Viking Reviews 317

I went to Antarctica with Viking and can honestly say it was the most memorable vacation my travel companion and I have ever taken. The ship was beautiful, destination/activities were incredible, and the staff was second to none. Highly recommend.

I applied for this company and fortunately didn't get hired. The amount of negative reviews received from this company is despicable and I didn't know this prior to interviewing with them. I interviewed with an Andres Suarez, who didn't speak English clearly enough for me to understand him throughout the interview, nor did I get impeccable mannerisms from his interview style, so this was the first red flag. Second red flag was when I was interview bombed/bullied about the session being recorded for quality and training purposes, leaving me with no choice but to proceed, and when a second person, a woman, joined my interview without prior knowledge or consent, and with whom Mr. Suarez announced right before my interview would be joining us. This lack of transparency is highly unprofessional and unacceptable. I should have been previously notified that there would be two people meeting with me. Those people also should have properly introduced themselves, and gave small introductions of their roles with Viking Cruises considering there's enough time to do so within twenty five minutes. I know nothing of the role titles that either of these two people hold, or how long they've been with the company etc. etc. Not only did this gesture turn me completely off, but when it became the woman's turn to interview me, she went directly into interrogating me with impromtu waitress questions about food and drink items on an imaginary menu, that totally caught me off gaurd, as this approach was entirely unecessary, and did not align with the expectations of a professional interview setting. Today I can't even recall her name or what her job position is at Viking because she never properly introduced herself. Fortunately I failed this mystery woman's interrogation questions, because she wasn't dressed professional enough for me, her look did not match at all Viking's supposed "impeccable grooming standards"(messy hair up in a high bun no!), her video quality was poor, her video lacked proper lighting, and her background was filled with a lot of distraction. No thank you. You both did me a HUGE favor and it's not being employed with either of you. Thank you so much!

Well, listened to the ad. When the CEO gives his spiel about about being kind and wanting to help. Asked about a job but heard nothing. So much for that. Was that genuine or just to give a warm fuzzy glow?

Poor experience whilst on the cruise, level of customer service is dreadful. The experience has put us of cruising ever again. Definitely not worth the money.

The cruise was great, BUT the Viking pre-experience was HORRIBLE.
1) When it comes time to make excursion reservations, you are given a specific day and time to reserve your choices. I was ready the moment it opened; however, the Viking system did not function properly, so I called a Viking rep for help. She started quizzing me on all kinds of reservation details that wasted my time while I was trying to make my reservations. Then she locked my account so I was unable to make any reservations at all. I had to call a second rep to get my account unlocked by a superviser. In the meantime, I had missed out on making some reservations I had planned to confirm.
2) For the Antarctica Expedition, you are required to have a "Medical Assessment." My Viking agent told me I could have my PCP do it. I filled out the required form: all my answers were "NO." I do not smoke, drink, take drugs, nor take any medications. I walk an average of 3 miles per day. My PCP spent time going over the Assessment form with me, and she signed off that I had no medical issues and was in top physical condition. I submitted it on December 3, 2024 to VIKAND (a medical assessment organization used by Viking). I heard nothing from them until January 3, 2025, at which time they rejected the assessment because it was not stamped by an MD--which was not a requirement, according to my Viking agent. I called Viking Guest Services and they were of no help at all--in fact the agent was quite argumentative that I had to pay VIKAND $165 to get an MD to approve my assessment form. At this point I was very upset! So, I paid VIKAND and got a phone appointment. The MD was 20 minutes late for my phone appointment and had not even read the form I had previously submitted. He only asked me one question: "Are you physically active?" The phone conversation was less than 3 minutes, and he approved my assessment. This is a SCAM on the part of VIKAND to get money. There was no reason for VIKAND to reject my original assessment. And Viking was not at all helpful to resolve the problem.
3) I saw people on the cruise that I couldn't believe had been approved by VIKAND: there was a blind lady being led around the ship, using a white cane (why was she allowed to go to Antarctica?); there were overweight people who required extra assistance from the Viking crew to get in and out of the zodiacs; there was a man who had all the evidence of having had a stroke, who had to be helped everywhere by a relative.
In sum, I am disgusted with the Viking pre-process that led up to the cruise; and there was a complete lack of client consideration. And for this, the cost was $27,000.

