VIKING continues ambitious payment policy

[Babr]

Please do. I bet I’m not the only one interested in the answer. 

 

We all have to do our own due diligence, but it would be a start to know if this is a viable option.

 

Thanks.

[sharkster77]

We insured a non-river cruise vacation with Allianz that was 6 months away.  Two months later, the operator canceled the tour due to lack of bookings.  I asked Allianz for a 2/3 refund, since the policy would be insuring a non-existent vacation for 4 of the 6 months.  To my surprise, once proof of cancellation was provided, Allianz provided a full refund!  This is how your earn customer loyalty--well done Allianz!

[dogs4fun]

On 7/12/2019 at 10:23 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Choice of cruise line is a personal choice. What works for one person might not work for others. In the end, it is good that we can all choose what works for us and cruise with people who are happy with their choice.

Amen!

[$hip$hape]

Back to the original subject,

VIKING continues ambitious payment policy

It seems to be keeping the rift-raft out.

 

Sorry, I'm being a troll right now.

And, looking at dress codes.

Even though I bring a sports coat, I may not wear it every night to dinner.

Edited July 15, 2019 by $hip$hape

[$hip$hape]

1 hour ago, $hip$hape said:

Back to the original subject,

VIKING continues ambitious payment policy

It seems to be keeping the rift-raft out.

 

Sorry, I'm being a troll right now.

And, looking at dress codes.

Even though I bring a sports coat, I may not wear it every night to dinner.

Yes, Rift-raft is a misspelling... maybe on purpose.

Edited July 15, 2019 by $hip$hape

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, $hip$hape said:

It seems to be keeping the rift-raft out.

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

[$hip$hape]

22 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

 

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

 

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

Nice quote. In the past, We have been to dinner with jacket and tie table-mates, that smelled like urine. Please be clean and respectful.

[Coral]

On 7/12/2019 at 6:32 AM, BarkLessWagMore said:

I believe this topic has been discussed extensively in other threads. I will simply add that like you, we found Viking's Draconian payment policy to be not to our liking. This led me to explore their competition which led us to book a cruise on the Danube with Avalon. Small deposit at booking and payment in full 90 days before embarkation. Perfectly reasonable. We had an absolutely wonderful cruise and Avalon suits us very well. We will sail with them again I am sure. I might encourage you to look at other lines if they have a similar cruise.

It was discussed and then other people were posting that they changed it and backed off of the payment policy. So I am glad to hear what others are currently reporting.

[mort&fran]

On 7/15/2019 at 6:45 AM, Babr said:

Please do. I bet I’m not the only one interested in the answer. 

 

We all have to do our own due diligence, but it would be a start to know if this is a viable option.

 

Thanks.

 

Sorry for the delay in providing info. I have been going back and forth with Travel Guard regarding their requirement for waiving the pre-existing condition exclusion. As things now stand, they are maintaining what Turtles06 wrote - that insurance for the full amount must be purchased within 15 days of when the first payment is made. I maintain, however, they are wrong because, on page 22 of their Gold policy for example, it includes “… [t]he amount of coverage purchased equals all prepaid nonrefundable payments or deposits applicable to the Trip at the time of purchase…”

 

So I have been contending that, per the policy, the amount initially purchased only has to be the nonrefundable amount at the time of purchase. My request was written, in an email, but they have thus far only responded to me via telephone. I have now requested that they state their position in writing. Stay tuned.

[Babr]

Thanks for the update. For now, it sounds as if they are not going to let people insure as the penalties kick in over time. Let’s see what the written clarification states.

[Canal archive]

Okay it’s amazing that what is expected of ‘excuse ‘ me customers when the majority of river cruise companies work on a 90 day or less payment expectation prospective cruisers still fall for the Viking expectation. Research, research, research, CA

[caripoo]

Don't wed yourself to a particular line....If you don't like the policy, (I don't and we loved our Viking cruises). Try different ones....We are doing a Crystal Rhine this fall, I like the all inclusive and Crystal is a fabulous line.

