Viking's Welcome Back Program

[Heidi13]

14 minutes ago, 55Division said:

Is Viking offering another 125% voucher for today's cancellations?

 

It wasn't stated in the brief announcement posted on the website, this time. However, past practice shows that Viking most likely provided 125% FCV, with an option to contact them to request a 100% refund.

 

The FCV or cash refund only applies to any cash you provided to Viking. Any vouchers are returned to your account at face value. You do not receive another 125% on vouchers. 

[Sailor Sam 407]

The only down side is that the 125% FCV must be used for cruises in either 2021 or 2022. Doesn't offer a whole lot of flexibility.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

That’s good news!   Any memory of how much they were?   
 

While we would like to go to Bermuda we think we wouldn’t like paying an excursion price to go lay on a beach since neither of us are that big of beach people. So the ship would be our resort (and one we know we enjoy) but given we aren’t doing a lot at home we are having trouble rationalizing spending money to just be on the ship.  
 

Our TA has DV5 cabins holding for Iceland (including a single at 150%.)   Trying to decide.  🤯

 

Email me and I will send you whatever I have.  

 

STOP WAFFLING! TAKE MOM! 

[GonzoWCS]

Iceland Booked!

[Jacqueline]

I am not really getting the point of the Bermuda cruise. Now I have taken a cruise from New York, years ago on a smallish ship, called the Zenith, from New to Bermuda, with stops in Hamilton and Saint George. And I have stayed at my favorite resort many times over the years.

I can’t figure out why I would do the worst of both worlds and fly to Bermuda only to use a cruise ship as a hotel. It’s a shlepp to the beaches which is the main attraction.. 

[GonzoWCS]

14 minutes ago, Jacqueline said:

I am not really getting the point of the Bermuda cruise. Now I have taken a cruise from New York, years ago on a smallish ship, called the Zenith, from New to Bermuda, with stops in Hamilton and Saint George. And I have stayed at my favorite resort many times over the years.

I can’t figure out why I would do the worst of both worlds and fly to Bermuda only to use a cruise ship as a hotel. It’s a shlepp to the beaches which is the main attraction.. 

I think with Viking in Bermuda, you might get a bit of a break at the overall cost of just trying to stay and eat on Bermuda?  Throwing it out there for the grinder

[Azulann]

Just booked Bermuda Escape for July 13-20! Got a DV1 on 4th floor.Love those aft views.

So excited. Never been to that island.  

My sister and I will  have a great time on the Viking Orion. Now I need to read up on  the history of Bermuda. I love history.  I am not a beach person anymore, but just sitting in the Explorer lounge having a cocktail each evening before dinner is ideal. 

 

[Louhut1]

Just booked Iceland.   Canceled a fall cruise I was sure wasn’t would go. Very excited to get cruising again.  Louise and Jim. 

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Email me and I will send you whatever I have.  

 

STOP WAFFLING! TAKE MOM! 

She is thinking it over.  We don’t “take” her. She takes herself, we just help out through airports.  LOL

 

I thought I had your email but can’t find it. Can you email me at BigNCBear@aol.com

 

thanks!

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Azulann said:

Just booked Bermuda Escape for July 13-20! Got a DV1 on 4th floor.Love those aft views.

So excited. Never been to that island.  

My sister and I will  have a great time on the Viking Orion. Now I need to read up on  the history of Bermuda. I love history.  I am not a beach person anymore, but just sitting in the Explorer lounge having a cocktail each evening before dinner is ideal. 

 

Congrats for pulling the trigger!  We are on June 29th cruise.  Follow the Orion Roll Calls.  I will post our experiences.  You'll have a great time.  Life is meant to live and not look back!!

[Clay Clayton]

Has anyone asked if after the PCR test done before disembarking will Viking provide some sort of document good enough to get back into the USA?   Or will we have to take (and presumably pay for this time) another test?

[Azulann]

CCWineLover,

I look forward to hearing all about your cruise on June 29th . 

My sister is in her last year of teaching before retirement, so this is the only week that works. 

Love your attitude.  I feel traveling again, doing what I love is a gift . I will treasure each day on this wonderful Viking 8 day cruise with my sister who I have not seen for over a year. 

 

Patti

[amyr]

10 hours ago, Azulann said:

Just booked Bermuda Escape for July 13-20! Got a DV1 on 4th floor.Love those aft views.

So excited. Never been to that island.  

My sister and I will  have a great time on the Viking Orion. Now I need to read up on  the history of Bermuda. I love history.  I am not a beach person anymore, but just sitting in the Explorer lounge having a cocktail each evening before dinner is ideal. 

