Peregrina651

In the article, for Isafojordur, the ship shown docked in the picture is a Viking ship.

Yup. That is why it is the nightmare situation. There are lots of moving parts-- Viking, insurance, timing of the cancellation, separate insurance for each party occupying the one cabin, etc..

Exactly. And it isn't just the travelers' existing conditions but those of business partners and relatives described in the coverages as well.

Interesting Cruise Critic article about the 8 most cancelled cruise ports including Isafjordur: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/8-cruise-ship-ports-of-call-that-get-canceled-often There are a couple of other ports that Viking visits also on the list.

He sounds like a one man crusade. Does he really think that he is going to change anything by complaining to the tour guides?

Only motorized scooters are specifically mentioned. Here's what the FAQ says about wheelchairs. There is a separate question that covers disabilities, and they aren't consecutive in the list: Guests who have a disability, physical or otherwise, must travel with an able-bodied companion who can assist them as the staff is not permitted to lift guests or push wheelchairs. Guests need to provide their own wheelchairs, except in an emergency. Wheelchairs must not exceed 22" in width. For details regarding bringing a wheelchair on board, guests must complete the Accessibility Form and return to Viking no later than 30 days prior to departure. Motorized scooters are not typically suitable for international cruises and cannot be accommodated. While our ocean vessels have elevators, there may still be thresholds that could make movement difficult.Contact a Viking Expert at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) directly with additional questions and to obtain a copy of our Accessibility Form and policy statement.

CC has not resumed the sign up for these events on any cruise line but Viking will host for any roll call that asks. Roll call has to do the asking and the collecting of names and Viking will handle the rest.

I just love this post and the thread it has engendered. Puts a big smile on my face. I sent a link to the post to LauraS because I thought she and her staff would enjoy the kind words of the CD. I hope she got it and read it and shared it. It was so hard writing a subject line that didn't sound like SPAM!

That happens probably for all the languages. Otherwise the files are too big for users to want to download and they are too big to search quickly.

Opinions expressed on that other forum are only one side of the coin. We were on a Viking River cruise last year. There was a couple on our bus who both had issues. She had her first stroke when she was a teenager and has had close to a dozen in the intervening years and he has Parkinson's. It did not stop them. They did everything. It took the two of them to get her up and down steps but they had a system -- and a lot of practice. It did not slow us down . Fellow guests helped as needed where needed. No one ever complained because we were in awe.

Do you need to download the language to your phone? Its a longshot but if Croatian doesn't work try Bosnian and Serbian, two other languages spoken in Croatia.

Get the Google translate app for your phone. Pick the languages then aim your camera at the words on your computer screen. Read the translation on your phone. Use same for menus when you travel.

The solution is simple. Don't arrive at 6pm. Arrive after the line has been seated, 6:30ish. Or go to the World Cafe for a sushi appetizer (and maybe a glass of wine/beer) and then head to The Restaurant when you are ready. Doors open at 6pm but you can arrive whenever you want -- without fear that they will be kicking you out at 9pm.

There have been a couple of reports in this forum of people showing up on the dock without their cabin-mate being charged the single supplement before being allowed to board the ship. Yes, Viking keeps the fare of the no-show and the guest has submit an insurance claim to get that money back (and I honestly have no idea how that works if you have the Viking insurance). If your cabinmate is legitimately delayed, then you will be able to give a name and flight number and Viking will be able to confirm that his flight has been delayed. Cabinmate should also contact Viking en-route to let them know what is going on. Of course, if they plan to arrive a day or two early, that reduces the possibility of this scenario -- hint, hint. The real problem for you is last minute cancellation by cabinmate. This is the nightmare situation. As I said above, cancellation by one is cancellation by both. You could arrive at the dock and find that you have no cabin; you'll have to handle the cancellation process with care so that you understand exactly what is happening. If you do have a cabin, you will have to pay the single supplement -- and unlike a spouse cancelling, the insurance money will go to the cabinmate not to you. If you are talking about the changing cabinmates scenario you mentioned elsewhere, things may be even more complicated.

Sorry to deliver the bad news. I know how much you want to do this cruise but you have few options. YOU DID NOT MISUNDERSTAND. Cancel now and get your money back, before cancellation penalties kick in. Read the T&C and you will see that making any changes forces you to cancel the booking and rebook at the current price. Viking knows all the subterfuges and in their mindset, a contract is set in stone the moment you put down the deposit. Even trying to find a another cabin mate means cancelling and rebooking. You can't lie about your roomie. Once they cancel to get their money back before cancellation penalties kick in, the gig is up. You're side of the equation will be cancelled as well. Viking is not flexible about this and they are not sympathetic. BTW, they will not take your word, you will have to prove with name and flight number that your roomie is delayed. Moreover, lying could end up getting you banned -- attempt to defraud, etc. Boarding refused with no refund. Cheaper to cancel and get your money back. Viking holds all the aces.