[mort&fran]

6 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Okay it’s amazing that what is expected of ‘excuse ‘ me customers when the majority of river cruise companies work on a 90 day or less payment expectation prospective cruisers still fall for the Viking expectation. Research, research, research, CA

 

2 hours ago, caripoo said:

Don't wed yourself to a particular line....If you don't like the policy, (I don't and we loved our Viking cruises). Try different ones....We are doing a Crystal Rhine this fall, I like the all inclusive and Crystal is a fabulous line.

 

I’m cheap, so cost is always a consideration. But not the only one. If we find an itinerary we want on a ship we like at a time that fits our schedule and a price that doesn’t cause me to choke, the fact that payment is due 180 days before departure rather than 90 days probably won’t be much of an impediment.

[kentchris]

Half the passengers on my Rhone cruise last week were repeat customers, resulting in the Explorers Club cocktail party taking up a significant part of the lounge in addition to the Aquavit Terrace. That's many more than on our first cruise a couple of years ago when the terrace was fairly full but not bursting. Given that Viking have always seemed to push the envelope on payment dates in the US market where most of their customers come from that's an awful lot of customer loyalty plus a fair number of new customers, mostly US, who obviously thought Viking's product was worth trying.

 

Even if last week's cruise was an anomaly in terms of repeat customers I can't see there being any incentive for Viking to change their policies at the moment, however much grumbling there may be here or on other forums.

[Turtles06]

On 7/24/2019 at 9:31 PM, mort&fran said:

As things now stand, they are maintaining what Turtles06 wrote - that insurance for the full amount must be purchased within 15 days of when the first payment is made.

 

So there’s no confusion:  What I said was that, per Travel Guard, you must insure any amount you have paid that would not be refunded if you cancelled on the morning of the first day of your trip. This doesn’t mean you have to insure the full amount of the trip before you have paid it.  As you make other payments, you modify the policy to increase the insured amount.

 

For example (again, per Travel Guard), if you’ve paid a deposit of $250 pp on a trip that costs $2500 pp, you only need to insure the total $500 deposit when you purchase the policy.  You don’t insure the remaining $4500 until you’ve paid it. 

Edited July 27, 2019 by Turtles06

[CJcruzer]

On 7/25/2019 at 3:10 PM, kentchris said:

Half the passengers on my Rhone cruise last week were repeat customers, resulting in the Explorers Club cocktail party taking up a significant part of the lounge in addition to the Aquavit Terrace. That's many more than on our first cruise a couple of years ago when the terrace was fairly full but not bursting. Given that Viking have always seemed to push the envelope on payment dates in the US market where most of their customers come from that's an awful lot of customer loyalty plus a fair number of new customers, mostly US, who obviously thought Viking's product was worth trying.

 

Even if last week's cruise was an anomaly in terms of repeat customers I can't see there being any incentive for Viking to change their policies at the moment, however much grumbling there may be here or on other forums.

 

on our last 2 recent Viking cruises, the Explorers Club cocktail party was really packed..... however, many of the travellers had been on Viking Ocean, many were on their first river cruise!  All my travels on Viking have only been on river cruising...

[4774Papa]

On 7/12/2019 at 8:25 AM, Bake apple said:

I have been in conversations with Viking regarding booking the Waterways of the Tsars for June 2020, it would be our fourth cruise with Viking. Full payment is expected by the end of August. I asked for and was turned down when I asked for a much better final payment date. I understand Avalon, Uniworld, AMA and Emerald have more reasonable policies from 90 to 120 before start of cruise.

 

It is disappointing for sure and I am wondering why the North American market is not pushing back at this stance. Perhaps it has and makes no difference to Viking. I'm looking at the other cruise lines naturally.  Am I really off base here or is Viking's policy out of line with the rest of the industry. I can't think of anything I would pay full price for and not receive the goods or services for a year.  Your thoughts or has this topic been done and dusted?  Safe travels everyone.

We have never booked Viking because their cruises were never the best value, considering price, number of days, tours included, etc.  Also, this payment policy is ridiculous.

[CJcruzer]

18 hours ago, CJcruzer said:

 

on our last 2 recent Viking cruises, the Explorers Club cocktail party was really packed..... however, many of the travellers had been on Viking Ocean, many were on their first river cruise!  All my travels on Viking have only been on river cruising...

