Gratuitous Confusion

Nothing about Viking's initial voyages is straightforward. It is difficult to tell what is information, and what is misinformation.

Case in point, the on board credits offered by way of apology to those pax on early cruises for truncated visits to Rouen and Greenwich. According to out TA, the credits--$400 per person, or you could take a 25% discount on a future Viking cruise--could be used for salon and spa visits, purchases at the on board shops and bar bills, but not for gratuities or for excursions.

Okay. But a call to Viking offers a different set of options, including excursions but again disallowing gratuities.

And what are the gratuities?

Well, after much hesitation and obvious discomfiture, the Vikng rep allowed as how, for a deluxe veranda the per diem gratuities were $23 per person. He offered this breakdown: $10 for the cabin attendant, $12 for the excursion guide, and $1 dollar for the excursion driver. (I wasn't quick enough to ask if the walking tours had a bus driver, but perhaps that refers to transportation from the pier to the start of the walk?)

Clear so far? Well, a followup conversation with our TA revealed that Viking has (again?) changed the ground rules and that the on board credits are applicable to excursions.

And oh yes, gratuities are now announced as $14 a day per person, with no reference to who gets what. (Though I would hope that this would go to on board staff.)

If anyone has additional insights into Viking's on board gratuity practices please do educate us.

I've been advised by Viking that the offered ship-board credit is, as mentioned above, able to be applied to spa treatments, drinks aboard, and gift shop items, but as to shore excursions, only "shore excursions purchased onboard".

Shore excursions purchased prior to embarkation will be billed to your credit card and are not available to be applied to the credit.

My invoice from Viking shows a suggested gratuity amount. I assume that includes a room attendant and the restaurant staff. Especially with the anytime dining option we will have a different waiter, asst waiter, etc at each sitting.

Excursion tipping is different. I haven't seen any guidance from Viking. We typically tip both the driver and the guide for any excursions

The amount you show is just wrong. A couple of dollars (euros) for the driver, about twice that for an outstanding guide.

Have I missed any communication from Viking as to whether gratuities can be added to your account and paid with credit card? Seems silly to suggest Viking communicated something but I had to ask.

I understand many like to hand pay the gratuities in cash to selected personnel and others like to pay with a mix of charge to ship's account and supplement with cash for special service.

For 50 day cruisers, this will be a substantial amount especially for those in higher priced accommodations. I prefer to not carry that much cash and don't want to spend final port stops other than St Petersburg hunting down ATMs to deal with daily limits.

It could be that we are all making an assumption based on our experience from Viking Rivers that we can put all or some of the gratuities on our ship board account and paying that with a credit card. We plan on putting most on our credit card, but we like giving special recognition in cash in envelopes.

I did think it was a per person suggestion, irrespective of cabin class. I agee that it's going to be a huge sum for us 50-dayers, but hope cabin class has nothing to do with it. After all, we get the same treatment in the dining room, on shore excursions, same access to facilities, etc. I'm hoping it's per person per day anyway! :eek:

I've been advised by Viking that the offered ship-board credit is, as mentioned above, able to be applied to spa treatments, drinks aboard, and gift shop items, but as to shore excursions, only "shore excursions purchased onboard".

 

Shore excursions purchased prior to embarkation will be billed to your credit card and are not available to be applied to the credit.

Sir: Allow me to add to the confusion. I called Viking and was told that shore excursions CAN be charged against on board credits. You merely have to request the transfer from your credit card to your shipboard account, which you can do after boarding.

I should also note that our final invoice makes no reference to gratuities. I would assume--always dangerous, but perhaps especially in this case--that the "standard" 18% will be added to drink orders, which presumably reverts to the bar staff.

Sir: Allow me to add to the confusion. I called Viking and was told that shore excursions CAN be charged against on board credits. You merely have to request the transfer from your credit card to your shipboard account, which you can do after boarding.

I should also note that our final invoice makes no reference to gratuities. I would assume--always dangerous, but perhaps especially in this case--that the "standard" 18% will be added to drink orders, which presumably reverts to the bar staff.

