? Re:Viking's $25 deposits

[mlbcruiser]

Can someone explain how Viking's $25 deposit offers work? I am guessing there isn't a very long window of time you can keep the booking before a much larger deposit, or, more likely, the entire amount owed for the cruise, is due -?
 

Thanks for any info!

Edited Tuesday at 11:46 PM by mlbcruiser

[CDNPolar]

6 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

Can someone explain how Viking's $25 deposit offers work? I am guessing there isn't a very long window of time you can keep the booking before a much larger deposit, or, more likely, the entire amount owed for the cruise, is due -?
 

Thanks for any info!

 

They work like any deposit.  You pay $25.00 pp to hold the cabin and cruise.

The final payment is the final payment and that depends on whether you have future bookings or not.

 

In both Canada and the USA, if you have a future booking with Viking then you have a 6 month final payment date from the sailing date.  If you don't have a future booking then you will probably get a 12 month final payment date from the sailing date.

 

Many people don't like the 12 month final payment requirement, BUT there are no penalties until 120 days from sailing so if you have paid the full fare 12 months out, then you will only loose $100 pp if you cancel before 120 days from sailing.

 

Also with the $25 deposit, if you cancel the sailing, and this is all you have paid, they will just keep the $25 pp.  If you have paid the full fare, they will keep $100 pp.

 

You can avoid losing even the $25 pp deposit by modifying your booking.  If you don't want to sail the itinerary you chose or the dates, you can move that deposit to another cruise.  Note however that you may lose promos that were applied to your booking as they are not always transferrable.

 

[mlbcruiser]

Thank you so much for that information, CDN. When I tried to use their chat to find the answer, I ended up getting a message that all agents were busy and that a booking agent would eventually call me. It was late at night anyway,  and I assumed the answer would be easier to find without bothering one of the reservationists or booking agents. Positive news though!

[d9704011]

13 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

In both Canada and the USA, if you have a future booking with Viking then you have a 6 month final payment date from the sailing date.  If you don't have a future booking then you will probably get a 12 month final payment date from the sailing date.

I have a 17 June, 2026 booking on Viking Jupiter ($25 deposit).  Strangely enough the final payment date is 30 April, 2025; closer to 14 months beforehand than 12!  I don't particularly mind but I did think they wanted their $$$ a bit early.

Edited Wednesday at 08:05 PM by d9704011

[cbr663]

If you select any cruise with the $25 deposit and scroll to the bottom of the page you should see a link entitled Booking Terms and Conditions.  Details are in the link as it varies from the date of sailing.  

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, d9704011 said:

I have a 17 June, 2026 booking on Viking Jupiter ($25 deposit).  Strangely enough the final payment date is 30 April, 2025; closer to 14 months beforehand than 12!  I don't particularly mind but I did think they wanted their $$$ a bit early.

 

9 hours ago, cbr663 said:

If you select any cruise with the $25 deposit and scroll to the bottom of the page you should see a link entitled Booking Terms and Conditions.  Details are in the link as it varies from the date of sailing.  

 

Some promotion codes require payment further in advance, BUT if you are booking through a TA or even direct with Viking you sometimes have to ask for this 6 month payment date.  Not all agents give it freely.

[mlbcruiser]

Good to know! Thx!

[bookbabe]

We have one of those $25 deposit cruises booked (on ocean, but same principle) for October 2026.  We wanted to book something onboard our last cruise, for the OBC and discount as well as to keep our rolling six month final payment dates active, but there wasn’t anything we were interested in that fit our schedule.  So we booked the last possible ocean cruise on the schedule, and at some point we will just shuffle the deposit to a better cruise once the later dates open up.  lol.  So many cruises, so little time…

[Host Jazzbeau]

13 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Some promotion codes require payment further in advance, BUT if you are booking through a TA or even direct with Viking you sometimes have to ask for this 6 month payment date.  Not all agents give it freely.

