VikingReviews of viking.com

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.

We did the Grand European Tour in October. Overall we had an ok time, but I would never do this again. Maybe with a different company but our lovely 25th anniversary River cruise turned into ugly docking situations and bus rides. Not worth the price. Initially, I did thorough research and knew low water levels may be a problem so I purchased the very high priced trip insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. Unfortunately Viking didn’t let on there were issues before we boarded our plane. We arrived to be told that we wouldn’t be boarding in Budapest at all, and our time in Budapest would be impacted by the need for the first of many bus trips to board. Water levels affected us one more time midway through the cruise and we had to swap ships, which resulted in a fellow passenger having their luggage lost. We reserved a suite and I was so looking forward to having coffee on my balcony and a relaxing read out there every once in a while. Well, imagine how shocked I was when most mornings you open your curtains and find you are staring directly into the cabin of another boat. They tie all the boats together next to each other to dock. So much for the view… Lastly, there was a problem at some point navigating through some locks overnight and we woke to find out we had reversed and sailed backwards to dock at a port that was behind us. To try to see the most scenic section of the river, a series of bus rides and smaller boats were lined up to try to get us there. The ship wouldn’t be able to make it before dark and we would miss it otherwise. My husband decided to go on this but I stayed back. I wouldn’t say I often get car sick but I did on the buses and this was an extended day of bussing. No thanks. Most of the logistical problems they had on our boat had nothing to do with water levels. They struggled to meet the promised itineraries. The cruise director did a wonderful job and all the passengers adapted and tried to enjoy themselves, but it doesn’t make me want to do it ever again. They told us Viking would be contacting us to get some sort of compensation for the disastrous itinerary, but I heard nothing. After a couple weeks I reached out to them myself. After explaining our disappointment in our anniversary vacation, they stated they would give us $1K credit for our next trip (um, I’m sorry what next trip) and we would have to sign an NDA. 😳 Keep in mind, the trip for both of us cost over $30K. So clearly I signed nothing and I thought you all should know what could happen on these boats.

Booked a cruise with Viking (which was listed as requiring $25 down to book). Shortly thereafter, Viking wanted full payment for a cruise 1 year in the future. Therefore, Viking is holding full payment and collecting interest on the funds. This appears to be a new money making mechanism by Viking using their client's money to increase their cash flow.

My wife and I are currently traveling on a 14 day “ France’s finest” Viking cruise. So far It has not been the luxury that they claim in their commercials. Between the cruise, the airline tickets and other variable costs the cruise has cost us approximately $30,000. We expected the heights of luxury. We are seasoned cruisers with 15 cruises under our belt with ocean cruising. The food is less than gourmet and borders on unacceptable at times. The Wi-Fi aboard the ship takes forever to send a picture. I have screen capture proof that shows that it took over 30 minutes to send a picture to my daughter. Extremely underpowered! C’mon Viking, update your hardware! This 14 day cruise includes two different ships and in the first week on the Viking Buri ship we did not have hot water for showers and everyone on board had to take cold showers for almost the whole week. That issue was not fixed until the last day. Terrible! Employees are somewhat arrogant when confronted with any issues. During one of the discussions in the lounge area, the captain of the ship used an Asian accent to make a joke, and I thought it was unacceptable considering there were Asian customers on board. There are three meals per day and nothing in between so if you’re used to ocean, cruising and having the ability to grab a snack, forget it! One day when we were seated to have lunch I could not find anything on the menu that appealed to me so I settled for a hamburger! Nowhere in the description of the hamburger does it say that it is drenched with onion that has been soaked to some sort of gravy. I do not like onions. So I sent it back and they brought me another one. By that time everyone else, including my wife, were almost done with their lunch, so I just did not eat it. I did not think I would have to settle for a hamburger on our “luxury” cruise. After that, it seems like I was in trouble and they sent the concierge over to talk to me (in front of everyone) I felt like I was being treated like a child. The arrogance! Never again. My wife reminded me that one night there was an entrée on the dinner menu that she was very excited about trying. Dinner was served from 7 to 9. We arrived at 7:25 and most of the entrées were already unavailable and we had to settle for items that we had no interest in. There were less than 100 people on the boat, so it seems this was very poor planning. She was very let down. My wife has been an internal medicine physician for 26 years and this was a trip that was on her bucket list. I will say that the rooms were cleaned very well on a daily basis, and I gave five stars to the maid service. other than that I can’t really find many good things to say about Viking cruise line. My wife and I plan on taking at least one cruise per year including a world cruise in our retirement and it is very unlikely that we will consider Viking cruise lines when planning those trips.

