In America, two cruises have been nixed from Jacksonville, Florida as Carnival Spirit replaces Carnival Ecstasy from March 7 through April 9, 2022. River cruise alterations tend to be very last-minute, because they depend on water levels and rain. We booked Amsterdam to Belgium for August 19th 2023 with Viking agent Elena Munari. Our team is actively monitoring the situation and is in close contact with our field offices in the region. Have traveled with them before and would give it a 5 star rating. The Tisza lake cross-swimming event scheduled for the 13th of August was canceled." Tisza borders the Hortobgy National Park, a landscape of plains and wetlands, that has UNESCO World Heritage status. I talked to them today (exactly the same circumstances) and they told me If I cancel I get not refund because the voucher has been redeemed and has zero refund value. I believe the company is the same one Viking uses. At 104 days out before final payment was due, we had to either lose our entire deposit of $2K+ or get a voucher. Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus "The Danube is visibly lower at the moment, it's been really low for two or three weeks now," says Kravianszky. Worse, experts say that this is a worrying sign of things to come. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with a review of your experience, Maggie, although we regret to hear of your lingering disappointment with our service. Those conditions are pretty devastating -- levels are "exceptionally low" in some areas, German officialstold CNNon Friday. My second cruise to China was a bit more complicated. Guests and travel agents on impacted departures are in the process of being notified. The Ravel had been scheduled to call in four Austrian ports: Vienna, Melk, Linz and Krems. I even took a picture at night showing the lighting from the ceiling. So some of the rooms are unavailable for these reasons.. Because it took four days to realize Wi-Fi and internet service had to be purchased, I was unable to use my phone or computer to contact my family. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Whether the company is primarily struggling with the national labor shortage, delayed staff trainings or physical considerations such as supply chain issues impacting particular staterooms remains unclear. USA and Australia cruises operated by Carnival Cruise Line have been cancelled. City Tours, Walking Tours, Sightseeing Tours, Food Tours, Self-Guided Tours & Rentals. Entire boat trips planned from St. Paul in July and August were canceled this summer, and interior work aboard the ship has apparently continued right through the first departure from St. Paul toward St. Louis, Mo., on Sept. 3. Indulge in complimentary programming on a flat-screen LCD TV with an easy-to-use remote. "The distances traveled by river cruise are not very long, so sometimes passengers will even get to see more as buses travel faster," says Clabbers, from personal experience. Viking's move follows announcements from other cruise operators saying they are . Theyll refund the vouched amount to you. And of course there's the Danube. Reports have circulated on social media of Viking canceling reservations on short notice (including . In mid-July 2020, Viking Ocean announced the companys Viking World Cruise 2021-2022 planned for MS Viking Star. It, along with the Viking Sky, is classified as a small ship, with 465 staterooms, capable of carrying 930 guests. In the UK, the source of the Thames hasmoved five miles downriverfor the first time in history. We were given the option of a voucher or cash I was aware that cruise lines' cash flow issues and accepted the voucher. 2 Viking River Cruises canceled all Russian river cruises and its planned Kyiv, Black Sea & Bucharest routes this year due to the events. 'If it's like this next year, I'll retire'. View all of our Luxury Cruise sailings and offers. Where any changes are planned, operators are working hard to minimize any disruption.". Our cruise director, Christine, was especially cheerful and helpful when we had questions. "Some stations [there] have been closed for about a month, as ships cannot moor due to the low water level," says a representative of the Hungary Tourist Board. The good news is that there are not the mass cancellations we saw in 2020. Anyone know a good lawyer? Viking Star will be in Los Angeles Monday as planned but the ship will now depart Wednesday evening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that such a measure is no longer necessary, citing that the pandemic has shifted to a new phase because of the effectiveness of vaccines, therapeutics and high rates of immunity at the population level in the U.S. If in difficulty, those with swimming pools on board can empty them. Please note that Viking is in the process of notifying guests about these changes to the Viking Health & Safety Program, as well as updating specific requirements for all voyages across documents channels, including on MyVikingJourney.com. Departing on December 22, 2022, from Port Everglades , Viking World Voyage 2022 visits ports in Central America, follows Panama Canal transit and sailing up North Americas West Coast. Italy's largest lake, Garda, isnearing its lowest ever levels, adding a