Viking Air to Paris

We are booked on Viking's France's Finest 15 day cruise next fall. The offer for airfare through Viking was amazing so we signed up. We usually book our own airfare but the offer saved us so much money we decided to take a chance. I am wondering if any fellow cruisers arranged Viking air. My worst nightmare is a very long trip each way with multiple connections. Has anyone taken their air to Paris from Boston and home from Marseille? Thanks for your help.

most of the forum will probably agree-their air schedule will probably have more connections and longer lay-overs than if you did it yourself.

we do not use any of the cruise line airfare offers-we like to control our schedule and seats.

most of the forum will probably agree-their air schedule will probably have more connections and longer lay-overs than if you did it yourself.

we do not use any of the cruise line airfare offers-we like to control our schedule and seats.

My sis and BIL were on Viking's Bucharest to Budapest cruise. They live in NY, but Viking booked them on Turkish Air both ways. They had to change planes in Istanbul both ways.

On their homeward flights, it added about 4 hours of flying in the wrong direction.

Does one have the option, with Viking, to pay an extra fee of about $100 to pick their choice of flights? If so, I would take that option. Then you should be able to avoid changing planes in Istanbul, using the example above.

OP, we're about to do the same cruise. We leave in two weeks!! We did book our own air, on points, though so that's why I don't know for sure about the flight deviation option.

I am going on Viking Romantic Danube cruise next month. We used

Viking air and are traveling from Kansas City. We have a connection in Atlanta then Paris arriving in Nuremburg. I couldn't do the itinerary any better. We did have a flight schedule change which left us with a sort connection in Atlanta, Viking made a change and all us well now. Return schedule this good too with connection in Amsterdam and Atlanta.

Here's the link to Viking's website regarding Viking Air Plus: http://www.vikingrivercruisescanada.com/my-trip/air-services/viking-air.html The cost is $50/person but you can arrange the direct flights.

Again, I have no personal experience with this but since you got a good deal, this, IMO, would be worth the extra $100 to ensure you had non stop flights or a more direct route, rather than being deviated through a city in the opposite direction.

Speak to your TA or to Viking about your options. Good Luck!

Does one have the option, with Viking, to pay an extra fee of about $100 to pick their choice of flights? If so, I would take that option. Then you should be able to avoid changing planes in Istanbul, using the example above.

 

 

 

OP, we're about to do the same cruise. We leave in two weeks!! We did book our own air, on points, though so that's why I don't know for sure about the flight deviation option.

When the airfare deal is a super good deal they almost (almost) do not allow the normal deviation for a fee. You will need to check the T & C of the air deal you booked under.

When the airfare deal is a super good deal they almost (almost) do not allow the normal deviation for a fee. You will need to check the T & C of the air deal you booked under.

Makes sense. I suppose that's how Viking can offer the deals on the flights.

I paid the added $50 and got the exact flights I wanted on a Viking China cruise and paid $1000 less then I could get them for.

We booked air with Viking and ended up with a return flight that leaves at 6:20 AM! That means we'll probably have to leave the boat by about 3:30 AM, and be up by 2:30 AM. This pretty much eliminates our last night on the cruise, and we'll be travelling 14 hours the next day on 2 or 3 hours sleep. I checked and they said I could change it for a fee, plus pay the extra cost for the later flight. The airfare doesn't turn out to be much of a deal if you pay all the extras. I certainly won't book airfare through them again, if I sail with them at all. (It seems like most of the complaints about Viking are with the administration, most reviews seem to be good for the on-board experience, so I won't totally dismiss them at this point. But I'll definitely book my own airfare if there's a next time!)

For those who have booked air through other river cruise companies, have you been satisfied with the schedule? Are bad schedules just a Viking thing, or is this typical for any cruise-associated airfare? We've only booked cruise airfare with one of our ocean cruises, Celebrity, and got a good schedule with them.

I am going on Viking Romantic Danube cruise next month.

We're going on the Romantic Danube in November too! We leave from Nuremberg on the 15th. When is your trip?

We have cruised with Viking three times from Austin, TX, and they have arranged our flights each time (because we do not have any loyalty to any particular airline nor points to use) and we've never used their custom air option. The flights they arranged for all three trips have been extremely satisfactory for us. I know there are horror stories on this site but you won't hear them from me!