 

My sister and I have booked this departure too 🙂  We just want to go somewhere, and a fully vaccinated Viking bubble seems like just the place, especially one at only 50 percent capacity.  My husband and I were on Star's maiden voyage, and loved Viking ever since.  I've been to Bermuda before, so won't mind being restricted there.  I'm usually very do it yourself with tours and flights, but this time we're happy to give it all up to Viking, and we'll follow the red lollipop if we have to.  We live in Florida, so the beach isn't a draw for us either.

The Iceland cruise looks nice too, but my husband and I will be driving around the country in August.  It was supposed to be a pre-cruise trip before hopping on a (now cancelled) Ponant cruise from Reykjavik to Montreal via Greenland, and we've decided to fly to Iceland anyway and drive around since they're only allowing vaccinated people to enter the country.

Our only concern is the spa, which we love, and we can't really get a straight answer, either from the website or Viking.  They just say "On ocean cruises, The Spa will remain open to all guests by appointment only to ensure proper distancing and all spa staff will wear face masks during treatments. The Fitness Center will also remain open with its own dedicated sanitization staff to ensure all equipment and surfaces are cleaned in between each guest use."  Does that mean we'll have to sign up for a time to visit the spa?  Sounds that way, doesn't it?  At least it will be open I guess.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯







 

[chromatographer]

We managed to get a V2 for the 17-Jul sailing of the Iceland trip. Maybe see some of you there. If anyone is booking airfare on their own, Denver, NYC, and Boston are all fairly cheap to fly. We locked in $500 round trip per person out of Denver on United. Iceland Air is putting downward pressure on fares for US cities they serve, but note that cheap fares are basic economy and do not include checked bags. If you can work the system, some US airlines are matching the Iceland Air fares in their own basic economy fares, but you can get a free bag through the co-branded airline credit card instead of the $140 per bag each way on Iceland Air. Viking quoted us $1199 for Viking Air, so booking on our own was a no brainer. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by chromatographer

[Heidi13]

42 minutes ago, chromatographer said:

We managed to get a V2 for the 17-Jul sailing of the Iceland trip. Maybe see some of you there. If anyone is booking airfare on their own, Denver, NYC, and Boston are all fairly cheap to fly. We locked in $500 round trip per person out of Denver on United. Iceland Air is putting downward pressure on fares for US cities they serve, but note that cheap fares are basic economy and do not include checked bags. If you can work the system, some US airlines are matching the Iceland Air fares in their own basic economy fares, but you can get a free bag through the co-branded airline credit card instead of the $140 per bag each way on Iceland Air. Viking quoted us $1199 for Viking Air, so booking on our own was a no brainer. 

 

You certainly have a fair savings, but by booking independent air, you are assuming all the risks that Viking carry when you use Viking Air.

 

Unless the cruise includes flights, I normally book our our own flights, with air miles, but in these times, with the uncertainty of start up cruises, I think I would happily use Viking Air. If the cruise is cancelled or curtailed in any way, with Viking Air, they are responsible for changes at no cost to the pax. If the cruise is cancelled, Viking provide a FCV or refund for everything in a timely manner. However, I know lots of people that got nothing from the airlines for cancelled flights.

 

At least for the first few months of the return to cruising, personally I would consider the Viking Air premium as an insurance premium to mitigate our risks.

 

Hopefully it all works out and the flights/cruise go as planned.

[molymoo]

12 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Has anyone asked if after the PCR test done before disembarking will Viking provide some sort of document good enough to get back into the USA?   Or will we have to take (and presumably pay for this time) another test?

Pages linked by Peregrina earlier notes that if your airline requires a test before flight they will provide you with appropriate documentation of said test and (presumably) negative result.

 

[molymoo]

We are beyond excited!  Just booked Bermuda for the 6th of July.  Seemed like an easy "dip our toes back into the waters" trip and the price seemed quite reasonable.  Honestly, at this point just being able to have a burger and an aperol spritz at the pool bar would be enough to get me packing!  

[CCWineLover]

Our TA told us this morning that Iceland booked up yesterday completely.  Bermuda still available.

[OnTheJourney]

19 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Definitely read this before you book. If you aren't ready for traveling in the Viking bubble, masks and more, you may want to reconsider.

 

 

P - Thanks for posting this. Nice to see these new itineraries that have popped up - and I've never been to either place - but this is just too soon for me. For one thing, I won't fly to Europe for any trip that is not fairly close to 2 weeks - just doesn't seem worth it - and also I try my best to avoid traveling during the summer months. That's my 'stay home and enjoy the pool' time (stems from all the years between '78 and '11 when the only time I could travel was during the summer due to my public school teaching schedule!) I will have to bite the bullet one of these summers though to do a fly/drive trip to visit the Canadian Rockies and Glacier NP. Otherwise, in retirement I try to limit nearly all of my travel to basically spring and fall, but will make exceptions for winter if something comes along that we really like (and is only offered during those months). 

