That info should be in your email. At additional cost are only spa massages, beauty salon services; specialty beer, premium alcohol (wine and spirits), and some shore excursions. Wehad been locked out of MVJ for several days prior to this. In May 2017, Viking celebrated its 20th anniversary. On August 31, 2019, Viking Sun started the 245-day "Viking World Voyage 2019" spanning 6 continents and visiting 51 countries via 111 call ports (including 21 port overnights). In 2023, celebrating the company's 25th anniversary, Viking EXPEDITIONS offers "Longitudinal World Cruise I". Each tour boat is fitted with latest Safety Equipment (satellite phone, VHF radio, ropes, life jackets, survival kits). Journey with the world's #1 river cruise line. 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. Multiple sailing dates are available in June, July, September, and October 2023 and 2024. Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works The company's plan to enter the USA river cruising market was officially announced in 2015. Baltic Sea routes offer visits to 8 different countries, with a total of 11 cruisetours (all complimentary, included in the Viking Baltic deals prices). Viking Ocean Ships Currently Sailing: Viking Jupiter Viking Orion Viking Mars Viking Neptune Viking Saturn Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Venus On November 23, Disney . Media Center - Press Releases - Viking Cruises In 2016-Q3, Viking Flusskreuzfahrten AG terminated the charter deals with Pericon AG (shipowner) and stopped to operate the riverboats Viking Spirit (now Seine Comtesse), Viking Sun (now Rhein Melodie), Viking Helvetia (now Rhein Symphonie), Viking Pride (now Bijou du Rhone) and Viking Danube (now Filia Rheni 2). Viking's longship fleet totals 65 boats, delivered in the period 2012-2021. That didnt seem fair, Keyles said. KD Line is an 1826-founded, Cologne-based company with a fleet of 14 cruise vessels (including "event ships" and a paddle steamer) deployed in Germany, on the rivers Moselle, Rhine and Main. Feels like it is time to brace for another round of cancellations. Viking's expedition fleet will operate mainly polar cruises - in the European Arctic (Svalbard Islands and Arctic Russia, roundtrips from homeport Tromso Norway) and Antarctica (roundtrips are from homeport Ushuaia Argentina, with fly-cruise packages from Buenos Aires / included an overnight hotel stay prior departure and return flights). All of these really long ships have the same/hybrid engine powerplant. All Viking Cruises Longships are named after Norse mythology gods and entities. Viking Ocean Cruises was voted Best Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure readers in the 2016 World's Best Awards. Multiple sailing dates are available in August and September 2023 and 2024. Two of them could not be rebooked at this late date. Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey is among the world's best-preserved cities of antiquity. This ensures prime docking locations, easy passenger access and ability to walk into town directly. 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. Snow Grotto access is complimentary to all passengers. Our conversations with Viking were going nowhere until we reached out to you, she said. We think we were able to reach a reasonable settlement and are glad to put this behind us, Keyles said, noting that Viking asked them to sign a non-disclosure form that prevented them from giving the details of settlement. The itineraries are operated by three new riverboats - Viking Ra (March 2018), Viking Osiris (August 2022) and Viking Aton (September 2023). I had an online chat with Viking yesterday, where he said that our cruise had not been cancelled (yet) and to check back in 24-48 hours when MVJ is back online. Ok as I predicted, all sold out cruises have been dropped from Viking as of this morning. All European boats are Longships, with passenger capacity 190. UK site not showing new Malta cruises yet. We hear your concerns and have arranged for a Customer Relations Agent to connect with you directly to discuss available options for your upcoming voyage. 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). And I hope it is a good answer for you. Your personal data will be processed and information from your device (cookies, unique identifiers, and other device data) may be stored by, accessed by and shared with third party vendors, or used specifically by this site or app. It worked out for us. And certainly not in the next 24 months especially on a ship of any kind, Keyles said. Viking EXPEDITIONS summer 2023 season includes a new 2-week itinerary in the Great Lakes along with additional offers in North & South America. I have a bad feeling.if you do a search for cruises in August only 3 itineraries come up (2 of which are transoceanic). 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. No, the representatives said. 