Viking River Cruises

We booked a river cruise on Viking river cruises this summer. About a month ago we were informed they changed their policies and now require a vaccination to go. Since my wife and I hold religious beliefs which preclude this we requested a refund of our $14,000. We were told by Viking they would not refund our money. They would only allow us to rebook which is worthless since all their cruises require vaccination. The company is totally unresponsive and we will be forced to hire a lawyer even though the company clearly violated our contract.

Went on the Danube River cruise in Sept 2023.
SO many disappointments with this trip I'm not sure where to begin. Although the boat is beautiful and clean, the staff was repeatedly annoyed anytime we asked for anything. The whole week is VERY scheduled and they are constantly telling you to "don't be late" on everything. Me & my husband felt like we were back at work for the week we were on the boat. Meal times are strict and if you miss it, there is NO FOOD until next meal time. If you ask for something, you will be told you need to wait. We were rushed through dinner every single evening and afternoon for lunches. The staff is fake nice and rushes you through each meal. We paid $1200 for a walk-out balcony but only we're able to use it a total of 1.5 days on a 7-day trip. Viking has other boats constantly blocking your view at EVERY port. We rarely sailed and when we did it was at night so again no views.
We paid for an upgraded bar package but each every evening we asked for wine list and either server took forever bringing to us or we never got one. All in all we would never do a river cruise with Viking again. We spent $10k and it was not a great vacay. We also got Covid on last day coming home.

My husband and myself are both in our 70's and have worked hard to have a nice vacation and shave given a lot of money to Viking.
We had booked a Mediterranean Cruise for March of 2022, due to different circumstances we had to cancel that cruse. Viking did refund the full money amount we paid for that cruise in the form of vouchers we could use for a future cruise. We booked Panama Canal with 4 additional days in Panama, we were able to upgrade our room to a suite and have booked shore excursions, All paid for with the voucher money.
Now come the problem. Between my husband and I we have almost 4K in vouchers left, the Mediterranean trip was longer and more expensive than the Panama Canal trip.
Apparently, we can't use the vouchers onboard, even though we paid good money for them, they won't move over to shipboard credit, we can't use for Spa Treatments, we can't increase the gratuity. The only thing we can do with the 4K that we still have to spend it to give Viking a tip for allowing us to travel with them. Not the best customer service, they are just keeping our money. I don't understand why they can't move the money, we have already given them, over to shipboard credit. Just a way for them to keep our money.

Watch out for this disreputable company that has NO customer service after they get your money. No one will help you and they are stealing people's hard earned money with deceptive business practices

Do NOT book early on Viking Cruises. They make it seem like booking early gives you a great deal, but they often dropped airfare and cabin prices below their early booking deals.

Example: I booked early on a Viking cruise for $1000 off cabin ($7299 went to $6299) and $999 on airfare. About a month later I received Viking brochure and the same cruise and dates had a special price of $5999 for the cabin and $499 for airfare. When I contacted Viking cruise for a refund, they said I would receive about a $1600 savings but they had to cancel the prior booking and rebook and that trip insurance would have to be purchased again for $2000. Bottom line, is don't by anything from Viking early. Wait till they drop their prices.

I just took my first cruise ever. I chose Viking based on reviews and advertising about the extremely high level/quality of service. I unfortunately did not experience that on my trip. Many things occurred, including with dining and servicing of the cabin, but the two biggest were that I was injured during dinner when the boat hit the side of the river/canal with the force of an automobile crash. When I went to the front desk to ask if there was a heating pad, I was told no, but did I want ice? When I said that I would try it, I was asked if I was going to get it myself or did I want someone to bring it? The person at the desk didn't ask if I was okay. They didn't say they were sorry that it had happened. There was no level of concern at all. No one from the boat followed up to see if I was okay. I had to miss the next day's excursion since I was having difficulty walking and therefore had to stay on the boat all day.