We have used Viking Air for our previous 3 cruises and are using them on our upcoming Dec 2015 Romantic Danube cruise. Our route is New Orleans to Dulles to Brussels to Budapest. Return is Nuremberg to Munich to Dulles to NOLA. In researching our own flights, on United, which is the airline we are booked on through Viking, we can leave New Orleans to Vienna to Budapest, returning the same way that we are now ticketed, Nuremberg to Munich to NOLA for $2,9367, $1,468.50/person. Our cost using Viking is $1,994 or $997/person. Looks like a better deal through Viking. I can't find any flights from New Orleans to Budapest without 2 changes over or back. So the routing through Viking is as good as anything I could do on my own. Also, going through Brussels allows us to add one more country to our travels, although, we will only be in the airport. :D

I also think that working through Viking gives you some comfort should anything go wrong on your trip. For instance, on one of our trips, when I thought I had lost our passports between the plane and the gate at Dulles, we immediately got on the phone, late Friday afternoon, with Viking, who was already attempting to figure out how to get replacement passports for us. Luckily, I found them in our carry-on bag, which did not help with the looks my wife continued to give me for the rest of the flight. :o

We are using Viking air to fly into Paris on the 4th (doing the Amsterdam to Budapest cruise but we wanted to spend some time in Paris also) and the flights were the absolute best possible. We have a very early flight from our departure city (Portland) which was perfect as otherwise we would have lost an extra day due to travel. If I spent hours online I could have not come up with better flights and seats (perfect there also), so I am very pleased. All of the Viking flights were as direct as possible. Only one stop over and one stop coming home. I also love the price, zero for the main trip and only $100 each to add Paris as a pre-trip stop over. Now were are just hoping for more rain to keep the river levels up ...yup, not normal to hope for vacation rain ;)

Thanks for all the replies so far. We paid $ 295 per person from Boston to Paris and home from Marseille - it was just such a good price we couldn't resist booking through them. After our final payment is made, I will call our TA and see if they can find out the routing and if an additional $ 50 pp to change to a better schedule would be available to us.

We booked air with Viking and ended up with a return flight that leaves at 6:20 AM! That means we'll probably have to leave the boat by about 3:30 AM, and be up by 2:30 AM. This pretty much eliminates our last night on the cruise, and we'll be travelling 14 hours the next day on 2 or 3 hours sleep. I checked and they said I could change it for a fee, plus pay the extra cost for the later flight. The airfare doesn't turn out to be much of a deal if you pay all the extras. I certainly won't book airfare through them again, if I sail with them at all. (It seems like most of the complaints about Viking are with the administration, most reviews seem to be good for the on-board experience, so I won't totally dismiss them at this point. But I'll definitely book my own airfare if there's a next time!)

 

For those who have booked air through other river cruise companies, have you been satisfied with the schedule? Are bad schedules just a Viking thing, or is this typical for any cruise-associated airfare? We've only booked cruise airfare with one of our ocean cruises, Celebrity, and got a good schedule with them.

This could happen outside of booking with a cruise line. Our situation is not quite the same, nor as bad as your situation, but I just found out that, for our return flights (booked on points), our final leg is now leaving 3 hours earlier than originally scheduled!:eek: I only found out, on Sunday, because I couldn't find the emails with the return flight itinerary and called to have the information resent; we leave in two weeks and our return flight is three weeks later so they weren't in a hurry to rebook us until I happened to call.

Because the second leg is earlier than the arrival of our first flight, we had to be rebooked to an earlier flight for the first leg. Now, we have to leave the hotel by 5:30/6 am, probably skipping a nice breakfast at the hotel which has been paid for, to get to the airport for our 7:20 am flight to Frankfurt. Then we have 1.5 hours to get through to our next flight to Canada. I have arranged for assistance because of my almost 80 y.o. mother so I'm not too concerned about making the flight but, still, it's most annoying. We had such a nice flight time for the return and now it's all messed up. However, there's not much we can do about it other than to stay the night in Frankfurt at our own expense. So, we'll suck it up.

Oh, and somehow, we'll still arrive at home at the same time as originally scheduled, even though we're leaving three hours earlier.

When the airfare deal is a super good deal they almost (almost) do not allow the normal deviation for a fee. You will need to check the T & C of the air deal you booked under.

Not really correct- as long as you use an airline with which they normally contract. We have a "free air" deal from Viking for this weekend for Oct. 28, Budapest to Amsterdam. Reserved back in May and immediately did the deviation request to arrive early in Budapest. Requested Delta non-stop from Seattle to Amsterdam and on to Budapest, then Delta Amsterdam back to Seattle, non stop.

Reservations as I requested. Then when tickets were bought by Viking- at the 75 days out point - paid for the "upgrade" economy comfort seating direct with Delta. All contacts with Viking seemed very routine and staff was very helpful.

Are bad schedules just a Viking thing, or is this typical for any cruise-associated airfare?

Bad schedules aren't even a Viking thing most of the time I'd say :)

When we flew out to China we made our own arrangements and picked the best possible flights. Many Viking people using Viking air were on exactly the same flights with us. OK, we were in First thanks to air miles, but they still landed a few seconds behind us :)

Mostly bad schedules are a function of where you are trying to get to/from and the popularity of specific flights which the airlines react to with differential pricing.

I fly TATL at least once a month often more and the price for the flights I use can vary hugely depending on time of day length of connection etc.

So yes, you will find, especially on the return to USA flights, that if it is possible to get there with a later flight that avoids the early start that flight will be at a significant cost premium.