Sir: I was so impressed by your certainty that I called Viking again to confirm that excursions could be charged against shipboard credits.

And you are right.

After abject apologies, my Viking contact declared that if you order the excursions prior to boarding the charge will go to, and remain on, your credit card.

Sorry for the misinformation.

To Writer100

It's not like Viking has made their communications consistent or clear, on this or many other matters. Thank you for taking the time to double check. You are a gentleperson and a scholar.

We were provided with what the gratuities were suggested to be on our statement. Now whether that will be automatically charged or not I am not certain. It was just a sum total, and in just now doing the math, it looks to amount to approx $35/per day per couple.....which doesn't match with the others on this thread - so who knows!

We were provided with what the gratuities were suggested to be on our statement. Now whether that will be automatically charged or not I am not certain. It was just a sum total, and in just now doing the math, it looks to amount to approx $35/per day per couple.....which doesn't match with the others on this thread - so who knows!

My TA suggested $14pp/day. I think $35 a day is high. We sail Oceania in a verandah and only pay $15pp/day. I was also lead to believe it will not automatically be added to the account.

I agree with you TERRIER1. That seems more in line with what we have paid in the past as well....

Sir: I was so impressed by your certainty that I called Viking again to confirm that excursions could be charged against shipboard credits.

And you are right.

 

After abject apologies, my Viking contact declared that if you order the excursions prior to boarding the charge will go to, and remain on, your credit card.

Sorry for the misinformation.

I called Viking this morning and was told the same.

sure would appreciate some advice on this subject. Since we are new to cruising I am wondering if waiting to book onboard so that we can use our credit may result in a full excursion. When researching the port of Flam it appears it is very popular but you can book online and at the dock. I checked Cruise Timetable.com and it shows the Viking Star as the only ship that day(7/9) Not sure if this is reliable. Any suggestions?

The Viking rep also said $14 pp per day.

I am not sure if I am posting correctly but you all seem to be knowledgable and active. I posted on roll call to see if others would like to join our Alla tour but no response.

Any help will be appreciated.

Janice from California

When are you booked for the Viking Star? Are you on the Maiden cruise or a subsequent sailing? If a subsequent sailing are you sure you're getting a cruise credit? If a subsequent cruise, how many days in port do you have in Paris and London? Sorry for the questions, but in order to answer yours, it would help to know which sailing you're on.

When are you booked for the Viking Star? Are you on the Maiden cruise or a subsequent sailing? If a subsequent sailing are you sure you're getting a cruise credit? If a subsequent cruise, how many days in port do you have in Paris and London? Sorry for the questions, but in order to answer yours, it would help to know which sailing you're on.

We are on Viking Homelands Stockholm to Bergen 6/27-7/11.

The credit was given to us by AAA and we understood it would apply to excursions but the TA did not explain that it has to be booked onboard. I have planned many trips but not cruises. This cruise has been difficult to work on and we just want to have an enjoyable time.

Any help would be appreciated.

Janice

Got 'cha. So here's my advice for what it's worth. Any excursions you REALLY want to do I would book in advance, particularly those that you figure will sell out - like if the write up says "limited number" or "small group." Then there are always those you'd LIKE to do, but if you didn't get them it wouldn't wreck your whole trip. Those I'd wait until you got on board, but I'd do this when you check into your cabin - not wait an extra minute! Or, my own particular favorite, you could use your credit in the spa. While you can book your spa appointment online ahead of time, they don't charge your credit card ahead, but say they will charge it to your on board account, so hence your credit would be good. My husband would tell you to spend it for several special drinks one night.

As far as Flam goes, the reason we maiden cruisers were hopping right on that was that the weekend we're there is a national holiday in Norway. Don't know that you have to hop on that one right away if the Star is the only ship in port. You could also just do a part of the Nutshell tour - like the cruise part, or the train part. Those of us on the maiden cruise got CHEATED out of cruising up to Flam so Viking could have a Gala Press Opportunity in Bergen, so we're trying to compensate by trying to do the Nutshell tour on our own.