I was locked out on my balcony; I discovered it at 12:30 am. It took four people to get my cabin door open and when the person opened the sliding door, she asked if I needed anything. I asked if she could tell me why the door would automatically lock? She replied, as all four people were backing out of the room, that it happens sometimes and that is why they tell people not to close the door all of the way. (Excuse me? No one shared anything like that previously and that is not something that is okay on any level.) Why would someone think that they needed to leave the sliding door ajar when they are out on the balcony? I was taken aback when no one from the crew followed-up with me the next day to see if I was okay or to check the sliding door, so I mentioned my experience to the Program Director. I told him that I did not want to bother telling the people at the front desk after the way they reacted when I told them about when I was hurt. He apologized to me and said that he would share the information with the Hotel Manager if I wanted and I said yes please do share it. After inquiring a second time, I was able talk with the Hotel Manager. He listened, thanked me for telling him everything, said that is "how we learn", and said that he was going to send an engineer to my cabin to look at the sliding door.

The engineer came to my cabin the last night on the boat and determined that there was a problem with the door. He mentioned that many of the screws and other parts were loose and that is what caused the lock to engage. He said that it would not lock anyone out anymore. (Which is great for the next guests, but I did not use the balcony after being locked out since I was afraid that something would happen again.) So I was previously told that I should have left the door ajar so it didn't lock, but the real issue was that Viking did not ensure that the door was in proper working order so that a guest would have to endure what I went through.

While on the boat I also discovered that Viking Air was free with my cabin class. I was charged $100 for it by the Viking representative who booked my cruise. (My air was booked AFTER the cabin was booked so there should have been no confusion.) I had to fight with Viking to have the charge reversed when I returned from my trip, but they eventually refunded the money to me.

I called Customer Relations on two occasions after my cruise to share my concerns, both initial representatives took the time to listen to my concerns. Both shared that they were sorry that I had the experiences that I had. Both offered me a voucher for a future cruise of $2,000. I thanked them for that, but shared that did not help me in any way with the experiences that I had with this cruise. I spent close to $20,000 for this cruise. I shared that if I take a voucher from Viking, it doesn't affect Viking in any way since I still have to spend money, approximately $18,000 more to go on another cruise. In essence, Viking is offering me an incentive to spend more money to try another cruise and see if it is better than the first cruise that I took with Viking. That is a big ask which requires a great amount of faith on my end and nothing on Viking's end. The representatives shared that they understood but they did not want to "insult me" after all that I went through by offering me a cash refund that was well below what I deserved. After the first phone call, I received an email saying that my request for a refund was denied. No additional information was provided. During the second phone call, I was offered a $200 cash refund.

During the second phone call, I was told that the representative was talking with management while I was on hold and that the management team was able to listen to my concerns on the recorded call. I asked for an email to send my concerns directly to management since I was not able to talk with anyone directly. I was provided with an email address and I sent an email. After two days, I received a call from another Customer Relations representative. When I asked if he was a member of the management team, he shared that Viking does not have a management team and that you deal with one member of Customer Relations until a resolution is found. He offered to increase the voucher to $2,500. I reiterated my concerns with that. He shared that I would not get any more with either a cash refund or voucher since Viking has a rubric system to make these decisions and that was what it come out to. I was told that if I chose to take the $200 cash refund, I would need to sign a non-disclosure agreement first before Viking would send me the $200.00. If I signed the NDA then I would not be allowed to tell anyone about what happened to me on my river cruise with Viking. I shared that it now made more sense as to why Viking seems to have such a high level of service when that is no where near what I experienced in my time on the boat or when dealing with Customer Relations. I shared that I did not want any money and I would rather truthfully share what happened to me with others who might be considering a Viking cruise so that had a first-hand account to consider before making up their own minds.

I would stay as far away from Viking as possible!

Viking cant even get you on flights with your spouse sitting next to you. I would never do business with this company again.

You NEVER get your money back if you change cruises—and they never tell you.
We had a cruise cancelled during COVID and received a future cruise credit. We booked another cruise the following year, but had to cancel due to a family health emergency. We have taken several river cruises, and even an ocean cruise with Viking. When we called to cancel NO ONE at Viking told we would lose our money (almost $8000j and get no future cruise credit.
Despite several calls, emails, and intervention by our travel agent, Viking was unwilling to consider any option, other than our losing our money. They are wonderful on the sales end, but we have learned through this experience, that Viking is terrible about customer service after they have your money. Not that they care, but we will never book another Viking cruise, and have told everyone we know about their lousy response and poor attitude.