In other words, you can still book through Viking and arrive a day or two early. Not arriving on Day 1 and/or not flying out on Day Last is called a "deviation." It is a handy tool but it has its quirks. First there is a fee to deviate; ask Viking what it is for your chosen itinerary. Second, there are no Viking transfers available on deviations; Viking is only at the airport on Day 1 and Day Last of your itinerary. Also note that adding a pre- or post-cruise extension is not a deviation. First Day of the pre-cruise becomes your Day 1 and the last day of a post-cruise becomes your Day Last. Transfers are included. If you want to arrive ahead of Day 1 of your extension, it is a deviation and there are no transfers.

Janet, my sister is on your cruise all the way to NYC (which is why I am following this roll call) and in the same situation. The day after Viking announced the change, my sister tried first to make head way with Viking via email to no avail (it was a lost effort when the Viking person didn't even know that Mars was doing a butterfly), then she was on the phone with the travel agent (my agent now her agent and brother's agent as well) who was then on the phone with the owner of the agency, who called Viking, directly via his channels, going to bat for their client. Last I heard, they were making progress but I haven't heard a follow up yet. In other words, Viking was made aware of the problem very early on, not just hearing from a guest but from a cruise travel agency owner as well. BTW, fair is that in each category, BGN to NYC gets to book in advance of REYK to NYC.

Actually, depending on where you are starting your journey and where you are headed, using Viking Air for business class can be cheaper. Here's a case in point: We have a cruise in May, London to Bergen. One woman on our roll call, flying from New Mexico, and I, flying from Boston, both booked our flights around the same time (July, 2023). We both booked business class. She saved 25% booking Viking Air, because her flight plan is so complicated while I saved 40% booking my own flights because I'm closer to London and my flight plan is simple, nonstop going and one connection returning. For both of us the savings was quadruple digits. As far as I am concerned, you have to do the math for each trip no matter where you are headed and at the time you are making the purchase -- and forget about trying to time the purchase to get the best price, that takes more information and more practice than most casual flyers have. I know a lot of people are "only book your own," but that doesn't work for me. While there are times I will book the entire trip through Viking, there are times I'm just looking for the cheapest flight no matter how I get.

Susan, darned good question -- and honestly more input is needed from folks who have actually experienced such a delay with Viking. Exactly what did Viking do for them in the circumstances. Hopefully, more will join the conversation and share their experiences. This is not a topic that has come up very often in this forum. Now that you have explained your question, it is a bit easier to answer -- or, at least, to talk about the issues to be faced when your arrival is delayed. Still, the advice you will hear most often is to avoid the situation by arriving early -- either by adding a Viking pre-cruise extension to your itinerary or by making your own plans including getting to the ship on your own. But it still doesn't answer the question. Arriving early is not always an option, and clearly some help and guidance in setting expectations would be appreciated. . You lucked out. Our mileage did vary, horribly. In 2019, it took us close to two hours to connect to our flight to Marseilles. Our bottleneck was one person manning a passport checkpoint that was being feed by 3 or 4 different lines. People kept pushing through saying they had a flight in half an hour. It was a nightmare. Even without the bottleneck, we would not have made it in half an hour because it took us more than half an hour to get to the lines feeding the bottleneck. Fortunately, we had a long connection time and did not face the same panic as many in the line -- the ones who kept checking the time every minutes or so.

Your arguments are based on mainstream cruise line behavior and not necessarily facts. Please show us the deep discounts on upcoming cruises. Yes, they may happen but I don't think they exist in numbers worth worrying about. I'm sailing in May on BIE (the only thing I have "then" and "now" price points to compare) and on the few cabins still available on 4 sailings, at today's prices and available discounts, there is not a single DV6 cabin sold today that will beat the price I paid in 2022. I'm glad I booked when I did. If the argument is loss of interest, banks don't pay much interest, less than a percent where we live or less than $150 for a year on a $15000 cruise fare compared to the $900 I saved and the $1100 price rise since I booked. I'm even happier I booked when I did.

