Help requested: Cancelling a Viking Cruise

[ISHCruising]

Posting on behalf of my parents:

 

My parents booked a Viking cruise in 2018 for a 2020 sailing.  Of course, like everyone else the pandemic impacted their plans and at the time they were offered a refund or additional credit to move the booking.  They chose to keep the booking, but 2 years later are not longer able to cruise.  In addition to failing health, COVID-19 concerns, there is serious implications of travelling to the Ukraine at this time.  Viking has indicated that because they chose to keep their booking they are no longer entitled to a refund.  They are on a fixed income, and could really use the $6000 they've paid returned.  Does anyone have any advice on how they might be able to be refunded?  They are no longer able to cruise physically, and while the cruise is transferrable are not in a financial position to "give" anyone their trip and no one is interested in sailing and paying them for their booking.

 

Thanks

[TayanaLorna]

I think Viking has been quite firm on their policy rules.  It's unfortunate as these things happen.  Best they can do is gift the cruise so someone else can enjoy it.  Another thought is do they have insurance for the trip?  Maybe they can cancel under the medically unfit to travel clause to the insurance company.  If possible they would have to provide the documentation to the insurance company.  This claim would have nothing to do with Viking.

[CurlerRob]

1 hour ago, ISHCruising said:

Posting on behalf of my parents:

 

Further to @TayanaLorna's thoughts, if your parents did not have travel insurance or did not use a TA, you might want to email Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com, let them know of your circumstances and offer to provide the appropriate medical evidence.

 

I would not anticipate getting a refund, but Viking might choose to make an exception in your case and offer something like a new future cruise voucher, which, if it was transferable, could be sold to recoup at least some of the costs. 

 

Difficult situation - hope it works out. 🍺🥌

[Twitchly]

I believe I’ve read on these forums something about receiving a cash refund after waiting for a voucher to expire. Maybe after a 2-year period? But please don’t take my word for it. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable (Peregrina?) will respond. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Twitchly

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

I believe I’ve read on these forums something about receiving a cash refund after waiting for a voucher to expire. Maybe after a 2-year period? But please don’t take my word for it. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable (Peregrina?) will respond. 

 

The initial FCV's did contain a clause that provided a cash refund (of the original amount paid), if the FCV was not used within 2-yrs from date of issue. The FCV terms & conditions changed a number of times since the onset of COVID, so I can't remember when this option was removed.

 

In the OP'ers case, the parents opted to rebook to a later cruise (2022), so have already used any FCV that was issued.

 

Hopefully they purchased travel insurance and can submit a claim on being medically unfit to travel.

[ISHCruising]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.  They did not purchase travel insurance.  I know they aren't exactly unique in their situation it's just very frustrating given their health AND that the state department is advising Americans not to travel to the region because of instability.  Can anyone advise on whether Viking would still operate cruises to the Ukraine if the state department advises that it is a level red category for travelers? 

 

 

 

 

[KBs mum]

2 minutes ago, ISHCruising said:

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.  They did not purchase travel insurance.  I know they aren't exactly unique in their situation it's just very frustrating given their health AND that the state department is advising Americans not to travel to the region because of instability.  Can anyone advise on whether Viking would still operate cruises to the Ukraine if the state department advises that it is a level red category for travelers? 

 

 

 

 

Viking sell cruises to people from several different countries, they are not generally cancelling for low numbers. 

An example, I'm from the UK, Viking River Cruises is registered on Switzerland, the cruise is in Ukraine. The US state department is not relevant to any of us. Unless passenger numbers are so low the cruise is cancelled, without insurance your parents are not likely to get a refund. 

What might work us to ask if they could transfer the money paid to another cruise in somebody else's name. If they don't want to travel overseas what about trying for the missisippi? 

[Heidi13]

Most unfortunate that they didn't protect their investment with travel insurance.

 

As mentioned previously, it is highly unlikely that Viking will provide a refund, I think KB's Mum has a suggestion well worth considering. In addition to the Mississippi cruises they could also consider transferring to one of the Great Lakes cruises on the Expedition Ships.

[SM77]

5 hours ago, ISHCruising said:

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.  They did not purchase travel insurance.  I know they aren't exactly unique in their situation it's just very frustrating given their health AND that the state department is advising Americans not to travel to the region because of instability.  Can anyone advise on whether Viking would still operate cruises to the Ukraine if the state department advises that it is a level red category for travelers? 

