By. I am sure I will get the dreaded e-mail today or tomorrow. Of course, this is the US website. All itineraries have at least one tour or guided shore excursion per day (complimentary / cruise fare-inclusive). Disappointed with Viking Cruises cancellation policy. Ultimately she said that she would honor his statement, even if he wasnt authorized to make any offer to us, and would offer us a $500 cash settlement as a gesture of goodwill, Keyles said. The representative promised to get back to Keyles. Most were constructed by Neptun Werft GmbH in Rostock, and several by Meyer Werft GmbH in Papenburg (Alsvin, Bestla, Eistla, Ingvi, Lif). The sailings are with fly-cruise packages inclusive of two domestic flights (Cairo-Luxor-Cairo). Looks like our September cruise to the Fjords is in the process of being cancelled! Other venues include The Living Room, The Library Lounge, Auditorium Theater (Conference Room / Cinema), Expedition Central (Photography Studio / Photo Gallery / Coffee Bar), Nordic Spa Badestamp (Hot Tub Room), wellness complex (Hydrotherapy Pool, Spa Lounge, Gym, Saunas, Massage Rooms). Both are privately owned and operated by Viking under a charter. In 2019 the parent company created the brand "Viking Expeditions", with a newbuild fleet of two small-sized expedition vessels - Viking Octantis (2021) and Viking Polaris (2022), plus 2 more (optional) same-designed units. Certain days, ships going both directions on several itineraries are showing sold out. Viking Neptune's World Cruise itinerary offers overnights (also double overnights) in 11 ports, including Auckland New Zealand, Sydney NSW Australia, Benoa Bali Indonesia, Saigon Vietnam, Singapore, Yangon Burma, Colombo Sri Lanka, Mumbai India, Haifa Israel, Istanbul Turkey and London-Greenwich (before the debarkation). I called Viking last week and was given a very weak answer that its sold out to moving folks from the Prestige (we were originally booked on Prestige and then in August last year moved to the Embla as Prestige taken out of service). Viking Cruises' arrival to the Mississippi River represents a major commitment to economic and tourism development in a lot of communities along the river, with the new sailings expected to bring over 5,800 passengers to the region in 2022 and more than 17,600 during the first full cruise season in 2023. It sounds to me as if they may be sailing with a reduced fleet, meaning not all ships on the Rhine will go back into operation this year. We had planned a trip in 2021 and when Viking changed their requirements we chose to cancel our trip. And while the travel vouchers are good for 24 months, given the state of the pandemic, the couples medical conditions and age, they didnt think they would be traveling any time soon. By 2027, Viking plans to increase its annual river shipping capacity to 100,000+ passengers (compared to 2018's 50,600) by deploying 6x boats. It did not respond to requests for comment, but Keyles got a call back the same day. Bookings made by September 30, 2020, receive USD 2000 pp in "shore excursion credit" plus USD 1000 pp in OBC (onboard credit). Multiple sailing dates are available in June, July, September, and October 2023 and 2024. On Apr 4, 2018, Viking and VARD (Norwegian subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri) signed LoI (Letter of Intent) for designing and building 2 new-class ocean liners. All Viking OCEAN ships offer destination-rich itineraries marked by "small ship cruise" tour and onboard experiences. But Keyles wasnt ready to accept such an offer. Please try again later. " Thessaloniki, Greece is the 2nd-largest city in the country and offers a mix of modern life and ancient culture. As of January 2018, Viking Cruises operated a combined fleet of 62 riverboats plus 4 ocean ships. Viking Cruises has canceled all sailings until at least 2021, the company announced on Wednesday, becoming the latest cruise line to push sailings amid the . Posted elsewhere, but we received our official cancellation email this am from Viking for our Oct 4 Trade Routes Bergen to Barcelona. On 12/27/2021 at 7:29 PM, SM77 said: We had booked a September 2021 Ukraine river cruise in March 2019 (right as the pandemic started thinking that it would be over by September 2021) that we had paid in full. In 2015, Viking's river fleet expanded to 64 boats, 40 of which longships (capacity 190 passengers) introduced in 2012. Viking Venus is scheduled to depart on July 22, 2023, and visit 10 countries (with 19 guided shore excursions included in the fares). Wallem China (part of Wallem Group) has a network of 28 offices