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). Viking's USA-based riverboats will be newbuilds (vessel building cost ~USD 90-100 million per unit), each with 5 decks, passenger capacity 386, all-balcony staterooms (193 cabins total), an aft-located infinity pool, bow ramp (for passenger landings). MS Steigenberger Omar El Khayam (Lake Nasser, Egypt) is a Steigenberger-owned ship operated by Viking under a charter. Our August 9th British isles Explorer cruise (which was supposed to be on the Venus) has obviously been canceled. Highlights of the Greek Odyssey itinerary include: The cruise fare includes balcony cabins for all passengers, complimentary shore excursions in all ports, all onboard meals, complimentary wifi, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, access to spa's Thermal Suite, and 24-hour room service. As of yesterday Kari disappeared off web sight for 2021.I now cannot get into my Viking account as it says it is being updated. Starting operations in 2022 with 1 ship (out of all 6 planned newbuilds), Viking's USA-based river cruise ships will be 5-deck, with all-balcony staterooms, aft-located infinity pool, bow ramp (for passenger landings). VIKING OCEAN's 8-month long westbound voyage (officially named "Ultimate World Cruise") included a Transatlantic crossing (RepositionCruises.com) and passing through Suez Canal. Baltic-UK: "BALTIC JEWELS and THE MIDNIGHT SUN" (Stockholm-London) and "INTO THE MIDNIGHT SUN" (Bergen-London). Claire and Stanley Keyles planned a dream vacation for June 2020. So I will have a look tomorrow. The cruise line announced the return of select itineraries in Portugal, France and . Till the end of 2014, the fleet grew to 52 riverboats. Thessaloniki, Greece is the 2nd-largest city in the country and offers a mix of modern life and ancient culture. Viking Neptune itinerary program was announced by VIKING OCEAN in late-December 2020. Which means that some passengers will change ship and date. All bookings made by April 30, 2020, received Risk-Free Guarantee that allows penalty-free cruise cancellation up to 24 hours prior departure. In October 2017, Viking River Cruises announced a shipbuilding order for 7 new riverboats. 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. Just in case someone is wondering: low water does not normally happen in December on the Rhine. Just got the official email from Viking saying our cruise has been canceled with the details of the 125% future cruise voucher which must be used on a 2021 or 2022 cruise. Fleetwide operations were planned to resume on October 1, 2020. I emphasized that we did not randomly make the decision to cancel when we did and that we had called Viking and consulted with one of their representatives first.. Viking River Cruises provides travelers with top-quality cruisetours and the world's newest and most innovative fleet of newbuild riverboats (by the patented "longship" design). Aula Auditorium provides direct access to Finse Terrace, which makes it an indoor-outdoor observation lounge. Viking's Arctic cruises (to Svalbard Islands and Arctic Russia) are roundtrips from homeport Tromso Norway and priced from USD 14,000 per person (double-occupancy balcony cabin). Started August 27, 2021, By Viking's Antarctic roundtrips are from homeport Ushuaia Argentina, with prices starting from USD 15,000 pp (fly-cruise packages from Buenos Aires with included overnight hotel stay prior departure and return flights to Europe-USA-Canada-Australia). No one expects to have to cancel a cruise. Viking Shores and Fjords - SEPT 2021 - Cruise Critic Community You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Most passenger staterooms (189 total) are with French balconies, excluding only Deck 6's Suites (OS-Owner, ES-Explorer). All Viking Ocean ships are from one series - same-designed, with same layouts, interiors and amenities, featuring spacious lounges, multiple dining options (several al-fresco / outdoor deck venues), 3-story Atrium, premium theater/show lounge, Sun Deck (with 2 swimming pools), Nordic-design Spa, Gym and sports area, Snow Room, duty-free boutique shops. CC Help Jenn The start of this story began in April 2021 when Viking CANCELED my July cruise to Norway and Iceland. Other destinations are the Great Lakes USA and Canada-New England. 10 more were launched in 2013, and additional 18 launched in 2014 (including 2 smaller ships purpose-built for Douro River in Portugal). Plus the refunds went on as a voucher which had to be used before we boarded!! https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/icelands-natural-beauty/pricing.html. I just pulled my Viking folder and on 6-25 (a month ago I was rudely dismissed by a Viking rep). In earlier months, the dates change, but always the same day of the week, i.e. On November 25, 2020, China Merchants Shekou and Viking officially signed the joint venture agreement a separate (China-flagged) fleet of sea liners for coastal cruises. Their godmothers were from USA (Los Angeles), the UK, and Russia. In 2013, the company launched its new brand "Viking Ocean Cruises". Their claim was denied and the couple let Viking know. Weird that you read. Viking River boats operate on the European inland waterways Danube, Rhine, Main, Mosel, Seine, Rhone, Saone, Douro, also in Asia (Mekong, Irrawaddy, Yangtze), Egypt (Nile, Lake Nasser), Ukraine (Dnieper), Russia (Volga, Svir, Neva, Lake Ladoga, Lake Baikal) and in the USA (Mississippi). You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By As part of the event, the Travelers hoping to enjoy a holiday voyage instead found themselves stranded off the Australian coast due to a fungus outbreak onboard Viking OCEAN's Townsville QLD (Queensland Australia) welcomed its first major cruise ship in 2+ years after Viking Cruises' ship Viking Orion visited the Port last 1 person died and 4 were injured after a giant wave broke several glass panels of an Antarctic Viking Cruises ship that was sailing south of Cape Viking Ocean Cruises announced it is taking US$1.5 