Viking Venus delayed into Tilbury

[oskidunker]

5 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

I have the same problem when people use texting abbreviations like IMHO or LMAO.  I quite often have to type them in a slag/urban dictionary to figure out what people are saying.  
I’m the type of person that still uses commas and semi-colons. 😀

Maybe some people are too busy 

[Heidi13]

On 2/11/2023 at 7:28 AM, DsrtEgl50 said:

Since my money was paid in for trips/excursions/perks/extras in previous years and carried forward to this booking, there is no refundable portion for me. Everyone I spoke with at Viking was very clear about that.

 

Based on your initial post, you indicated the cruise was initially booked for November 2020, so was a COVID cancellation.

 

When Viking cancelled the initial cruise, you were provided a choice:

 1). Full refund in cash, as per the Viking terms & conditions, OR

 2). Future Cruise Voucher, with Viking probably offering 125% FCV for all money paid. If unused for 2-years, the original FCV would be void and Viking would return your original cash payment.

 

However, if you accepted the vouchers and then used them to book a new cruise, they were considered as being used, so from that point onwards, they were always going to be a voucher, with no refund available in cash, either partially or in whole. This information has been discussed extensively, especially on cruise critic and should be known to all competent Travel Agents.

 

If you accepted vouchers and used them for booking future cruises, then as per the terms of the vouchers, you are not eligible for any refund. This is a well known risk of accepting the vouchers. Viking didn't provide 25% uplift for no risk. 

 

However, if you paid for the cruise, SSBP, tips, tours, etc with cash, then you are entitled to receive refunds for unused portions. At this late point, this is usually provided by refundable onboard credit.

[KBs mum]

Sea report - calm, slight breeze, off Norfolk (Cromer), doing 10 knots

[Shanklin2023]

Approaching Tilbury…..

[LinnieRed]

If anyone gets a chance to take a look, let me know if there is a shuttle to the train station or some taxis queued up in Tilbury. 

[krow13]

We just got back from the Northern Lights cruise that was supposed to start on Feb. 10th.  Viking did a horrible job of accommodating us in London for the 2 day delay. They put us up at an OK hotel but the meals they served us were banquet room cattle call meals that were absolutely terrible. The free excursions they offered in London were mostly all booked so we had to settle for a tour of St. Pau'ls Cathedral (just OK). The paltry $150 shipboard credit per stateroom was wholly inadequate for the 2+ lost days of our cruise. We also lost a port stop (Amsterdam) and received no accommodation for that.

When we finally did get transported to Tilbury by bus, the boarding process was an absolute disaster; long wait and then long waiting lines once we did get in the terminal. All in all, Viking did a terrible job in handling this delay. 

 

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, krow13 said:

We just got back from the Northern Lights cruise that was supposed to start on Feb. 10th.  Viking did a horrible job of accommodating us in London for the 2 day delay. They put us up at an OK hotel but the meals they served us were banquet room cattle call meals that were absolutely terrible. The free excursions they offered in London were mostly all booked so we had to settle for a tour of St. Pau'ls Cathedral (just OK). The paltry $150 shipboard credit per stateroom was wholly inadequate for the 2+ lost days of our cruise. We also lost a port stop (Amsterdam) and received no accommodation for that.

When we finally did get transported to Tilbury by bus, the boarding process was an absolute disaster; long wait and then long waiting lines once we did get in the terminal. All in all, Viking did a terrible job in handling this delay. 

 

Why dint you ho eat somewhere else and pay? Thats what I would have done. 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Why dint you ho eat somewhere else and pay? Thats what I would have done. 

I guess when you consider that you would have received three meals plus, onboard, lost two days of the cruise, a port, then well maybe enough is enough. 

[oskidunker]

3 hours ago, krow13 said:

We just got back from the Northern Lights cruise that was supposed to start on Feb. 10th.  Viking did a horrible job of accommodating us in London for the 2 day delay. They put us up at an OK hotel but the meals they served us were banquet room cattle call meals that were absolutely terrible. The free excursions they offered in London were mostly all booked so we had to settle for a tour of St. Pau'ls Cathedral (just OK). The paltry $150 shipboard credit per stateroom was wholly inadequate for the 2+ lost days of our cruise. We also lost a port stop (Amsterdam) and received no accommodation for that.

When we finally did get transported to Tilbury by bus, the boarding process was an absolute disaster; long wait and then long waiting lines once we did get in the terminal. All in all, Viking did a terrible job in handling this delay. 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by oskidunker

[oskidunker]

13 minutes ago, Pushka said:

I guess when you consider that you would have received three meals plus, onboard, lost two days of the cruise, a port, then well maybe enough is enough. 

Yes, you are right but I would rather pay and eat somewhere else . Too old to worry about the addl cost. 

