Need we beware Viking air?

Hello cruisers! My husband and I have stared planning an aniversary trip and a Viking Mediterranean cruise is looking fantastic. However, as I am reading reviews, the two main complaints seem to be that some were underwhelmed with the shore excursions and many were furious about the inexpensive Viking Air they first thought was a great deal. Canceled flights, no time for customs and connecting flights, six hours in airports....

Am I just reading complaints from the vocal minority or should we rethink using Viking air?

I’d love to hear about your experiences. Thanks!

I'd like to hear more about the Custom Air. I like to have control over my flights so that might be an option for us.

I am booked on a Viking cruise departing next week. I made my initial enquiry direct with Viking who gave me a price for both with and without flights. I asked if I could get my regular TA to quote as well. The Viking agent was most accommodating asking that my TA contact him direct. A deal was done. Same price to me, BUT my TA was shocked at the flight timing that Viking quoted. In his opinion we would not have made our connection and would quite possible been stranded and maybe missed the sailing! He has changed the suggested flight to a timing he feels will ensure that we make the connection and therefore the sailing.

Hello cruisers! My husband and I have stared planning an aniversary trip and a Viking Mediterranean cruise is looking fantastic. However, as I am reading reviews, the two main complaints seem to be that some were underwhelmed with the shore excursions and many were furious about the inexpensive Viking Air they first thought was a great deal. Canceled flights, no time for customs and connecting flights, six hours in airports....

Am I just reading complaints from the vocal minority or should we rethink using Viking air?

 

 

I’d love to hear about your experiences. Thanks!

Vocal minority. A very small percentage of passengers (less than 5%) express their opinions on Cruise Critic and usually, it is when something bad happens. Still, remember what they say about great deals--they are worth the price you pay for them. If people deluded themselves into thinking that at those prices they were going to the best flights out there, they aren't thinking very clearly. If you are worried about the details, you need to be involved in the decision process.

However, dealing with the airlines is never perfect whether you are dealing on your own or through an agent such as Viking.

You need to do your homework (which you are doing in part with this question) and you need to understand how Viking Air works to make the best of it. So, here goes.

Along with its cruise pricing, Viking always offers an air deal of one sort or another. Sometimes, it is a very good price (like free or under $500 for a transatlantic flight) and sometimes you can do a lot better booking on your own. The cruises price will stay pretty much the same but the air deals will change from month to month (or sale period to sale period). There is no predicting when will be the best time book based on the air deal and your air price is based on your booking date, not when you add air to the booking, so if after you book they have a better offer you can't go back and add air a the newer better price.

The air deal price gets you access to what Viking is offering for flights at that price (it is not unlimited choice). In most cases, you can and should opt for Custom Air ($50pp) to at least have some choice over your flights and the ability to be locked into those flights and choose your seats very early on in the booking process (my TA likes to do it at about 300 days before departure). If you wait until they assign you flights before you ask for Custom Air, you may already be closed out of the flights you might prefer. Besides which, for the amount that you are paying for a Viking cruise, $100 is a drop in the bucket to assure that you get the flights you want. People who don't opt for Custom Air get what Viking assigns and what Viking assigns is what is left after everyone else has chosen.

It is always best to do your homework before talking to Viking Air. Have an idea of what flights are out there, how much they cost and which ones your would prefer. Personally, I like to avoid long layovers, I like direct flights where possible and I dislike having to leave the ship before dawn at the end of my vacation.

Viking will tell you which flights are available at the booking price, but if there is a specific flight plan that you want, you can always ask what they would charge you for that flight plan. It may still be cheaper than booking on your own.

IMHO, start with Viking Air on your booking because you can cancel it if you find a better price on your own (which frequently happens if you are flying premium economy or business/first). There is a cut off date for cancelling the air; make sure you find out what it is.

My experience with Viking Air has been good so far. I have paid for Custom Air on four out of five flights arranged through Viking. On our "Midnight Sun" trip custom air was not available but I swear that the only reason that we got a direct flight to London and back was because we were flying economy; we met one couple at the airport in Boston who were flying first class and they were put on IcelandicAir with a stopover in Iceland (which took longer than our direct flight to London).

On our latest trip, I initially booked air with Viking but ended up booking my own for less when I didn't like the flights I was offered. Viking prices are not always the best prices available (especially if you are flying business or premium economy).

On our just booked river cruise, the air deal was free air. I still don't know yet if custom air will be available to us but for free, I'll take what I get if I have to (and just keep hoping that we get non-stop to Paris).

Peregrina,

Great post that give one the lay of the land when it comes to using Viking Air.

Do your research first ,so you know that paying less than the going rate if booked on your own , what it the price point.

Is it worth it to you, for the cheaper price or not? Alsoif having less control is a issue, then book your own air.

