VikingReviews of viking.com

Due to Covid and Viking’s requirement for its passengers to be fully vaccinated, my husband and I have not been permitted to cruise for the past three years.  We had hoped that Viking’s vaccine mandate would be lifted and believe more than a reasonable amount of time has passed.   At the time of the original booking, there was NO COVID AND NO MANDATE FOR VACCINATIONS. Had there been one, we would not have booked. And, had Covid not hit, we would not have cancelled. We paid $7154 on January 24, 2020 and another for $198 on May 30, 2021 for a river cruise. Unlike our last four rebookings that were made risk-free, penalties would now be incurred for future rebookings, as Viking’s stance with regards to their vaccine mandate remains unchanged. How is this fair when it is they who prevents us from cruising? Why should we be penalized for their policy?   History will show exhaustive exchanges with Guest Services/Customer Relations in attempts to resolve this matter with a reasonable and satisfactory outcome. Unfortunately, however, an equitable resolution has been unattainable. There are NUMEROUS reviews with identical complaints posted on this and other sites. Some of the stories are horrible where one spouse was forced to travel alone. Like others, I am also in contact with a party interested in pursuing a class action lawsuit and hope that Viking will take action to resolve this matter favorably, once and for all. Contact: Vikingvictims yahoo com. How much longer will Viking keep our monies hostage for “services not rendered?”

BEWARE OF VIKING CRUISES. A TOTAL "SCAM". A "RIP OFF"...BUYER BEWARE!!! No wonder Viking gets only "two-stars" after 400 Yelp and Trust Pilot reviews. In December 2022 we booked...almost two years in advance...a "Pharaohs & Pyramids" Luxor-to-Luxor Nile River cruise for October of 2024. At Viking's recommendation, we purchased travel insurance protection. The total down payment was $2,428 ($1,000 plus the full $1,428. insurance premium). In April 2023 (eighteen months before the cruise) we decided to cancel. Our refund? A meager $800...and that's if we ever see it after reading about others who have waited for years. So why the massive $1,638 penalty? According to Viking's "fine print" (that nobody ever reads), after just twenty days Viking and its cozy insurance company gets to keep the entire $1,428. insurance premium in addition to the $200 trip cancellation fee. Yep. You're reading this right. Viking keeps a whopping $1,638 for a cruise and travel insurance they'll never have to provide. Said another way, Viking makes money whether or not you cruise. In fact? It can be argued that Viking's profit margin is higher if you book but never take the cruise. What's that? You want to respectfully complain to a Viking rep or people higher up? Good luck. You'll do better by spitting into a gale-force wind. The bottom line? Viking is an unethical enterprise that preys on customers, and vulnerable seniors. SHAME ON YOU VIKING! SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!

We booked a cruise 125 days out. After a week we read the fine print regarding requiring COVID vaccinations (our mistake in not reading closely before sending in full payment of almost $10000). Canceling 120 days out or more, $100 per person cancellation fee. Very reasonable. We were at 118 days, and so they charged us almost $2000 to cancel!! We explained that we had reasons why we could not be vaccinated, and if they could be a little more reasonable. They claimed that their cancellation schedule was gradual and fair. Going from $200 to $2000 in one week (4 months out), does that seem fair or reasonable to you? In my opinion they are simply exploiting an opportunity to make money from COVID. This is despicable!! We made the mistake in not reading the fine print more closely. But their response was much worse!! We even suggested a middle ground of $500, nope! They are keeping their $2000!! Shameful!! We will never go on one of their cruises, and will do everything we can to let people know about this.

We were so looking forward to a wonderful Rhone River cruise on the Viking Hermod until we received an email two days ago that Viking would be significantly altering our itinerary due to labor strikes in France. As with other reviews you'll read, Viking's model is to retain your money at any risk to customer satisfaction. Their position - You signed up for granting them total control of your $10,000 spend when you booked the trip. The trip we booked encompassed a 7-night cruise from Avignon to Lyon. The trip they are now offering is a three-day voyage from Avignon to Avignon with one stop on the second day. The balance of the trip will be spent on buses (for several hours at a time) and in hotels from two nights. There is no commitment on school bus vs luxury coach or Motel 6 vs 4/5 star hotel. Viking touts a luxury experience, but we will not have the opportunity to enjoy the amenities promised offered on the Hermod for four out of the seven days booked. We are hoping for a functioning toilet on the bus and not to have to share a bathroom with other guests in the hotel. When we requested a refund in advance of boarding the answer was a flat-out NO. This sleazy approach has put such a bad taste in our mouth that we have canceled a fall cruise and will now focus our travel spending on land-based trips. It is amazing what you can get for $500-1000/day vs the coin toss you should expect from Viking. Very unfortunate given Viking promotes their brand as best in the cruise industry. Don't buy the hype. Viking needs to do the right thing - refund money when unable to deliver the product they committed.