We had a frustrating experience with using our flight credits. This will be our first Viking Ocean cruise in the Med. We spoke several times to Viking and were given conflicting advice about booking the flights and the process and timing that were involved.

In the end we could see the flights booking out and the prices increasing. So, we took it on ourselves to book our tickets. Viking had told us if we did this we would get $500 each towards our flight.

When eventually they responded to our flight request, it was significantly more expensive, even thought they say it will be wholesale.

If we had gone this way, we would have saved some money but would have not had any certainty. This is important when you are arranging a trip with several components to coordinate.

I think Viking should either offer a good booking service that is efficient or just not offer flight credits and reduce the fares. By comparison we are about to do a Oceania cruise and they have been clear and responsive! YMMV

Booked a cruise direct on 1-8-25 for a cruise 11 months later, 12/23/25. Told agent this was our first cruise, so I had no experience with the ins/outs of cruises. Later, I get inundated with Viking information, my head was spinning, but I thought I had a month or so to digest it all.
Agent DID NOT mention a cancel fee of $100/per person! I paid a $25/pp booking fee which I knew was non-refundable. This is an unacceptable and deceptive business practice! The cancel fee should be clearly stated & understood at the time of booking.Now I’m out $200 for a cruise 11 months away. Viking is not compromised in any with this cancelation.

2/1/25 We find out our daughter is PG and need to cancel cruise. Mind you I’m cancelling less than 30 days after making the booking for a cruise 11 months away! I get told there is a $100/pp cancel fee! Unacceptable!

I will never do business with Viking. There are lots of other cruise lines.

Everything about the cruise was wonderful! People and crew very accommodating. The shows were amazing and well enjoyed by all.Now to the part why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars was the excursion Lord Of The Rings in Christ Church. It was the only excursion I REALLY was wanting to do Although very expensive $339. Having to book this so quickly as to avoid closed. The excursion was booked as I thought we were going to see the house the area where it was filmed etc. I was not aware that the 8 hr tour was a bus ride to there and back where you looked in the distance at a rock area and was given a photo book of the filming of the Lord of The Rings. With the driver talking the whole time about the filming. All it was were rocks. green grass and sheep, rivers. I didn't think I paid for this. I thought it was the actual housing. All I saw was Lord of The Rings and had my travel agent book it as I was at work when the time was to sign up. I was not the only person that complained and the 4 hr ride back people were falling asleep. That was the whole day in Christ Church. I really think the excursion planner should be more descriptive and let people change the title. Most recognizable locations!!! Are you kidding me! The location that we drove for 8 hrs I could have seen in Az, Utah, Colorado. I didn't need to pay that amt nor drive 8 hrs listening to someone talking about the hills and the rivers and etc. So if you REALLY want to See more about the Lord of the Rings and not 8 hrs pick the Hobbit ! which is the next day In Wellington all don't waste your time or money on the one I had my travel agent sign me up on. The Trilogy on Amazon is cheaper

My husband and I recently traveled on the Orion to New Zealand and Australia, and it was an exceptional experience. Upon arriving in our cabin, I noticed the refrigerator wasn't functioning properly. I promptly informed guest services, and they sent a skilled maintenance technician to resolve the issue quickly. The crew on board impressed us at every turn, and we thoroughly enjoyed the outstanding entertainment options available. The restaurant staff were incredibly attentive, ensuring each meal was a delight. Our cabin steward, Say, provided remarkable service, keeping our space impeccably tidy and welcoming.

The ship itself was maintained to the highest standards, reflecting the care and attention of the staff throughout our journey. We found the educational talks to be incredibly enriching, adding depth to our travels, and the excursions were not only well-organized but truly enjoyable. I also want to commend the captain for skillfully navigating us through some rough seas, ensuring our safety. We are eagerly anticipating our next adventure with Viking!