Doing custom air of $50.00 pp and $100.00 pp for deviation ( coming in two night early and staying two days later) made up part of our total cost. Then we upgraded to economy comfort which added costs. In the end ,we paid less than doing air on our own by quite a lot. So now I am flying on AA and UA instead of Delta.

I do custom air and on my trip in two weeks, we did the deviation. I research the airlines that Viking uses and the times. Even for the free airfare, I was able to choose my airline . The only problem is that the free airline doesn’t include premium or business. It’s strictly economy.

I do custom air and on my trip in two weeks, we did the deviation. I research the airlines that Viking uses and the times. Even for the free airfare, I was able to choose my airline . The only problem is that the free airline doesn’t include premium or business. It’s strictly economy.

Meaning that you cannot upgrade with miles or money of you opted for free ais offering? I know free air will be economy, but the ability to upgrade is a rather significant piece to many of us when making the decision. Thanks!

Check for your trip but on mine you couldn’t

On our Viking River cruise a few year ago I used Viking Air. Once ticketed by Viking, I was able to upgrade our seats myself on line to Economy Plus on United's website for our trip to Amsterdam but wasn't able to upgrade to Economy Plus on Lufthansa for our trip home.

I'm going to use Custom Air for our upcoming Homelands trip so that I can work directly with Viking Air and so I can be ticketed earlier. I've learned the hard way, that my behind doesn't do well being smooshed on long flights :)

Check for your trip but on mine you couldn’t

Well, good to know for sure - thanks for the heads up. I guess I will need to ask this question prior to any booking of flights. It very well might have to do with the fare class that the ticket will be purchased in by Viking.

We are on the Barcelona to Rome itinerary departing March 17. This is our first experience with Viking - Amawaterways for a couple of river cruises and a few other ocean cruise lines in Alaska / Caribbean. With AMA we booked our air independently however I was enticed by Vikings low airfare -may regret though. Our itinerary has us only with a 1 hour 5 minute layover in Detroit upon our return and we are booked on the last flight out of Detroit to KC that night (Sat). I have loads of Southwest points due to lots of business travel so I am going to be defensive and book an early flight from Detroit to KC for Sun morning and make backup plans with the house sitter for Sat evening. When I called Viking expressing my concern on the tight connection she assured me we would find fine because the layover guideline was 1 hour. Hope she is right ;).

We are on the Barcelona to Rome itinerary departing March 17. This is our first experience with Viking - Amawaterways for a couple of river cruises and a few other ocean cruise lines in Alaska / Caribbean. With AMA we booked our air independently however I was enticed by Vikings low airfare -may regret though. Our itinerary has us only with a 1 hour 5 minute layover in Detroit upon our return and we are booked on the last flight out of Detroit to KC that night (Sat). I have loads of Southwest points due to lots of business travel so I am going to be defensive and book an early flight from Detroit to KC for Sun morning and make backup plans with the house sitter for Sat evening. When I called Viking expressing my concern on the tight connection she assured me we would find fine because the layover guideline was 1 hour. Hope she is right ;).

Will you have to go through immigration control in Detroit? That would make me very nervous. We had a similar situation with Viking booked flights and a too short layover in Frankfurt that didn't work out. We had enjoyed the trip so much that in spite of that glitch, we have booked two more ocean cruises with them. For any subsequent flights, we are much more particular about a sensible layover time versus a permissible layover time.

Another point to consider with a short layover on an intercontinental flight is that generally, I can run faster than my luggage. It’s not just you that has to make the connection.

Another point to consider with a short layover on an intercontinental flight is that generally, I can run faster than my luggage. It’s not just you that has to make the connection. ��

Just another reason we have stopped checking our luggage; at least we know all our bags will be with us when we arrive at our final destination.

We leave tomorrow for the Iconic Med out of Barcelona. We paid for the air deviation and found out the hard way that we can't use the included transfers with deviation. Neither Viking nor our TA told us this. Ugh! We did get to choose our flights and times and seats. When we used Viking air it was 2 stops to Europe and one time a 5 hr layover in Paris! I guess if it's free you must decide if this is worth it to you. Btw, some discount TA's give $300 and more OBC even if you have gotten a price from Viking first. It works.

I strongly suggest getting Global Entry before taking international flights from and to the US. The benefit is to be able to quickly go through immigration and customs upon return to the US. It doesn't eliminate all of the possible glitches, but can be significantly helpful. The Detroit airport is basically one long terminal with a tram running from end to end. Customs and immigration is pretty well organized, especially for Global Entry. A one hour layover is tight- I'd try for at least 90 minutes.

I'd like to hear more about the Custom Air. I like to have control over my flights so that might be an option for us.