stretch of land around the peninsula of Sirmione, which famously ends with some impressive Roman ruins -- or did, until now. "Anybody who operates river cruise boats would have had an understanding of this because of the way the climate has changed in the last 20 years," she says, adding that low levels on the Rhine and Danube have seen incidents of passengers being bussed from one destination to another for the past five or six years. On Saturday, the water level at the German town of Kaub -- a critical juncture -- slipped to just 36 centimeters, or 14 inches, according toofficial figures. On 12/20/20 Viking cancelled this cruise. How did you get your money back on the voucher? So when they got a brochure to take a 15-day Viking cruise through the Panama Canal and Central America, Wasserman said his wife couldnt resist. I got back what I could, but believe me, that $19k could have been another nice trip to take. Letters: Ask those most affected by school violence what they fear, what to do Got a Rhine cruise booked for this year? The prospect of waiting until 2025 to board a Viking cruise strikes some elderly passengers as iffy if not unlikely given their age. In 2021, the cruise line plans to launch their seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus. Further details can be found here. At the moment I don't see any cruise for P & O, Cunard has been cancelled, I also think that AIDA has been cancelled. The large voucher money is gone. Fleetwide operations were planned to resume on October 1, 2020. Speaking of lighting, the bathroom lighting was spectacular. 3. Local News | As of June 10, 2022, select ocean voyages on the Viking Orion and expedition voyages on the Viking Octantis in the United States and Canada will continue to require a pre-departure COVID-19 test. For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. Three St. Paul teachers among 33 semifinalists for MN teacher of the year. While we strive for transparency during the booking process about options for cancellation and related terms and conditions, we regret to hear of your disappointment. The 136-day itinerary visits 56 ports in 27 countries, with 11 port city overnights and 3x new for Viking cruise ports . However, due to ongoing travel restrictions in Europe and the USA, as well as Canadas and Australias ban on cruise shipping, Viking canceled the entire 2020 program in mid-August. Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. Crystal River Cruises has canceled its four remaining Crystal Ravel sailings this December. Railings, furniture and even the captain's bridge are designed to be lowered, while passing under bridges in high water, adds Rob Clabbers, president ofQ Cruise + Travel, a Virtuoso member agency in Chicago. Never never again. Left Injured on the Dock as My Boat Sailed Away. Viking Neptune is a new ship that will join the fleet in 2022. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. And she's not taking any chances -- watching the water levels drop on the Rhine over the past month has made her advise would-be bookers to wait till next year. Animals have been brought here to graze for around 2,000 years. "I had travelers whose ship couldn't make it to Budapest -- they had to board their ship in Komarno" -- about an hour away in Slovakia -- says tour guideJulia Kravianszky. We did the Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, Netherlands route with stops in Breisach, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Cologne , Strasbourg and Kinderdijk . Despite the canceled 2020 cruise season, Viking has high hopes for 2021 and beyond. The numbers of COVID-19 cases reported on cruise ships are stacking up again: At least 50 cases of COVID -19 on Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas. All cancellations must be in writing. The cruise line said it was evaluating 2022 itineraries that visit Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. Los Angeles (May 19, 2021) - Viking . Will NEVER cruise with Viking again. The new ship is currently scheduled to start operations with a Viking World Cruise 2022-2023. Booked a Christmas Market Cruise for this December, watched the COVID situation in Europe, called up to rebook on a summer cruise. To mitigate issues, Viking runs sister ships sailing the same itinerary, but in opposite directions. The other side of drought is flash flooding -- something that has hit the US in the past few weeks, with Yellowstone suffering aonce-in-500-years incidentin June, andtwo people being killedin Las Vegas last week. Sister brand Regent Seven Seas Cruises plans to remove the Solovetsky Islands, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St. Petersburg, Russia, from its 2022 sailings, along with Odesa, Ukraine. Best New Cruise Ships and Itineraries for Alaskan Cruise! There are numerous ship repair/maintenance people onboard and they are taking up rooms. The travel insurance was purchased with Tripmate through Viking, Wasserman said. There was worse news to come. Today, 1/22/22 I contacted Viking Cruise lines about canceling a river cruise to France for this June, plenty of days before the cancellation date, and was told that I could not get ALL my money back. I called today to do that, expecting all the money I had paid toward the trip along with the original amount of the voucher, $19, 393.50, not the 125% ($24, 241.88) of it back. And their customer service reps leave much to be desired. The very first cruise that Arleen and I did together was through the Panama Canal, Wasserman said. Our vaccine requirement for all guests and crew remains in placeand for the time being, our crew will keep testing as needed and will wear masks at all times. My third cruise was with my mom, Penny and we sailed on the 11 -day Passage to Eastern Europe Viking Danube Cruise. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. "They stopped renting out boats, and many owners were forced to remove their boats from the water. 2022 will be an exciting year for the cruise line as they launch two new ventures with voyages on the Mississippi . A new ship will be assigned from the Carnival fleet to Jacksonville for the Ecstasy itineraries, effective April 23, 2022. "If low (or high) water prevents passage at a certain point, the line simply moves the downstream sailing passengers (and their luggage) to the upstream ship and vice versa. Signature destinations include Central America, Panama Canal transit, USA West Coast, Hawaii, Transpacific crossing to New Zealand and Australia, Asia, Middle East, Suez Canal transit to Europe and the UK. In 2021, the cruise line plans to launch their seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus. Viking, which had once planned to debut its new cruise ship in 2017, delayed the launch five years while it worked through federal regulatory challenges under the Jones Act, otherwise known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. UPDATE: Harvey Wasserman tells News 6 he has accepted an offer from Viking to refund his wifes portion of the cruise. This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Without consulting us for our preferences, Viking moved us to a date and room location that did not work for us.I called on 11/19 to discuss options and was told we could cancel and receive a full refund or take a future cruise voucher for the amount we paid or select a different sailing date. A "misleading and fraudulent" offer. For the past 20 years,Stefano Barborinihas rented boats and taken visitors out on his stretch of the Po, near Parma. None of these would normally be on the ship. The Viking cruise ship, which was supposed to launch from New Orleans, has canceled its two-week trip on the Mississippi River due to low water levels south of St. Louis.. A ship might leave a destination a couple of hours early, for example. We are currently on this ship, wrote passenger Dean Siddons on the Facebook page, during a trip to St. Paul on Sept. 15. Copyright 2022 Travel + Leisure Co. All Rights Reserved. At this time, we expect the ship will resume its scheduled operations on February 18, 2023. Local News | Viking refused to refund any money, or let us change, said Christmas Markets were something we could have expected to see, but that wasn't the only reason to take the trip. The line confirmed the steps to TTG on Wednesday (2 March) and said it was "deeply opposed" to the . But now some of those waterway dreams seem set to run aground. more. Fully refunded were also all prepurchased through Viking packages and services. I called immediately and was given very little information, only that we could reschedule for the trip during 2023 or 2024 with a 110 percent credit, said Richard Pletcher, who is in his 70s. Michael is Viking's Global Top produc. For now, it's the locals who can tell the difference. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon, Anna, and thank you for your patience. VIKING OCEAN restarted operations on May 22, 2021, with Viking Venus . When I called just to inquire about this, I was told the first available trip was actually in 2025, because everything earlier was fully booked., In other words, Viking wanted to keep our money for three more years, after already having it for almost two years, said Pletcher, who instead demanded a full refund. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. He spent nearly six years covering crime in the Dakota County courts before switching focus to the St. Paul mayor's office, city council, and all things neighborhood-related, from the city's churches to its parks and light rail. While we can see that you have since been in contact with our Customer Relations team for assistance with the third-party insurance vendor, please know we remain available to continue the discussion should you wish to share more at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We paid for the trip and had trip insurance. "We are delighted to once again offer explorers the opportunity to circumnavigate the world in comfort," Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, said in a statement. I was looking forward to it. Vienna and Krems are also off the itinerary. The river still "looks large and majestic -- it doesn't really give the image of a dried-up river," she says. That would be fine if you were using insurance to help replace losses of tens of thousands but it isn't fair if you haven't even gone on the cruise! Despite the new Covid restrictions, this was a dream trip and an opportunity to see a part of France that was completely new to me. Local News | Do NOT book with Viking! Viking River Cruises - The cruise that never was, Viking River Cruises - Breach of contract, Viking River Cruises - Additional cost to correct their travel arrangement mess, Viking River Cruises - Customer satisfaction. You May Like: Where Does Norwegian Cruise Lines Sail Out Of. Dont Miss: Do You Need Passport For Alaskan Cruise. A little too hot: Although none of her clients have been affected yet, she says that among her fellow agents, one had a client's cruise canceled this week, and another had their itinerary adjusted. Passengers have called the latter easier said than done as trips fill up years in advance. All affected bookings received a 125% refund in FCC with rebooking or 100% monetary refund. 