Curious as to UK v US charges

[Hockeyump]

In the UK the cost of the cruise includes airfare and the TA's do not give any OBC's but we do get reductions on brochure price and offers such as included gratuities. I am curious as to the prices applied in US and how they compare to ours although I know air fare is not included and can be offered free albeit with certain additional costs for deviation etc. The latter is a whole new world to us as we don't have that!

 

Could anyone provide some costs from the US brochures, pick any future Ocean cruise, as I am really interested in the differences between the two countries. We are travelling next March and I am really looking forward to conversations about the differences between our two countries when it comes to travelling.

[cocopico]

I’m in the U.S. and was able to visit Viking’s British website (vikingcruises.co.uk) to see prices, terms, etc. Can you do the same by visiting the U.S. website (Vikingcruises.com or Google “Viking cruises United States website” and you will get the link). Hope this helps.

[Hockeyump]

Thanks Cocopico. I tried this but it seems that as my ISP is recognised as being in UK it redirects me there! I picked up a couple of US travel agent sites but they all want me to give my details so they can contact me to give me a quote. I did get on to Viking in Australia but not sure if their process included airfare or not. It seems they make it hard to see if one country gets a better deal than another!

[molymoo]

Here's one:

 

Empires of the Mediterranean (10 days)

September 19, 2019 - September 28, 2019

 

Deluxe Veranda (2) $ 5.099.00 (pp) Air: $ 1,199.00 (pp)

[Hockeyump]

Here's one:

 

Empires of the Mediterranean (10 days)

September 19, 2019 - September 28, 2019

When

Deluxe Veranda (2) $ 5.099.00 (pp) Air: $ 1,199.00 (pp)

Thanks Molymoo. Without air your price is just under $200 dollars more so not a lot in it. All depends on what deals you can get on flights. Now curious as to how booking holidays for you guys works. Are all holiday prices, regardless of company, excluding air travel costs?

[Peregrina651]

We've had this conversation before and I did the math and posted it (I just don't remember how long ago it was or what words to put into a search to find it). What I found was that we paid about the same. What might be different are the payment rules (how much down; when to pay; refund schedule, etc) and what is included in the fare price (like gratuities).

 

When you do your calculations, remember to keep in mind fluctuating currency prices. Also suggest that you do three separate comparisons: one for a European cruise, one for a Caribbean and one for an Asia/Pacific.

[Port Hope]

Living in Canada, I can’t get on the US or UK Viking sites. For our first Viking Oceans cruise in 2015, we had to pay in US dollars. For our 2018 cruise we were able to pay in Canadian dollars. Last winter, before we went to Florida, I printed out some cruise fares in Canadian dollars. In Florida I was able to get on the US site and do a price comparison. What that one time experiment showed me was that Viking is giving a fair exchange rate and the fares were comparable.