Into the STORM Viking Vela 1/16/2025
Bad choice Viking… 100 per hour winds, 40 foot waves! People physically hurt! Not to mention the emotional toll of going out into basically a category 2 hurricane! We bobbed around like a cork in the water. Glass breakage, furniture thrown everywhere. Water everywhere, patio doors broken. We are at port in Alesund Norway because our ship lost steering and propulsion. Our compensation you might ask … A free drink package for the rest of the cruise so we can all drink and forget about this and 60 percent off another cruise to trust them with our lives again. The captain stood on stage the night before telling us there were going to be 50 mile an hour winds behind us. We were worried but nothing prepared us for what we encountered. All for money, press on Viking … who cares how many lives you put at stake. I sustained a head injury as i said many are injured. Try to bury this and press on for money. Who made the choice to send us into that storm ?!!!

Worst vacation ever!
Viking Jupiter Cruise 6/16/2024 to 6/25/2024
We lost touring in Venice due to arriving 18 hours because of an airline delay. Viking made no attempt to find a way for us to tour Venice.
We both got sick from some kind of flu bug (not covid) on the 2nd day on the way to Split. My wife was too sick to tour the city.
Same for the 3rd day in Dubrovnik and the 4th day in Kotor.
5th day: We managed to tour Corfu because it was mostly travel by motor coach.
6th day: Katakolon to Olympia via motor coach. Temperatures were approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Too much walking, not enough breaks, we couldn't keep up and the group and they were at least a half mile ahead of us. My wife started experiencing chest pain. The tour guide showed no interest in our problem. Somehow, we made it back to the ship and went immediately to the medical doctor in their clinic. They performed a few tests which were inconclusive and gave her some nitroglycerin. She immediately felt much better. They recommended that we go to the hospital on shore. At this point the ship should have left port over an hour earlier. Viking quickly helped me pack our luggage and rushed us off the ship. There was an ambulance waiting for us at the pier and a man said that he was from Viking and would help us at the hospital. We never saw him again. The ship left as soon as we got off.
The hospital that we were taken to was a free community hospital on the east coast of Greece. It was dirty and old. We were there for only an hour when another ambulance came to take us to Metropolitan Hospital in Athens. It was a 5 hour drive.
Metropolitan Hospital is a private hospital. They did some more tests and said that my wife needed 3 stents which were performed the next morning. They would not let me see her the next day. Then they hit me with the bill. 43,000 euros. They would not accept the insurance that we bought through Viking. When I said that I didn't have 43,000 euros, they asked what I could pay. I said 21,000 euros. They said "OK." It seemed like a possible scam or were they being nice. We will never know.
We left the hospital after 2 days against their medical opinion because our flight home was the next day.
We finally found a Viking representative at the hotel where the group was staying before leaving Athens. Got to the airport and made it back home.
My wife saw her doctors here in Chicago and she is feeling much better. Both her arms were completely back and blue.
I spoke with the Viking representative and told him our terrible story. He offered us $500 each off our next Viking Cruise. I said that you must be kidding. He raised the offer to $1000 each. We spent $16,000 with airfare and insurance. Even if he offered us an all paid cruise we would have declined.
Lastly, the cruise clinic charged us $1,212 for their services. We got back almost all of the expenses through Medicare part B and the Viking insurance through Ship Mate but it took 6 months.
My advice is to skip Viking Cruise’s insurance and get a better travel insurance that is accepted at all of your ports of call.
Gary Frisch
1/12/2025

This is an extension to my previous review as we now completed the trip which was a 15 day cruise to mediterran and northern africa. Several changes in itinerary both before and during the cruise. But the primary complaint stands, very limited activities and very limited or poor entertainment. The open seating in the main restaurant very poorly organized as one had to check in with a hostess who then summoned another host/hostess to a table. This interchange sometimes took 15 minutes with a backup of guests waiting to be seated. Once we were led to the table we noticed many empty seatings. We were told they hadnt counted on so many using the main dining room so didnt contract enough personnel (e.g. waiters). In the explorer lounge one would give their order to the hostess at the counter. When it was delivered it was never complete. The fruit didnt arrive, the bread didnt arrive. Nothing arrived together. We had to ask for butter and the toast we ordered at least 6 separate times.
The beds are not so comfortable, somewhat lumpy.
The food was ok, elegantly served, waiter service good, room service rapid but i wouldnt say thorough cleaning.
The tours generally not very interesting. Some lectures very good especially with Russell.
So i wouldnt say in general i personally would recommend Viking, we are back home and can say there was nothing memorable about this 15 day trip as compared to other cruiselines we have previously taken.

