All Viking OCEAN ships offer destination-rich itineraries marked by "small ship cruise" tour and onboard experiences. Viking River Cruises line is a global travel corporation (Viking Flusskreuzfahrten AG) headquartered in the USA. In 2000 Viking enlarged into the US market by establishing company's US headquarters in Los Angeles, California. The 7-ship "virtual" naming ceremony was via satellite connections and held in 4 riverports - Basel Switzerland (Sigrun and Einar), Rostock Germany (Ullur and Sigyn), Brunsbuttel Germany (Vali and Tir) and Oporto Portugal (Helgrim). This is CruiseMapper's page for the three Viking Cruises subsidiary companies - the sister-brands Viking RIVER, Viking OCEAN and Viking EXPEDITIONS, their fleets (riverboats, liners, polar ships), cruisetour itineraries, destinations, homeports, cruise tracker. November 29, 2021 Viking.TV Celebrates the Rhine River with Week of New Programming Read More. Prices start at US$4,400 per person with discounted airfare. . Ten days later, on March 30, Viking announced the cruise was canceled and 100% cash refunds would be given to customers but only for those who hadnt canceled previously. I argued a bit, but nobody knows anything--maybe upper Management. On January 11, Norwegian Cruise Line informed passengers that near-term sailings on additional ships would be canceled, primarily for departures over the next two weeks (details below). By 2027, Viking plans to increase its annual river shipping capacity to 100,000+ passengers (compared to 2018's 50,600) by deploying 6x boats. No, the representatives said. Viking Cruises also partnered with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). In September 2022 Fincantieri and Viking entered into an agreement for 4x more vessels (based on the option in the 2018-signed contract) with total value ~EUR/USD 1,7 billion. Due to strong demand, Viking Cruises has also announced 2023 dates for 4 existing Great Lakes expeditions: the 8-day Great Lakes Explorer, Undiscovered Great Lakes, Niagara & the Great Lakes itineraries, as well as the 13-day Canadian Discovery. In Australia, P&O Australia has suspended sailings until at least March 4, 2021, with Pacific Explorer cancelled until March 4 and Pacific Adventure up until April 30, 2021. Several Cruise Lines Cancel Sailings as Omicron COVID - Cruise Critic The bright return of holiday river cruising in 2021, heralded as the year the European Christmas markets would return, has dimmed even further as the German states of Bavaria and Saxony have also. We took advantage of that thinking it was the only offer we would get. I just pulled my Viking folder and on 6-25 (a month ago I was rudely dismissed by a Viking rep). CruiseMapper's Viking schedules also show how much will cost you to travel with the Viking brand. American Queen Steamboat Company: Crusing as of mid-March 2021 American Queen Steamboat Company resumed select sailings in the South in mid-March, followed by voyages through the Pacific. I just pulled my Viking folder and on 6-25 (a month ago I was rudely dismissed by a Viking rep). It takes them a few days to get their ducks in a row before they send out the cancellation notices. The representative promised to get back to Keyles. Viking Ocean Cruises was voted Best Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure readers in the 2016 World's Best Awards. November 4, 2021 Viking Announces New Expedition Voyages For Summer 2023 . And it all started in the not-so-distant 1997 with the establishment of the modest Viking River brand founded by a consortium of Scandinavian and Dutch investors, with only 4 second-hand riverboats bought in Russia. Looks like our September cruise to the Fjords is in the process of being cancelled! Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. VIKING OCEAN's 8-month long westbound voyage (officially named "Ultimate World Cruise") included a Transatlantic crossing (RepositionCruises.com) and passing through Suez Canal. 