VikingReviews of viking.com

Multiple airline delays and flight cancellations resulted in my wife and I missing the first three days of the cruise and no realistic plan to meet up with the boat later, so requested a return flight to US ,which we got. After arriving home, we filed for reimbursement from Trip Mate. Payment was denied because we had used vouchers from covid cancelled cruises to pay for current cruise. $7,000 out the window. Never again Viking!

On August 8th, Hurricane Dora made landfall on Maui, unleashing powerful winds reaching speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. These formidable gusts resulted in downed power lines that sparked fires, ultimately engulfing the entire of Lahaina, Maui. Tragically, the disaster claimed the lives of many, along with the destruction of countless homes and businesses. While our own residence miraculously escaped the flames, it remains uninhabitable due to the absence of both electricity and water. Regrettably, even after a span of two weeks, power has yet to be restored. The forecast suggests a daunting additional weeks of darkness and inconvenience. My place of employment also burned to the ground leaving me with no income. Given the extraordinary circumstances, both mental and physical limitations prevent us from embarking on any travel. We had a 10 day Viking Cruise scheduled for our 37th wedding anniversary. Viking would not give us a credit or any money back (which we could really use at the moment). They had no concern or empathy for what we experienced. They should be ashamed of themselves for not giving us a credit or our money back.

I just took my first cruise ever. I chose Viking based on reviews and advertising about the extremely high level/quality of service. I unfortunately did not experience that on my trip. Many things occurred, including with dining and servicing of the cabin, but the two biggest were that I was injured during dinner when the boat hit the side of the river/canal with the force of an automobile crash. The person at the desk didn't ask if I was okay. They didn't say they were sorry that it had happened. There was no level of concern at all. I was locked out on my balcony; I discovered it at 12:30 am. It took four people to get my cabin door open. I was taken aback when no one from the crew followed-up with me the next day to see if I was okay or to check the sliding door, so I mentioned my experience to the Program Director. The engineer came to my cabin the last night on the boat and determined that there was a problem with the door. He mentioned that many of the screws and other parts were loose and that is what caused the lock to engage. While on the boat I also discovered that Viking Air was free with my cabin class. I was charged $100 for it by the Viking representative who booked my cruise. (My air was booked AFTER the cabin was booked so there should have been no confusion.) I had to fight with Viking to have the charge reversed when I returned from my trip, but they eventually refunded the money to me. I called Customer Relations on three occasions after my cruise to share my concerns and ask for a refund. I was offered either a 2,500 voucher or a 200 cash refund. I spent close to $20,000 for this cruise. I shared that if I take a voucher from Viking, it doesn't affect Viking in any way since I still have to spend money, approximately $18,000 more to go on another cruise. The representative shared that I would not get any more with either a cash refund or voucher since Viking has a rubric system to make these decisions and that was what it come out to. I was told that if I chose to take the $200 cash refund, I would need to sign a non-disclosure agreement first before Viking would send me the $200.00. If I signed the NDA then I would not be allowed to tell anyone about what happened to me on my river cruise with Viking. I shared that it now made more sense as to why Viking seems to have such a high level of service when that is nowhere near what I experienced in my time on the boat or when dealing with Customer Relations. I shared that I did not want any money and I would rather truthfully share what happened to me with others who might be considering a Viking cruise so that had a first-hand account to consider before making up their own minds. I would stay as far away from Viking as possible!

This was my first, and now last, Viking cruise. One of the excursions we took was completely misrepresented–fewer than half of the promised activities occurred, and those that did were sad excuses for the kinds of things one can reasonably expect. The highlight of the trip was a soggy piece of tasteless pancake with a line of whipped cream sprayed on it in front of us, which we received after waiting in the rain for 20 minutes. It was not just a waste of $400, but of one entire day of the cruise. The trip was led by a 19-year-old who was pleasant enough, but did not know how to run an excursion. He mostly talked about himself and TV shows–on a trip focused on how 19th Century farmers lived! I explained the problems in detail upon getting back on the ship and a few days later received a message from the excursion director–Sasha, I believe. She summarized my complaint with the least important details while leaving out the important ones, and offered 10% credit. So I would only be paying $360 for wasting an entire day on a misrepresented excursion run by a kid barely out of high school! Viking obviously does not vet their excursions with care, and does not stand by their products. They saved themselves 90% of my payment–and lost 2 customers for life. There are many other cruise lines that do take care about whom they entrust their guests to and do care about their guests’ satisfaction–stick to them and avoid Viking.

Never pay the $150 fee to speak with Airplus. It's a total scam. They never helped us with our seats and the seats we booked dropped off the night before our flight and we were put in the last row of the airplane. Our only recourse at that point was to pay for comfort air directly through the airline as those were the only seats left. Of course, Viking says it was out of their hands and will not refund the $150 each we paid them for help with our air. It's a scam. Also unless you've paid for a more expensive room, you may not get the excursion you want nor the free excursion they promise, nor reservations at their fancy restaurants. Very elitist. Not a premium cruise line. I'd almost think they were going bankrupt. Bad business, bad company.

