Viking website vs "chat"

[firstcruise91]

July 7, 2022, DH and I booked and deposited thru our TA "Hawaiian Island Sojourn" on Viking Star.  Final payment was due December 31, 2022, nearly 14 months prior to embarkation.  This cruise is from February 14, 2024 to March 1, 2024.  Using our "My Viking Journey" we saw that pre-paid gratuities were $240 per person.

1.  Since the cruise is going to be here soon and it is almost time to book dinners and shore excursion reservations, we went back to My Viking Journey to make sure we had not missed something.  We do not know when but, the price for gratuities went up to $272.00.  I agree it was not a huge amount but can anyone tell me how in the world gratuities can go up?  DH "chatted" with Viking and was clearly told that the higher amount is what we owe irregardless of the prior lower amount.  As we remember from the past, once you were deposited the gratuities were one item that didn't go up.

2.  Per Viking website Frequently Asked Questions:  "Can I bring alcoholic and other beverages onboard?"  The answer was that you can bring aboard your own choice of liquor and drink it in public spaces as well as your cabin and NOT be charged a corkage fee.  The person DH was talking to said it can only be enjoyed in your cabin and not anywhere else.

 

Do we have to wait until we get onboard to find our if the brochures and website are correct or the "chat" staff?

 

Has anyone had similar instances happen to them? 

[duquephart]

Welcome to Viking Cruises.

[KBs mum]

The gratuities can be removed from your onboard account. There is no requirement to pay any set amount. Tip who you want to, for any amount you want to, or don't, up to you. 

Bring any drinks you want to onboard, no corkage, drink them anywhere. 

The call centres are now outsourced and many of the phone operators are hopeless. Emailing tellus@viking is usually best, but first answer will likely be from AI bots, so resend to one of the if you arn't happy emails given at the end

[TayanaLorna]

16 minutes ago, firstcruise91 said:

July 7, 2022, DH and I booked and deposited thru our TA "Hawaiian Island Sojourn" on Viking Star.  Final payment was due December 31, 2022, nearly 14 months prior to embarkation.  This cruise is from February 14, 2024 to March 1, 2024.  Using our "My Viking Journey" we saw that pre-paid gratuities were $240 per person.

1.  Since the cruise is going to be here soon and it is almost time to book dinners and shore excursion reservations, we went back to My Viking Journey to make sure we had not missed something.  We do not know when but, the price for gratuities went up to $272.00.  I agree it was not a huge amount but can anyone tell me how in the world gratuities can go up?  DH "chatted" with Viking and was clearly told that the higher amount is what we owe irregardless of the prior lower amount.  As we remember from the past, once you were deposited the gratuities were one item that didn't go up.

2.  Per Viking website Frequently Asked Questions:  "Can I bring alcoholic and other beverages onboard?"  The answer was that you can bring aboard your own choice of liquor and drink it in public spaces as well as your cabin and NOT be charged a corkage fee.  The person DH was talking to said it can only be enjoyed in your cabin and not anywhere else.

 

Do we have to wait until we get onboard to find our if the brochures and website are correct or the "chat" staff?

 

Has anyone had similar instances happen to them? 

The suggested gratuity amount went to $17/pp/per day around Spring of this year.  The SSBP also went up to $25/pp/per day and the drinks menu without SSBP increased.  I think if you did not pre pay the gratuities or the beverage package, then you are subject to new pricing.  Welcome to post Covid inflation.

 

I guess it remains to be seen if folks can bring their own alcohol on board and where they can drink it.  Anyone with recent experience?

[millybess]

27 minutes ago, firstcruise91 said:

July 7, 2022, DH and I booked and deposited thru our TA "Hawaiian Island Sojourn" on Viking Star.  Final payment was due December 31, 2022, nearly 14 months prior to embarkation.  This cruise is from February 14, 2024 to March 1, 2024.  Using our "My Viking Journey" we saw that pre-paid gratuities were $240 per person.

1.  Since the cruise is going to be here soon and it is almost time to book dinners and shore excursion reservations, we went back to My Viking Journey to make sure we had not missed something.  We do not know when but, the price for gratuities went up to $272.00.  I agree it was not a huge amount but can anyone tell me how in the world gratuities can go up?  DH "chatted" with Viking and was clearly told that the higher amount is what we owe irregardless of the prior lower amount.  As we remember from the past, once you were deposited the gratuities were one item that didn't go up.

2.  Per Viking website Frequently Asked Questions:  "Can I bring alcoholic and other beverages onboard?"  The answer was that you can bring aboard your own choice of liquor and drink it in public spaces as well as your cabin and NOT be charged a corkage fee.  The person DH was talking to said it can only be enjoyed in your cabin and not anywhere else.

 

Do we have to wait until we get onboard to find our if the brochures and website are correct or the "chat" staff?

 

Has anyone had similar instances happen to them? 

I have no idea why your gratuities increased in price, however, I do recall some posters on CC having their Silver Spirits Beverage Package prices increase upon receiving their final invoice -- after having paid for said package at an earlier time.  