The cruise companies don't book early flights just to annoy their customers :)

Sometimes they are unavoidable, especially as you may have to make a connection before boarding the actual US bound flight, but if they exist someone is going to have to pay the difference in cost...

We're going on the Romantic Danube in November too! We leave from Nuremberg on the 15th. When is your trip?

We also sail November 15. We are spending two nights in Budapest and our outbound flight leaves at 630am. Really there is not much choice on times if we want to get home the same day. Since we aren't using Vikings post cruise pkg, We paid a fee to change our outbound flight. That is ok cause the hotels in Budapest are very reasonably priced. Viking said our air was free but of course, the price is built into the cruise pricing. Still Vikings bulk airlfare rates appear quite a bit less than we would have paid on our own. I don't plan to start my first river cruise with negative outlook.

We also sail November 15. We are spending two nights in Budapest and our outbound flight leaves at 630am. Really there is not much choice on times if we want to get home the same day. Since we aren't using Vikings post cruise pkg, We paid a fee to change our outbound flight. That is ok cause the hotels in Budapest are very reasonably priced. Viking said our air was free but of course, the price is built into the cruise pricing. Still Vikings bulk airlfare rates appear quite a bit less than we would have paid on our own. I don't plan to start my first river cruise with negative outlook.

We would have liked to do a pre or post cruise stay, but couldn't due to family commitments at home. We'll go back another time to see more. We're just very excited to be going at all- it's our first river cruise as well! The departure flight time is annoying, but I don't plan to let it ruin my vacation. Only 3 1/2 weeks to go! We'll look for you onboard!

We are cruising on the Viking Var from Luxembourg to Koln next month and I paid the $50 per person for air deviation to avoid waking up at Oh Dark Thirty and I chose all my airports and times. :eek: The Viking Air Agents are very knowledgeable and helpful. :D

OUTBOUND: Depart: 1:50 PM from Los Angeles Airport

Arrive: 9:05 AM (+1) at Amsterdam (Netherlands) Airport. Duration: 10 Hours, 15 Minutes. 3-HOUR CONNECTION.

KLM (Operated by KLM CITYHOPPER), # 1355, Depart: 12:05 PM from Amsterdam (Netherlands) Airport

Arrive: 1:30 PM at Prague (Czech Republic) Airport

Duration: 1 Hour, 25 Minutes

INBOUND: Depart: 2:50 PM from Frankfurt (Germany) Airport.

Arrive: 4:10 PM at Paris (France) Airport. Duration: 1 Hour, 20 Minutes. 3-HOUR CONNECTION.

Air France, #76, Depart: 7:10 PM from Paris (France) Airport. Arrive: 9:50 PM at Los Angeles Airport. Duration: 11 Hours, 40 Minutes

$3,390 was the total for 2 pax. I chose my aircraft seats right after booking the cruise. ;)

We did the same thing as you, 14 months and counting, when we reserved our Viking cruise (Portraits of Southern France) a year ago. At that time they were offering $697 airfare, so we snatched up that deal. We are also flying out of Boston, then returning from Marsailles . We were able to secure the flights we wanted by paying the extra $50 pp. Ours is a direct flight over, Boston to Paris (leaving at 8:10PM; arriving at 7:50AM), and coming home we fly from Marsailles to Paris, then to Boston. Our flight times are fine, but it will require us getting up early at the end of the cruise, since it is an hour or more drive to Marsailles from Avignon, and you want to be there 3 hours early. But I figure we can sleep on the plane! We did all this through our travel agent, and assigned our seats which are still as originally booked, which is a welcome deviation from what I am used to. By the way, we are doing 6 days in Paris on our own, leaving a week from Sunday (Nov 1st), then the cruise from Nov 8-16. Getting pretty excited!

Good luck, OP; I am sure it will work out fine for you.

We did the same thing as you, 14 months and counting, when we reserved our Viking cruise (Portraits of Southern France) a year ago. At that time they were offering $697 airfare, so we snatched up that deal. We are also flying out of Boston, then returning from Marsailles . We were able to secure the flights we wanted by paying the extra $50 pp. Ours is a direct flight over, Boston to Paris (leaving at 8:10PM; arriving at 7:50AM), and coming home we fly from Marsailles to Paris, then to Boston. Our flight times are fine, but it will require us getting up early at the end of the cruise, since it is an hour or more drive to Marsailles from Avignon, and you want to be there 3 hours early. But I figure we can sleep on the plane! We did all this through our travel agent, and assigned our seats which are still as originally booked, which is a welcome deviation from what I am used to. By the way, we are doing 6 days in Paris on our own, leaving a week from Sunday (Nov 1st), then the cruise from Nov 8-16. Getting pretty excited!

Good luck, OP; I am sure it will work out fine for you.

Thank you so much - this is what I was hoping to hear. Enjoy your cruise.