URGENT question

[Marykatesmom]

When purchasing Trip Insurance, I asked if only one of us cancelled what would happen.  The reply was each person is insured separately so any money not refunded would be covered.  I am sure I never even thought to inquire about the single supplement fee and it certainly was not mentioned.

 

So the $4,000 would not have been covered with insurance?  Is this typical for cruise lines?

 

Is the real answer to just shrug and say he missed the boat which is technically true?  It is a matter of when did you know you were going to miss the boat.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

15 hours ago, Shoalwater said:

Not unusual in the cruising industry to have to pay a single supplement even if the cancelled passenger was fully pre-paid.  I take it the passengers in question did not take out trip insurance which would have covered this situation.

I'm no expert at this but unfortunately as Shoalwater said, I've heard of this before, not with Viking, but with other cruise lines.  I have heard that the justification for this is to make up for what money they expect to lose from the passenger not spending money onboard.  I know, that sounds really bogus, but that's the only justification I have seen for that.  Obviously $4000 is outrageous. I've also read that it's better to be a no show than to cancel in advance.

 

I sure hope they had insurance....I've not seen a response regarding if they did or didn't.  I know it would be hindsight in this case, but PLEASE never book without trip insurance.  The wonderful thing about our policy, is that you can CHANGE the amount of your policy up to your departure date.  So if you find last minute you need even more insurance, you can do it before you get your settlement.  

[kpgclark]

They didn't have insurance.  So they aren't complaining that my brother in law's fees wouldn't be recoverable (although sad he has the eye issue and can't fly...)  My sister was going to travel alone knowing nothing would be refunded but they were paid in full for two people .  They paid in full a year ago.  What is outrageous is they want ANOTHER $4,000!!!!  They refuse to pay any more and Viking said my sister would be denied boarding unless she paid this ridiculous extortion fee for no reason!  She has already paid two full fare cruise fees.

[kpgclark]

Just saying this again, Viking called her last night at 7pm to extort this fee and she was due to fly out tonight- basically 24 hour notice with the extortion fee.  

[Baron Barracuda]

What if your sister contacts Viking and says husband has received medical clearance, so please re-instate booking.

 

Then oops, he's delayed and misses the boat.  No single supplement.

[kpgclark]

She won't go now.  They told her if she tries to board she will be denied unless she pays.  She's worried if she goes she'll be stuck in Barcelona.

[Pushka]

6 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Please, don't shoot the messenger but unfortunately, cancelling one is considered cancelling both. Based on other reports of similar situations I've read about here, I'm actually surprised that they are letting OP re-book as a single (which is how they view the situation) but maybe it is just the fact that it is so close to the sail date.

 

Cancellation Policy

For any cruise/land booking, whether under deposit, partially paid, or paid in full and air-inclusive packages paid in full, the following travel agent or passenger-requested situations are considered cancellations and fees will apply as noted below: changes to departure date; substitutions of itinerary; substitution of another person for original booked passenger(s); or changing to a promotional fare. No refunds will be made in the event of interruption or cancellation by any passenger after commencement of the cruise. All cancellations must be in writing to the address below.

The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all notices of cancellations received in writing from you addressed to us at our principal offices below:

 

Of course not. You are an excellent resource here Peregrina 😊

Goodness, I know of many couples where one can’t go, even a partner has died and the other one decides they will go anyway. I have never heard of this provision before in any other cruise line. 

 

We would never spend more than $1000 onboard and even that is excessive. 

 

What do you think what happen if you just arrived and boarded without advising them prior?

Edited November 26, 2018 by Pushka

[Little Monty]

I might be missing something ... but the quoted cancellation policy says 'substitution of another person for original booked passenger(s)' but it does not say this applies if one of the booked persons withdraws. There is no 'substitution' ... which is why I am confused. It may appear elsewhere in the terms and conditions and I assume Viking are saying the booking was for 2 persons, you want to change that booking (ie cancel it) and make a new booking for 1 person. 

 

Consumer law / legislation / protection is obviously different in various countries and I am no expert - but I would be taking the issue up with whatever local authority deals with unethical business transactions (not that I am saying Viking is unethical ... just that this policy appears unfair to the consumer).

 

We take out travel insurance the day we book the cruise and pay the deposit - and this situation reminds me of why we do.

 

I hope something good comes of all of this for OP / family - but and will continue to follow with interest.

 

[Pushka]

2 hours ago, Little Monty said:

I might be missing something ... but the quoted cancellation policy says 'substitution of another person for original booked passenger(s)' but it does not say this applies if one of the booked persons withdraws. There is no 'substitution' ... which is why I am confused. It may appear elsewhere in the terms and conditions and I assume Viking are saying the booking was for 2 persons, you want to change that booking (ie cancel it) and make a new booking for 1 person. 

