just priced flights (to be booked by myself, not Viking), and while it's perhaps a bit too early to actually book flights for my next cruise, I'm not really liking the prices I'm seeing. I'm guessing it will be better to use Viking's but pay for custom air, even if it's $150 per person. I understand you pay up front for using the service, but if you don't accept what they can give you, you can get a refund. Is that true? Also, I assume you can turn down an offer and ask if there's anything else available - true?

 

Can you pay for custom air before you make final payment on the cruise, and if so, is there any advantage to doing so? My cruise is still 8 months off - can they find me something this early? I'm assuming that the sooner Viking books flights for you with custom air, the better chance you get of finding something good in terms of timing, seats, etc. - but is that true?

 

Do most airlines allow upgrades to Premium Econ (if available, of course) even if Viking purchased the ticket for you?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Yes, extending days after cruise has a deviation fee too of $100.00 pp when using Viking Air. One of the reason we used the post extension.

I never go from ship to airport after any cruise since the first one I did many years ago.

In spite of the additonal fees , Viking Air was cheaper than flights on my own when traveling from MN on these open jaw flights.

So you paid $150, I assume?

[Peregrina651]

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm still unclear about some things:

 

I'm assuming you pay up to $150 per person for special air booking, depending upon what you want to do, for the trips both "to" and from the cruise, right? That sounds reasonable. I just priced flights (to be booked by myself, not Viking), and while it's perhaps a bit too early to actually book flights for my next cruise, I'm not really liking the prices I'm seeing. I'm guessing it will be better to use Viking's but pay for custom air, even if it's $150 per person. I understand you pay up front for using the service, but if you don't accept what they can give you, you can get a refund. Is that true? Also, I assume you can turn down an offer and ask if there's anything else available - true?

 

Can you pay for custom air before you make final payment on the cruise, and if so, is there any advantage to doing so? My cruise is still 8 months off - can they find me something this early? I'm assuming that the sooner Viking books flights for you with custom air, the better chance you get of finding something good in terms of timing, seats, etc. - but is that true?

 

Do most airlines allow upgrades to Premium Econ (if available, of course) even if Viking purchased the ticket for you?

 

You pay the $50pp upfront and you must actually pay it, not just add it to your invoice. Can't remember if the deviation $100 fee is paid up front or goes on the invoice.

 

My TA starts working on flights at 321 days before the return (and sometimes even then not all of the routes will be available for booking). Last year, when we traveled, the flight I wanted into Barcelona was not listed. We assumed that it was discontinued only to find out later that had we waited we could have had what we wanted in the first place. This year, when I start booking, I won't even start the process until I see that the flights I want on the airline website.

 

IMHO, the best way to handle things if you know you are going to deviate is to tell them exactly what flights you want (and go from there if you don't like the price they are giving you; remember that the supplemental price on a deviation is determined by the airlines not by Viking).

[Azulann]

So you paid $150, I assume?

 

Yes, I paid $150.00 in fees and had the original fare of Viking air for $595.

There was a cat 5 hurricane that did come into play for finding airfare from MN to San Juan .

I originally was going to get a non stop flight from MSP to San Juan on Delta. Afte the hurricane Delta stopped these daily flights from MSP to San Juan for the season. So ended up being booked on AA and UA with one connectiong flight each way.

Yes, track some flights on your own and monitor the price.

Viking Air was a very good deal for me even with the added fees. for travel in March/April of 2018. I based this on the round trip I did to and from BCN in July 2016. I used Celebrity Air and got a price of $1500. round trip on Delta through Atlanta.

I woould use Viking Air again.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Viking told us we could add the 50$ per person at any time, not just when we booked. We are flying Viking because it seemed like the easiest thing to do for us. We have not yet paid the 50$ and wonder if we should. Would it make a big difference in our flights? If we do not do that will we have no choice in seats. We will be going first class due to the length of the flight. Would it make a big difference in first class seating? It's pricy, but physically we don't want to arrive in pain!