05 Aug 2022. Azamara has canceled cruises in Turkey, Israel and Egypt, as well as the Mediterranean on its newest ship, Azamara Onward, from November 2022 through March 2023. Viking, which operates both ocean and river cruises, has canceled all 2022 departures from its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary. The scenic route was a gentle way to ease back into cruising. What I was not aware of was that trip insurance policies are designed to protect your wallet. The ships will then move on to Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand before exploring Asia and the Middle East. They didn't want to hear that changes in the world's COVID environment was NOT in the paperwork! Here you can compare all Viking cruise ships and their itineraries, destinations, and departures dates. Bumped customers have been offered full refunds or vouchers equivalent to 110 percent of what theyve already paid so they can book at later dates. "I think canals are a no-go," says Weeden, about the future. Closer to home, Viking plans to build and launch their first ship to cruise the Mississippi river, Viking Mississippi. Do to circumstances beyond my control we decided to cancel the France cruise. After four days my son and his wife worked around the clock to help me get back to the U.S. while I felt helpless in the Bulgarian hospital for 10 days.I had trip insurance from a very reputable company. Meanwhile, sporting events were moved from Russia. All they kept saying was the clause of nonrefundable insurance was in the paperwork. "Our previous World Cruises sold out in a matter of weeks, and we are now seeing more interest in these extended voyages than ever before.". Thanks! Share. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This year, he hasn't been able to manage even a single outing. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email customerrelations@vikingcruises.com, Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. Over in Southeast Asia, a new river ship, Viking Saigon, will cruise the Mekong. still. This cruise began in Budapest, Hungary and ended in Bucharest, Romania with visits to Veliko Tarnovo, Arbanasi, Vidin , Golubac, and Belgrade , Osijek , and Kalocsa . New alerts are pouring in every day. And if all else fails, they use the boat as a hotel, and bus travelers to their destinations each day. In April 2020, the Eagan couple paid $18,800 to reserve a luxury cruise from St. Paul to New Orleans, which would have been their sixth voyage with Viking, an international cruise giant based in Switzerland. Fosse and her husband had initially booked a cruise for April 2020. Share your photos and videos with others to prove the truth of your words. At 104 days out before final payment was due, we had to either lose our entire deposit of $2K+ or get a voucher. The 386-passenger ship, custom-built for the river, departed St. Pauls Lamberts Landing as planned, but the Pletchers were not aboard it. Scenic. Those who cancel will get a voucher valued at 110% of what they've paid to Viking for use on a future cruise. All in all, I highly recommend this trip! Viking continues to reinvent cruises and next year will be no different. Calls to Viking for comment were not returned this week. 2. ComplaintsBoard.com is a leading complaint resolution website on the Internet. We hope to connect with you then. . Viking Ocean Cruises has itineraries customized a year before the actual cruise takes place so that the guests can have enough time to prepare themselves up for the cruise. We appreciate the opportunity to respond and wish you well. He Tweets with manic intensity at @FrederickMelo. The line said it was also evaluating 2022 itineraries that call in Russia with the view to modifying them where necessary. The testing requirement lifted on June 12, 2022. They also invited their good friends Deborah and Alvi Blankenship. In 2017, Prochilo booked a Rhine sailing herself with Emerald, only to find "very low levels" of water. Since weve been together last 37 years weve done an enormous amount of traveling, Wasserman said. Our included visits to wineries and medieval towns were all well worth our time - particularly because all of the guides were so well-spoken and informative. We were kind of excited about going with them because were close friends, Alvie Blankenship said. Rescheduling a trip three years from now sounds unlikely to her. Prochilo says that many river cruise boats are specifically built with flatter hulls to deal with low water levels.