Got 'cha. So here's my advice for what it's worth. Any excursions you REALLY want to do I would book in advance, particularly those that you figure will sell out - like if the write up says "limited number" or "small group." Then there are always those you'd LIKE to do, but if you didn't get them it wouldn't wreck your whole trip. Those I'd wait until you got on board, but I'd do this when you check into your cabin - not wait an extra minute! Or, my own particular favorite, you could use your credit in the spa. While you can book your spa appointment online ahead of time, they don't charge your credit card ahead, but say they will charge it to your on board account, so hence your credit would be good. My husband would tell you to spend it for several special drinks one night.

 

As far as Flam goes, the reason we maiden cruisers were hopping right on that was that the weekend we're there is a national holiday in Norway. Don't know that you have to hop on that one right away if the Star is the only ship in port. You could also just do a part of the Nutshell tour - like the cruise part, or the train part. Those of us on the maiden cruise got CHEATED out of cruising up to Flam so Viking could have a Gala Press Opportunity in Bergen, so we're trying to compensate by trying to do the Nutshell tour on our own.

Wow! I feel like I have hit the jackpot with all these tips. Thank you for taking the time to respond, it is such a big help.

Just so I understand this correctly I can book my Spa appointment when my booking time opens and because it is not charged until I receive the service I can use my credit.??? Drinks are on the agenda also so we should be covered.

I read about your Flam cancelation but sounds like you have worked it out.

Do you think the port information is reliable regarding Viking Star being the only one in port that day? We do want to take the train so maybe best to sign up with the ship tour. It is about $120 more than buying online. We will be boarding early on our first day so no problem signing up for excursions that are not on the top of the list. Do you know if we can sign up before we are allowed in our cabin?

Thanks again

Spa - yes you have it correct

Drinks - yes you have it correct

Tips - I would think you can use your onboard credit for tips as well

Embarkation - this is a trickier subject. Some places Viking has said that everyone can board at 11:00 and you can get into your stateroom based on what category stateroom you have - let's say 1:00pm. So you could just hang out on the ship from 11:00 until 1:00 and I would think could sign up for tours. However, in at least one other place, they imply that you cannot board until the time for your stateroom opens (say 1:00) and you can leave your luggage at a special place at the port terminal and they will watch your luggage for you until you can board at 1:00. When you call and ask this question, you can get two different answers. You will know for sure about this before your trip - just watch these boards - someone will post whatever they in fact decide to do. Welcome to Viking's communication clarity!

As far as ships in the port, what website are you looking at? It's likely that the Star is the only one in port, if you're looking at a good website. After all Flam is not on the top 10 destination spots in the world, and it's still relatively early in the season.

My TA suggested $14pp/day. I think $35 a day is high. We sail Oceania in a verandah and only pay $15pp/day. I was also lead to believe it will not automatically be added to the account.

Our up-to-date invoice for 22 days Includes a "suggestion" that we pay $336.00/person in gratuities. That comes out to 15 bucks per person per day over 22 days, roughly. So that's pretty much in line with what your agent suggested. Since these other quoted figures are in the vicinity of twice that, I can only assume those numbers were projected per cabin...

Official Flam port website has Viking Star the only ship in port July 9, 2015.

http://aurlandhavn.no/cruise-2/ship-arrivals-2015/

Train booking site shows 10 train departures available that day so Viking Star can't tie up all that capacity.

Jan3 are you sure the excursion Viking offers is for the train only? Seems odd to have such a price discrepancy as there are no guides, bus equipment, etc involved. You will be tied us an easy walking distance to the train.

Official Flam port website has Viking Star the only ship in port July 9, 2015.

 

http://aurlandhavn.no/cruise-2/ship-arrivals-2015/

 

Train booking site shows 10 train departures available that day so Viking Star can't tie up all that capacity.

 

Jan3 are you sure the excursion Viking offers is for the train only? Seems odd to have such a price discrepancy as there are no guides, bus equipment, etc involved. You will be tied us an easy walking distance to the train.