 

We are flying to New Zealand and know we would be flying through the night no matter what flight, but would it make a big difference going from where we leave to which ever airport we will be flying overseas from?

 

I'd love to hear others who have experience with Viking air and how much of a difference the 50$ makes...would it be worth it?

[SM77]

We have had good experiences working w/ Viking Air to upgrade from economy to business using United miles. United charges $550 each way per person; Viking Air charges $50 to specify the airline, $50 to do the upgrade using miles. They have some clout w/ the airlines and I think upgrading to business for Europe is a bit easier. For an Asian trip (not w/ Viking) we booked our own United economy tickets & I stupidly thought I could upgrade using miles myself. Well, so many passengers who fly regularly to Asia always upgrade since the flight is so long so there was no chance of getting upgraded from San Francisco to Hong Kong (after flying in economy from the East Coast). We have never tried deviating by going out earlier or staying longer. We are doing Australian New Zealand Indonesia and decided to just book business class using Viking Air. It's pricey but we figure it would be too difficult to try upgrading using miles. My understanding from Viking Air since it is business that we get to approve the flights beforehand. We'll find out once we do this - We also are flying business using Viking Air for South America. For both trips we didn't specify United - figured it will be a partner airline or hopefully United since we are flying out of Dulles. I think for future cruises that take us to Europe we will use Viking Air & then asked them to work w/ United to upgrade to business using miles.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Viking told us once you receive your flight info from them, you have 5 days to request a change. From what they say, you can continue requesting a change until you get an agreeable flight.

[SM77]

Viking told us once you receive your flight info from them, you have 5 days to request a change. From what they say, you can continue requesting a change until you get an agreeable flight.

 

Thanks for letting me know that - I'll keep that in mind!

[Peregrina651]

Viking told us we could add the 50$ per person at any time, not just when we booked. We are flying Viking because it seemed like the easiest thing to do for us. We have not yet paid the 50$ and wonder if we should. Would it make a big difference in our flights? If we do not do that will we have no choice in seats. We will be going first class due to the length of the flight. Would it make a big difference in first class seating? It's pricy, but physically we don't want to arrive in pain!

 

We are flying to New Zealand and know we would be flying through the night no matter what flight, but would it make a big difference going from where we leave to which ever airport we will be flying overseas from?

 

I'd love to hear others who have experience with Viking air and how much of a difference the 50$ makes...would it be worth it?

 

Yes, paying the $50 makes a difference. You have some say in your flights (a choice from among what Viking is offering at their price), a chance to choose seats your seats well before everyone else. Usually, you can choose your seats when you book (some of it depends on the airlines and there may be airline fees to choose your seat in advance, which Viking has no control over).

 

If you don't use custom air, you get what is left after everyone else has actively chosen their flights and you may end up with less than agreeable arrangements (very early flights out, more connections than you would like, longer duration flight plans, longer layover times than you would like, and any other thing that you don't like about flying--for me it is pre-dawn trips to the airport).

 

Especially use custom air if you are flying first/business class. There are fewer of these seats available on any given flight and if you wait until Viking assigns you your flight plan you may very well find that you are on a multi-stop flight even though there are direct flights available. Case in point: on our way to London for Midnight Sun, we met a couple in the airport (gotta love those little red tags) who were on our cruise. We were booked directly from Boston to London on BA. They were booked from Boston to Iceland to London on Icelandic. They departed before we did and arrived after we did. The difference: we were flying coach and they were flying first class. There was no custom air available on this itinerary at that time, so neither of us had any control over the choices. At that point it became obvious to me, that flying coach had some advantages: flying first-class has fewer available seats thus more probability of getting a less than optimal flight plan. Better to pay custom air as early as possible and have some say in the matter.