GO ON A VIKING CRUISE AT YOUR OWN RISK AND DO NOT BUY THEIR TRIP MATE TRAVEL INSURANCE

We did everything right! We booked a special anniversary river cruise for this past April with a company with a sterling reputation, Viking. We purchased TripMate through Viking, the expensive trip insurance as we both have health issues that could result in cancellation or trip interruption. The cost initially was $719 per person for which we paid in full.

We postponed our 2021 trip due to the presence of Covid which gave us a full credit to a future cruise. When we rebooked, were never told that the $1,438 trip insurance was voided - yet they charged us an additional $159 per person additional because the trip insurance went up in price. Again, no one told us our trip insurance was no longer in effect. Did they ever tell us or anyone (and I am sure there were many due to the unique pandemic situation) that the trip insurance was mitigated with a voucher? No. How is this ethical? How is this good business practice? There apparently is fine print in the policy that if vouchers are used, the policy is voided. We paid cash so why does it matter if the trip became a voucher or not?

When we got Covid on the fourth to the last day of the trip, we did what we should have done. We called Viking from our Paris hotel room. They told us to call TripMate, the insurance company of the policy they sold us. They helped us book flights home for which we paid approximately $3,000 a ticket which TripMate told us was the protocol. Now - both Viking and TripMate are denying our claim.
We are being denied any compensation for the flight costs as Viking says: "You booked your own flight so we cannot help you." We did not book our own flight. We called Viking and they had us call TripMate who referred us to their agency to book our flights.

That Viking sold us a useless policy for $1,438 plus the additional $318 is extremely unethical and very bad business practice. A great question for which we have no answer is who pocketed our $1,756? Viking? TripMate? Or did they split it for higher profits?

BEWARE: Viking did nothing at all to protect the health of their passengers resulting in multiple passengers contracting Covid by the end of the river cruise trip. Their website says they do, but sadly they DO NOT! Multiple passengers on our river cruise were ill, telling management early on that they had tested positive on a home test, but no effort whatsoever was made to inform passengers so they would have the option, if they so chose, to use masks, especially on the crowded bus excursions.

So, in the end, we paid $9,413 per person for a trip of a lifetime to celebrate 45 years married, never got to experience Paris, both came down with bad cases of Covid, had to come home emergent and now have $6,000 in flight costs that are being denied by Viking and TripMate (the policy that Viking sold to us).

Was the trip itself worth $18,826 - most definitely not? I strongly recommend you find another river cruise and travel insurance company to use if you want a reliable company that will keep you safe and stand behind the insurance policy they sell you instead of increasing their or TripMate's profits with our $1,765 sold to us for useless trip insurance. BUYER BEWARE!

Viking cruises ruined our trip early this summer, In Budapest a Viking cruise boat killed all except seven people when colliding with a South Korean chartered boat. Later on the Main a different Viking boat was not tied down properly and broke one of the locks on the Main stopping all traffic between the Rhine and the Danube. Their crews are underpaid and not properly trained. Avoid at all costs!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2019/07/06/hungary-death-toll-danube-river-boat-crash-rises-27/*******001/