 

 

 

 

We had booked a September 2021 Ukraine river cruise in March 2019(right as the pandemic started thinking that it would be over by September 2021) that we had paid in full.  Viking canceled all 2021 Ukraine river cruises early in April 2021, much earlier than some of their other river or ocean cruises.  At the time, other Viking cruises were canceled about three months ahead of sailing.  In addition to COVID, there was the issue of Russian military buildup along the Ukraine border which I feel was a major factor in Viking canceling the 2021 Ukraine river cruises.  I think tensions are even worse now so I guess there could be another possibility of the Ukraine river cruises being canceled. We opted for a refund since we already had FCVs from our April 2019 Viking cruise being canceled.  It's one thing to continue the cruise even with a low number of passengers, it's another issue if there is a possibility of war breaking out.  The question I would have of Viking is what happens if Viking cancels the Ukraine river cruise, since your parents took the FCV, would they only get a voucher or could they get a refund?  That is a question that I would ask Tellus@Vikingcruises.com. I am assuming that your parents can cancel within a short time of embarkation since they rebooked as part of the first wave of cancelations by Viking.  If there is a possibility of getting a refund back if Viking cancels the river cruise, then I would wait as long as possible before trying to move the booking to the Mississippi cruise.  

 

As a side note after reading the Viking Cruise Critic boards and the challenges many have experienced with regards to FCVs and the continued challenges with traveling internationally, we have not used our FCVs from the April 2019 canceled Viking cruise which are due to expire this April 2022.  We decided just to opt for the refund & forgo the additional 25%.  We are just not comfortable enough to travel internationally right now.  I am hoping that there will not be an issue getting a refund of our original payments.

[Selion]

21 hours ago, ISHCruising said:

They did not purchase travel insurance. 

Did they pay with a credit card?  Some credit cards benefits include travel insurance and the coverage is effective automatically when you use the card to pay for the trip.

[KBs mum]

Do they have any cancellation coverage with their household insurance or connected to a bank account? 

[SM77]

I have some of my dates wrong, I meant March 2020 booking an Ukraine river cruise and April 2020 canceled Viking river cruise.  

[ISHCruising]

On 12/27/2021 at 2:01 PM, KBs mum said:

Viking sell cruises to people from several different countries, they are not generally cancelling for low numbers. 

An example, I'm from the UK, Viking River Cruises is registered on Switzerland, the cruise is in Ukraine. The US state department is not relevant to any of us. Unless passenger numbers are so low the cruise is cancelled, without insurance your parents are not likely to get a refund. 

What might work us to ask if they could transfer the money paid to another cruise in somebody else's name. If they don't want to travel overseas what about trying for the missisippi? 

The UK government actually does have travel advisories for its citizens to the Ukraine as well (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine ). Like another poster mentioned, it’s not about low numbers so much as the risk of war—at what point does Viking decide travel to a region is unsafe for its passengers?

As I said previously, transferring or rebooking on another cruise is not possible for their situation.  

[ISHCruising]

On 12/27/2021 at 7:29 PM, SM77 said:

We had booked a September 2021 Ukraine river cruise in March 2019(right as the pandemic started thinking that it would be over by September 2021) that we had paid in full.  Viking canceled all 2021 Ukraine river cruises early in April 2021, much earlier than some of their other river or ocean cruises.  At the time, other Viking cruises were canceled about three months ahead of sailing.  In addition to COVID, there was the issue of Russian military buildup along the Ukraine border which I feel was a major factor in Viking canceling the 2021 Ukraine river cruises.  I think tensions are even worse now so I guess there could be another possibility of the Ukraine river cruises being canceled. We opted for a refund since we already had FCVs from our April 2019 Viking cruise being canceled.  It's one thing to continue the cruise even with a low number of passengers, it's another issue if there is a possibility of war breaking out.  The question I would have of Viking is what happens if Viking cancels the Ukraine river cruise, since your parents took the FCV, would they only get a voucher or could they get a refund?  That is a question that I would ask Tellus@Vikingcruises.com. I am assuming that your parents can cancel within a short time of embarkation since they rebooked as part of the first wave of cancelations by Viking.  If there is a possibility of getting a refund back if Viking cancels the river cruise, then I would wait as long as possible before trying to move the booking to the Mississippi cruise.  

 

As a side note after reading the Viking Cruise Critic boards and the challenges many have experienced with regards to FCVs and the continued challenges with traveling internationally, we have not used our FCVs from the April 2019 canceled Viking cruise which are due to expire this April 2022.  We decided just to opt for the refund & forgo the additional 25%.  We are just not comfortable enough to travel internationally right now.  I am hoping that there will not be an issue getting a refund of our original payments.

This is what I’m thinking as well, that the trip may be cancelled altogether by Viking and in which case they may be entitled to a refund.  Best of luck in receiving your refund, I think you made the best decision.  

[ISHCruising]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:53 AM, Selion said:

Did they pay with a credit card?  Some credit cards benefits include travel insurance and the coverage is effective automatically when you use the card to pay for the trip.

Thanks, I’ll inquire about this!  

[KBs mum]

1 hour ago, ISHCruising said:

The UK government actually does have travel advisories for its citizens to the Ukraine as well (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine ). Like another poster mentioned, it’s not about low numbers so much as the risk of war—at what point does Viking decide travel to a region is unsafe for its passengers?

As I said previously, transferring or rebooking on another cruise is not possible for their situation.  

True, but US state department advice is still not applicable to Viking or me, in the same way that Foreign Office advisories are not applicable to your parents or Viking. 