This is a review about Viking in general, not a specific cruise. Be prepared for terrible customer service, nice people, terrible and deceptive policies. Bait and switch. We clearly told the Viking agent that my sister and I were traveling together and wanted the same flights although we would be staying in different rooms with other family members from another state. We were not booked on the same airline on the return flight and first I had to pay $150 to talk to an agent to get my flight changed. Before I paid the $150 I asked if it would be refunded if they were unable to help me and was told yes. After being transferred to another department I was told that I would have to pay another$1000 to take the same flight as my sister although we of course paid the same amount for the trip overall. I am not paying another $1000 on top of the $13,000 I already paid. Back and forth to the "Supervisor" about getting my money back that 10 minutes previously I was told would be refunded if they couldn't help me. After several back and forths they finally agreed to refund my money. Another instance: In the beginning we were told that all shore excursions would be included. After booking there was a notice on MyVikingjourney.com that only one excursion per port would be included even if you were in port for 2 or three days. Any additional excursions at the same port would be additional cost. So much for "all inclusive". I sent an email asking why the change. I received a response that additional excursions would be an added cost, no explanation. Then my sister spoke with a different person and finally got in writing that they won't charge us. No consistency. There are a couple more, but that is enough to let you know to be prepared to be nickeled and dimed to death with this company and stay on top of everything. Get it in writing. Haven't been on the cruise yet so can't comment on it. Going with a positive attitude that all of the expense and idiocy of the past year will not be repeated on the cruise itself. Hoping for a lovely cruise.

We had always enjoyed Viking cruises, but today, we experienced a customer service disappointment that leaves us treated unfairly. Our Viking agent promised to hold our booking to confirm flight information, but Viking failed to honor the price quoted because of a price increase, which the agent said was unforeseen. A business is only as good as its people and as it honors its commitments. Viking failed this one miserably!

We have just returned from Vikings latest venture, The Mississippi. Please do not book this trip. I attach part of the letter of complaint I have today written. "I have travelled with Viking a total of ten times prior to this cruise and have always returned feeling very satisfied with the cruise itinerary, the staff, the food, and my overall experience. Sadly, the same cannot be said for this cruise. It was one of the most expensive cruises we have ever taken, and we were expecting a great deal in return for the cost. You failed in every aspect of your delivery. Despite your marketing, you are not a luxury cruise line; this accolade goes to the likes of Seabourn and Silver Seas who exceed your standards in every way possible. While we do not necessarily need ‘luxury’, we expect an enriching experience, enhanced with good food and service, especially given the cost. You have failed in every aspect in this venture into the United States. I could list my grievances in full, but to do so would take pages. Instead, I would like to draw your attention to the most disappointing experiences of our holiday. Firstly, you are obviously hampered by only being able to employ staff from the United States. The staff you managed to engage for this cruise were ill-trained and lazy. The deck crew could not be bothered to clear up the decks, some of which were not washed the entire time we were on the ship. The waiting staff were not a team, and therefore lacked in any type of professionalism: tables were not cleared promptly, if at all during service; wine was not served; coffee was given in cups without saucers. The food was almost inedible and lacking in variety, with the same dishes being served day after day. I was alarmed to note that one individual working in the kitchen never wore a head covering. Furthermore, I was astonished to discover that your seating capacity for meals was not in line with the amount of guests on the ship. This lead to increasingly stressful situations whilst on board, for example guests started queuing at 6:00pm for the restaurant to open for dinner service, and as for lunch in the café, guests started sitting down at 11:00am to guarantee a table. Those who did not queue or occupy tables in advance were forced to wait until other guests finished their meals. These are just some of the appalling depths you as a company have sunk to. Moreover, I would like to draw your attention to the docking position you utilised for the last 24 hours we were on the ship, namely against a rusting Casino ship. Due to this we had no daylight in our suite for those 24 hours, and we were unable to use our cabin’s veranda. I leave the last humiliation to the end of my letter. On each occasion we ran out of toiletries in our en-suite I was required to ask the room attendant for replenishments; these were not provided as a matter of course. On the last occasion I asked, I was left with two small bars of hand soap, clearly because there was no stock remaining. This situation renders you inordinately far from the classification of “a luxury cruise line”. These experiences outlined are just a small handful of a multitude my husband and I encountered during our time on this holiday. I cannot express upon you the strength of my feelings about this, and how deeply disappointed and saddened my husband and I are by this awful experience. We will not be travelling with you again. There is so much choice for true luxury cruise holidays, and we cannot justify purchasing a mediocre product when we can experience much better for an equal amount.