3 additional expedition cruises in North & South America are also due to debut in summer 2023. Viking's main competitors on the US market are American Cruise Lines and American Queen Voyages (fka AQSC). The cruise line offered her future cruise vouchers worth 125 percent of her fare. Plus the refunds went on as a voucher which had to be used before we boarded!! Please try again later. " Has Viking Cancelled Any 2022 Cruises - CruiseInfoClub.com Aula Auditorium provides direct access to Finse Terrace, which makes it an indoor-outdoor observation lounge. Viking OCEAN's current plans are for a fleet of 16 sisterships, all of which are. The lack of communication is extremely disappointing! Got the email from Viking on our Aug 25th, 2021 Paris to Normandy. Viking's Antarctic cruises are inclusive of 2 domestic charter flights (between Buenos Aires-Ushuaia) and an overnight hotel (in Buenos Aires / pre-cruise). Previously, Viking Egypt operated the Nile River and Lake Nasser itineraries with two chartered ships (Steigenberger Omar El Khayam and Mayfair). Please try again later. " Viking River Cruises: Reviews, Complaints, Customer Claims Celebrity is allowing travelers with bookings made by Jan. 31, 2022, to cancel as little as 48 hours before sailing for a full refund. Viking Expeditions ships operate in Arctic-Antarctica, Great Lakes, USA and Canada), Viking Ocean (global). In April 2021 was inaugurated the joint venture company "China Merchants Viking Cruises Co Ltd" (operating via the brand "Viking China Coastal Cruise"). Pax Global Media. Baltic Sea routes offer visits to 8 different countries, with a total of 11 cruisetours (all complimentary, included in the Viking Baltic deals prices). These boats are with modified longship design ("baby Longships") with only 2 decks (1/4 lighter) and capacity 98 guests (46 cabins). MVJ is locked for this specific cruise , and if you try to book the cruise (UK website) the first available Fjords cruise in now April 2022. In 2011 was launched Viking Legend's sistership Viking Prestige. The onboard cuisine is traditional Chinese (dishes prepared by Szechuan and Cantonese chefs) plus European dishes by Michelin-star chefs. Poor Customer Service, Refund Policy due to Covid-19 - Review of Viking Viking Cruise News: Expedition Cruise Ships To Have - Cruise Critic If you do not get cash compensation (from the travel insurance), Viking agrees to revisit your case and work out a settlement involving some amount of cash compensation rather than travel vouchers, he wrote. They would fly to Italy and take an 8-day Viking River Cruise called Italian Sojourn, which would travel around Italys boot from Civitavecchia to Venice. 2/3s of Longship's cabins are with French balconies, verandas, or both. This is a parallel situation I had a month ago when my Ukraine river cruise was cancelled just days after I paid the balance. However, as a business decision, it was the right move---just not done in a customer friendly way. Viking Cruises | Cruise Ship List - Cruises Only on 9/4 - but the header of the email said 9/3 on the Eir. Call us at 800-454-0927 to speak to a Cruise Concierge today. I see they are doing all August now, will take a bit to get to November, but this is kind of last minute for you. Couple fights to get full cash refund on $15K Viking River Cruise In early-April 2019, Viking and China Merchants Group (China's first commercial corporation/1872-founded) unveiled a plan to launch a new cruise line (joint venture company) for the Chinese market. Must be noted, that the 2013-launched Viking Grace (2800-passenger cruiseferry operated by VIKING LINE) was the first-ever passenger ship with a Snow Room. at a time when other cruise lines are canceling. The itineraries are operated by three new riverboats - Viking Ra (March 2018), Viking Osiris (August 2022) and Viking Aton (September 2023). The company is responsible for vessels berthing (cruise terminal arrangements), logistics, freshwater supply, customs, crew changes, passenger disembarkation/embarkation. Cruisetour itineraries range from 7 to 23 days and include as regions the European rivers Rhine, Main, Danube, Saone, Rhone, Seine, Elbe and Douro, also Ukraine's Dnieper, Russia's Volga, China's Yangtze, Burma's Irrawaddy and Cambodia-Vietnam's Mekong. Alright, I did mean to be precise, but you prefer to very precise, so of course you are correct . I usually praise Viking but I think they should definitely offer a "lift and shift" maintaining the same price for a similar cruise to that which they have cancelled. Optional (exclusive) deals include private jet travel (to any airport in Europe) for 1 day at the price of USD 30,000 pp. As a result of newbuilds and acquisitions, in 2014 the company had a river fleet of 52 vessels with a total of 9200 berths. At additional cost are only spa massages, beauty salon services; specialty beer, premium alcohol (wine