 

You are already paying so much for this vacation that you really, really want to take, why now quibble over a small fee (whose main purpose is to limit frivolous calls to the department, so that they are available to speak to those customers who are actually using their services). Pay the fee. Make your air arrangements as comfortable and as convenient as possible. Flying these days is ordeal enough so you might as well at least start with a flight plan that makes you happy.

 

You don't have to pay the fee when you book but you do have to pay it before you can speak with Viking Air.

 

Personally, we accidentally used custom air the first time we went with Viking. Over the course of the cruise, I got to hear about the flight plans of other people who had not used it and many of them were leaving the hotel before dawn to get home or had crazy flight plans that took them from Beijing to Paris to Newark (and leaving the hotel before dawn). At that point I realized that these people had had no say in their flights and they were given the flights that nobody else wanted. I have used custom air on every trip since so that I could at least choose our flights (although on our last trip, I rejected their choices and ended up booking my own flights and for less than what Viking was costing and also at that time we did Midnight Sun, custom air was not available at all).

[Peregrina651]

Viking told us once you receive your flight info from them, you have 5 days to request a change. From what they say, you can continue requesting a change until you get an agreeable flight.

 

Yes, but at that point the flights you would really prefer might not even be available so I will pay the $100 and choose my flights and my seats well in advance of the pack. To us, it is money well spent.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Yes, paying the $50 makes a difference. You have some say in your flights (a choice from among what Viking is offering at their price), a chance to choose seats your seats well before everyone else. Usually, you can choose your seats when you book (some of it depends on the airlines and there may be airline fees to choose your seat in advance, which Viking has no control over).

 

If you don't use custom air, you get what is left after everyone else has actively chosen their flights and you may end up with less than agreeable arrangements (very early flights out, more connections than you would like, longer duration flight plans, longer layover times than you would like, and any other thing that you don't like about flying--for me it is pre-dawn trips to the airport).

 

Especially use custom air if you are flying first/business class. There are fewer of these seats available on any given flight and if you wait until Viking assigns you your flight plan you may very well find that you are on a multi-stop flight even though there are direct flights available. Case in point: on our way to London for Midnight Sun, we met a couple in the airport (gotta love those little red tags) who were on our cruise. We were booked directly from Boston to London on BA. They were booked from Boston to Iceland to London on Icelandic. They departed before we did and arrived after we did. The difference: we were flying coach and they were flying first class. There was no custom air available on this itinerary at that time, so neither of us had any control over the choices. At that point it became obvious to me, that flying coach had some advantages: flying first-class has fewer available seats thus more probability of getting a less than optimal flight plan. Better to pay custom air as early as possible and have some say in the matter.

 

You are already paying so much for this vacation that you really, really want to take, why now quibble over a small fee (whose main purpose is to limit frivolous calls to the department, so that they are available to speak to those customers who are actually using their services). Pay the fee. Make your air arrangements as comfortable and as convenient as possible. Flying these days is ordeal enough so you might as well at least start with a flight plan that makes you happy.

 

You don't have to pay the fee when you book but you do have to pay it before you can speak with Viking Air.

 

Personally, we accidentally used custom air the first time we went with Viking. Over the course of the cruise, I got to hear about the flight plans of other people who had not used it and many of them were leaving the hotel before dawn to get home or had crazy flight plans that took them from Beijing to Paris to Newark (and leaving the hotel before dawn). At that point I realized that these people had had no say in their flights and they were given the flights that nobody else wanted. I have used custom air on every trip since so that I could at least choose our flights (although on our last trip, I rejected their choices and ended up booking my own flights and for less than what Viking was costing and also at that time we did Midnight Sun, custom air was not available at all).

 

T.H.A.N.K.S! That is the info I was looking for. I feared long layovers and awful departure hours and doing a fly around the US before getting to where we actually need to fly out of. I don't think we should chance it. If we get that now, do you know how soon we can book the flights? Our cruise is the end of Dec.