 

Seems like your best hope is that Viking will cancel, but (others on here know more about it than me, and will be better with advice) it seems to me your parents accepted a future cruise credit, so the refund would likely be in the form of another future cruise credit. 

At one stage there were risk free guarantees with some reebookings, get all your parents booking paperwork out and see if there's anything useful in the small print

[Babr]

On 12/28/2021 at 4:35 PM, KBs mum said:

Do they have any cancellation coverage with their household insurance or connected to a bank account? 

 

 

On 12/28/2021 at 10:53 AM, Selion said:

Did they pay with a credit card?  Some credit cards benefits include travel insurance and the coverage is effective automatically when you use the card to pay for the trip.

Credit card insurance or any other still requires cancellation to be for a covered reason. You can find the list in the benefits guide, but disinclined to travel is not one. The doctor would have to declare one or both unfit to travel. Be careful that it is not tied to any pre-existing conditions. It is a risk because  you will not know if insurance will pay until after the cruise is cancelled and a claim is filed.

 

1 hour ago, ISHCruising said:

Thanks, I’ll inquire about this! 

[Selion]

On 12/30/2021 at 7:53 AM, Babr said:

Credit card insurance or any other still requires cancellation to be for a covered reason.

True, but we should look into all possibilities and let them tell us "no."

[Babr]

36 minutes ago, Selion said:

True, but we should look into all possibilities and let them tell us "no."

Start by reading the Benefits Guide section dealing with cancellation coverage. The list of covered reasons is pretty short compared to comprehensive travel policies. Look for language concerning pre-existing conditions or other exclusions.

 

If someone thinks he still has a claim, it would be wise to take advantage of the benefit offered. Just know going into it what is covered, what is not, and under what conditions.

[Twitchly]

On 12/27/2021 at 7:29 PM, SM77 said:

As a side note after reading the Viking Cruise Critic boards and the challenges many have experienced with regards to FCVs and the continued challenges with traveling internationally, we have not used our FCVs from the April 2019 canceled Viking cruise which are due to expire this April 2022.  We decided just to opt for the refund & forgo the additional 25%.  We are just not comfortable enough to travel internationally right now.  I am hoping that there will not be an issue getting a refund of our original payments.

Our TA told us we will not get a refund if we don’t use our voucher. Maybe your contract is different from ours? 
 

We just canceled, so I haven’t seen our voucher contract yet. And our TA has been wrong about other things. So who knows.

[Selion]

3 hours ago, Babr said:

If someone thinks he still has a claim...

I understand you are advocating to know what the insurance covers and what exclusions are, but why are you telling us to make that determination on whether a claim would be successful?  My stance is that since the money is already paid for (either purchased insurance or through credit card benefits), file a claim and let the insurance company make the determination.

[Babr]

 

3 minutes ago, Selion said:

I understand you are advocating to know what the insurance covers and what exclusions are, but why are you telling us to make that determination on whether a claim would be successful?  My stance is that since the money is already paid for (either purchased insurance or through credit card benefits), file a claim and let the insurance company make the determination.

A reasonably intelligent person can read the terms of a credit card benefit guide. I don’t think it  is unreasonable to familiarize oneself with them. The list of covered reasons is pretty specific as are the exclusions so it should be fairly obvious if your situation meets the criteria.

 

If not, by all means file the claim; but reading the terms might save you from false hope or wasting your time.

[Selion]

23 hours ago, Babr said:

 

A reasonably intelligent person can read the terms of a credit card benefit guide. I don’t think it  is unreasonable to familiarize oneself with them. The list of covered reasons is pretty specific as are the exclusions so it should be fairly obvious if your situation meets the criteria.

 

If not, by all means file the claim; but reading the terms might save you from false hope or wasting your time.

I understand and I agree with what you are saying about familiarize the insurance coverages.  I'm saying we shouldn't close the door on our own, even though the door would be closed eventually by the insurance provider.

 

I don't think it's false hope when we need an official confirmation.  How long does it take to file a claim?  10 to 15 minutes.  What's the downside to us?  None, except that 15 minutes not spent browsing Cruise Critic.  What's the upside if the cancellation falls under covered reason?  Everything.

[Georgiapeach19]

On 1/2/2022 at 2:08 PM, Twitchly said:

Our TA told us we will not get a refund if we don’t use our voucher. Maybe your contract is different from ours? 
 

We just canceled, so I haven’t seen our voucher contract yet. And our TA has been wrong about other things. So who knows.

Which cruise did you cancel?

[Twitchly]

15 minutes ago, Georgiapeach19 said:

Which cruise did you cancel?

Antiquities and the Holy Land. Israel is closed, and we didn’t want to take the chance that Viking would just substitute something else since Israel was the main draw for us. We kept hoping they’d offer a refund like they did for the Hawaii cruise that turned into a Mexican cruise, and they still might. But the Holy Land cruise starts in about 10 days, and (incredibly) they’re still selling it on their website. So who knows. Maybe Viking has some special deal with Israel. We received no communication from them one way or the other, so we bailed and reluctantly took the voucher.