and spirits), and some shore excursions. The new 8-day "Ancient Mediterranean Treasures" itinerary (between Athens and Istanbul) features overnights in both cities. The company's turnover (gross revenue) from both river and ocean shipping operations for 2015 was about USD 2 billion. . In January 2022, Viking became the world's first (and only) cruise line to built full-scale PCR laboratories onboard all OCEAN and EXPEDITION ships. I know a lot of this was not their fault and up till now I have been very pleased with how they were handling things, but this is just biting the hands that feed them! In China (on Yangtze River), Viking River Cruises operates under charter the large-sized boat Viking Emerald. Fosse's cruise and land tour to Eastern Europe became a casualty of COVID-19. Voyages aboard the Viking Sea are roundtrips from Piraeus-Athens and begin January 2021. Aula Auditorium (Deck 2 aft) is a glass-walled auditorium (with tiered seating) hosting lectures, media presentations, itinerary-themed port talks, live entertainment programs. That didnt seem fair, Keyles said. Departing on December 22, 2022, from Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale Florida), Viking World Voyage 2022 visits ports in Central America, follows Panama Canal transit and sailing up North America's West Coast. Keyles reminded the representative of the promise she had in writing from the other agent said about working with them on a cash settlement instead of the vouchers. In earlier months, the dates change, but always the same day of the week, i.e. Viking Cruises Ltd (shipowner) is the parent company of Viking Flusskreuzfahrten AG (Viking River Cruises) as well as of KD Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt GmbH, which is subsidiary of Koln-Dusseldorfer (aka KD Cruises, fka KD Line). Cruise tourists then fly to Luxor to visit Karnak and the Temples of Luxor before boarding the Viking cruise ship for a 7-night Nile cruise to Aswan and back. Northbound Atlantic: "VIKING EMPIRE" (Istanbul-Stockholm), Southbound Atlantic: "PASSAGE THROUGH WESTERN EUROPE" (Bergen-Barcelona), "SCANDINAVIA TO SPAIN" (Stockholm-Barcelona). Viking emailed Mar 2 2020 offering a voucher for the 75% cancellation fee those on cruises in Apr. In Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) Viking River Cruises charters riverboats from the Pandaw fleet - including the ships Katha Pandaw (as Viking Mandalay), and Orient Pandaw (as Viking Orient). We are Budapest to Bucharest, August 23 -September 2. 29-day Mediterranean's Iconic Shores, also sailing between Barcelona and Istanbul and including visits to Croatia and Montenegro. Offering 125% FCC. The list of its services also includes. Travelers can explore its Byzantine churches and Venetian homes, take a drive to the imposing fortress towering over the city, Palamidi, or travel to the Peloponnese peninsula. Funny, we are on the Rhine & Viking Shores and Fjords on August 3rd this year and this is still showing although I cannot get onto My Viking Journey as it is saying that "We're sorry, but our site is currently undergoing maintenance". Weird that you read. Of those, 6 are Longships (Einar, Sigrun, Sigyn, Tir, Ullur, Vali) plus one modified Longship design Douro River cruiser (Helgrim). When more than one cruise is booked, deposit and payment policies apply per Cruise Fare. Via this exclusive partnership, on every voyage scientists from the Institute undertake on the ship and also share with the cruisers their expertise. On May 17, 2013, the company announced the launch of its "Viking Ocean" division. Viking Cruises' arrival to the Mississippi River represents a major commitment to economic and tourism development in a lot of communities along the river, with the new sailings expected to bring over 5,800 passengers to the region in 2022 and more than 17,600 during the first full cruise season in 2023. It imposes restrictions on where USA-based ships can navigate and how to be staffed. While in port, passengers can walk the waterfront promenade with its many restaurants and cafes, or head outside the port city to the remains of the Macedonian kingdom of Alexander the Great. Disappointed with Viking Cruises cancellation policy. MS Amarco Antares (Nile River, Egypt) is an Amarco-owned hotelship operated by Viking under a charter. Viking Polaris Current cruise: 13 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso-Santiago Viking