The communication with the clients is really poor and inefficient.
I have made a reservation for a trip from helsinki to tallin.I have received a booking confirmation, that doesnt mention that we should made a check in before, or arrive earlier on board. Given that i didnt know this information, once im not a frequent user of this services, and given that the schedule on the ticket was 10.30h, i have arrived at 10.10am and they have refused me the boarding saying that i should be there 30 minutes earlier from the departure time and i had to check in. I didnt know this, and when i have received the email confirming me the booking this requirement was not communicated. Later i found this information on the file attached with the ticket in small Letters. This is not a proper communication of a such important requirement to travel.
I couldnt on board, and i had to book another trip with other company. Besides i have lost 4 hours from my trip.
After making a formal complaint to the company, they told me that should be my responsibility to guess how the service works. I should have consulted the website...
On their point of view it is not the company responsibility to properly communicate the conditions of the service. We, as a costumers, should know that it is mandatory to do check in.
At the end i had to buy another trip, loosing time and money. It would be preferable to book with other companies as eckerö lines, that has sent me the ticket with a QR code that allowed me to enter directly on board.

We travelled on a Viking Ocean Cruise around the Western Mediterranean, last month, on the Viking Sky. I was ill with a UTI, and notified our tour guide on a bus excursion, as recommended by the agent at Viking's Travel Services desk, before I got on, that I would likely need a bathroom break (it was roughly a 2 hour drive). She angrily refused. Worst of all, she was already miked, and live, so all the other passengers got to hear me refused, chewed out, over a sensitive medical problem. A doctor onboard told me, when I got treatment that afternoon, that she sees this all the time. 40-50 UTIs, so far this year, which she believed were at least in part due to cramming many geriatric guests onto buses and not permitting timely comfort stops. Longer review on Yelp. It looks as though I had a happier experience last year, on Viking, but that was another traveler with the same name (different middle name and state of residence). Viking sent us documents intended for her, disclosing her address and other data, for five months, and never corrected the mix up.

I just got on Trustpilot for the first time today and I’ve got to say my first reaction is that it is very much a resource for grumps! I went to check ratings for a tour company I like and found it rated very low. Having been a professional investigator for many years my first thought was to check out the rating for a company that I know is really above reproach, so I came here to check the Viking Cruises rating. My suspicions were verified. For heaven sakes! Viking is amazing! We went to Alaska and Antarctica with them and they were everything as advertised. Also, they have been over the top fair with us during all the Covid cancellations. Now, has everything always worked out perfectly? You don’t cross the Drake Passage if that is your expectation. The majority of the bad comments here are about flights and excursions, neither of which are necessary to be booked through Viking.
Viking gives a stellar product. There are lots of really good cruise lines that are very fun to sail with, where I have enjoyed wonderful experiences. Viking fills a niche, and we are fortunate to have them.

We took a cruise on Viking Buri an 4th August. We were due to fly, from LHR on a BA flight arranged as part of the package, at 1000am. As we were travelling from Bath this meant a very early start and, with it, an early night beforehand. During the night we received a notification from BA to say that our flight was cancelled and we were now booked on 6th. As it was only a week's holiday this was no good. During the night and the following day, though they tried to give wrong information initially, with the help of Viking, and having cancelled and rebooked taxis,we travelled at 1700, arriving at the ship around 2215. The refreshments on the flight were the meanest we'd ever encountered, a tiny, tiny packet of corn and a bottle of water. I say all this to demonstrate that we were tired and hungry. As Viking had been kept informed of our delay and progress imagine our surprise when they said they had a sandwich waiting for us. It was a bit disappointing.
This was our 3rd Viking cruise and we were further disappointed that, having got themselves a formula, Viking hadn't changed a thing. Thus was again disappointing. You have to move in. There were no surprises save for the fact that they abandoned any commentary. For us, this was a loss of enjoyment.
We have raised our concerns and been offered modest vouchers. But given that we missed meals, the chance to bond with fellow travellers and the chance to look at Avignon we don't think this really acknowledges this and it became clear that customer services were interested in dealing with correspondence and moving it on rather than addressing issues. They said that they had raised concerns with senior management but it turned out that this was senior management of the ship rather than the company. This is asking the pupil to mark their own homework.
In the light of this, I emailed a senior executive of the company but received no response.
Given we thought this a high end holiday this was all disappointing.

