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Booked cruise on the Danube in January - specifying two couples traveling together. Booking receipt notes we were "traveling with..." Called about airlines tickets in April ("will have in May", called again in May ("will have in June") Called in June ("will have in July), called in JUly - they emailed details. With just a month left before trip discovered that Viking had booked the couples on different airlines, at different departure times. Called - got "sorry, but it will cost $600 to rebook..." it will cost us $600 to correct Viking's mistake?
Now to late to get any refund (funny how they timed that), and they want us to pay for THEIR mistake.
It's THEIR mistake - THEY should pay - not us!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Casualcruiser, I am sorry. Your experience with us is not at all typical. We rarely if ever have people fly out this early. Please contact me at tellus@vikingrivercruises.com and we will look into you case. We do ask passengers to vacate their cabins by 10 am on the day of disembarkation, but our guests are free to use the public spaces on the ship until their transfer takes them to the airport.
Vikings Air Dept is NOT flexible. For an additional $50 EACH, they will ensure that you travel with your traveling companions. Because Viking purchases a block of seats from airlines, travel times are locked in & they will fit you into their block. Do not expect your flights to be convenient. According to Viking, Chicago/Philadelphia/Minneapolis/Boston are not major international airports & they cannot coordinate direct flights. Because of this, expect to have multiple lay-overs in airports; up to 6 hours.
Additionally, they want to clear the ships out early at the end of the cruise. Expect your flight home to be in the early hours; 5AM. Meeting a 5AM flight requires you to be at the airport, & off the ship, 2 hours in advance. By doing this, Viking claims an additional day of you cruising. You, the consumer are getting a WHOLE 3 hours considered as a day of cruising.
Is this the way all travel companies operate? How can that be?
I'm curious, did you have the insurance TripMate and did it help?
Roxana
Allow me to disclose that I work for Viking River Cruises. Mr. Ford, feel free to contact me at Tellus@vikingrivercruises.com to discuss your issue with us. I apologize for taking this long to find you here !
I assume you booked direct & without a travel agent?
This is the number one reason never to book direct. An Agent will be your advocate
when mistakes happen & can usually correct the problem. The agents fill the ships & resorts for the supplier so they have lots of "Pull".
When you book direct you get no benefits at all & end up in these types of situations
Use a Travel professional next time!
Certainly Viking are guilty of bad PR. On the other hand, the lesson is that you can't expect to get personalized care at a discount price