billion in financing on 4 ships. As of 2020, Viking fully owned and operated a fleet of 6 ocean liners plus 76 riverboats (almost all of which are of the patented Longship-Class). He started in 1997 by purchasing four Russian vessels. Shorter itinerary segments are also available for booking, including the 119-day "Viking World Horizons 2022" (Los Angeles to London, departure January 10, 2022) that visits 49 ports in 22 countries. The company plans to add cruise ships on Mississippi River (USA). CC Help Jenn Viking's Nile River cruisetour is themed "Pharaohs and Pyramids". Scenic cruising: Mt Athos: On sea days, passengers will sail past Mt Athos, the "Holy Mountain" (UNESCO Site, the spiritual capital of Orthodox Christianity). Alright, I did mean to be precise, but you prefer to very precise, so of course you are correct . 8-day "New Orleans and Southern Charm" roundtrip from New Orleans. Great service, great listening to concerns, we couldn't be happier. Currently, Viking River Cruises USA offers 4 itineraries, themed as: The Viking Mississippi itinerary program offers visiting 7 states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota) and the port cities Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans, St Francisville, Natchez, Vicksburg, Memphis, Hannibal, St Louis, Burlington, Dubuque, Davenport, La Crosse, Red Wing, St. Paul. In March 2016, Viking OCEAN confirmed the order of three more ocean vessels, which was increased to four in 2017 (December). Viking Cruises also partnered with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Will Viking River Cruises Be Cancelled? Since August 2018, Viking Cruises (both brands/river and ocean) is an adults-only company that doesn't allow minor passengers (under 18 years of age) on its vessels. These ships also use seawater as a lubricant for their propeller shaft bearings. 2021 Mediterranean cruises start in September while any river cruise I checked still starts in July. The infinity pool (resistance swimming pool) on each ocean ship was a "first at sea" facility. Voyages aboard the Viking Sea are roundtrips from Piraeus-Athens and begin January 2021. Koln-Dusseldorfer was acquired by Viking in 2000. No idea about other rivers. Got the email from Viking on our Aug 25th, 2021 Paris to Normandy. Is Viking Cancelling Cruises? - Cruise Critic Community Prices start at US$4,400 per person with discounted airfare. The fact that Viking has so many ships on a route means that when they hit low water there is very likely another ship nearby going in the opposite direction. Optional (exclusive) deals include private jet travel (to any airport in Europe) for 1 day at the price of USD 30,000 pp. Mediterranean cruises leave from: Turkey (Istanbul), Italy (Venice, Rome /port Civitavecchia), Spain (Barcelona). As ownership, 1/5 (20%) of the company is owned by TPG Capital (US investment company) and CPP Investment Board (CPP=Canada Pension Plan). The shipbuilding contract was officially signed on July 23, 2018. We took advantage of that thinking it was the only offer we would get. The longer/71-day itinerary visits 33 ports (10 countries, 3 continents). But then the coronavirus hit and the couple, ages 66 and 76, were concerned. All excursion programs ashore are organized by Viking River Cruises. The Hangar is an aft-located indoor marina for launching the smaller-sized RIBs (rigid inflatable boats). In mid-December 2020, Viking and China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings officially announced the creation of the new joint venture company "Viking China Coastal Cruise" focused on mid-sized luxury ship voyages in China exclusively. See below the list of main Viking OCEAN itineraries as themes and ports of call: All voyages include overnight stays in both ports (of departure and final disembarkation). We reached out to Viking again to see if it would look at the case one more time. 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. geordie_jim, May 4, 2021 in Viking Ocean. . On both riverboats, all the hotel staff is Mandarin-speaking, all the signage is in Mandarin (from menus to toiletries). 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 (. The first longship's 2016 itineraries (starting November 10) are on Rhine River, between homeports Amsterdam and Basel. Had a look atpossible cruises following todays cancellation and the fares seem to have increased substantially. Viking OCEAN's current plans are for a fleet of 16 sisterships, all of which are. In mid-September 2016 was announced that TPG Capital and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board intend to make a joint investment of USD 0,5 billion in Viking Cruises. In 2015, Viking's European river cruise sales became a bit slower than expected. He advised us that if we were thinking about rebooking in 2021, we should wait to see if Viking cancelled our 2020 cruise making us eligible for a 125% voucher. Fourteen new sailings for Iceland have been added as of this morning. The sailings are with fly-cruise packages inclusive of two domestic flights (Cairo-Luxor-Cairo). Fleetwide operations were planned to resume on October 1, 2020. Everybody please keep reporting. November 4, 2021 Viking Announces New Expedition Voyages For Summer 2023 . Fingers crossed we get to go on this one. Next is the Viking Yangtze River (China) cruise itinerary map that shows all ports locations (along Yangtze River) as well as the domestic flight connections (Beijing-Xian-Chongqing