My trip on the Vidar with Viking:
My flight was changed three times due to the quarantine change with the Netherlands so I lost my flight on Icelandair. This made it difficult to get a PCR test on time for the flight as times kept changing; I had to reschedule four times! The flight I took had me going to Newark New Jersey one of the least vaccinated places for a long layover over six hours. The Air Canada flight there only had salmon as the meal or vegan quinoa neither I could eat. So I ate two pouches of pretzels and mineral water. United Airlines was not aware I had mobility issues so boarding was very stressful but a stewardess bought me a sandwich, drink and banana. After six hours on the bench I was a mess. The plane had maintenance issues so we deboarded then reboarded.
Once I arrived in Amsterdam we waited two hours for the bus stuck in traffic then we were transported to the ship. My mattress was only four inches thick atop a metal platform with no box spring and was very lumpy. It was extremely uncomfortable, with no fitted sheets and just a duvet covering. Very hard to sleep and left me very stiff in the morning. Someone had mashed a lady bug in the bathroom and the smell lingered for the whole trip. There was constant noise of a generator night and day in suite 337 even when on shore power. The ventilation system ingested diesel fumes and cigarette smoke from the upper sun deck smoking area and pumped it into my room. I have breathing issues due to ALS so for me it was a serious issue. This happened whenever a ship docked next to my ship (started and reported sept 24 in Passau continued daily/nightly), also whenever buses idled on the dock. I brought this to the attention of the concierge and nothing was done about it. Apparently housekeeping checked the room and said it was now clear. I spoke to the manager about people constantly coming into my room without knocking when I was undressed. Even if I yelled "wait" or "coming in a second." They even ignored do not disturb signs. She explained that they needed a covid sample. I had tried to send the sample with housekeeping to the office but they had refused to take it. I called the office after dinner and asked for a bathrobe to be delivered so I could send my sample to reception. I waited over an hour and no one showed up. I rang reception 30 rings and no pickup this was common whenever I called. It was now late and I was jetlagged. I was naked and getting into the shower when someone began opening the door! I shouldered it closed because he ignored me yelling not to. The person said they would return soon. I put clothes on and waited for the returning person. An hour goes by so I hop in the shower. Then I put a do not disturb sign on my door and go to bed with BIPAP machine running. Two hours later I get phone calls. I get up and provided the sample to someone from reception. The issues with people coming into the room continued with people walking in late at night despite the do not disturb sign. I had to write notes to housekeeping to open the glass water bottles provided as I was unable to open them. I also wrote notes asking for the mattress coversheet to be changed. It was changed once in weeks. A sign on the bathroom wall said towels will only be changed if put in the sink for environmental reasons. Despite leaving soiled towels in the sink they were often put back on the rack even if wet or soiled. Leaving signs on doors asking for room cleaning often were not cleaned. Leaving tips did not make a difference. My attendant A**x even left his pass key in my room for a full day so I could rummage through others rooms! Lucky for them I turned it in at reception they did not seem to care. The Russian manager of the hotel part of the ship just kept saying "what can I do for you?" She never fixed the issues reported. Calls to the reception desk often were ignored despite 30 rings. Many of the concierge people had very poor English skills and seemed confused by my requests and concerns. B********a was particularly bad his behaviors were confusing and rarely solved the problem. For example he could not book a restaurant for me and gave me a printout on the Sacher Hotel but not in English. You got different information from different people they mostly did not know what was going on. These problems persisted until I left the Vidar.
Food was not consistent; one day it would be good the next day it would be awful. I had to send back burnt food and wrong orders. The maitre- d' did not supervise service and thus there were long wait times and tables ignored. Many dishes were weird combinations cooked sous vide with no seasoning. There was no consistency in service or team approach. Many issues were caused by poor language skills. The bartender who was Filipino was excellent and did far more then the others in the lounge. Dishes I had previously eaten at restaurants were prepared in unusual ways and lacked seasoning. Food in general was bland and not always hot. Service was inconsistent Dennis and Vladimir were excellent servers others fooled around and ignored guests. Language issues constantly resulted in strange orders and delivery of the wrong or no food. Servers constantly referred to guests as Sir or Madam then first name. So I was Sir Scott. This was kind of odd. Some appeared not to have been trained. French service is usually: serve from the right remove from the left. I saw drop down over my head, walk around us to window then drop food with both hands. Even reach in front of me with right arm elbow touching my nose to hand food to lady on my right. The Maitre-d' on the Liff watched and caught missed tables and directed meal pacing a few times. Some food just never showed up and we got it from the buffet ourselves. There was often food on chairs and floors from previous meals.