[KBs mum]

We still haven't received refunds for cancelled Viking excursions (the given wait time having elapsed) from the Jan 31st sailing, or a sensible apology for the itinerary changes ( before or after sailing). So far  Viking's strategy seems to be to pretend nothing went wrong. 

At the end of the cruise we had demoted Viking from first choice to one of the options, we have now further demoted them to only if other option is a megaship and independent by land/air won't work

Even accepting that Viking likely used up a lot of operational reserves during covid, they have eroded their brand and good reputation for dealing well with, also generously, something going wrong. We are realistic enough to know that at some point something will, but it's what happens next that determines if you will use that company/supplier again. 

We hope Viking come up with something to change our opinion back to what it was, but we don't think it likely at this point

 

[Pushka]

51 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Yes, you are right but I would rather pay and eat somewhere else . Too old to worry about the addl cost. 

We each have our financial limits though. London eating isn't cheap but we love pret a manger 😂. 

[KBs mum]

1 minute ago, Pushka said:

We each have our financial limits though. London eating isn't cheap but we love pret a manger 😂. 

London isn't famed as a good place to eat out unless you have local knowledge of the area or a very high budget and a liking for pretention. 

The chains are at least reliable and usually affordable

[Pushka]

3 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

London isn't famed as a good place to eat out unless you have local knowledge of the area or a very high budget and a liking for pretention. 

The chains are at least reliable and usually affordable

My two DIL are Brit's and know London very well. One is living in Australia, with our oldest son, the other is living in Tunbridge Wells with his wife. Both DIL came from the Wirral. They were friends at school and decided they both wanted to marry our two Aussie sons. Sigh. 😂

Edited February 27, 2023 by Pushka

[KBs mum]

26 minutes ago, Pushka said:

My two DIL are Brit's and know London very well. One is living in Australia, with our oldest son, the other is living in Tunbridge Wells with his wife. Both DIL came from the Wirral. They were friends at school and decided they both wanted to marry our two Aussie sons. Sigh. 😂

Don't blame them, bit dubious choosing Tumbridge Wells over Australia, but each to their own😉😁

[Mrs Miggins]

Tunbridge Wells is actually very nice, with some excellent restaurants.  Mind you Tumbridge Wells sounds like fun.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Mrs Miggins

[Mrs Miggins]

Actually I should have used the correct term which is Royal Tunbridge Wells !

[Chablis 123]

On 2/10/2023 at 8:40 PM, oskidunker said:

I hope that doesnt happen to us on March 20 cruise.

It's unlikely as ship is currently in Alta (15 March) and on schedule.

 

People seem to be surprised/ annoyed that you get bad weather in the Artic Circle in February, which is a bit like being surprised...... that ducks can swim!

 

Yes, it's disappointing, but these things happen with weather.

[tobique33040]

2 hours ago, Chablis 123 said:

It's unlikely as ship is currently in Alta (15 March) and on schedule.

 

People seem to be surprised/ annoyed that you get bad weather in the Artic Circle in February, which is a bit like being surprised...... that ducks can swim!

 

Yes, it's disappointing, but these things happen with weather.

I agree 100%. People want to have it both ways. Heidi13 always has the extremely helpful comments. I imagine the people who rebooked from 2020 got the choice of 100% refund or 125% credit, so weren’t they already ahead? Please explain. And cruises, like any other form of travel, have their ups and downs. My airline experiences in the past year have been dreadful. I’ve been on 6 Viking cruises now, and I wouldn’t go on another, besides Tauck which I only go on if solo. I highly doubt that another cruise line would do better in theses specific circumstances. Grass is always greener, eh?

[The Other Tom]

16 hours ago, Chablis 123 said:

It's unlikely as ship is currently in Alta (15 March) and on schedule.

 

People seem to be surprised/ annoyed that you get bad weather in the Artic Circle in February, which is a bit like being surprised...... that ducks can swim!

 

Yes, it's disappointing, but these things happen with weather.

You've missed the point.  Yes, we know weather can affect any cruise, and especially North Sea weather.  

BUT, when a cruise is shortened by two days, I expect a refund for those two days that were missed.  After all, the cruise line has my money and I didn't get any value for that money.  The cruise line put the money in the bank and counted it as profit.  

Some may say they used the money to pay for the two extra days the previous cruise got.  I say why should I pay for someone else's cruise. 

[The Other Tom]

13 hours ago, tobique33040 said:

I imagine the people who rebooked from 2020 got the choice of 100% refund or 125% credit, so weren’t they already ahead?

Not everyone did that.  

[Jmoondance]

On 3/15/2023 at 4:30 AM, tobique33040 said:

  Grass is always greener, eh?

Why not think otherwise!

 

I'm for one always looking for better ,suitable experience for my dollar. 

[Jmoondance]

On 3/15/2023 at 6:21 PM, The Other Tom said:

Not everyone did that.  

That in my case also.