Thank you for the port arrival information. Unfortunately the bottom of the schedule is cut off at July 7 but I will take your word for it that Viking Star is the only ship in port on July 9 which makes our decision a little easier since we can consider booking on our own. The Viking price is $129 for a 3 hour tour(12 miles). The Flam Railway site shows 2 hours round trip to Myrdal and back at 740NOK ($97). So actually for 2 the cost would be $64 more if we booked Viking. I think there is a stop which may be an hour and probably we would pay for our snack but Viking may include the waffle snack, not sure.

Sounds like a fun excursion. Don't want to miss it.

You can see more if you scroll down in the linked page. I've excerpted a few dates around the Star visit.

64 Tue 07.07.2015 Balmoral 07.00-17.00 Pier Mrsk Bergen Olden 218.0 m 43537 1350

65 Wed 08.07.2015 MSC Orchestra 08.30-18.00 Pier TRS Geiranger Stavanger 293.8 m 92409 2550

66 Wed 08.07.2015 Horizon 12.30-21.00 Anchor/Pier Pier frå 18.30 ECS Geiranger Bergen 207.6 m 46811 1354

67 Thu 09.07.2015 Viking Star 09.00-18.00 Pier Mrsk Stavanger Bergen 227.2 m 47800 928

68 Fri 10.07.2015 Costa Fortuna 08.00-18.00 Pier ECS Olden Stavanger 272.2 m 102587 2700

69 Sat 11.07.2015 Saga Pearl II 09.00-23.00 Pier ECS Stavanger Skjolden 170.0 m 20795 502

Stats at end of line are ship's length in meters, tonnage, and passengers.

You can see more if you scroll down in the linked page. I've excerpted a few dates around the Star visit.

 

 

64 Tue 07.07.2015 Balmoral 07.00-17.00 Pier Mrsk Bergen Olden 218.0 m 43537 1350

 

65 Wed 08.07.2015 MSC Orchestra 08.30-18.00 Pier TRS Geiranger Stavanger 293.8 m 92409 2550

 

66 Wed 08.07.2015 Horizon 12.30-21.00 Anchor/Pier Pier frå 18.30 ECS Geiranger Bergen 207.6 m 46811 1354

 

67 Thu 09.07.2015 Viking Star 09.00-18.00 Pier Mrsk Stavanger Bergen 227.2 m 47800 928

 

68 Fri 10.07.2015 Costa Fortuna 08.00-18.00 Pier ECS Olden Stavanger 272.2 m 102587 2700

 

69 Sat 11.07.2015 Saga Pearl II 09.00-23.00 Pier ECS Stavanger Skjolden 170.0 m 20795 502

 

 

Stats at end of line are ship's length in meters, tonnage, and passengers.

Thank you very much for taking the time to send the schedule and explaining the chart. Now we know the Star is the only ship in port and how many passengers will be arriving. From what I have read the scenery on the train ride is spectacular and there are many hiking trails in Flam.

Thanks again!

Spa - yes you have it correct

Drinks - yes you have it correct

Tips - I would think you can use your onboard credit for tips as well

 

Embarkation - this is a trickier subject. Some places Viking has said that everyone can board at 11:00 and you can get into your stateroom based on what category stateroom you have - let's say 1:00pm. So you could just hang out on the ship from 11:00 until 1:00 and I would think could sign up for tours. However, in at least one other place, they imply that you cannot board until the time for your stateroom opens (say 1:00) and you can leave your luggage at a special place at the port terminal and they will watch your luggage for you until you can board at 1:00. When you call and ask this question, you can get two different answers. You will know for sure about this before your trip - just watch these boards - someone will post whatever they in fact decide to do. Welcome to Viking's communication clarity!

 

As far as ships in the port, what website are you looking at? It's likely that the Star is the only one in port, if you're looking at a good website. After all Flam is not on the top 10 destination spots in the world, and it's still relatively early in the season.

Thank you for the info. I definitely feel more prepared and when cruisers take this trip will learn more about Vikings process, whatever that means since it changes daily.

I think I am good with the Flam ship arrival schedule and looking forward to this stop.

Have a fabulous trip!