[SM77]

Yes, paying the $50 makes a difference. You have some say in your flights (a choice from among what Viking is offering at their price), a chance to choose seats your seats well before everyone else. Usually, you can choose your seats when you book (some of it depends on the airlines and there may be airline fees to choose your seat in advance, which Viking has no control over).

 

If you don't use custom air, you get what is left after everyone else has actively chosen their flights and you may end up with less than agreeable arrangements (very early flights out, more connections than you would like, longer duration flight plans, longer layover times than you would like, and any other thing that you don't like about flying--for me it is pre-dawn trips to the airport).

 

Especially use custom air if you are flying first/business class. There are fewer of these seats available on any given flight and if you wait until Viking assigns you your flight plan you may very well find that you are on a multi-stop flight even though there are direct flights available. Case in point: on our way to London for Midnight Sun, we met a couple in the airport (gotta love those little red tags) who were on our cruise. We were booked directly from Boston to London on BA. They were booked from Boston to Iceland to London on Icelandic. They departed before we did and arrived after we did. The difference: we were flying coach and they were flying first class. There was no custom air available on this itinerary at that time, so neither of us had any control over the choices. At that point it became obvious to me, that flying coach had some advantages: flying first-class has fewer available seats thus more probability of getting a less than optimal flight plan. Better to pay custom air as early as possible and have some say in the matter.

 

You are already paying so much for this vacation that you really, really want to take, why now quibble over a small fee (whose main purpose is to limit frivolous calls to the department, so that they are available to speak to those customers who are actually using their services). Pay the fee. Make your air arrangements as comfortable and as convenient as possible. Flying these days is ordeal enough so you might as well at least start with a flight plan that makes you happy.

 

You don't have to pay the fee when you book but you do have to pay it before you can speak with Viking Air.

 

Personally, we accidentally used custom air the first time we went with Viking. Over the course of the cruise, I got to hear about the flight plans of other people who had not used it and many of them were leaving the hotel before dawn to get home or had crazy flight plans that took them from Beijing to Paris to Newark (and leaving the hotel before dawn). At that point I realized that these people had had no say in their flights and they were given the flights that nobody else wanted. I have used custom air on every trip since so that I could at least choose our flights (although on our last trip, I rejected their choices and ended up booking my own flights and for less than what Viking was costing and also at that time we did Midnight Sun, custom air was not available at all).

 

After reading your post(& others) & thinking about how extensive (& expensive) our Australian cruise will be, it is worthwhile to go ahead & add Viking Air Plus to our trip. I did call the Viking Air department and since I had a travel agent book the cruise, I need to have my TA work w/ Viking Air to add Viking Air Plus to our package. Then the Viking Air person said that we can work on the flights, etc & depending on the routes, there may be additional costs - we will just have to see. It's a very long ways from the East Coast to New Zealand and even further flying back from Bali, Indonesia. Flying business is really expensive if you arrange it on your own; I'm just hoping that the additional fees will not be out of sight. Thanks to everyone for your questions & input!

[roothy123]

T.H.A.N.K.S! That is the info I was looking for. I feared long layovers and awful departure hours and doing a fly around the US before getting to where we actually need to fly out of. I don't think we should chance it. If we get that now, do you know how soon we can book the flights? Our cruise is the end of Dec.

 

I would also like to know the answer to this, although I assume it is NOT too early to book flights using custom air. However, as Peregrina or someone else said, it may be too early to know exactly what flights will be available, and so there might possibly be a slight advantage to waiting to book flights for late December. Or is there? We have not made final payment yet for our late Dec. cruise. Do we need to have done that before we can talk to Viking Air folks, or just pay the $50, $100, or whatever?

[Not a Georgia Peach]

We used custom air in December to get our flights for our cruise which starts in late September. Airlines typically have the flight schedules out 310 days in advance. Flight times can change in that period of time, but it is usually just a slight variation. The type of plane can also change which might cause a change in seat choices.