When I call viking, I’ve already researched air flights so I know not to have too short a time between connecting flights. I then call to discuss the airline and flight that I want and I’ve never had a problem so far. Happy travels

I strongly suggest getting Global Entry before taking international flights from and to the US. The benefit is to be able to quickly go through immigration and customs upon return to the US. It doesn't eliminate all of the possible glitches, but can be significantly helpful. The Detroit airport is basically one long terminal with a tram running from end to end. Customs and immigration is pretty well organized, especially for Global Entry. A one hour layover is tight- I'd try for at least 90 minutes.

Yes to the Global entry suggestion if you cannot change the flights. When I coordinated travel for my last company, 50min to 1 hour at DTW was the minimum I would allow my travelers for Domestic flights.

Hello to all. I have a couple of questions that I hope some one can advise me on. Currently we have two cruises upcoming. In Sept 2018 we have a china tour\cruise Beijing to Shanghai on Viking. We will start in Denver. Can anyone tell me what kind of flights we are looking at to and back We did sign up with Viking Air Business. I have read the above posts and the custom air option seems like a good idea. How do I know which airlines Viking uses going from Denver and on to Chinal and back for Shanghai to Denver. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

2nd in 2020, we are going on Viking Ocean (Orion) from Australia to New Zealand Same questions as above.

Thanks for any responses and suggestions. I do like control when I know what to look for and try.

Mike and Lisa.

Hello to all. I have a couple of questions that I hope some one can advise me on. Currently we have two cruises upcoming. In Sept 2018 we have a china tour\cruise Beijing to Shanghai on Viking. We will start in Denver. Can anyone tell me what kind of flights we are looking at to and back We did sign up with Viking Air Business. I have read the above posts and the custom air option seems like a good idea. How do I know which airlines Viking uses going from Denver and on to Chinal and back for Shanghai to Denver. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

2nd in 2020, we are going on Viking Ocean (Orion) from Australia to New Zealand Same questions as above.

 

Thanks for any responses and suggestions. I do like control when I know what to look for and try.

 

Mike and Lisa.

My TA recommeded I look at flghts I would like on my own. go to goggle flights and put your route both ways from and to Denver. View all the various options, it will make your head spin.

But you also will know if Delta, AA, UA etc or one of their partners fly from Denver to west coast city to China. Do the same from Shanghai to Western US to Denver. Pick your top three and then tell your TA or Viking , if not using a TA, your priority of 1st second and third and see what happens.

I had all the flights and connection times listed I would accept. Knowledge is power. Then my TA went to work with Viking... there was a hurricane in the mean time, which screwed up my Delta priorit choice. My TA got the best flights available for me at that time when I booked last fall.

My TA recommeded I look at flghts I would like on my own. go to goggle flights and put your route both ways from and to Denver. View all the various options, it will make your head spin.

But you also will know if Delta, AA, UA etc or one of their partners fly from Denver to west coast city to China. Do the same from Shanghai to Western US to Denver. Pick your top three and then tell your TA or Viking , if not using a TA, your priority of 1st second and third and see what happens.

I had all the flights and connection times listed I would accept. Knowledge is power. Then my TA went to work with Viking... there was a hurricane in the mean time, which screwed up my Delta priorit choice. My TA got the best flights available for me at that time when I booked last fall.

Azulann is right. You have to do your homework and at least these days it is very easy to on the internet. Personally, I use one of the big three internet travel sites (the ones starting with E or O or T--the ones we can't name here by name--but there are other websites to get the information).

China is a very long flight. From Boston, we flew into Chicago the afternoon before and then 14 hours non-stop to Shanghai the next morning. Some people find it a very long flight and feel more comfortable with a change of planes in Seoul or Tokyo or even Hong Kong. We stuck with Viking for air arrangements because of the Viking transfers; we just wanted to be taken care of from the moment we exited baggage claim until we were driven back to the airport.

Let me recommend CC’s sister site, Tripadvisor, specifically the air travel forum. (Easiest way to get there is to just google “Tripadvisor air travel forum”. They’ve made changes to the website that make it a little tricky to find what you’re looking for. ). I found this forum to be very helpful last year with our first time letting Viking arrange our flights. We were concerned when presented with a 70 minute connection in Amsterdam. Our TA tried to get Viking to give us a flight with a longer connection time but they either wouldn’t or couldn’t even though we had custom air. Consensus on the air forum was not to worry, Amsterdam is a very efficient airport and “legal” connection time there is 40 minutes. I say all that to say this is a good source for information about connection times, how to get from point A to point B in a particular airport, how to get through immigration or customs or both, etc. Long story short (or maybe “short story long”!) our flight Atlanta/Amsterdam was on time, we had a pretty good hike but signage was good, immigration was a brief formality ( at 5: a.m.!), and we got to our next gate with time to sit and catch our breath! Oh, and our luggage met us in Oslo!