 

Consumer law / legislation / protection is obviously different in various countries and I am no expert - but I would be taking the issue up with whatever local authority deals with unethical business transactions (not that I am saying Viking is unethical ... just that this policy appears unfair to the consumer).

 

We take out travel insurance the day we book the cruise and pay the deposit - and this situation reminds me of why we do.

 

I hope something good comes of all of this for OP / family - but and will continue to follow with interest.

 

 

Yes, I’ve just seen that it discusses substitution of another person in our terms too. So because it is so close to the cruise, one person was cancelled with no refund due. Then the second passenger is then asked to pay for the cabin as a solo, ignoring the fact that the original booking covered two people because that persons fare was cancelled and not refunded so it’s almost like that payment never existed. 

 

Now this is where it it gets tricky with Insurance. The cruise would have to be cancelled by both parties and you would need to show the insurance company the cancelled booking before they would pay up. So if something happened to one person but the other one still wanted to go, then they would not get their insurance money back because the trip wasn’t fully cancelled. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by Pushka

[Little Monty]

 

11 minutes ago, Pushka said:

 

Yes, I’ve just seen that it discusses substitution of another person in our terms too. So because it is so close to the cruise, one person was cancelled with no refund due. Then the second passenger is then asked to pay for the cabin as a solo, ignoring the fact that the original booking covered two people because that persons fare was cancelled and not refunded so it’s almost like that payment never existed. 

 

Now this is where it it gets tricky with Insurance. The cruise would have to be cancelled by both parties and you would need to show the insurance company the cancelled booking before they would pay up. So if something happened to one person but the other one still wanted to go, then they would not get their insurance money back because the trip wasn’t fully cancelled. 

 

Thanks Pushka .. good point.

 

This does not help the OP and, again, I am no expert - but I would be surprised if Australian Consumer law allowed this to occur. Either the insurance company would have to pay (for one person's cancellation) or the cruise company would have to off-set the full payment of one person's fare being cancelled against the usual single suppliment.

 

For the same reason the 'pay in full 12 month before sailing' rule does not apply in Australia I expect the local rules would offer more generous protection for the consumer. An interesting discussion, but we probably wouldn't know the answer for sure unless someone wants to cancel and test the system. 

 

As an aside - I asked last week why the 3% e-check discount available in the US is not available if we pay by Bank Transfer here in Australia (as opposed to paying by credit card). The answer was ... Australian consumer law does not allow discounts for cash payment and, as such, regardless of which way we choose to pay (by credit card, bank cheque, bank transfer, cash in a brown paper bag etc) the price must be the same. 

[Pushka]

4 minutes ago, Little Monty said:

 

 

Thanks Pushka .. good point.

 

This does not help the OP and, again, I am no expert - but I would be surprised if Australian Consumer law allowed this to occur. Either the insurance company would have to pay (for one person's cancellation) or the cruise company would have to off-set the full payment of one person's fare being cancelled against the usual single suppliment.

 

For the same reason the 'pay in full 12 month before sailing' rule does not apply in Australia I expect the local rules would offer more generous protection for the consumer. An interesting discussion, but we probably wouldn't know the answer for sure unless someone wants to cancel and test the system. 

 

As an aside - I asked last week why the 3% e-check discount available in the US is not available if we pay by Bank Transfer here in Australia (as opposed to paying by credit card). The answer was ... Australian consumer law does not allow discounts for cash payment and, as such, regardless of which way we choose to pay (by credit card, bank cheque, bank transfer, cash in a brown paper bag etc) the price must be the same. 

 

Thats interesting re the E cheque discount then. I’m paying by credit card to get the extra layer of insurance protection it provides. And I’d also not prewarn Viking that one passenger isn’t coming after this nasty episode. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Pushka

[OnTheJourney]

This is a terribly unfortunate situation. It does seem like one, however, that makes a perfect case for not only taking out insurance but also to pay a bit extra for the "cancel for any reason" clause. I've never done it since it's considerably higher in cost, but this sort of thing makes you think about it. Even with insurance, this would be a bit of a tricky matter since the detached retina probably wouldn't prevent him from doing the actual cruise, but since flying is involved and that's what he is not supposed to do...I don't know how that would play out with the insurance. I have my first Viking cruise coming up...so hearing this story is not particularly comforting. A classic example of the 'letter' of the law being in gross violation of the 'spirit' of the law. Viking could, and certainly should, be able to deal with this in a much more understanding manner. 

 

KPG...I know this is probably of little consolation, and, while it's a sad thing to lose so much money on a trip, best wishes to your brother-in-law for good results on whatever eye surgery will likely be forthcoming.  

Edited November 27, 2018 by gretschwhtfalcon

[Pushka]

We don’t have Cancel for any reason here in Australia but medical cover would have paid up in this situation. 

