VikingReviews of viking.com

Boring. Definitely for old people 65 and up!

If you work there , and you got sick, they take off their masks and the throw you in the lake or ocean like garbage. Nothing else. One star is too much for their “managers” . Absolutely unprofessionals and rude to the staff.

My husband and I are both 73 years old, retired, on fixed income, and have been saving for a trip down the Danube for five years. Our troubles began in Minneapolis when our flight was delayed two hours, then finally eight hours, pushing it to the middle of the night of the next day. We contacted Viking Customer Service and were told they could do nothing for us, had no other flights that would get us to the boat before it sailed. I asked the Viking CS rep if he’d checked all the other airlines (because Amsterdam is a European hub), and he said nothing was available for the next two days. I didn’t believe him. I believe he only wanted to honor Viking’s contract with Delta. The best he could do was get us to Amsterdam the next day, and then we would have to find our own accommodations (lodging, transportation, airlines) to try and find the ship, which would be in Vienna by then. I proceeded to go from the Delta Customer Service (which was of no help whatsoever after waiting in line for more than 20 minutes) and to several Delta flight stations that offered a flight to Amsterdam in the terminal in the next eight hours. By this time, I had put seven miles on my FitBit and was exhausted. I was told all the flights were full and some were “overbooked” through the entire next day. I worried that I’d never find two seats on a flight then from Amsterdam to Vienna. That’s poor planning on Delta’s part, and poor planning on Viking’s part for not having contingencies and backup plans for these kinds of situations. After spending all our savings to book the trip, we did not have the financial resources to try and get to Amsterdam on our own with other airlines and risk the cost of lodging and transportation to try and find the boat in a country that does not speak primarily English, especially since we learned how hard it was to get a flight to Amsterdam. We did not want to travel all day and night to miss half of our cruise. We’d rather be stuck in the U.S. (Minneapolis) and go back home, than get lost somewhere in Europe. Thank goodness we purchased travel insurance. Don't want to travel with Viking again.

The two of us did a Viking cruise through the Panama Canal and really enjoyed it. The ship was fantastic. The service and food was excellent. I like the fact that no children are on board. I deducted one star because I saw the cruise discounted 60 days before departure. We had already paid. I requested an onboard credit of the difference and they were firm about saying no. Watch your wallet with them. I noticed that a lot of these negative reviews had to do with Viking air. I would never let a cruise company handle my air reservations. Viking is a cruise company not an airline.

We tried to cancel an upcoming Viking ocean cruise (Marco Polo) which we thought was a 35-day cruise. The cruise leaves on Oct 21, 149 days from now. The contract says the cancellation fee is $100 per person up to 140 days prior to the departure date for trips 35 days of less. But when we called, they said our cruise is 35 NIGHTS, but 36 days, counting the morning you disembark the ship at 8:00 am. So if we want to cancel, we lose 40% (almost $15,000) of the cost. Even the person who helped me was confused when she reviewed the policy. She had to keep me on hold for some time while she contacted various people and departments. She was VERY sympathetic and apologetic, and seemed to agree that this wasn’t right, although the trip is billed as a 36-day trip if you include the morning you disembark the ship at 8:00AM. I should have read the fine print more closely. But burn me once, shame on you, burn me twice, shame on me. After enjoying VIking’s Russia (Moscow to St. Petersburg), Eastern Europe on the Danube, and the Grand European river cruises, this is our last Viking cruise. Since each State has different laws protecting their citizens from cruise confusing and occasionally misleading cancellation policies, be sure to report any problems you have to your own state’s Attorney General’s office. Usually the AG’s office will have a consumer protection division.

I understand when you book a cruise and you don't sign up for their insurance you take the risk of losing your money. However, with Viking I think they take it to a whole other level. My son's wife suffered a serious heart condition and was hospitalized. She is now unable to go on the cruise they had booked with Viking. Because it was within 30 days of the departure they had to forfeit all of the money they paid for the cruise - close to $14,000 dollars. This we understood, however, even though the trip was paid for, they would not allowed someone else take her place. To add insult to injury, he then decided he to go by himself since I was going to be on the cruise so he could be with me. This is the part I don't understand - to travel without his wife he has to pay an additional $2500 on top of the $14,000! I get the single rate is higher but he has already paid well above the single rate and more. We've had to make changes with other cruise lines and they have been much more accommodating when issues arise. We had planned another family trip for the eight of us next year but never again on Viking.

Purchased upgraded airline seats because my husband is large. Even though we paid and were assured we would have aisle seats in business or first class, we got stuck in economy. Still trying to get my money back.

Viking will do every sneaky thing they can to steal your money. I purchased 2 $200 vouchers while on a Viking cruise that they stated had no restrictions or limitations. I recently applied them to a future river which I had to cancel well within the cancellation period without penalty. They kept my $50 deposit but also kept the vouchers so they could not be applied to a future booking. This is completely dishonest and unethical. Avoid this tour operator at all costs.