European Sojourn: 22 days from Bucharest to Amsterdam. July - August 2023 My wife and I have enjoyed almost a dozen ocean cruises including two very favorable cruises on Viking. This was our first river cruise, and we had heard so many favorable things about it. We have traveled extensively throughout Europe and hoped this would add favorably to our great experiences. Unfortunately, a majority (perhaps over three-fourths) of the passengers and crew was infected with respiratory and/or gastroenteritis infections. The program director stated that our ship had reached "Condition Red". Nevertheless, there was no enforcement or even encouragement of the use of sanitizing stations prior to meals. There are no medical personnel on the ship. There was constant coughing, and masks were rarely worn. The Program Director was on duty while visibly ill. Due to a significant staff shortage, as a result of these medical issues, service was subpar, especially in the dining room. Entire courses were missed simply because the dining staff couldn't keep up. Although the food was never terrible, only one meal would be considered outstanding. The excursions rarely offered anything other than the usual "castles and churches" and required long bus rides to unremarkable sites. However, I was very impressed with the guides who were consistently knowledgeable and personable. I also appreciated the fact that the excursions started exactly on time. We didn't expect entertainment, fortunately. There was one musician and the occasional folkloric dances. Internet was very spotty even in our third-floor cabin very near the middle of the staterooms. We were forced to use our own cellular service. In 2023, adequate Wi-Fi is a base-line requirement. I knew the French Balcony stateroom would be small, but moving about in it was very awkward. Our Program Director was perhaps the biggest disappointment. His condescending, snarky manner was ill-suited for his role. Incredibly, he acknowledged the many issues with the voyage but still strongly encouraged passengers to give marks "Far above expectations" since "nobody was at fault". Anything other than "Below expectations" would have been dishonest, and I resent the pressure to rate otherwise.

What started out as a wonderful trip turned out to be a terrible experience. Our journey started in Amsterdam on the Viking Bragi. Cruising from Amsterdam to Budapest via the Grand European tour celebrating our 41st wedding anniversary. The staff/crew on the Bragi were exceptional. Unfortunately about midway through the trip the river level got too low. As a result we were forced to leave the Bragi which involved taking a 3 hour bus ride to catch a different ship downstream. That’s when the trip ran off the rails. The ship they moved us to was the Skadi. Sadly the Skadi staff was no comparison to the crew on the Bragi. Sure our cabin steward and several of the waiters including members of the restaurant staff were nice an accommodating. However the Skadi hotel manager (Stoyan Yanchev) and bar manager (Alexander) were extremely rude, abrasive, and condescending. The bar manager aggressively screamed at my wife the first night which set the tone for the remainder of the trip. Never once did they hint or offer an apology. We later heard the bar manager had been drinking throughout the day which may have contributed to his behavior. Regardless that’s no excuse. I witnessed; • Alexander doing shots while working behind the bar and drinking with other cruise guests • Alexander closed the ship lounge before 11:00pm on multiple nights yet it was difficult to find staff members in the lounge throughout the day • Skadi bar staff poured house brand liquor and wine into our glass even though we purchased the silver spirits package and requested upgrades • Refused to leave the wine bottle on the table during dinner stating it was against Viking corporate policy even though staff on the Bragi had no problem doing so • After knowing people were missing from the boat, the ship Program Director left a deaf couple behind forcing them to find their own may back to the boat costing them $100 • On the last night of our trip in Budapest caught two Skadi crew members having sex on the top deck Other observations; • Skadi staff refused to open the sliding doors in the Aquavit Terrace in the afternoon or evening until given permission by the hotel manager • Floor in the Aquavit Terrace was filthy. Don’t believe it was swept or mopped a single time during our visit • Accidentally dropped a couple peanuts on the floor in the lounge. Five days later the peanuts were still on the floor in the same spot • Skadi staff knew there were people on our boat with Covid yet they allowed these individuals to remain on the ship and participate on tours without notifying other passengers Unbelievable would be an understatement. I’m sure our experience would have been quite different if not forced to transfer ships. However that’s no excuse for the behavior or lack of professionalism displayed by members of the Skadi staff. If you think Viking corporate cares or has any control over employees on the boat think again. I called Viking three times and have yet to receive a return call. Almost forgot to mention our parting gift; my wife and I both tested positive for Covid the day after leaving the Skadi

They canceled 5 out of 9 stops on our Iceland, Greenland Canada to New York Cruise. 2 Because of weather. Understood. 3 because of ice in the water. Greenland always has ice in the water. The weather was ok and they have sonar and radar. What is the deal? I heard they got a dent from a tug pushing them into the dock and it is their brand new ship, Saturn. Their inaugural celebration is in New York after we disembark. Could it be that they don't want more dents before the inaugural? Also heard that they canceled our Newfoundland stop because they didn't have a docking space. So we have to sit here on the ocean for 4 days. And the food isn't very good. It was great on our last cruise. This cruise was a rip off. Oh, and they're offering a voucher. Why would that make us feel better? We're paying $1200 to board our dogs for this crummy trip.

We've had our Rhine cruise booked for months. We Travel Aug 7th 2023 to Basel. We were told we would get our flight arrangements at least 4 months prior to boarding. We received our direct flights as promised and booked our seats. I recently received notification they are changing flights (with layovers) and we won't arrive to the ship 15 minutes before required arrival time (No room for error). In addition, I cannot book seats. First come first serve. They have a department called Air 1. I called and they cannot get me back on the original direct flight, yet they want you to pay $100.00 per person to make any changes. I checked Delta direct flights we were originally booked on and there are many seats still available. What a racquet! not a good start to the upcoming trip. I did reach out to our booking agent (Thiago Luff) He is very helpful but explained because Viking air is a different entity, he had to refer me to Viking Air +. I feel l could have booked my own or with another travel professional and my travel arrangements would feel a bit more secure.