across Asia, of which 8 are in China, The shipping agency handles annually over 500 cruise ship calls. In the mid-1990s, the company's founder, Torstein Hagen enjoyed a river cruise in Russia and was so excited that decided to create his own river cruising company. Viking's Longitudinal World Cruises include chartered domestic flights in Argentina (between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires). Just got the official email from Viking saying our cruise has been canceled with the details of the 125% future cruise voucher which must be used on a 2021 or 2022 cruise. The note proceeds were used for repaying all the company's loans used to finance the building of the Viking Ocean liners Star and Sky, as well as for repurchasing Viking Sea (operated on sale-leaseback agreement). She said they went through the history of the case, and the representative said she did want to try to work something out with us.. In 2012 were introduced the "Viking Longship" class of vessels. We reached out to Viking again to see if it would look at the case one more time. Look for a link at the bottom of this page or in our privacy policy where you can withdraw consent. Viking Cruises' arrival to the Mississippi represents a commitment to tourism and economic development in a lot of communities along the river, with the new sailings expected to bring 5,800+ guests to the region in 2022 and 17,600+ during the first full cruise season in 2023. I don't blame Viking for being less than forthcomingthey have to assume and state officially that everything is on, until it's officially off. That's just what happened, and we are now booked in July 2021 with an upgraded cabin and air fare. The strong demand led the company to open additional 2023 sailings sooner than expected. In the UK, Viking OCEAN ships are homeported in London-Greenwich England. The 8-day cruisetours include roundtrips from New Orleans, as well as one-ways between New Orleans and Memphis TN, and between St Louis MO and Minneapolis-Saint Paul MN. Unless the low water area is more-or-less in the middle of the route, this practice doesnt enable ship swaps. Worldwide, Viking Cruises hires over 2,500 staff and crew. Itineraries include "In Search of the Northern Lights", "Into the Midnight Sun", "British Isles Explorer" and "Viking Homelands". Our August 9th British isles Explorer cruise (which was supposed to be on the Venus) has obviously been canceled. See below the list of main Viking OCEAN itineraries as themes and ports of call: All voyages include overnight stays in both ports (of departure and final disembarkation). Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Last week it showed all Kari sailings booked thru season. Other destinations are the Great Lakes USA and Canada-New England. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. All European boats are Longships, with passenger capacity 190. But all was not lost. Viking Venus is scheduled for the August 13-23 cruise. Their godmothers were from USA (Los Angeles), the UK, and Russia. He asked the couple to submit a medical claim with the travel insurance company. In early 2018 was announced, that the Viking Cruises company raised USD 975 million through a private placement of USD 275 million (5,875% secured notes due in 2027) plus USD 675 million (5% secured notes due in 2028). Cruise tourists then fly to Luxor to visit Karnak and the Temples of Luxor before boarding the Viking cruise ship for a 7-night Nile cruise to Aswan and back. Just more work for me! 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Journey with the world's #1 river cruise line. The London City (Port Greenwich) roundtrip itinerary was officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's "longest continuous passenger cruise". The fact that Viking has so many ships on a route means that when they hit low water there is very likely another ship nearby going in the opposite direction. The next day, they got a phone call. The list of its services also includes. However, the process is slowed due to issues regarding the so-called "Jones Act" (Merchant Marine Act from 1920). Patience. VIKING OCEAN's 8-month long westbound voyage (officially named "Ultimate World Cruise") included a Transatlantic crossing (RepositionCruises.com) and passing through Suez Canal. In 2011 was launched Viking Legend's sistership Viking Prestige. The reason for. I know a lot of this was not their fault and up till now I have been very pleased with how they were handling things, but this is just biting the hands that feed them! This relaxation area has 1 hot tub, sauna