Expeditions Tracker Itineraries Deck plans Accidents Viking Neptune Current cruise: 137 days, one-way from Fort Lauderdale to London-Tilbury Viking Ocean Tracker Itineraries Deck plans Viking Mars Current cruise: 14 days, one-way from Sydney to Auckland "Modified" longships are smaller in size. Viking Neptune's World Cruise itinerary offers overnights (also double overnights) in 11 ports, including Auckland New Zealand, Sydney NSW Australia, Benoa Bali Indonesia, Saigon Vietnam, Singapore, Yangon Burma, Colombo Sri Lanka, Mumbai India, Haifa Israel, Istanbul Turkey and London-Greenwich (before the debarkation). The note proceeds were used for repaying all the company's loans used to finance the building of the Viking Ocean liners Star and Sky, as well as for repurchasing Viking Sea (operated on sale-leaseback agreement). Email also stated "Because we have cancelled itineraries that were not possible to operate given current circumstances, including your sailing, we have redeployed our ocean fleet to the newWelcome Backvoyages this summer. Compared to similar-class vessels operated by other companies, Viking OCEAN itineraries feature fewer sea days, longer port stays and many overnight ports of call. It could be true for the Main and I think they intend it also for the Elbe. Our Viking cruise embarkation was delayed by 2 days, shortening our trip from 12 to 10 days. In 2000 Viking acquired Koln-Dusseldorfer (KD River Cruises). Stanley Keyles looks at the Viking River Cruise website. Viking Venus is scheduled for the August 13-23 cruise. The 7-day American itineraries include roundtrips from NOLA/New Orleans, as well as one-ways between New Orleans and Memphis TN, and between St Louis MO and Minneapolis-Saint Paul MN. In 2019, the parent company also created the brand "Viking Expeditions" with a newbuild fleet of two small-sized expedition vessels - Viking Octantis (2021) and Viking Polaris (2022), plus an option for 2 more same-designed units. In 2017, Viking signed a sponsorship with National Geographic Society for shooting NatGeo's "Genius" (anthology series). Viking Announces Return of European River Cruises in July - Travel My Danube Waltz on 11-22-21 on the Embla is gone and my Viking Journey is locked. the same ship. However, the process is slowed due to issues regarding the so-called "Jones Act" (Merchant Marine Act from 1920). Deliveries were scheduled for 2026 and 2027 (2x units) and 2028 (2x units). The contract's potential value is approx NOK 5 billion (USD 611 million = EUR 525 m) for both ships, and also includes optional two more vessels of the same series. The Queen Elizabeth will operate U.K. cruises for locals this summer. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). They were given $8,953.75 in cash and $3,322.95 in travel vouchers, but they didnt think they would ever use them. We had planned a trip in 2021 and when Viking changed their requirements we chose to cancel our trip. Replacing the biodegradable oils, the water is being directly discharged into the sea. Today our group of four received emails confirming our Vikingtrip is a go! We reached out to the company to ask it to reconsider, especially because some of its customers did indeed receive full refunds. The first river cruises of Viking in the United States had been highly anticipated when they were announced in April 2020. Not sure on the UK site. As a division of Viking Cruises, Viking River Cruises has an estimated European river market share of ~49%. So I will have a look tomorrow. This technology lowers the vessel's maintenance costs and also the risk of sea pollution. Most passenger staterooms (189 total) are with French balconies, excluding only Deck 6's Suites (OS-Owner, ES-Explorer). Cruise Lines International Association/CLIA's projections for 2020 were that the number of Chinese cruisers to Europe will be the same (or larger) in comparison to the Americans. The final balance is due based on offer at VIKING OCEAN operates a 10-ship fleet of newbuilds (identically designed vessels). In 2013, Viking operated a 37 river ships fleet. Multiple sailing dates are available in June, July, September, and October 2023 and 2024. 8-day "Mississippi Holiday Season" from Memphis to New Orleans. Published on May 21, 2021. The experience (touted beneficial to the body's blood circulation) includes heating in a sauna (steam bath), then walking into this small room. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Scenic cruising: Mt Athos: On sea days, passengers will sail past Mt Athos, the "Holy Mountain" (UNESCO Site, the spiritual capital of Orthodox Christianity). Each of the swimming pools is at a different temperature. Cabin sizes vary between 21 m2 (Nordic Balcony / French Balcony) and 114 m2 (Owner Suite with 73 m2 Terrace Garden). 2022-2024 Viking Mississippi Voyages feature: 15-day "America's Great River" from New Orleans to Saint Paul. They offered a $250 per person onboard credit for the inconvenience. Both packages are priced from USD 50000 (EUR 43100 / ~GBP 39300) per person (double occupancy outside cabin rates). Here you can compare all Viking cruise ships (RIVER, OCEAN, EXPEDITIONS) and their itineraries, destinations, and departure dates. We both have autoimmune conditions. The good news is there are a lot excellent choices available to use your 125%. The sailings are with fly-cruise packages inclusive of two domestic flights (Cairo-Luxor-Cairo). In the wake of Austria imposing a country-wide lockdown as part of an effort to break a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, river cruise lines in Europe have announced changes and cancellations to various itineraries, bringing the final weeks of 2021 to a sour close. Viking Mississippi cruise itineraries visit seven US states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota) and the riverport cities Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans, St Francisville, Natchez, Vicksburg, Memphis, Hannibal, St Louis, Burlington, Dubuque, Davenport, La Crosse, Red Wing, Minneapolis-St Paul. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. All Viking Cruises Longships are named after Norse mythology gods and entities. Unless something changed, the answer is yes - must be used on a single cruise. Since we knew with our health concerns and our ages we would likely not take any other cruises, we did not want to risk losing any more money by waiting.. In 2013, the company launched its new brand "Viking Ocean Cruises". And while the travel vouchers are good for 24 months, given the state of the pandemic, the couples medical conditions and age, they didnt think they would be traveling any time soon. Powered by Invision Community. The KD purchase included an extremely valuable asset - the landing stages, and now Viking Cruises owns docks in more cities in Europe than it stops in. The first custom vessel of the company, Viking Mississippi, is scheduled to debut in August 2022 and sail on the Lower and Upper Mississippi River, between New Orleans and Saint Paul. Note: For the itinerary's all call ports see at the ship's Wiki section here. In late June, Keyles got a call from a Viking representative who said he would be reviewing the case. This ensures prime docking locations, easy passenger access and ability to walk into town directly. Nafpilo, Greece is set between the Bay of Argos and breathtaking mountains. Worldwide, Viking Cruises hires over 2,500 staff and crew. The London City (Port Greenwich) roundtrip itinerary was officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's "longest continuous passenger cruise". Until the 2015 slowdown, the company reported a steady growth of over 30% per year for the period 2010-2015. The new channel also livestream sessions with various guests (experts, scientists, celebrities) and allows real-time interaction by submitting comments and questions. 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. VIKING OCEAN restarted operations on May 22, 2021, with Viking Venus (UK from Portsmouth England). MV Viking Star became world's ever-first ocean ship with a "snow room". If they have for example four pairs of ships for the Rhine Getaway, they may only sail with three pairs. Viking OCEAN's main competitor on the European market is MSC Explora Journeys. Viking's Longitudinal World Cruises include chartered domestic flights in Argentina (between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires). The "Malta and Adriatic Jewels" itinerary started with an overnight in Valletta and visited ports in Montenegro (, The "Malta and Greek Isles Discovery" itinerary also started with an overnight in Valletta and visited ports in Greece (, The "Malta and the Western Mediterranean" itinerary started with Valletta overnight and visited ports in Sicily (. I have so far only paid a deposit so will only get a relatively small benefit from the 125% FCC.