IMHO, use Viking only if you will be paying less for the flight than you can get elsewhere. (Or if you have a specific rationale for doing so). Include Viking Air when you book to lock in the airfare. If you add Air after the fact you pay brochure rate. The Air can be removed from you booking but there is a deadline to do so. Sometimes Viking is the cheaper and sometimes booking your own is the winner -- and you don't know which it will be until the airlines open booking for your travel dates, about 10 months in advance, and you have researched prices for your travel dates. Even if you book your Air with Viking, transfers are only available if you land at the airport on Day 1 of your itinerary and depart the airport on Day Last. If you want to arrive a few days early or stay on after the cruise, no transfer even with Viking Air. If you buy your own flights, you may buy transfers from Viking, with the same caveat as above -- and you can buy just for arrival or just for departure. Personally, flying into Barcelona is a breeze. Walk out of the terminal and head straight to the taxi rank. Fare from the airport to downtown hotel or the port is a flat fare plus baggage fee. Latest details are easy to find online. Last time I did it in 2019, it was 40 euros for the cab ride. Airport transfers are per person. If I were dealing with Venice at this point my feeling is, what a mess, let Viking handle it, and I would fly home on Day Last of the trip, regardless of how I booked the flights. BTW, if you book air with Viking, take their minimum connection times for with a grain of salt and then add at least another hour to the number, two if anyone in your party uses a walking aid. Then don't accept a connection any shorter than that number. Flying through Paris, add 3. For me, the advice is: listen to all the advice and information that is coming at you and then decide what is right for YOU.

Viking is not a member of CLIA and does not follow its guidelines. When dealing with Viking you have to put aside the idea that Viking is anything like the mainstream companies operating in the US. Final payment is not the same as when cancellation penalties kick in. While final payment may be a year or more out, cancellation penalties on cruises (other than grand voyages, spelled out in the contract) don't kick in until 120 prior to the start of the journey. Prior to 120 days, the cancellation fee is $100pp. Booking Terms & Conditions Passenger Ticket Contract What for? They aren't responsible for guests' misconceptions. As for the warning not too book early, my 2024 cruise, brochure price before all discounts (which are no longer available) is up by $1000pp for a DV cabin and is all but sold out while my 2025 cruise is up by $1300pp (DV cabin) and is just a few cabins from sold out. Prices are going up on many sailings right now. Even with a crystal ball, you can't predict where prices are going on which cruises. If you see something you like at a price you like, book it and forget about second guessing the market. To be fair, it took me a while to figure out how things work with Viking and how to work within their stringent business policies. However, it took me less than one day on board to know that Viking Ocean was everything I wanted in a cruise ship and that I would be sailing with them as often as I could afford. The good news is that it is still not too late to cancel your cruise and get back all that you paid less the $100pp cancellation fee and whatever you paid for insurance. You still have plenty of time to book on another cruise line for 2025 -- one whose policies and procedures you are familiar with and more comfortable. And if you bought your travel insurance from other than Viking, you might even be able to roll the policy to the new cruise. Why spend the money if you are already determined to be unhappy and dissatisfied?

Not everything on my list is post-booking. Some of it is website stuff -- like where to find the description of the drinks package. Besides, "best kept secrets" makes it sound like "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." -- or what was in Geraldo Rivera's infamous safe.

I agree with you wholeheartedly on this one. I think Viking can't figure out how to put it on MVJ and still keep arriving and departing guests from booking those excursions. In other words, it is a software problem. I think that they have decided that it is just easier/cheaper to do it the way they are doing it than to figure out the coding. Still, imagine how much easier this all would be if Viking explained on the Guest Statement or sent an e-mail to all guests booked on a named B2B itinerary. We have done a B2B only once and we had our plans all set -- Tarquinia on our own on turnover day and the Viking tour to Ancient Ostia the next. No idea at that point that Viking would have tours for us that day. When we got on board and saw that Viking had tours for us on turnover day, we changed our plans. We moved Ostia to turnover day, because Tarquina wasn't offered on that day, and did Tarquinia with Viking the next. And let me tell you, Tarquinia on a tour bus was a lot easier than our plan to take the local bus to Taquinia and then try to figure out how to get to the Etruscan Necropolises. You're welcome. I keep thinking about starting a thread entitled "Viking's best kept secrets" and this would be near the top of the list.

Two thoughts Checkout the combined schedule put together by one of our members. Follow the links in the OP's signature to download the spreadsheet. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2651194-viking-ocean-combined-cruise-schedule/?do=getNewComment Check to see if your cruise is a segment of Expedition's Longitudinal World Cruise. If they are doing the LWC in 2026, they may be holding off on selling the segments while they see how many whole cruise cabins they can fill.