room, heated ceramic loungers, therapeutic showers, salt-water thermal pool. In April 2021 was inaugurated the joint venture company "China Merchants Viking Cruises Co Ltd" (operating via the brand "Viking China Coastal Cruise"). In April 2004 Viking expanded in China with cruise tours on Yangtze River. Note that for the Rhine and some other itineraries it is intentional that Viking starts with two ships on the same date at the ends of the itinerary to meet in the middle for a ship swap if necessary, it is a "ship pair". Traditionally for an expedition vessel, each Viking Expeditions ship has its own fleet of inflatable Zodiacs (speedboats used for passenger tendering and shoreside cruising), rigid-hulled inflatable boats (large-capacity unsinkable boat with a rigid bottom) and sea-kayaks. During the 2015 christening, 8 longships were in Amsterdam. And I hope it is a good answer for you. Later was added the 21-day "Malta, the Adriatic and Greece". Scenic cruising: Mt Athos: On sea days, passengers will sail past Mt Athos, the "Holy Mountain" (UNESCO Site, the spiritual capital of Orthodox Christianity). . 8-day "Mississippi Holiday Season" from Memphis to New Orleans. I have so far only paid a deposit so will only get a relatively small benefit from the 125% FCC. However, as a business decision, it was the right move---just not done in a customer friendly way. In 2013, the company launched its new brand "Viking Ocean Cruises". No partial refund was given and I lost the total deposit of $1000.I understand that the T&Cs outline the refund policy. I had to cancel due to ill health and provided over five months notice. Passengers can experience the exciting scenery of Meteora, with its medieval monasteries, or explore the religious center of Dion, situated on the foothills of Mt Olympus. So ?? As of today I can still access MY Viking, but I expect that to change. The new channel also livestream sessions with various guests (experts, scientists, celebrities) and allows real-time interaction by submitting comments and questions. All rights reserved (About Us). Viking's USA-based riverboats will be newbuilds (vessel building cost ~USD 90-100 million per unit), each with 5 decks, passenger capacity 386, all-balcony staterooms (193 cabins total), an aft-located infinity pool, bow ramp (for passenger landings). Provides us a link to sign up for notifications as they become available. Today our group of four received emails confirming our Vikingtrip is a go! Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. All Viking Ocean ships are from one series - same-designed, with same layouts, interiors and amenities, featuring spacious lounges, multiple dining options (several al-fresco / outdoor deck venues), 3-story Atrium, premium theater/show lounge, Sun Deck (with 2 swimming pools), Nordic-design Spa, Gym and sports area, Snow Room, duty-free boutique shops. on 9/4 - but the header of the email said 9/3 on the Eir. In May 2017, Viking celebrated its 20th anniversary. Changed to Aug 29. CC Help Jenn All the 6 ships will be built and owned by ECO Shipyards (subsidiary of Edison Chouest Offshore - 1960-founded as "Edison Chouest Boat Rentals" marine corporation) and operated under charter by Viking Cruises USA. Viking's website shows a concerning pattern of "sold out" cruises that were not there a few days ago. Until the 2015 slowdown, the company reported a steady growth of over 30% per year for the period 2010-2015. November 29, 2021 Viking.TV Celebrates the Rhine River with Week of New Programming Read More. Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works I am sure I will get the dreaded e-mail today or tomorrow. The final balance is due based on offer at Viking is the only cruise line to have a full PCR testing labratory onboard. Curiously, in August 2021, Viking OCEAN announced a "double world cruise 2023-2024" with two ships (Neptune and Sky) sailing on an identical itinerary from Florida to the UK. Funny, we are on the Rhine & Viking Shores and Fjords on August 3rd this year and this is still showing although I cannot get onto My Viking Journey as it is saying that "We're sorry, but our site is currently undergoing maintenance". MVJ is locked for this specific cruise , and if you try to book the cruise (UK website) the first available Fjords cruise in now April 2022. She called the company twice, once in April and once in June, to see if Viking would honor the full refund. The new domestic travel brand (China Coastal Cruise Project) was scheduled for inauguration in 2021-Q1 with Viking Sun - transferred to the joint venture (news 8277). Note: CruiseMapper's Viking ship schedules show departure and call ports (including towns and cities visited on shore excursions), themed voyages (holiday, itinerary themes) and port times (arrival-departure / port stays and overnights). Aft-located (at the stern) indoor-outdoor pool deck lounge (Aquavit Terrace) with 3 infinity pools - positioned side by side and covered by a retractable glass roof. Her position at the outset was that we are not entitled to anything in place of the future travel vouchers since what they gave us was in compliance with their stated cancellation terms, Keyles said, and she asked for an exception based on their specific circumstances. In addition, Viking announced 3 new departures (in October, November and December 2021) of the 15-day "Panama Canal and Central America" itinerary roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Florida). We took advantage of that thinking it was the only offer we would get. These boats are with modified longship design ("baby Longships") with only 2 decks (1/4 lighter) and capacity 98 guests (46 cabins). Travelers can explore its Byzantine churches and Venetian homes, take a drive to the imposing fortress towering over the city, Palamidi, or travel to the Peloponnese peninsula. Viking river cruise itineraries range from 7 to 23 days. The slower growth was partially related to the reduced demand for cruises in Russia. Viking River Cruises holds 1/2 of North America's market. Viking Ocean Cruises was voted Best Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure readers in the 2016 World's Best Awards. Award-winning Viking Longships. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/malta-and-adriatic-jewels/pricing.html. In 2016-Q3, Viking Flusskreuzfahrten AG terminated the charter deals with Pericon AG (shipowner) and stopped to operate the riverboats Viking Spirit (now Seine Comtesse), Viking Sun (now Rhein Melodie), Viking Helvetia (now Rhein Symphonie), Viking Pride (now Bijou du Rhone) and Viking Danube (now Filia Rheni 2). Baltic Sea routes offer visits to 8 different countries, with a total of 11 cruisetours (all complimentary, included in the Viking Baltic deals prices). Next official video reviews Viking's Longship cruise experience. Offering 125% FCC. Next are listed all Viking Expeditions cruise itineraries by length and theme. Just looked at the new Malta and Adriatic sailings. China as flag state allows the ship to visit seaports under China's cabotage rules that regulate the shipping of passengers and/or goods between two Chinese ports. Fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. Cruise fares start from around USD 4,300 pp. Some vendors may process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interest, which you can object to by managing your options below. Viking Cruises' Risk-Free Guarantee Policy NEW [Temporary] Policy: The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departure?and Viking will waive any fees. Viking's Great Lakes cruises visit ports and destinations in Canada's Ontario state (Thunder Bay, Toronto, Welland Canal, Niagara Falls, Point Pelee NP) and the USA's Minnesota-Michigan-Wisconsin states (Detroit MI, Alpena MI, Mackinac Island MI in Lake Huron, Apostle Islands WI, Houghton MI on Lake Superior, Traverse City MI, Milwaukee WI on Lake Michigan, Duluth MN) and feature passing through Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie (Lake Superior - Lake Huron transition). 44-day "From the Arctic to Antarctica" (from Tromso to Ushuaia), 19-day "Antarctic and South America Discovery" (from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro), 18-day "South America and Antarctic Discovery" (from Rio de Janeiro to Ushuaia), 15-day and 13-day "Antarctic Adventure" (from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia), 15-day "Atlantic and Equator Sojourn" (from Cork to Rio de Janeiro), 13-day "Arctic Adventure" (roundtrip from Tromso Norway), 13-day "Viking's Northern Isles" (from Tromso to Cork), 13-day "Canadian Discovery"(from NYC New York City to Toronto), 10-day "Caribbean Connections" (from Bridgetown to NYC New York), 8-day "Niagara and the Great Lakes" (from Toronto to Milwaukee), 8-day "Undiscovered Great Lakes" (from Thunder Bay to Milwaukee), 8-day "Great Lakes Explorer" (from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay). Viking is also expanding its Mediterranean program by adding 5 new itineraries visiting Istanbul. When more than one cruise is booked, deposit and payment policies apply per Cruise Fare. When will Viking make the next cancellation announcement? The 65-day itinerary (March 2 through May 5, 2023, on Viking Octantis) visits 29 ports (9 countries, 3 continents) departs from Buenos Aires Argentina, visits the Antarctic Peninsula, continues northward around Cape Horn, along South America's coast (Chile, Peru, Ecuador), passes through Panama Canal, then up to Mexico, Florida USA, NYC New York, Canada (Nova Scotia and Quebec) and via St Lawrence River to Ontario and via Detroit MI, ending in Milwaukee WI. That didn't seem. Viking is bringing back river cruises to Europe in July. Beer, soft drinks and wine by the glass are included with lunches and dinners. All the signs are right and so is the timing. The experience (touted beneficial to the body's blood circulation) includes heating in a sauna (steam bath), then walking into this small room. (We paid for Air+) I am really unhappy with Viking. 15-day "America's Great River" from New Orleans to St. Paul on nearly the entire length of the Mississippi River (multiple sailing dates in June, September, and October 2023) prices start at US$11000 per person, with discounted airfare from US$200 per person. For instance, on the Rhine Getaway in December, all Friday and Saturday sailings in both directions are suddenly sold out. If we were changed by several days it would impact all our before and after cruise hotels, that would take a bit of work on our part to change all the dates, especially last minute. Fully refunded (100% in FCC) were also all prepurchased through Viking packages and services. Multiple sailing dates are available in November-December 2022; additional sailing dates are available in January and December 2023 and 2024. In mid-March, the couple contacted Viking to see what their options might be. Keyles reminded the representative of the promise she had in writing from the other agent said about working with them on a cash settlement instead of the vouchers. Multiple sailing dates are available in August and September 2023 and 2024. Viking's Antarctic roundtrips are from homeport Ushuaia Argentina, with prices starting from USD 15,000 pp (fly-cruise packages from Buenos Aires with included overnight hotel stay prior departure and return flights to Europe-USA-Canada-Australia). Finse Terrace also provides alfresco dining and drinking when weather permits. Similarly named is the Finland-based cruiseferry company VIKING LINE (1959-founded). I have a bad feeling.if you do a search for cruises in August only 3 itineraries come up (2 of which are transoceanic). American Queen Steamboat Company: Crusing as of mid-March 2021 American Queen Steamboat Company resumed select sailings in the South in mid-March, followed by voyages through the Pacific. 10 more were launched in 2013, and additional 18 launched in 2014 (including 2 smaller ships purpose-built for Douro River in Portugal). Wehad been locked out of MVJ for several days prior to this. Viking Venus is scheduled for the August 13-23 cruise. Weird that you read. Fingers crossed we get to go on this one. Highlights of the Greek Odyssey itinerary include: The cruise fare includes balcony cabins for all passengers, complimentary shore excursions in all ports, all onboard meals, complimentary wifi, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, access to spa's Thermal Suite, and 24-hour room service. Owned & operated fleet, with the best docking locations in Europe. Century Legend and Century Paragon are the Yangtze River cruise ships in China. Exclusively for Viking Expeditions voyages, Viking Cruises partnered with Cambridge University's Scott Polar Research Institute (Polar Museum) that specializes in polar researches and glaciology. 8-day "Heart of the Delta" from New Orleans to, 8-day "Southern Celebration" roundtrip from New Orleans, visiting. Started August 27, 2021, By We have since then tried to book a trip two times, and the required medical . For 2020 were planned the launches and inaugurations of 6 more Longship-Class boats - 4 with smaller capacity (168 pax) and deployed year-round on Seine River in France (Fjorgyn, Kari, Radgrid, Skaga) plus 2 standard (190 pax) and deployed on Rhine River (Gersemi, Hervor). The link to new sailings doesnt work for me in the UK Does it say which ship ? Snow Grotto access is complimentary to all passengers. Shorter itinerary segments are also available for booking, including the 119-day "Viking World Horizons 2022" (Los Angeles to London, departure January 10, 2022) that visits 49 ports in 22 countries. Since we knew with our health concerns and our ages we would likely not take any other cruises, we did not want to risk losing any more money by waiting.. My