Oversold Cruises.

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, marrashadow said:

r. I was specifically speaking of the rescheduled "free" cruise not being insured so if something happened you'd loose it. 

So then you’re not out anything and you already got a refund for the oversold cruise.

[CCWineLover]

10 hours ago, ropomo said:

This may be common knowledge, but for those that don't take the time to read the details of the trip insurance they buy, "Medical Evacuation" doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means. Many policies state in the coverages, that Medical Evacuation is transport to the nearest hospital or qualified medical facility, not necessarily home. Again, reading the policy before purchasing is critical to ensure that you are getting what you think you are.

Exactly!  That's why we always get insurance policy that covers transport back to HOME for medical!

[marrashadow]

16 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

So then you’re not out anything and you already got a refund for the oversold cruise.

Yes and no. You did get the refund but you took the offer for the free cruise. So if you can't take it because life happens. You have now lost the trip you planned on taking a year prior and can't replace the new one cause they won't reschedule free vouchers. In Viking's case they are ahead now because they got to use your money got a higher fare for that room, got your refund paid by insurance and now can resell the cruise you don't take. Now would I take the offer yes because I think the risk is worth it. But I have seen this scenario happen and people get very upset. A free voucher sounds good until its not. On the other side there have also been very stern warnings to make sure you read fine print and ask questions because some found out it wasn't a refund but a voucher which means 2 trips not 1 but if you were hoping to use the money back then well that's an issue.

Honestly for me I would take it because we are planning to replace one of our vehicles in the next year so if the refund came through its a pretty hefty down payment. We saved for a long time to take the trip but a refund would make life better.

[Earthworm Jim]

On 4/28/2023 at 10:26 AM, oskidunker said:

If you buy your own air and it is non refundable would be difficult. 

 

Not necessarily. We just got a move over offer for our cruise next week:

 

Should you decide to accept this offer, you will receive the following:*

• 100% refund of your paid cruisefare
• Complimentary cruisefare for your new sailing
• USD$3,000.00 refund to assist with canceling your independent travel arrangements
• Complimentary Viking Economy Air for your new sailing
• Complimentary Silver Spirits Beverage Package on your new sailing
• Stateroom Category Upgrade (Up to a Penthouse Jr. Suite on Ocean sailings; up to an Explorer Suite on River sailings)

 

Not sure how to interpret that $3000 "refund" offer. ("Guests will receive a USD$3,000.00 refund to help cover costs of independent travel arrangements.") Is it only a refund in the amount of a loss on your flight cancellation? Or are they just giving you $3000, in which case I wouldn't have termed it a refund? Either way, it would have been enough to cover our airfare if it was non-refundable.

 

Interestingly, our travel companions used Viking Air, so their move over offer didn't include the $3000 part. I assume because their Viking Air airfare would be part of the Viking refund. I think everything else was the same.

 

(We didn't take the offer)

Edited June 9, 2023 by Earthworm Jim

[May B]

14 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

Not necessarily. We just got a move over offer for our cruise next week:

 

Should you decide to accept this offer, you will receive the following:*

• 100% refund of your paid cruisefare
• Complimentary cruisefare for your new sailing
• USD$3,000.00 refund to assist with canceling your independent travel arrangements
• Complimentary Viking Economy Air for your new sailing
• Complimentary Silver Spirits Beverage Package on your new sailing
• Stateroom Category Upgrade (Up to a Penthouse Jr. Suite on Ocean sailings; up to an Explorer Suite on River sailings)

 

Not sure how to interpret that $3000 "refund" offer. ("Guests will receive a USD$3,000.00 refund to help cover costs of independent travel arrangements.") Is it only a refund in the amount of a loss on your flight cancellation? Or are they just giving you $3000, in which case I wouldn't have termed it a refund? Either way, it would have been enough to cover our airfare if it was non-refundable.

 

Interestingly, our travel companions used Viking Air, so their move over offer didn't include the $3000 part. I assume because their Viking Air airfare would be part of the Viking refund. I think everything else was the same.

 

(We didn't take the offer)

Do you have any idea what complimentary cruise fare on your new sailing means? I are there parameters for the new sailing?

 

Have a blast next week!

[zalusky]

2 hours ago, May B said:

Do you have any idea what complimentary cruise fare on your new sailing means? I are there parameters for the new sailing?

 

Have a blast next week!

We took the offer on our Italy sailing.  How could you not?  They are basically giving you a free cruise.

 

You get a complete refund of all moneys paid.  If airfare was included they match(economy/business) that on your subsequent sailing choice.

 

The complimentary cruise fare means that you choose a new sailing sometime in the next two years and they discount the price of that sailing by your refunded amount.

 

On our case we had $31K invested in an Italy sailing for the both of us.  A week before we got a similar offer.  We then looked on the calendar and chose the same sailing in 2025.

 

We then talked to the stateroom upgrade agent and she then locked us into the date we chose and we discussed the room.  We got a category upgrade and since we were in a PV room they would gives us a Junior Suite if available which is why we picked 2025 over 2024.  She then priced it as a PV booking.

She then discounted the sailing by the amount of our refund.  This essentially made it free since the pricing was the same.  Had we picked a different sailing with more days we would have to pay the difference.  She also threw in gratuities, and Silver Spirits for free.

 

We got the refund in about 2 weeks or so back to the original cards.

The offer does not directly include the extensions but what they do is deduct the extension cost from the refund and apply it to the new booking if so desired.

 

The insurance on the new sailing was even cheaper because you are only covering the medical and don't have to cover the travel expenses assuming you are using Tripmate.

 

I think its an amazing offer that nobody else comes close to matching. 

Edited June 9, 2023 by zalusky

[Earthworm Jim]

3 hours ago, May B said:

Do you have any idea what complimentary cruise fare on your new sailing means? I are there parameters for the new sailing?

 

Have a blast next week!

 

To expand on what Zalusky said it's:

 

"We would like to offer you the opportunity to sail on a River or Ocean itinerary of 10 nights or less, departing in 2023, 2024 or 2025, instead (see terms for exclusions)."  Current cruise is only 7 days.

 

The exclusion language is "Offer is to move to any 7 - 10 night River or Ocean itinerary departing in 2023, 2024 or 2025, excluding Mekong, Egypt, Mississippi & Australia itineraries. Stateroom upgrade will be to best available cabin category, up to a Penthouse Jr Suite (PS1) for Oceans, or up to an Explorer Suite (ES) for Rivers."

 

Maybe we'll get Zalusky's cabin, since ours was unassigned. But since we had a D1 and he had a PV, I don't think that's going to happen!

 

As Zalusky said, it was hard to say no. But we're traveling with another couple and didn't want to bail on them at the last minute. Had it just been my wife and I going, we would have taken the offer. I sort of wish I never got the offer. I was perfectly content with what we had, but now I feel like I'm missing out on a sweet deal.

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by Earthworm Jim

[FetaCheese]

Zalusky,  Thanks for you detailed description of offer.

[FetaCheese]

Earthworm,  Did other couple receive your same offer.  Presuming you did ask them.

[Earthworm Jim]

3 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

Earthworm,  Did other couple receive your same offer.  Presuming you did ask them.

 

Yes, except their offer didn't include the $3000 to make up for cancelled flights. They had booked Viking Air, so I'm assuming that airfare will be refunded with the cruise cost, therefore there was no need to throw in additional money to compensate for potential loss of their flight.

[zalusky]

57 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

Zalusky,  Thanks for you detailed description of offer.

 

Thank you!  I would caveat that was my offer at that time.  Deals change all the time.  Read the print and make your decisions.   We were not traveling with anybody and generally can pick up and leave.

So it worked for us.  Just make sure you understand what you may be leaving on the table.

 

Other cruise lines sometimes offer some cash.  I even read on the Regent board about that and it no way compared to this offer.  I would expected something more from Regent considered they are at the top end of things.

 

 

[May B]

1 hour ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

 

As Zalusky said, it was hard to say no. But we're traveling with another couple and didn't want to bail on them at the last minute. Had it just been my wife and I going, we would have taken the offer. I sort of wish I never got the offer. I was perfectly content with what we had, but now I feel like I'm missing out on a sweet deal.

 

Thank you for your full explanation, and I agree you would have had friends who were very disappointed if you had opted out. I understand your sentiment, too, about wishing you had never gotten the offer!

 

And Zalusky, thank you for your explanation as well.

 

I looked at some cruises to see how many are sold out, and they ALL are! Just a small sample, but every single one!

 

I actually never noticed a guarantee category offered, so mine may not fall into the oversold category, but now we are full of info, thanks to you both. And perhaps I wouldn’t get the offer anyway, since I’ve had my stateroom assigned from the beginning.

 

My cruise is June 22nd (our 55th anniversary). How far in advance did you get your offers?

 

Bon voyage to you, and all!

[May B]

33 minutes ago, zalusky said:

 

Thank you!  I would caveat that was my offer at that time.  Deals change all the time.  Read the print and make your decisions.   We were not traveling with anybody and generally can pick up and leave.

So it worked for us.  Just make sure you understand what you may be leaving on the table.

 

Other cruise lines sometimes offer some cash.  I even read on the Regent board about that and it no way compared to this offer.  I would expected something more from Regent considered they are at the top end of things.

 

 

Good points. Thank you!

 

 

[lackcreativity]

10 hours ago, May B said:

Do you have any idea what complimentary cruise fare on your new sailing means? I are there parameters for the new sailing?

 

Have a blast next week!

We just accepted a Moveover Offer from Viking for the Lyon & Provence river cruise that we should still be sailing on right now. In our particular offer, we were offered a rebooking of the same itinerary for 2023 or 2024. Complimentary cruise fare on the new sailing meant a refund of the cruise fare for the original cruise and no charge for the cruise fare on the rebooked one. In other words, we pay nothing for the cruise portion of the rebooked trip in an upgrade to a suite. 

 

Airfare and insurance move from the original trip to the rebooked one. In fact, we got a partial refund on the insurance since the new insurance does not cover any cruise fare. I do suspect that should the future cruise get canceled, there is no refund of cruise fare that we didn't pay anyway. 

 

They even include other perks, including the Silver Spirits beverage package. In other words, they made us an offer that we couldn't refuse!

[deec]

Great offers!!!

[stlrod]

We got the same offer Thursday for the 6/16 Italian Sojourn and jumped on it!

 

• 100% refund of your paid cruisefare
• Complimentary cruisefare for your new sailing
• USD$3,000.00 refund to assist with canceling your independent travel arrangements
• Complimentary Viking Economy Air for your new sailing
• Complimentary Silver Spirits Beverage Package on your new sailing
• Stateroom Category Upgrade (Up to a Penthouse Jr. Suite on Ocean sailings; up to an Explorer Suite on River sailings)

 

We only paid $7700 for our cruise and the best part is we called a month ago and practically begged to cancel with a reduced penalty because we wanted to spend time in Venice.

Edited June 10, 2023 by stlrod

[aungrl]

18 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

We just accepted a Moveover Offer from Viking for the Lyon & Provence river cruise that we should still be sailing on right now. In our particular offer, we were offered a rebooking of the same itinerary for 2023 or 2024. Complimentary cruise fare on the new sailing meant a refund of the cruise fare for the original cruise and no charge for the cruise fare on the rebooked one. In other words, we pay nothing for the cruise portion of the rebooked trip in an upgrade to a suite. 

 

Airfare and insurance move from the original trip to the rebooked one. In fact, we got a partial refund on the insurance since the new insurance does not cover any cruise fare. I do suspect that should the future cruise get canceled, there is no refund of cruise fare that we didn't pay anyway. 

 

They even include other perks, including the Silver Spirits beverage package. In other words, they made us an offer that we couldn't refuse!

Such a great offer!  Great that you could take advantage of it.  

[lackcreativity]

17 minutes ago, aungrl said:

Such a great offer!  Great that you could take advantage of it.  

We are travelling with another couple, trying for the third time to celebrate their 40th anniversary, which was now four years ago! They actually saw the email we both got first, and were excited to make the switch. We were happy to agree. The temptation of moving from the standard ("Aquarium class") river cruise cabin to the Explorer's Suite was just impossible to turn down.

[May B]

57 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

We are travelling with another couple, trying for the third time to celebrate their 40th anniversary, which was now four years ago! They actually saw the email we both got first, and were excited to make the switch. We were happy to agree. The temptation of moving from the standard ("Aquarium class") river cruise cabin to the Explorer's Suite was just impossible to turn down.

Wow! That’s doubly great, that both couples could take advantage of the same offer.

 

So, now when are you booked for?

[May B]

@stlrod @zalusky 

 

If I might ask yet another question, did you have to select your new cruise, at the very same phone call when you accepted the offer?

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, May B said:

Wow! That’s doubly great, that both couples could take advantage of the same offer.

 

So, now when are you booked for?

Scheduled for June 26, 2024. That's a little later into the summer that I would prefer since I tend to wilt in the heat, but we needed to find a sailing where both Explorer Suites were available! Think that the morning excursions will be the way to go.

[stlrod]

Campo dei Gesuiti 

2 hours ago, May B said:

@stlrod @zalusky 

 

If I might ask yet another question, did you have to select your new cruise, at the very same phone call when you accepted the offer?

My agent told me I would have to by email but 10 minutes afterwards as I was finding something to select, the Viking rep who sent the intial offer contacted me in return to the message I left and said I did not have to and that he's heard agents sometimes tell clients that when it isn't true.  He said I would deal only with him for the rebooking.  He was very nice.

Edited June 11, 2023 by stlrod

[Earthworm Jim]

On 6/9/2023 at 4:44 PM, May B said:

I actually never noticed a guarantee category offered, so mine may not fall into the oversold category, but now we are full of info, thanks to you both. And perhaps I wouldn’t get the offer anyway, since I’ve had my stateroom assigned from the beginning.

 

My cruise is June 22nd (our 55th anniversary). How far in advance did you get your offers?

 

While ours was a guarantee, the couple were were traveling with picked their cabin and they got the offer too. I guess as long as the ship is oversold anyone might get a move over offer.

 

We got our offer 8 days before the start of the cruise on June 16th. We also have a 2 day pre-cruise extension in Rome, but I suspect that didn't factor into the timing of the offer at all. Our itinerary is Italian Sojourn BTW.

[zalusky]

8 hours ago, May B said:

@stlrod @zalusky 

 

If I might ask yet another question, did you have to select your new cruise, at the very same phone call when you accepted the offer?

Just  to refresh the story.  We received a move over email offer about a week before our sailing date although it was actually less in that we were to fly a couple of days earlier than the sailing date and booked a hotel.

 

We then looked at the offer and asked our TA who was not helpful.  We then decided it was too good to pass up and responded to the email saying we were interested about 2 hours after we received it.

The following morning west coast time about 11AM we received a phone call from the agent.  She worked in a group call Stateroom Upgrades and this what they do all days.  I assume they also deal with guarantee cabins but that is just a guess.   She looked at the various sailings and what extensions were available and whether the Junior Suite upgrade was available.   We decided on a 2025 sailing.  Once we gave the verbal agreement she said it would take about a half hour to send us the new documents.

 

We got multiple emails one discussing the amount of refunds and one showing the new sailing contract with the previously mentioned discounts and another with pre purchase options.  IE the Silver Spirits package.

 

We also told her we wanted an extension and she worked that into the contract deducting from the refund.

 

So to answer your question I don’t know but I figured that other move over people were getting called so we did not want to wait as rooms and extensions were selling out fast.

[May B]

Thank you, all, for the rest of your stories!  I find the whole thing fascinating. Those dedicated agents have been busy lately.

 

Once I read about a cruiser who flew half way around the world to board a mass market line in Sydney, Australia, only to be told there was no room on the ship for them. This would’ve been SO much better for them. 😳