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

I talked to our trip insurance company a couple weeks ago to find out about how that works, due to an issue we have, and by all means, issues like this are paid.  You can't get on a ship in another country if you can't get on a plane!  Totally not an issue!  

[OnTheJourney]

Yeah, really....shouldn't be an issue.....

[kpgclark]

Thanks for the good thoughts  about my brother-in-law. He had this surgery about six weeks ago.  They thought he would be healed by now but there’s a bubble in his eye which prevents him from flying due to pressure issues.  He could go bond if he flies.   It was an emergency surgery. Viking is looking further into this now following my post on my sisters behalf on Facebook so I’ll keep you posted on what they say tomorrow.

[Peregrina651]

23 hours ago, Pushka said:

 

Well I know of other cruises where one party has had to cancel but second passenger goes. Cabin for two paid. There were no other fees payable. On what basis do they think it’s ok to charge for ‘three’ passengers. There are no additional costs to them - obviously less in terms of food, laundry services etc. The manifest is not finalised until a couple of hours before embarkation. 

 

I’d like to see this ‘penalty’ clause in the contract. If it’s there then I guess it’s been agreed to on payment. 

 

Viking plays by its own rule book and does not care what the other cruise lines do in a similar situation.

 

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

 

. And I’d also not prewarn Viking that one passenger isn’t coming after this nasty episode. 

 

That does not prevent them from denying you boarding on the dock and now you are how many miles from home and have to pay to get home. With the Viking track record, not sure I would try that one.

[CruiseGal999]

22 hours ago, kpgclark said:

when he called a few weeks ago when he had the eye surgery Viking said to call is he wasn’t going to be able to go.  At no time did they mention the fee.  It is despicable to charge $4000 more than the fee already paid for two passengers when only one is going.  They had another cruise booked to Asia which they cancelled because of this.   They’re going to contact the Pennsylvania Attorney General, TV stations and anyone else that will listen and broadcast this incredibly unfair and what should be an unlawful practice .

 

Was insurance purchased?  Is there coverage with the plan that was purchased? 

 

It is typically the approach to NEVER advise the cruise line that one person is cancelling.  You arrive and that person is a now show.  Calling ahead of time, and officially cancelling the husband ... it seems he was cancelled, thus the new price of the cruise for the wife plus the solo supplement was added.  

[Pushka]

44 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Viking plays by its own rule book and does not care what the other cruise lines do in a similar situation.

 

 

That does not prevent them from denying you boarding on the dock and now you are how many miles from home and have to pay to get home. With the Viking track record, not sure I would try that one.

 

Yes but this one is just way out there! And most would never expect a situation like this if one person couldn’t travel but the other one wished to do so. Fair enough you don’t get the cancelled fare refunded but to whack on another $4000 is completely out there. And I’d suggest wouldn’t comply with Australian consumer legislation. 

 

The terms and conditions don’t explicitly state that this situation can occur. So it isn’t as though it’s been agreed to when booking. And while they can apply their own terms every organization still has to comply with the legislation of the country the cruise is booked through. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Pushka

[Peregrina651]

22 minutes ago, Pushka said:

 

Yes but this one is just way out there!

 

Definitely agree with you on that statement. Please don't think I am defending Viking. I think they are very wrong-headed on this whole issue.

[Pushka]

Just now, Peregrina651 said:

 

Definitely agree with you on that statement. Please don't think I am defending Viking. I think they are very wrong-headed on this whole issue.

 

Have you heard of this happening before? It’s been an eye opener for me. And I know of others who just show up and say their other person isn’t coming and it’s been fine. 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

 

Have you heard of this happening before? It’s been an eye opener for me. And I know of others who just show up and say their other person isn’t coming and it’s been fine. 

 

Yes, I have read a couple of other stories here in the past couple of years.

[azdrydock]

Was the original booking a 2 for 1 promo?

If so Viking may consider it would be the same price if only one person booked the cabin and in that case they would have been charged the additional single supplement. If this isn't done then Viking may be in violation of some international (Australia/UK) truth in advertising regulations. Viking (and others)  used to show a  "regular" price that was always 2x the normal "selling" price. This  no longer appears to be the norm.

 This is not to say that Viking could not make a management adjustment of a large OBC or future cruise credit to ease the pain. 

 

 

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Has it been clarified that Viking is FOR SURE is not refunding for her husband, and charging $4000 for her as a single passenger? 

[kpgclark]

Yes it absolutely was no refund AND an additional $4,000.  Plus they booked air through Viking and no refund there either.  Had they booked air on their own I believe my BIL would have been able to get a future air credit because of his medical note.  Also they had a two night hotel extension and Viking won't refund that either.  But as I said before their initial huge objection has to do with the $4,000 Viking was extorting less than 24 hours prior to her flight.  Since she didn't go because of the $4,000 she now feels like Viking should do more for them.