Viking air deviations

Besides the $100 each deviation fee for adding days before or after cruise...does the cost of flight also increase from the original booking?

Besides the $100 each deviation fee for adding days before or after cruise...does the cost of flight also increase from the original booking?

Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't and there is no specific circumstance that dictates if it will. You won't know for sure until you start the conversation with Viking.

Note that there is a difference between a deviation (arriving early/departing later in the embarkation/disembarkation city) and a stop over (like stopping in London for a few days on your way to Bergen) and that the fees are different. Also, deviation and stopover fees are in addition to the $50 custom air fee.

I like to do some research before I talk with Viking so that I already have an idea in my head which flight plans are acceptable and which aren't (and why I don't like them).

We booked a March 2019 cruise with a travel agency and our agent arranged a conference call with Viking to work out the air. We wanted business class flights with lie flat seats with no more than two connections (preferably one) each way. Their price, even with the deviation/custom fees, was just less than two-thirds of air fares I found.

The Viking Air customer service reps worked hard to get me what I wanted at their fixed price. They gave me options that were more expensive but were able to get us decent flights at their price. Do check your flights and dates when they send them to you. Our return flight was booked on the original date I gave the travel agent, not the date we ultimately decided on.

We are going to Alaska next year from Vancouver. We were automatically charged the air deviation fee since we are going from Fla, so will be arriving the day before departure. Does VO charge again if you wanted to go 2 days early and see Vancouver?

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FlaGirl13, since you’re already paying the $100pp deviation fee I’m sure you can go in several days early. If you decided to stay longer at the end of your cruise you’d have to pay the deviation fee again. I’d give Viking a call, I could be wrong.

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FlaGirl13, since you’re already paying the $100pp deviation fee I’m sure you can go in several days early. If you decided to stay longer at the end of your cruise you’d have to pay the deviation fee again. I’d give Viking a call, I could be wrong.

 

in Europe

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I've always done the deviation on both ends of the cruise. They were Ocean Cruises in Europe and done two years apart, the most recent in May. Flew into port city 3 days early and left 11 days after the cruise from a city in another country--it had to be a city that they normally used for River Cruise passengers or there would have been an extra charge but I was only charged the deviation fee once. Their plane fee was comparable with the ailines and the air promo at that time was $500 off so with the deviation fee, I still saved $ 400!

Also too, if you do your own research on acceptable flight itineraries and pay (if you need to) for Air Plus, you can put yourself more in the driver's seat. Don't wait until they send you a flight itinerary. Call well beforehand.

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Also too, if you do your own research on acceptable flight itineraries and pay (if you need to) for Air Plus, you can put yourself more in the driver's seat. Don't wait until they send you a flight itinerary. Call well beforehand.

 

 

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What would be considered “well beforehand “? We go June 2019 so can’t check yet.

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What would be considered “well beforehand “? We go June 2019 so can’t check yet.

 

 

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You can't start booking until the airlines have opened up the flights for booking, which is around 300 days before the flight actually takes off. Therefore, the earliest you want to start talking to Viking Air is 300 days before your return flight. However, some of the airlines don't stick to the 300 day convention. Check the airline websites for the flights you want and once your dates are open for booking, it is time to call Viking.

We booked for mid-March 2019 in the middle of June. The earlier you book, the more choices you have. If you wait to see what Viking gives you and then call to make changes, you are still stuck with what is left to choose from.

What would be considered “well beforehand “? We go June 2019 so can’t check yet.

 

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Actually - yes you can. Airline timetables are published 11 months in advance (rolling basis). If you have an airline like United that you like you can get to their timetable from their mobile app or I would think their web site. Otherwise, KAYAK is quite good for looking at flight possibilities. Will let you filter by preferred airlines, connections etc.

If your scheduled departure is more than a 11 months out, you can make a pretty good guess at what's available by reseaching flights for the current year, same month and day with a tweak of shifting to the same day of the week. Especially important if the date you want is on a Saturday (for ex) but this year is a Friday. Of course you need to double check your guess when your departure date is less than 11 months away.

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