 

As far as enjoying alcoholic beverages in public spaces, we have enjoyed their beverages and our own beverages in all sorts of public spaces on the ship, so I think that is erroneous information.  We have never been charged a corkage fee and until now, I have never heard of that on Viking.  If that is the case, we do carry our own corkscrews -- in fact, a couple of them.

 

If you don't like the answers you are getting via chat or telephone, chat or call back until you do.  Such are the workings of the LA office.  No worries, IMO.

Edited November 16, 2023 by millybess

[firstcruise91]

My dear people . . . . a big Thank You to you all.  I contacted my TA and she even she get irritated when she calls the California office..  PS:  Do you have to carry your bottle of whatever or can one of the bars keep it with our cabin # on the neck or label?  We are not much for drinking in our cabin.  We would rather be out and about to meet new and interesting people.

[millybess]

3 minutes ago, firstcruise91 said:

My dear people . . . . a big Thank You to you all.  I contacted my TA and she even she get irritated when she calls the California office..  PS:  Do you have to carry your bottle of whatever or can one of the bars keep it with our cabin # on the neck or label?  We are not much for drinking in our cabin.  We would rather be out and about to meet new and interesting people.

Seriously, this is not an issue.  And BTW, all TAs get irritated with Viking's LA office. 🤣

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

I guess it remains to be seen if folks can bring their own alcohol on board and where they can drink it.  Anyone with recent experience

On the Octantis last month, our trivia partners brought a bottle of their own champagne to the living room where the staff corked it and served us. Even though we finished 2nd, we had better champagne than the 1st place team. 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

The call centres are now outsourced and many of the phone operators are hopeless. Emailing tellus@viking is usually best, but first answer will likely be from AI bots, so resend to one of the if you arn't happy emails given at the end

 

the complete address is  tellus@vikingcruises.com

 

If I have a problem or a question that only Viking can answer I go straight to "TellUs."

 

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, firstcruise91 said:

My dear people . . . . a big Thank You to you all.  I contacted my TA and she even she get irritated when she calls the California office..  PS:  Do you have to carry your bottle of whatever or can one of the bars keep it with our cabin # on the neck or label?  We are not much for drinking in our cabin.  We would rather be out and about to meet new and interesting people.

do NOT worry about this.  The Viking LA office is totally mistaken from reality.

 

We are veteran Viking Ocean cruisers and always bring bottles of wine onboard.  We always have that wine in places like Manfredi's, the Restaurant, the Attrium lounge, the Explorer's Lounge.  Viking staff will even open the bottle(s) for us! and give us glasses.   This is even for most recent cruise last month.  Every cruise has been this way.   So you have really BAD info from Viking LA office.  They don't know what they are talking about.

Enjoy your brought on board alcohol to your heart's content outside your cabin !!

[CurlerRob]

As has been said by the others, no issues / corkage with your own alcohol - this is a major feature that distinguishes Viking.

 

Regarding gratuities, it is correct that you can adjust them onboard should you choose. That aside, I have had gratuity rates increase between booking and sailing on several lines in the past - always was charged the new rate as they are not locked by a booking. As you said, a small amount, and just reflects the increase from $15 to $17 USD.

 

Enjoy your trip! 🍺🥌

[helloim_tay]

It's great to hear that you and DH have booked your Hawaiian Island Sojourn on Viking Star. That sounds like an amazing adventure!

Regarding the gratuities, it's understandable that you were surprised to see the price increase. Usually, once you've made a deposit, gratuities tend to stay the same. It's a bit puzzling why they would change, but sometimes pricing policies can vary between companies or specific circumstances. It might be worth reaching out to Viking directly to get a clear explanation and ensure there are no misunderstandings.

As for bringing your own beverages onboard, it's always a good idea to double-check with the cruise line directly. While the website FAQs state that you can enjoy your own choice of liquor in public spaces and your cabin without a corkage fee, it's strange that the person DH chatted with mentioned it could only be enjoyed in the cabin. It's possible that there was some miscommunication or a misunderstanding from their end. It might be helpful to reach out to Viking again for clarification to get the most accurate information.

Remember, it's always a good idea to clarify any uncertainties and ensure you have the most up-to-date information before your trip. Wishing you both a fantastic time on your upcoming cruise, filled with unforgettable moments and beautiful memories!

[Peregrina651]

8 hours ago, helloim_tay said:

It might be worth reaching out to Viking directly to get a clear explanation and ensure there are no misunderstandings.

 

What? To the same call center that got it wrong in the first place?

 

And really, why waste the time.The only thing that has gone up is the suggest amount for the optional gratuities, which is both the amount that will be charged if a guest wishes to pre-pay or will be automatically added to the onboard accounts of those guests who have not pre-paid. A guest may opt-out of either of these options by not using the pre-pay option and by adjusting or removing the automatic charge once on board.

 

Anyone who wants to pay the $15 per person per day that was in place when they booked the cruise simply has to skip pre-paid option and then go to Guest Services once they are on board to make whatever adjustment they want to the automatic charge, including removing it. It should take about 10 minutes once on board the ship (as long as you don't try to do it the first day of the cruise when the lines at Guest Services tend to belong lines).

 

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Peregrina651

[firstcruise91]

Thank you one and all for your help.  DH is dealing with TellUs@vikingcruises.com.