Danube Waltz on 11-22-21 on the Embla is gone and my Viking Journey is locked. Viking Mediterranean itineraries are themed as: In November 2018, Viking announced an 11-day itinerary named "Greek Odyssey". The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departureand Viking will waive any fees. The company's turnover (gross revenue) from both river and ocean shipping operations for 2015 was about USD 2 billion. There isn't enough demand for all the originally scheduled sailings, so they are taking certain ships out of the rotation, and moving passengers to another ship likely a few days from the original sailing date. In 2017, Viking signed a sponsorship with National Geographic Society for shooting NatGeo's "Genius" (anthology series). It is fitted with benches and has dark stone walls illuminated by blue light. They try to make it better by giving us $250 PP OBC, but after the cancellation of prepaid excursions, we had a pile of OBC and NOTHING to spend it on. Next YouTube video is about the original longships of the Vikings. The "16-fleet" news was announced on March 6, 2018, when Viking entered an agreement with Fincantieri for 6x more ocean vessels, to be delivered in the period 2024-2027. The engine rooms are noise-insulated and this reduces noise and vibration. Starting in 2018, Viking River Cruises is the first non-domestic company licensed to operate cruise ships on the Nile River in Egypt. All bookings made by April 30, 2020, received Risk-Free Guarantee that allows penalty-free cruise cancellation up to 24 hours prior departure. We are on the Embla 11-22 which is in the same situation. Note: For the itinerary's all call ports see at the ship's Wiki section here. If you do not get cash compensation (from the travel insurance), Viking agrees to revisit your case and work out a settlement involving some amount of cash compensation rather than travel vouchers, he wrote. Viking's expedition fleet will operate mainly polar cruises - in the European Arctic (Svalbard Islands and Arctic Russia, roundtrips from homeport Tromso Norway) and Antarctica (roundtrips are from homeport Ushuaia Argentina, with fly-cruise packages from Buenos Aires / included an overnight hotel stay prior departure and return flights). In mid-September 2016 was announced that TPG Capital and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board intend to make a joint investment of USD 0,5 billion in Viking Cruises. In October 2018 was announced as a potential start-up (with Mississippi-based boats) the year 2021. Viking's Arctic cruises (to Svalbard Islands and Arctic Russia) are roundtrips from homeport Tromso Norway and priced from USD 14,000 per person (double-occupancy balcony cabin). Yes, you must use the entire voucher on one cruise -- and you must use it before you sail for cruise fare, gratutities, shorex or drinks package. These ships also use seawater as a lubricant for their propeller shaft bearings. The strong demand led Viking to open 2024 cruise dates sooner than expected. Cash compensation would not necessarily cover the full amount owed and the travel insurance premium is not eligible for reimbursement in any event.. It imposes restrictions on where USA-based ships can navigate and how to be staffed. 13 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso-Santiago, 137 days, one-way from Fort Lauderdale to London-Tilbury, 11 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, 12 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury, 17 days, one-way from Valparaiso-Santiago to Buenos Aires, 7 days, one-way from Barcelona to Civitavecchia-Rome, 14 days, round-trip Panama Canal Central America, 7 days, one-way from Rosedale MS to New Orleans, Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Florida), Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA), Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale Florida), Viking River Cruises kicks off stops in Greenville (Mississippi), A new Viking Longship for Seine River cruises joins the fleet in 2025, Fire breaks out on Viking Orion cruise ship docked in Sydney (NSW Australia), Mississippi RIver's largest cruise ship ever debuts in June 2023, Viking Cruises releases 2024-2025 world voyage itineraries, Godmother Nicole Stott names Viking OCEANs newest ship Neptune in Los Angeles USA, Viking Orion ship stranded off the coast of Australia due to fungus outbreak, Townsville (Queensland Australia) welcomes first cruise ship in 2+ years, 1 dead, 4 injured after giant wave breaks glass panels on Viking Polaris ship, Viking Ocean Cruises takes US$1.5 billion in financing on 4 ships, Fred.