In 2023 we took a Viking river cruise from Bucharest to Vienna. The cruise itself was wonderful; the food on board very good and the metre D and chef took special care dealing with my allergies. however, the entertainment on board was very poor; there was a great keyboard artist who, when he was permitted to play, played wonderfully and we could dance, but he was often preempted by rather inane talk from the cruise host about some of the places we were visiting. There was very little local talent brought on board. We were just made to learn from both management and some crew on board that our staff gratuities were not in fact divided among the staff on board Kept by a Viking. We were given a rather halfhearted Explanation that they were put toward “staff events” but on discussing the issue more with staff, we were told that they’ve never heard of such events and certainly never participated. it became obvious that our staff gratuities were simply kept by Viking. our cruise included airfare, arranged by Viking, which we were forced to take because they would not give us a credit and let us arrange our own airfare. Were included. Arrival at the airport in Bucharest, the driver did not have our name on his list and never heard of us. despite the fact that Viking insisted on arranging the airfare and transfers. We purchased upgrades to premium economy, but for some inexplicable reason, although we paid, we did not receive those upgrades on two of the legs; one outbound and one return. On the return, we were downgraded after it was confirmed we had premium economy. Viking was useless when we contacted them to correct the issue. We took the issue to the airline who looked into the matter and reinstated our premium economy for that leg, which was from Toronto YYZ to Victoria, British Columbia YYJ.

My wife and I took the Viking Grand European River Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam on Viking Skirnir, ending on October 14, 2024. The cruise was delightful until the very end after passenger reviews were turned in. The Viking bus dropped us off over half a mile away from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam in an unmarked remote area, while other buses dropped their passengers off right at the airport departure entrance. 70+ year olds had to drag their heavy suitcases over streets and curbs at a brisk pace set by the young Viking guide. My partially disabled 72 year old wife with an artificial shoulder, dragging two suitcases behind her, didn’t see one of the many curbs at the halfway point. A wheel caught the curb and turned the suitcase into her ankle, causing her to fall heavily onto the pavement. She suffered knee and arm injuries, with her arm injury bleeding through her blouse. The suitcase wheel was broken beyond repair. Two other kind passengers took her suitcases and we all struggled on with no medical assistance made available. The guide left us at departures sweaty, worn out, and hurting, and recommended she get medical attention. Until this last crucial point in our trip, we would have rated Viking five out of five stars. But Viking turned the trip into a one-star nightmare.

This was not our first cruise with Viking but our 4th.
The 3rd had issues but this one was a financial disaster! How many companies keep your money by issuing credits for what they cannot provide and then give you a couple of days to spend the credits or donate them to Viking?
They could not provide the rail trip on the Glacier Express and then countless lunches which we had to buy in different towns. We paid for a leisurely river trip and spent hour after hour, day after day in buses.
When all this adds up to $900+ in credits it’s the biggest rip-off ever.

I have not received as much as an acknowledgment of receipt of my complaint from Viking. I guess that is not surprising considering how they do everything else.

Our cruise started on the Sunday from Lyon France however we didn't leave until the Tuesday, during most of that time in dock we had another river boat tied up at the side of ours , our view from the room balcony was another bedroom on the other boat which meant we had to close the curtains as the other bedroom was occupied, this happen a number of times throughout the voyage and one boat had its engine running for hours, this sent diesel fumes throughout our boat.

We booked an excursion to the Ardeche this included a visit to a lavender farm and a visit to its museum, what they didn't tell when booking is that the lavender had been harvested, they showed us a video of what we should have seen.
Included in this excursion was lunch, this was a set meal for all which consisted beef and veg, no choices
( although the restaurant had an extensive menu) it appeared pre cooked plated and ready to serve, My wife and a couple of other guests who said they don't not eat meat were not offered an alternative they just took the meat off the plate.

The boat had a top deck with sun loungers, tables, chairs and awnings from which you could view the surroundings, there is also a games areas and a smoking point, once the boat left dock all these items were folded down and stowed away, we were told this is to allow the boat to sail under there bridges across the river, the meant that whenever the boat was moving we were confined inside to our cabin or the lounge.

Had we have known about the above we would not have booked this type of river cruise