Right.  Mine refused even when pressed.  So Viking lost a Caribbean cruise booking.

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, bookbabe said:

We have one of those $25 deposit cruises booked (on ocean, but same principle) for October 2026.  We wanted to book something onboard our last cruise, for the OBC and discount as well as to keep our rolling six month final payment dates active, but there wasn’t anything we were interested in that fit our schedule.  So we booked the last possible ocean cruise on the schedule, and at some point we will just shuffle the deposit to a better cruise once the later dates open up.  lol.  So many cruises, so little time…

As you said.... so many cruises, so little time.  We have decided to defer our June, 2026 Viking cruise until 'later' as we just have a little too much on the go for 2026.  We have a grand total of $50 already invested in this; how do you go about preserving your money?  If I have to get on the phone for an hour or two I might just let it all expire.

[bookbabe]

14 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

As you said.... so many cruises, so little time.  We have decided to defer our June, 2026 Viking cruise until 'later' as we just have a little too much on the go for 2026.  We have a grand total of $50 already invested in this; how do you go about preserving your money?  If I have to get on the phone for an hour or two I might just let it all expire.

Do you have someone at Viking that you normally deal with?  
 

I just send my guy an email with the booking number and letting him know what cruise I want to change to, date, cabin, etc. and he does it and sends me an email with the new invoice.  To cancel outright, even before final payment, requires a few more steps, so we always just reschedule even if it’s to a cruise we don’t plan to take, just to move that deposit to something further out.

 

The Grand European river cruise we are finally taking in December was originally scheduled for 2019, and between our changes and the shutdown it’s been rescheduled a half a dozen times I think.  Never an issue, my guy just swaps it around, no questions asked…as long as it’s before final payment.

[d9704011]

29 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

Do you have someone at Viking that you normally deal with?  
 

No, just booked it online myself.  We've never used Viking and are unfamiliar with how they work.  I'll figure it all out before final payment is due.  Pretty sure I can do it through chat.

Edited Thursday at 07:47 PM by d9704011

[bookbabe]

1 hour ago, d9704011 said:

No, just booked it online myself.  We've never used Viking and are unfamiliar with how they work.  I'll figure it all out before final payment is due.  Pretty sure I can do it through chat.

You could also try calling, I usually get through pretty quick on the rare times I have to call about something.  I’d give you the name of my guy, who’s great, but I think it’s a Cruise Critic no-no.

 

You should check your Guest Statement, on the left side just below your name and phone number, there may be the direct contact info for an agent who’s been assigned to you.  If it’s blank there, then yeah, just try the chat or whichever agent answers the main phone number.

Edited Thursday at 09:15 PM by bookbabe

[CDNPolar]

 

10 hours ago, d9704011 said:

No, just booked it online myself.  We've never used Viking and are unfamiliar with how they work.  I'll figure it all out before final payment is due.  Pretty sure I can do it through chat.

 

We have never had an issue getting through on the phone. And for a modification to your booking you want to talk to someone - IMO - as the modification may not carry the same booking discounts.

 

Viking bookings and discounts and payment terms are difficult to navigate until you have done it a few times... but all can be done generally with a good outcome.

[mlbcruiser]

Good to know! Thx!

 

I have found I must be very, very careful when I talk to someone not only from Viking but sometimes other cruise lines as well. I was given incorrect information regarding Covid test requirements twice. There was a newer test out and one lady, especially,  insisted that the test did not qualify. I spoke to the clinic where my dh & I would be getting tested and was told it was as good or better than the test Viking required. Vikings test was going to require a much bigger hassle once we got to Europe then the newer test, that we could get before leaving home.

 

I called once more and got another person at Viking telling me to go ahead and get the newer test because it would be accepted. It made more sense to me, so that is the test we got and it was excepted.

 

There were a couple of other small things I have been told that were incorrect as well. Just warning people. Not only on Viking,  but check and double check when you have a question and are really not certain of how accurate of a reply you were given. Like the saying goes, the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing.