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The ship was docked in an area just north of Greenville, which is about 150 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. Demand direct, non-stop flights that depart from the closest airport to your home if possible. She and her husband Ed recently took an 8-day cruise on the Viking Venus off the . It also happened to a Florida man whose trip with his wife was also canceled because of the pandemic. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Richard Andersen stands in front of the Saqqara pyramid in Egypt. 6. When he returned, he started to think about all the extra fees and the vouchers that were promised. Finally arrived at airport at 7:10 but learned from agent that our flight had been cancelled, and an email was sent to Viking informing them that we had been rebooked on Delta0071 leaving Schiphol at 8:20am. It later came to an undisclosed agreement with the husband. Overview River and small ship ocean cruises. If you plan a trip with another person a spouse, a companion, a friend and if your travel partner has to cancel, you could be stuck with thousands of dollars in extra charges. Learn more. MSC said it has been in touch with alternative ports such as Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn, and will communicate itinerary changes to travel advisors and customers as soon as possible. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. What's the best way to see the ports on my cruise? That allows for unusual variations on the typical Baltic Sea or Norwegian fjords cruise. None of its main competitors among river lines catering to North Americans, which include Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and AmaWaterways, have anywhere near that number of vessels. The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. Viking Plans A Robust 2021 2022 Cruise Season Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. Also lost out on the cruise vouchers. Viking has a particularly large footprint when it comes to European river itineraries, with a wide range of sailings on nearly every European river of any note, from the Douro in Portugal to (until recently) the Volga in Russia. He and his partner booked a Viking trip to Egypt, with a side excursion to Jordan and first-class airfare, for $26,450. By proceeding, you agree to Cruise Critics, Cruise Lines Alter Russia Itineraries, Provide Aid Due to Ukraine Conflict, a general discussion about the wellbeing of crewmembers. He sent Viking a certified letter on April 10 asking for a cash refund of the extra $9,898 payment and questioning whether his partners vouchers could be transferred to another person. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. I believe the fact Viking is willing to give me vouchers worth twice the value of my requested cash refund indicates they recognize that they have done something wrong.. Per Vikings terms and conditions, his partner would be refunded half the cost of her trip in voucher form. Since we paid extra for Premium Class when we booked our flights with Viking Air, we are requesting a refund of Premium versus Economy Class seating. Can I bring my own alcohol? Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings -- which together represent the majority of the world's global cruise brands -- have all canceled planned itineraries scheduled to visit Russian ports of call. On March 15, Norwegian Cruise Line canceled the majority of Baltic cruises scheduled aboard Norwegian Getaway, affecting sailings from June 14 to October 9, 2022. Viking traditionally operates voyages on a single itinerary between Moscow and St. Petersburg that involves travel on the Volga, Neva and Svir rivers. The ship -- which will dock in Rotterdam for three months -- will house up to 1,500 refugees as part of a larger committment from the Dutch govermnet to house 50,000 people fleeing their homeland. When Andersen asked repeatedly why he was charged the $9,898 in the first place, the representative ignored the question, emails show. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. "England's Scenic Shores" itinerary will set sail from Portsmouth on May 22, May 29, and . After waiting in line for about an hour, I called the Viking Travel Emergency Hotline, +1-877-523-0576. Chairman Micky Arison released the following statement via Twitter over the weekend: "We are in the process of securing alternate itineraries for our cruise ships before announcing our future plans. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine creating an active war zone in the Baltic, Viking River Cruises, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises all canceled port stops or . Final Thoughts The luxury river cruise line, Scenic, scrapped all of its 2022 Russia cruises. "To. It is what it is.. Dozens of cruises have been cancelled and some ports in the Caribbean and South America are turning ships away from making . Fast-growing Viking has one of the most diverse arrays of itineraries of any cruise line. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. This page contains the most up to date information on conditions that may affect your itinerary. Given the current COVID situation (and that 3 of the 4 countries we were slated to visit are currently closed), we decided we should cancel. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113588594', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');flight with Viking was a nightmare, as Mike has pointed out, it paled in comparison to what others have ben experiencing. The line has announced that on all 24 calls in St. Petersburg will be replaced with other ports, which vary by itinerary, ranging from an overnight in Stockholm, and calls in Visby, Sweden and Gdansk, Poland. It's also advisable to sign up for alerts from the airline you are flying and also have their app on your phone. As Sunny has said, that's why many people will book their own flights instead of dong their air thru the tour company or cruise line. Viking Mississippi - As of January 23, 2023 Due to damage from substantial river debris to the Viking Mississippi 's propulsion system, the ship will undergo repairs requiring the cancellation of upcoming departures. Viking For bookings made through Jan. 31, 2022, for cruises departing any time in 2022, Viking is permitting its ocean and river customers to cancel within 14 days of sailing and. Vikings Scandinavia and Northern Europe trips range widely in length from just seven nights to a whopping 28 nights. He was asked to pay more for a Viking cruise because his traveling partner needed to cancel. Viking's move follows announcements from other cruise operators saying they are . This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. When we asked while onboard the riverboat if we could change to a direct flight, we were told that it would cost each of us an additional $3,200.00. Viking recently added two new, 378-passenger expedition cruise vessels specifically built to travel to the White Continent. He was willing to take the trip alone. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Many cruisers are also understandably worried about crewmembers. Meanwhile, Atlas Ocean Voyages has replaced stops in St. Petersburg with stops in Kotka and Mariehamn in Finland and Saaremaa in Estonia, the cruise line announced in a press release. At least you now have some experience dealing with travel problems--perhaps you can wake-up a bit from the nightmare. Enrollment required. He he tried to take the trip solo, he was charged another $10,000. Viking River Cruises has canceled all 2022 departures from Kyiv and Bucharest, Romania. But what about Andersens vouchers? Viking is a newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, but the destination is a big growth area for . Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. June 2, 2017. By. Right now there are flights being cancelled daily (read some of the posts on the Air Travel forum) , largely due to staff shortages. Viking is a newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, but the destination is a big growth area for the line. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Viking Air guarantees ground transportation. Others had to change itineraries while some river ships had to cancel voyages altogether. Thursday wasnt the first time the Viking ship ran into low-water trouble on this voyage. They are for UK residents only. A friend is sailing with Viking next month and while she has had her initial flights for months, they have also been changed several time already. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. Applies primarily to to bookings with the following content. This was the Trovatos fourth Viking river cruise. The cruise line said it was evaluating 2022 itineraries that visit Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. Viking Air should have arranged our transfer to the airport for no later than 4:00am since we are international passengers. Memphis has morning showers expected for one day. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have canceled several trips as the Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc with the cruise . How much are alcoholic drinks? Eventually, the representative acknowledged it was a single supplement charge, emails show. The cruise was cancelled due the pandemic ($11,367.50) Viking offered us to support the company and not get a refund if we accepted a voucher of 125% We said yes. he was given 60 days to accept or decline the offer. Itscruise that was scheduled to visit Vladivostok, Russia, will instead visit Busan, South Korea. Viking has cancelled all 2022 departures of its Russian river cruise itineraries and ceased all operations in the country for the remainder of the year. Here are the five best Viking cruise destinations where the line can truly offer you a memorable vacation. appreciated. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Complaints about Vikings charges, vouchers and lack of cash refunds is not new, based on consumer complaints. How do I even get started picking a cruise? Check here before booking an award fare. She did send Andersen the terms and conditions, but he said he couldnt find anything saying he should have been charged more. "We are in a unique position to accommodate the immediate need for food and housing, so we felt it was very important to work with the City of Rotterdam and charter this ship," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. Windstar Cruises has cancelled two itinerarises this sumemr with Russia port calls in the Black Sea and will replace St. Petersburg on its five Baltic cruises with a non-Russian port. Packages, even expensive ones, are not guaranteed anything, really. over 30 years I have traveled most European Rivers and you always find the various company's will get you to your destination by the cheapest route be that making multiple transfers when you now you can get a direct flight and that is what I regularly do, be it costs me more money and more often than not a nights hotel both ways as well. They never promised to book you the most convenient or expedient flights. Buy some very good travel insurance to submit claims. These companies have contracts with the airlines for a specified number of seats. The 13-day trips focus heavily on the two gateway cities, with four days allotted for touring Moscow and four days reserved for visiting St. Petersburg. "We are currently evaluating itineraries that. Viking Cruises cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev (Kyiv, Ukraine), Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russia's conflict with Ukraine. (Updated 11:49 a..m. EDT) -- The Russia-Ukraine war has prompted a growing number of cruise lines to cancel itineraries that include stops in and around Russian ports of call, and to provide aid to Ukrainian refugees in the form of shelter aboard out-of-service cruise ships. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Tom Trovato and his wife, Trish, were among those on the cruise when the ship came to a halt in the middle of the Mississippi River. In exchange for the annual fee, you'll unlock access to the Amex Membership Rewards program that let you access airline and hotel transfer partners, along with new lifestyle and travel credits. Typically, cruise lines operate either ocean cruises or river cruises but not both. Get expert advice, insider tips and more. Related: The ultimate guide to Viking ships and itineraries. Animals have been brought here to graze for around 2,000 years. Low water levels are impacting barge traffic on the Mississippi River during the harvest, a crucial time, NOAAs site said. Do NOT book with Viking! The adjusted itineraries are: The Hamburg-to-Kiel itinerary, departing August 26, 2022, and Kiel-roundtrip itineraries, departing September 7,World Navigatorwill drop St. Petersburg, Russia and now call at Kotka and Mariehamn, Finland. Viking Cruises cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev (Kyiv, Ukraine), Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russias conflict with Ukraine. I explained to her that we were going to miss our rebooked flight Delta0071 because of the long wait in the KLM Economy Class line. Many, notably, use the relatively small but famously scenic Norwegian city of Bergen (population 286,000) as a gateway, something no other line is doing. You can then suggest your flights by paying the Custom Air fee and perhaps next time you will get better flights, but there is never a guarantee. Hurtigruten Expeditions: The line has one itinerary scheduled on MS Spitsbergen, which is due to call in at Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and the archipelago of Solovki in the White Sea. Its most current report said almost 53% of the lower 48 US states are in a drought. Today, 1/22/22 I contacted Viking Cruise lines about canceling a river cruise to France for this June, plenty of days before the cancellation date, and was told that I could not get ALL my money back. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113581235', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');airline are third parties and you as the client are also responsible for due diligence in the contract. Passengers wait to board the luxury cruise ship Viking Mississippi, berthed at Lambert's Landing in St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Learn more. A first for an expedition ship, its something that is significantly improving the experience for passengers heading out on Antarctica exploration. Even when cruise lines advertise "Free Air", there is a cost involved that they have figured into the price of the cruise and if the flights you have requested come in above that amount, you won't necessarily be given those flights. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). In all, the line accounts for about half of all river cruises taken by North Americans in the region. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Passengers disembarked in groups on Friday and then were placed on a two-hour bus ride to Memphis to catch their flights home, he said. Learning experience. Sorry to hear - hopefully you are now recovering at home?? A longer version of the trip features 13 nights on board one of the ships and extra days in Antarctica. You should receive a refund for the difference in fare between the two. Amid drought conditions, low water levels along the Mississippi have forced several barges to run aground over the past week, the US Coast Guard said Tuesday. Thus, Viking breached its contract to provide a flight home. Return flight from Cairo was running 3 hours late and when we got into London Heathrow we found people who had been waiting for days. Follow her on Twitter at @KPMueller. Meanwhile, Scenic Group, the parent company of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises, confirmed it had cancelled all 2022 Russia river cruises. Nightmare experience returning home from Viking Cruise May 10, 2022, 12:33 PM Save We are filing a breach contract suit with Viking River Cruises for the following: 1. The stops will vary, the company said, with five sailings that would have visited St. Petersburg instead calling on Baltic ports such as Riga, Latvia; Klaipeda, Lithuania; and Visby, Sweden. Viking Ra and Osiris are scheduled to resume service in Egypt in August. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. Related: The ultimate guide to Viking's loyalty program. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Those cruises took a hit. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. We do not have any cruise cancellations because of the Omicron variant," Carnival spokesperson Roger Frizzell told USA TODAY on Wednesday. 2. . Jan 26, 2023 01:33pm. Should you cruise again, even with another cruise line, do some investigation into possible flights with different airlines and see what might work best before committing to any flights. Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113594443', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');airlines or transfer companies. Fist leg of the flight I was not in Business class because it was a different aircraft, but I felt privileged to be on a flight because people had been stuck for 24 hours. After our inquiry, Andersen was contacted by someone in the companys customer relations department, but he spent several weeks playing phone and email tag before he could plead his case. Cruise Reviews and Reports for cruise lines operating from Australia / New Zealand, Australia / South Pacific - things I wish I knew before I cruised including port info. Can I skip that expense? "Given recent events and the developing conflict in Ukraine, we have made the. Related: The 3 types of Viking ships, explained. We got a flight (economy class) eventually, but we had to do it ourselves. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. Thats notably different from most cruise lines. I can't help but feel that 'Carol H' is rather inexperienced in flights when the world is in turmoil [Wait till the French Air Traffic controllers have their annual strikes] and we are still under the control of 'Covid'. The Viking Mississippi isnt the only vessel facing problems on the United States premier river. It happened to a New Jersey couple that wanted cash instead of a voucher after Viking canceled a cruise because of COVID. Atlas Ocean Voyages will skip St. Petersburg for alternative ports in Finland and Estonia this summer. The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. Sheila Davies is a retired gas industry professional based in Northumberland, England. Yes, you are angry with Viking about the air and transfers, but how was the cruise? 3 As Hagen once told me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are what the company considers Viking country a region where it wants to dominate. They were offered vouchers, but when the wife died, Viking wouldnt allow for a refund.