Question: Did Viking raise your Extension price after booking?

[TravelerABC]

This March, we booked a Viking Australia/New Zealand cruise plus Best of Australia pre-extension that will take place in December. A week after booking and paying our deposits, Viking sent a new invoice showing that they had raised the pre-extension add-on price by $4,400 each. When our agent inquired, they said there was a price mismatch on what they advertised on their website. Has this happened to anyone else?  

[philw1776]

Never. Many extensions.

[SantaFe1]

Never.  Sometimes after booking, we will see the price go up, but we are always locked in at what we bought it for.  

[Squawkman]

Ditto. 

[CDNPolar]

We just experienced based on another discussion somewhere that a US customer paid $600 USD pp and we are paying 799 CAD pp.  Reasonable exchange US to CAD.

 

We looked and now the cost to add this same pre-extension in CAD is $1,299.00 pp.

 

We have not received any indication that the price went up on our invoice.  

 

Here is all I can find in the Passenger Contract that is sent with your invoice when you pay your deposit.

 

. SURCHARGES. We reserve the right to, and you expressly agree we may, impose surcharges in addition to the Invoice Fare, based on our fuel costs, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and other currencies, our cost of airfare, fees and taxes imposed upon us by governmental or quasi-governmental agencies, or other unforeseen circumstances, subject, in each case, to compliance with all applicable laws. These surcharges to the Invoice Fare may be imposed at our discretion in any amount and utilizing any methodology of our choosing. We agree to provide you with a written list of any surcharges to the Invoice Fare no later than 30 days before your date of embarkation, and you expressly agree to pay such surcharges before your date of embarkation. In the event that the total of all surcharges exceeds 5% of your Invoice Fare, then you may, within 7 days of our sending you a list of surcharges, elect to cancel your cruise, and we agree to apply no cancellation fees with respect to your cruise, including any Optional Shore Excursions you may have booked. Any cruise booked less than 30 days before the date of embarkation will not be subject to surcharge.

 

Technically this could be a Surcharge?

 

In my opinion, this is not a good business practice by Viking.  

 

On the pre-excursion we booked, we get:

 

* 2 breakfasts

* 1 day tour

* Pick up from Airport

* 2 nights hotel

* Transportation to ship

 

If they had a block of rooms at the hotel, I fail to see how the cost could have gone from $799 CAD pp to $1,299 CAD pp.

 

If we got that increase in an invoice we would just cancel the pre-excursion.

 

 

Reading the passenger contract opened my eyes to a few clauses that kind of surprised me.  I have skimmed it before, but I am going to read and make notes now.

[Squawkman]

Recently we decided to revise a booking we had to take advantage of a great promo. We planned to rebook the original itinerary for 1 year later as the cruise fare and air was the same. However, we had originally booked an extension for $599pp that would now be $1,099pp! Our Viking agent checked this out and said that was correct - we would need to pay the increased amount and even suggested we think about revising the flight and doing something on our own. It did make us think about this cruise, and we decided to hold off for now.

[TravelerABC]

Thank you for the responses. I understand that Viking raises prices, but I've never had a cruise company raise the price after we booked the trip. I agree that it's not good business practice and it surprised us that Viking has done this. It makes me wonder about trusting their online price and build tool or representative quotes for any future travel with them. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

12 minutes ago, TravelerABC said:

Thank you for the responses. I understand that Viking raises prices, but I've never had a cruise company raise the price after we booked the trip. I agree that it's not good business practice and it surprised us that Viking has done this. It makes me wonder about trusting their online price and build tool or representative quotes for any future travel with them. 

We also have taken many extensions and have never seen this before.

It could be that it was actually a pricing error on the website. Depending on where you live you might covered by consumer protection laws. Some jurisdictions require a company to honor a publicly published price, regardless of error.

 

Edited April 20 by OneSixtyToOne

[auntieS]

Sydney extension $900. Best of Australia $5300 (I think reasonable for what is included compared with a full land tour I did with another operator (and we didn’t stay at Sails in the Desert nor fancy hotel in Melbourne), given some usual upcharge by Viking). If they made a mistake perhaps they should offer you something but the Best extension no way could be done for only $900. If they jacked up price from $5300 to $9700 then that’s unreasonable, unless it includes business air in which case it’s a good price!