But — I also have to say that, after living on the Viking Ocean forum for about 18 months now, my impression is that when dealing with the corporate side of Viking “trust but verify”.

Vocal minority. A very small percentage of passengers (less than 5%) express their opinions on Cruise Critic and usually, it is when something bad happens. Still, remember what they say about great deals--they are worth the price you pay for them. If people deluded themselves into thinking that at those prices they were going to the best flights out there, they aren't thinking very clearly. If you are worried about the details, you need to be involved in the decision process.

 

 

 

However, dealing with the airlines is never perfect whether you are dealing on your own or through an agent such as Viking.

 

 

 

You need to do your homework (which you are doing in part with this question) and you need to understand how Viking Air works to make the best of it. So, here goes.

 

 

 

Along with its cruise pricing, Viking always offers an air deal of one sort or another. Sometimes, it is a very good price (like free or under $500 for a transatlantic flight) and sometimes you can do a lot better booking on your own. The cruises price will stay pretty much the same but the air deals will change from month to month (or sale period to sale period). There is no predicting when will be the best time book based on the air deal and your air price is based on your booking date, not when you add air to the booking, so if after you book they have a better offer you can't go back and add air a the newer better price.

 

 

 

The air deal price gets you access to what Viking is offering for flights at that price (it is not unlimited choice). In most cases, you can and should opt for Custom Air ($50pp) to at least have some choice over your flights and the ability to be locked into those flights and choose your seats very early on in the booking process (my TA likes to do it at about 300 days before departure). If you wait until they assign you flights before you ask for Custom Air, you may already be closed out of the flights you might prefer. Besides which, for the amount that you are paying for a Viking cruise, $100 is a drop in the bucket to assure that you get the flights you want. People who don't opt for Custom Air get what Viking assigns and what Viking assigns is what is left after everyone else has chosen.

 

 

 

It is always best to do your homework before talking to Viking Air. Have an idea of what flights are out there, how much they cost and which ones your would prefer. Personally, I like to avoid long layovers, I like direct flights where possible and I dislike having to leave the ship before dawn at the end of my vacation.

 

 

 

Viking will tell you which flights are available at the booking price, but if there is a specific flight plan that you want, you can always ask what they would charge you for that flight plan. It may still be cheaper than booking on your own.

 

 

 

IMHO, start with Viking Air on your booking because you can cancel it if you find a better price on your own (which frequently happens if you are flying premium economy or business/first). There is a cut off date for cancelling the air; make sure you find out what it is.

 

 

 

My experience with Viking Air has been good so far. I have paid for Custom Air on four out of five flights arranged through Viking. On our "Midnight Sun" trip custom air was not available but I swear that the only reason that we got a direct flight to London and back was because we were flying economy; we met one couple at the airport in Boston who were flying first class and they were put on IcelandicAir with a stopover in Iceland (which took longer than our direct flight to London).

 

 

 

On our latest trip, I initially booked air with Viking but ended up booking my own for less when I didn't like the flights I was offered. Viking prices are not always the best prices available (especially if you are flying business or premium economy).

 

 

 

On our just booked river cruise, the air deal was free air. I still don't know yet if custom air will be available to us but for free, I'll take what I get if I have to (and just keep hoping that we get non-stop to Paris).

We booked Into The Midnight Sun with Viking and I found out that for this particular cruise the Airplus (talk to the air department and choose flights) is $150 pp. I asked why and I was told that the booking process to Bergen is complicated, a reason that made absolutely no sense. Other itineraries are $50 pp and the additional $100 pp seems unreasonable IMO. PLUS, if they can’t find a flight at the air price you’ve paid than you also will be charged the price increase. I guess you do get what you pay for!

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We booked Into The Midnight Sun with Viking and I found out that for this particular cruise the Airplus (talk to the air department and choose flights) is $150 pp. I asked why and I was told that the booking process to Bergen is complicated, a reason that made absolutely no sense. Other itineraries are $50 pp and the additional $100 pp seems unreasonable IMO. PLUS, if they can’t find a flight at the air price you’ve paid than you also will be charged the price increase. I guess you do get what you pay for!

 

 

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I think you had to pay a deviation fee of $100 pp because you went to Oslo and probably didn't get out on the day the cruise ended. Then the $50 pp was added to that.

I think you had to pay a deviation fee of $100 pp because you went to Oslo and probably didn't get out on the day the cruise ended. Then the $50 pp was added to that.

Hi,

That would certainly make sense. Unfortunately we didn’t extend on either end of the trip. Straight into Bergen and straight out of London. So, not really sure where the extra $100 comes from on the Airplus. We have used Viking many times and have always been extremely happy with the cruise and level of service from Viking. IMO no other cruise line comes out ahead of Viking. So, the $100 charge is not a deal breaker but just a charge that didn’t make a lot of sense to me. We are looking forward to the Fjord cruise!

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