 

I get the idea of limiting excursions to Viking-offered trips only, and while I know this will ruffle some feathers I totally agree with doing it this way for now; however, what about people who plan to arrive at the embarkation destination a few days (or longer) prior to the cruise and have had time to do whatever they wanted? Easy for Viking to say they could cancel pre and post days, but they have no control whatsoever over people arrving early (or staying after). Especially with Europe, for us, if we go that far I try to add at least a few days pre or post - either through the cruise line / land tour company or else DIY to bring it closer to 2 weeks total. 

 

I wish everyone the best with these new offerings, but I'm still going to hold out till next year. I think my first attempt at any travel will be this coming October for a fly/drive - already booked except for flights - and then we have a few cruises currently booked for '22 and '23 - two with Viking.

 

All that said, the Bermuda itinerary looks very tempting since you have a much longer time there than is the case for most cruises. But, I was put off by seeing that you have to first get to Bermuda on your own. I'm admittedly not quite ready for airports yet. I'm booked with Celebrity for a 10-day Bermuda sailing next May (also visits Newport and Charleston - had to reschedule this TWICE already...don't we all know that routine?!) so will hang in there for that sailing. Departs out of Cape Liberty which is only a 2+ hour drive for us. Also, by then, maybe no masking mandates anymore (?)  I'll wear a mask on a cruise if need be but quite honestly it doesn't hold any great appeal for me either.  If we find we really like Bermuda, could always go there again with Viking. Awaiting further word on the Chairman's Cruise - which could wind up being the next cruise we do depending on when and where. 

 

Best to all...stay safe whatever you do....

Edited April 7, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[Jim Avery]

These two new offerings are Viking's "test cruises" if you will.  They are a very controlled attempt to re start.  I really appreciate all who are booking and Viking for trying their best to get going.  I would not expect these to be anything like the Viking we all know and love but it is a start.  "Normal" won't happen until we collectively treat covid like any other serious disease and treat the afflicted, including removal and repatriation home but get on with it for the rest of the world.  There will be a day when covid no longer means "the sky is falling"......

[CCWineLover]

For those who are interested in Bermuda - this website details the requirements for entry, dated April 2, 2021. . .

https://www.gotobermuda.com/bta/press-release/bermuda-tourism-authority-update

 

Everyone has their own ideas/thoughts on traveling again.  I do believe Viking faced some pressure from competition (NCL and others) to require vaccinations, at least for now.  We have always wanted to do a "test" cruise ourselves that did not involve Europe and did not involve needing to see new places, what with the bubble restrictions in place.  (Hence Bermuda).   We can always cancel up to 14 days ahead of time.

I also believe Viking is using these June/July simple trips as a test to see what the demand is and work through the protocols - which hopefully helps in the long run.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, molymoo said:

Pages linked by Peregrina earlier notes that if your airline requires a test before flight they will provide you with appropriate documentation of said test and (presumably) negative result.

 

And I just confirmed with a viking agent on the phone that they will provide it. 
 

Additionally he confirmed that Viking will not be offering any excursions on embarkation day 😢.   So we are probably going to decline Viking air.  I have an email into the Blue Lagoon to see if they can arrange an airport pickup and a cruise dropoff.  They have airport or downtown transportation for $53 rt on their website so hopefully cruise port can fall under the downtown and they will be willing to do it🤞

[OnTheJourney]

Just now, Jim Avery said:

There will be a day when covid no longer means "the sky is falling"......

Amen to that, Jim. As you said, this will indeed be interesting. I should not dwell on this thread too much since that Bermuda DOES call to me a bit simply for the number of days spent there. As I mentioned, never been...

[CCWineLover]

1 minute ago, Clay Clayton said:

And I just confirmed with a viking agent on the phone that they will provide it. 
 

Additionally he confirmed that Viking will not be offering any excursions on embarkation day 😢.   So we are probably going to decline Viking air.  I have an email into the Blue Lagoon to see if they can arrange an airport pickup and a cruise dropoff.  They have airport or downtown transportation for $53 rt on their website so hopefully cruise port can fall under the downtown and they will be willing to do it🤞

Good job Clay!

We are still torn about doing our own air versus Viking Air (to Bermuda).  Risks involved in own air, but the flexibility and pricing is SO much cheaper on your own.  Now Viking AIr is saying no upgrades allowed of any kind on their contract in June/July.  Have to think about this one, and fast.

[OnTheJourney]

2 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

to see what the demand is

I'm suspecting they'll sell out. People are chomping at the bit to get back out on the water.