and Shanghai-Wuhan). The new domestic travel brand (China Coastal Cruise Project) was scheduled for inauguration in 2021-Q1 with Viking Sun - transferred to the joint venture (news 8277). The launch platform features a 26 m (85 ft) wide rollers-covered slipway (boat ramp) that allows safe and sheltered embarkation on the RIBs inside the cruise ship. (14-nights) "Mediterranean Explorer" (visits 5 countries, included 12 land tours). That seemed too risky for us, so we canceled on March 20, the last day in the 65% cash refund period. CruiseMapper provides you with free-of-charge schedules with listed cheapest ticket prices per person per itinerary. The move. Beer, soft drinks and wine by the glass are included with lunches and dinners. As we watched the COVID pandemic expand and followed the news about the cruise ship outbreaks, we knew we would not be going on our upcoming trip, Claire Keyles said. 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). The Viking riverboats Ra-Osiris-Aton cruise only on the Nile portion (roundtrip from Luxor). Line's river cruises are targeted primarily to English-speaking travelers in the UK, North America and Australia. Asian rivers - Ukraine's Dnieper, Russia's Volga, China's Yangtze, Myanmar-Burma's Irrawaddy and Vietnam's Mekong. Stanley Keyles looks at the Viking River Cruise website. Will Viking River Cruises Be Cancelled? - River Cruising - Cruise The onboard cuisine is traditional Chinese (dishes prepared by Szechuan and Cantonese chefs) plus European dishes by Michelin-star chefs. Viking Cruises' Risk-Free Guarantee Policy NEW [Temporary] Policy: The Risk-Free Guarantee allows guests to change their cruise date up until 14 days before their planned departure?and Viking will waive any fees. In early 2018 was announced, that the Viking Cruises company raised USD 975 million through a private placement of USD 275 million (5,875% secured notes due in 2027) plus USD 675 million (5% secured notes due in 2028). 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. 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. They additionally include hotel stays in a variety of cities, mainly in Shanghai and Beijing. Worldwide, Viking Cruises hires over 2,500 staff and crew. The FCC is valid for 24 months (after cancellation), for any Viking cruise itinerary (river-ocean-expedition) and fully transferable. 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. I'm not disappointed, just a bit disappointed in Viking's communications of a loyal 9 cruises and two more upcoming customer. 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 November 2020, Viking Cruises announced investments from its minority shareholders TPG Capital (fka Texas Pacific Group) and CPP Investments (Canada Pension Plan Investment Board) that added ~USD 500 million net proceeds to support Viking's development. the same ship. Viking Ocean and River is currently operating all upcoming scheduled itineraries. So ?? My Danube Waltz on 11-22-21 on the Embla is gone and my Viking Journey is locked. The soaring peaks of the peninsula are home to twenty monasteries where monks work to preserve a vast collection of liturgical works and art. In March-April 2021, Viking OCEAN announced plans to restart operations with, European rivers Rhine, Main, Danube, Saone, Rhone, Seine, Elbe, and Douro. In January 2021, the vessel changed registry (from Norway to China) to qualify for the Chinese coasting trade. It is of course for low water scenarios, I did not say that explicitly. Aula Auditorium (Deck 2 aft) is a glass-walled auditorium (with tiered seating) hosting lectures, media presentations, itinerary-themed port talks, live entertainment programs. 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 The new company's fleet currently includes only Viking Sun (Zhao-Shang-Yi-Dun) but will be expanded by adding China-made newbuilds in the following years. Powered by Invision Community. The company-exclusive online TV channel provides enrichment content and real-time video streaming from worldwide locations. In addition, Viking announced 3 new departures (in October, November and December 2021) of the 15-day "Panama Canal and Central America" itinerary roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Florida). In April 2004 Viking expanded in China with cruise tours on Yangtze River. The brand's enrichment program is based on shipboard events (lectures, entertainment) and shore excursions themed on local history, traditions, nature, food. Certain days, ships going both directions on several itineraries are showing sold out. Explorers Bar is on Deck 5. After Walt Disney Cruise Line (with MS Disney Magic, 1998-launched), Viking became industry's second cruise brand company to launch a purpose-built passenger liner (Viking Star). The new 8-day "Ancient Mediterranean Treasures" itinerary (between Athens and Istanbul) features overnights in both cities. Just looked at the new Malta and Adriatic sailings. Unless something changed, the answer is yes - must be used on a single cruise. 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. Its always still sailinguntil its cancelled. Since the focus is on the port cities and river cruising, activities onboard are geared towards enrichment lectures. Viking river cruise itineraries range from 7 to 23 days. The "16-fleet" news was announced on March 6, 2018, when Viking entered an agreement with Fincantieri for 6x more ocean vessels, to be delivered in the period 2024-2027.