Most of the tours were moderate or extreme for walking. I was very limited in what I could participate in because of this. The onboard glassblowing demonstration was excellent; the taste of Austria dinner was good. The presentation on coffee and Mozart was good. The Miltenburg walking tour met my expectations but I was abandoned on a public bench I could not get off of. It was too low; I was saved by a fellow passenger. The tour guide was good and slowed down after that. The Wurzburg Residence & Walk was boring and the guide did very little, there were no descriptions of the interior we just walked around on our own. Panoramic Vienna was also very boring we just walked from a park to another church. I only enjoyed what I did after I left the group and made my own way around Vienna. Many trips were cancelled without notice. Colognes beer culture and dinner was overpriced and the food was terrible. The guide (P***r) seemed to be running some scam with the bars he took us to, as the group did not drink much but what little they drank was not beer but the bars gave receipts for beers. The guide drank continually. The bars he took us to were empty and like museums. I was not allowed to go to Ehrenbreitstein fortress they said I booked too late. Surviving the war art in Nuremberg was a terrible tour of a dark, damp and smelly cellar. I left the group and had fun outside. I was charged for a soft drink during the complementary champagne meeting on the first night 3.80 euros. I was even charged for a glass of apple juice which was unfair since I do not drink alcohol do to my ALS. I paid €100 to the three servers who did a good job. Despite the issues that were occurring. There was a collision early in the morning while approaching a lock on the fourth day. I happened to be up and went to the reception desk they were running around trying to find out what had happened. There was no water for the sink or shower on the 18th, and the sink would not drain on the 19th.
The furniture was low and uncomfortable and hard to get out of in the lounge and lobby. All guests mentioned this even with no mobility issues. The bathroom was far too small and the toilet was much too low. There was poor ventilation and the lock to the veranda was too stiff to use. The best guides I experienced were Moe in Cologne and the guide from Detroit in Miltenburg. The entertainment system had jagged lines, pauses and poor sound. The TV and movies were dated and the Internet was often offline. Laundry was overpriced and often came back unclean. There were spider webs and insects in the cabin for days see photos attached. There was a general lack of information even if you read the daily flyer religiously. They need to hire a special needs consultant for advice; those on the trip with health issues struggled with the setup. A consultant can address mobility issues regarding heights of chairs and toilets. There were no hand rails or lights in the Cologne dock. The stone stairs were a serious falling risk in pitch darkness.
Bratislava: guests found out on social media that the lock between Bratislava and Budapest was broken due to a collision with a barge. We knew a week before we got to it but Viking played it down. We found out we would be bussed two hours to Budapest so we packed up got coloured slips put on our luggage based on who was flying out or heading to Bucharest. The bus stopped just after crossing the border three busloads of people lined up for two pay toilets. I used the bus toilet I just could not wait, it was dark and difficult to use. We were bused around Budapest doing rolling sight-seeing. Then we boarded a river boat for a buffet the Americans attacked it from both sides like children cleaning it out. The food was awful and they left it in piles on their plates. I got a slice of bread some cucumber salad, cheese and mineral water as the food was not restocked. The glass dining room was broiling hot without air conditioning and windows were dogged shut. Then back on the bus and back to Castle Hill Fortress in Buda. Four of us were sick of climbing the hill and asked if we could ride back to the Hotel. We were told no by the guide then we asked if we could cab it. Told "No cabs never come up here." This was a lie there was a cab stand by the castle, also two dozen drove past us while we sat on benches. We would soon find out why they did not want us at the Hilton. When we got to the Hilton we had to walk a confusing route through the converted monastery. Had lots of stairs and corridors to climb while hauling a heavy backpack. Got to lobby hungry and exhausted it was clear the tour I had paid for wasn't happening. Oops Viking had failed to book rooms for people continuing to Bucharest and a few of those flying out. A near riot occurred with twenty-five people yelling and screaming. I sat and watched and told Wez Westcock the entertainment coordinator I wanted off the ship and would be staying in Budapest it was now close to 7 pm. He said it was too late to get a flight that night and to sleep on it. I decided to have a shower and eat. The buffet had obviously sat out all day it was bad: dried out duck legs etc. There were no servers and not enough seats! They finally opened a third room and I ate with a couple from Kenora who were happy to be going home they were also sick of disappointing food and screw ups. The hotel room was beautiful with a stunning view of Budapest but it had two double beds so my feet stuck out a foot but so comfortable after the lumpy shelf. Complimentary breakfast in the Hilton was excellent and far better than anything Viking had provided. We had to have our luggage in the lobby by 8 am for some reason. We then sat in the lounge until twelve waiting for the Liff to dock or buses to arrive. I told Wes I was not continuing and would stay in Budapest. He convinced me to return to the ship and settle my bill and have lunch. I would get my travel info and find out if a refund was available for the rest of the trip. Sadly I foolishly agreed.