 

Pretty much all of Viking’s 2019 itineraries are sold out...and really filling up for 2020 - so unless people refuse to stand up to their policy, it will continue,

 

Our last Viking river cruise was booked before the new change this past Feb  2019, requiring bookings to be paid in full 1 year from sailing date.  If you book on a promo, then the full payment deadline could mean you are paying more than a year in advance, in order to get the advertised perks/discounts/offers,

 

When I booked last June 2018 for an April 2019 cruise, already Viking was pushing for immediate payment, pretty much one year out,   Having travelled with them before, and knowing that you can request extension, I stood my ground.  The best I could do was to get 6 months out.

 

The policy stinks, but it seems they are doing well, despite people’s grumblings.  

 

 

[Scootoir]

On 7/28/2019 at 4:12 AM, 4774Papa said:

We have never booked Viking because their cruises were never the best value, considering price, number of days, tours included, etc.  Also, this payment policy is ridiculous.

 

What river cruise lines would you recommend?

[4774Papa]

5 hours ago, Scootoir said:

 

What river cruise lines would you recommend?

For three of our four river cruises, we chose Vantage World Travel as the best value.  I recommend that you compare Vantage with other lines like AMA, Viking, Scenic, Uniworld, Avalon, etc.  

[Peregrina651]

On 7/28/2019 at 3:29 PM, CJcruzer said:

Pretty much all of Viking’s 2019 itineraries are sold out...and really filling up for 2020 - so unless people refuse to stand up to their policy, it will continue,

 

Don't look at me. I really don't care what the payment policy is. I like Viking. I am happy traveling with them. I'm not looking to change companies.  In fact, I like the policy and don't care if they change it or not; it means I get to travel with people who are happy about their choices, who are looking forward to a happy adventure.

 

If you don't like Viking's policies, then sail with some other company. Do what it takes to make you happy about your vacation --and stop wasting your energy on things you can't change.

[CJcruzer]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Don't look at me. I really don't care what the payment policy is. I like Viking. I am happy traveling with them. I'm not looking to change companies.  In fact, I like the policy and don't care if they change it or not; it means I get to travel with people who are happy about their choices, who are looking forward to a happy adventure.

 

If you don't like Viking's policies, then sail with some other company. Do what it takes to make you happy about your vacation --and stop wasting your energy on things you can't change.

 

I was speaking in general. no need to attack me personally, I did not mention if I was a Viking fan or not, or in agreement with their policy or not. It was a blanket statement.

 

I have taken 6 Viking cruises, my most recent was one in the fall (Douro river) and the spring (Eastern European) -   

 

And I was not wasting  energy on anything (as you post) - just stating a fact.  And posting that the policy stinks, did not mean I was not or will not be, booking Viking. BUT I can understand why some people feel they do towards Viking payment policy,

 

And now I will keep my thoughts to myself in the future.

 

[dolllover]

In regards to Vikings payment policy I was told by my agent they do this because of their fantastic flight deals. I don't fly business and love the fact I can get great flights, pre and post land packages , the cruise in a veranda cabin for 10 grand including insurance. Even though I have a Viking cruise coming up in October I'm not loyal to any company. I book a cruise with where I want to go. Knock on wood every trip I've taken so far has been fantastic and consider myself blessed I'm able to travel.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, CJcruzer said:

I was speaking in general. no need to attack me personally, I did not mention if I was a Viking fan or not, or in agreement with their policy or not. It was a blanket statement.

 

Sorry, I was not attacking you personally at all. I owe you an apology. That is the problem with the pronoun "you," one cannot tell if it is meant in the singular or the plural, general or specific and using "one" these days just sounds pretentious but it looks like I'll be adding it back into my vocabulary just for the sake of clarity and to avoid situations like this.

[CJcruzer]

4 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sorry, I was not attacking you personally at all. I owe you an apology. That is the problem with the pronoun "you," one cannot tell if it is meant in the singular or the plural, general or specific and using "one" these days just sounds pretentious but it looks like I'll be adding it back into my vocabulary just for the sake of clarity and to avoid situations like this.

 

Apology accepted, all is good...👍🏻