Viking disappoints
 

Our long-planned Viking River Cruise on the Rhone had to be canceled due to me sustaining a serious leg injury and being unable to travel. We’re new to cruising but travel to Europe annually. Any cancellations were either refunded or given credits for future flights/ hotels. Naively thought that Viking would do the same and did during the Co-Vid Era. How WRONG we were! Viking offered us nothing but a lecture on buying travel insurance. And to further annoy us, “our” cabin has been resold say our traveling companions on the vessel. Lessons learned: Avoid Viking, reread the fine print of their very few obligations and get trip insurance.

Moved to the Cruises Forum

Always get trip insurance, this situation is in no way Viking’s fault.

this is unfortunate. However, you made the mistake in assuming that this cruise line would be like other vacations that you’ve had in terms of assuming about cancellations without reading their policy. Viking is not at fault here.


we always get travel insurance.

I hope you don't think that we're lecturing you too, but anything you have to pay for in advance should be insured. If you cancel the trip in the days leading up to the trip, Viking probably can't rebook your room. Should Viking take the loss because of your injury? I don't think that's fair.

I understand that not everyone reads the fine print on their tickets, but I do think it's a good idea to know the cancelation policy. If your cancelation is not the fault of the cruise line, then they shouldn't absorb the loss.

There are other good reasons to buy travel insurance. What if you had injured your leg over there, and you had to be hospitalized for a few weeks? What if you had an emergency in the family and you have to come home the day after you arrived? I could go on because travel insurance covers all kinds of disasters which can happen while traveling. Look at some policies on line and you'll see what I mean.

I am sorry for your misfortune, and I hope your next trip will be a good one.

I am sorry you went through this, but I agree with the others.
This is in no way Viking's fault and it isn't right to try to make them look bad on a public forum. As travelers, we all have to make sure we DO read the fine print and know what we might lose.

I hope you leg heals soon and you can plan another trip.

Ditto everything said up thread. (and now you are getting lectured by all of us :( ) Not blaming the victim at all but a good lesson learned. AFAIK just about every cruise line would have similar policies. So if you are going to boycott Viking -- you need to do the same for all the rest.

Travel insurance is an absolute must for cruises.

And even if your cabin was resold per your friends' report -- that does not mean Viking recouped their loss. It could have been highly discounted as a last minute booking or perhaps even comped for a frequent cruiser.

When I read the title of this thread, my first thought was "How can Viking disappoint?"

Almost every form of travel has a time frame for when refunds and percentages thereof are provided. Sorry, hokiepete.