We got on the bus went to the Liff and I spoke to D****n R********c the hotel manager about issues and my leaving. He moved my room to 305 to prevent a repeat of exhaust and noise. He offered two mattresses to make the bed comfortable and he provided a cleaner to unpack and put away my stuff. He said they were booking my flight and he was waiting for an email about my refund. They put three cartons of apple juice in my fridge and gave me a plate of strawberries and chocolates. I called reception and told them my phone charger was missing. My European Sim card did not work and the internet was down. They said they would call the Hilton about it. It was getting dark and the ship would soon sail I saw Wez and was told by him and D****n that there were no flights available and I would have to leave tomorrow! I was now stuck on board for the next three days with no internet and they had my passport for customs checks. I spoke to reception about needing to have a usb-c charger they did not have one. I spoke to D****n he said he would go ashore and buy one he didn't. I did not get the second mattress either. I did not get my booked trip to Szetendre but was still charged for it. Computers were screwed up and did not show correct location of the boat or my balance on the TV. I tried to go on provided tour which was easy level was told by M*****l S***a (reception) Wez would speak to me because there was no leisure group. He didn't they did not give me a ticket and left without me. Now only 30 people left on the boat only two or three couples from the Vidar. Food was better but the same meals from other ship. I got an excellent goulash and mushroom ragout the first night but I was starving. Service was more skilled but I was often ignored which was weird with so few people. D****n came to my table and said the flight from Belgrade would be free, I knew this was a lie because I had been told by the girl at reception it would cost $902. I asked him to put it in writing he provided a print off of Viking travel insurance flyer the next day which I was sure would not cover me. Flight was Belgrade to Munich Lufthansa economy, Munich to Toronto Air Canada business class. I had paid for business class round trip already. D****n promised the chef would go ashore and buy me a phone charger, he didn't. The lies were piling up. I borrowed one from the reception girl who brought the flight details after three days of asking. I started Canfly which required a scan of my passport. They refused to give me my passport! When I explained the girl escorted me to my room gave me three minutes to scan it. I struggled with shaky hands. She knocked on the door, I got her to scan it and she left with my passport.
Belgrade: I tried to take care of my bill they wanted my credit card number bad. I got a partial bill from the Vidar they charged 656 euro for trips laundry plus cost of flight 776.96 euro on top of this. When I totaled charges on list I got 347.80 euro. So I went down to complain to the person I had just paid. I suspected I would be charged for the flight at the airport so I wanted accurate receipts which I was just not getting. M*****l S***a blamed the Vidar and computer issues. I had been lied to so much and not given accurate itemized receipts despite having days to prepare them. I gave him 30 minutes to sort it out or I wanted the police called so I could file a report. He cobbled something together and we went over it. They had slipped 195 euro in gratuities into the bill but not the copy I was given (scan pages 1 and 2), 69 euro for Szentendre tour that never happened and two drinks he said he would refund those. He refunded 195 euro only. I had him sign and initial lists with paid in full zero balance. When cab arrived D****n, Chef and Maitre d headed up gangway with my luggage through customs. I followed; they were half a soccer field away by the time I got up the ramps. They put my stuff in a cab and I was free of them. Viking refunded trips, and laundry and two days of Amsterdam stuff. I got nothing for the charge for the flight or for the remaining trip to Bucharest. That was all lies. Also got a $500 dollar voucher I will never use since Viking is so slippery. It's a shame I had planned to take the Barcelona to Istanbul cruise.

I have been on four river and two ocean cruises with Viking. I don't have a desire to go with anyone else! The service is impeccable. Staff are extraordinarily attentive and any need is quickly met. COVID canceled two trips with them in 2020 and I hope that my two booked going forward can occur.

You won't go wrong booking with VIKING!

I have done two tours, one down the Seine and the other from Budapest to Germany.
Smaller ships, more interaction, excellent shore excursions, Viking has everything I want in a painless, informative and fun vacation experience