Viking Grand European river desaster absolute mess, we paid top $ for a suite with balcony on a river cruise that ended in sitting on full busses for days, trying to get to tours of which some got canceled. The picure of a romantic rivier cruise with beutifull scenic views that Viking painted became a concrete wall in a dirty doc, not even in the river, with debris and dead fish floating around the boat. Do not book the Grand Eurpean cruise with Viking early season, they know the locks are not working and rivers to full this time of the year but still go ahead with the cruises. Last but not least we are being bussed to hotels for the remainder of the trip and as it is Easter do not even know what we will get. Do not waste thousands of dollars a day on this cruise, there's way better things to do with your money.

Viking is the worst Company in the Travel industry, Don't be fooled by their commercials on Public Television. I booked a River cruise on Viking for August 2022. Viking booked my flight and unfortunately due to mechanical problems, the flight was cancelled. The rebooked flight was 2 days later, which meant we would miss 2 days and had to find a way to get from Amsterdam to Cologne on our own. We spoke to 10 different people being transferred between Customer Service and Customer relations, After hours on the phone, I received an email stating my flight and trip was cancelled without my consent. When I finally spoke to a VP in their Main office in California, I was told that I cancelled the trip. Clearly a case of gaslighting. Vikings Contract of Carriage clearly states that all cancellations have to be in writing. I did not cancel. They don't care. I even asked to be rebooked on another trip instead of refunding my money. No, that did not happen. They were happy to steal my $10,000. Even my travel agent, Affordable Tours, tried to intervene, and they said in disgust, "Viking is the Worst". Do not get SCAMMED. Never use Viking.

Very disappointed with Viking I would give Viking a minus 10 stars for how they began and ended the cruise. Beware Viking dropped us off in Panama city in a van from the ship to Fuertes Amador. What an ambush of people trying to sell us tours and grabbing our suitcases right out from the storage area of the bus. One man quoted us $80 USD ride from the drop off to our hotel. He was holding our suitcases as hostage. My husband is disabled. When i refused and started to walk away he said $40 usd!! So sad that at the end of an ok cruise trip, it ended like this. We were all sitting ducks getting off that van from Viking. The beginning of the cruise was also terrible. They cancelled without proper warring the key west stop on the cruise with no reimbursement at all for port charges and land tours that were included in the price we paid before the port was cancelled. I am starting a class action suit against Viking for breach of promise and reimbursement. I did complain before the cruise but was met both e-mail and calls with it was just too bad and no refund would be given (it was decided by Viking there would be no refund). And i wrote an onboard review before i left the ship. What happened at the end in Panama city i could not complain to anyone. Our cabin was a bit small. I like having a balcony Our cabin steward was wonderful. His name was Kandi

If I had to book a cruise, I would never do it with this cruise liner. I worked for them and the way they treat their staff it's ... hard to describe. I quit an ocean cruise line to work for this one and it was a huge mistake. They don't help you at all but all they know is push you to extreme and blame you for their incapability of offering you the basic tools of doing your job! The working hours are infinite, even the contract says something else, you have no support, you do everything on these small ships, loading the ship, cleaning area which are not your work station, helping the restaurant, you just run like in a horse raise.. I was as bar keeper. The manager was a misogynist as he saw me first time he said he was waiting for a man bar keeper and since than he did all it takes to give me hard time, by putting pressure and more pressure until the moment I could not deliver the best to the customers, but he also invented reasons, he lied the HR office about me, just to get me out of his ship. This was the worst experience of my cruise life (9 years on ocean cruises) as on the ocean I was so much appreciated and respected. Not on this little minded company which could not see the wrongs they do but just blame their employees. Shame on you so called Viking.. you don't deserve such a name as a company. This experience happen many years ago, and I tried to forget it.. it still hunts me. That's why I am writing in here.