[OneSixtyToOne]

11 minutes ago, auntieS said:

Sydney extension $900. Best of Australia $5300 (I think reasonable for what is included compared with a full land tour I did with another operator (and we didn’t stay at Sails in the Desert nor fancy hotel in Melbourne), given some usual upcharge by Viking). If they made a mistake perhaps they should offer you something but the Best extension no way could be done for only $900. If they jacked up price from $5300 to $9700 then that’s unreasonable, unless it includes business air in which case it’s a good price!

 

Interesting.

4400 + 900 = 5300

 

From the OP's description it sounds like any or all of the following occurred:

• They had the wrong price listed on the Best of Australia
• The Sydney extension sold out and the Best of Australia was substituted
• There was some confusion as to what was actually booked

[FetaCheese]

@CDNPolar

Thanks for posting surcharge clause.  I do read the PCC prior to depositing, and in my experience, it does change, from one voyage to the next.  Important to read the code date at bottom of pages.  When they send the initial booking confirm, including the PCC, the PCC will have the code date/form#.

 

On last voyage contact, I did not notice language about greater than 5% surcharge ability to CXL w/o penalty. ( Not sure if US and Canada PCC's are the same.)

 

Have often found that it is not the latest PCC. When any booking items change, another PCC is sent along with updated invoice, etc., and it is not the same PCC form #/edition. This has occurred with my last cruise, TA FLL/BCN 18 March 2024.  I questioned my V agent about this, and he said he was not aware of this, and said not to worry about it.  I would be worried because if a problem occurs, V will point to this contract, but since you now have 2 contracts, which one will prevail?  Original when cruise booked, or later PCC with different date code/form# ?

[CDNPolar]

13 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

@CDNPolar

Thanks for posting surcharge clause.  I do read the PCC prior to depositing, and in my experience, it does change, from one voyage to the next.  Important to read the code date at bottom of pages.  When they send the initial booking confirm, including the PCC, the PCC will have the code date/form#.

 

On last voyage contact, I did not notice language about greater than 5% surcharge ability to CXL w/o penalty. ( Not sure if US and Canada PCC's are the same.)

 

Have often found that it is not the latest PCC. When any booking items change, another PCC is sent along with updated invoice, etc., and it is not the same PCC form #/edition. This has occurred with my last cruise, TA FLL/BCN 18 March 2024.  I questioned my V agent about this, and he said he was not aware of this, and said not to worry about it.  I would be worried because if a problem occurs, V will point to this contract, but since you now have 2 contracts, which one will prevail?  Original when cruise booked, or later PCC with different date code/form# ?

 

I have not been in the practice of reading the PCC with every cruise booked.  Silly me to not think that there could be a separate document version as time goes on and each booking is made.  

 

We receive the US Terms and Conditions document - I assume identical because the title of the document is actually "US Terms and Conditions" but we have a Canadian Addendum at the very bottom.  I don't think that there are any specific "Canadian" differences anywhere else in the document. 

 

 

33. CANADIANADDENDUM. a. Amendments-Residents of Canada. For residents of Canada, we may modify in whole or in part this Passenger Ticket Contract at any time. In the event this Passenger Ticket Contract is amended, suspended or changed, we will provide at least 30 days written notice before the amendment comes into effect, setting out the new clause, or the amended clause and how it read formerly, and the date on which the change will come into effect. You may refuse the amendment and rescind this Passenger Ticket Contract without cost, penalty or cancellation indemnity, by sending us notice to that effect no later than 30 days after the amendment comes into force, at the address or email address indicated in the notice. b. Carrier Liability, Choice of Law and Forum-Residents of Quebec. For individual residents of Quebec, our responsibility as the Carrier for death, injury, illness, damage, delay or other loss to person or property of any kind suffered by you or any of the other Passengers in your party shall be governed, in the first instance, by the Athens Convention, with protocols and amendments as adopted by Canada, and, as applicable, by those other and further limitations of liability set forth in the statutory maritime and general laws of Quebec and Canada, as the law governing this Passenger Ticket Contract. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Passenger Ticket Contract may be determined by the courts of the City of Montreal in the Province of Quebec.