VIKING CRUISE LINE’S FINAL PAYMENT POLICY DECODED (2024)

FAQs

How far in advance does Viking require final payment? ›

The final balance is due based on offer at time of booking. Final payment of the remainder of the Full Fare is due and must be received at least one hundred and eighty (180) days prior to departure for Viking World & Grand Cruises.

Cancellation received | Following charges will apply: (Broken out by days before departure) 121 days or more is $100 per person | 120-90 days is 15% of full fare | 89-60 days is 35% of full fare | 59-30 days is 50% of full fare | 29-0 days is 100% of full fare.

As a general rule, you put down a deposit at the time of booking, and then make final payment generally 60 to 90 days before the sailing date.

Gratuities. Viking adds an automatic service gratuity (which it calls a “hotel and dining charge”) of $15 per person per day to final bills, depending on your cabin category. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can adjust this amount before disembarking at the Explorers' Desk.

Cruise Day Wear

Comfortable trousers or jeans are best, or shorts or skirts are also appropriate if the weather calls for it. Lightweight, breathable tops. Both long and short-sleeved. Comfortable walking shoes.

Any additional tipping is at your discretion. Should you choose to tip your local Viking Host, Viking Representative, local guides and/or drivers, we recommend doing so in cash. We suggest $5 USD per person per day for local guides and $2 USD per person per day for drivers.

From the final payment date to 56 days prior to sailing, the penalty is the standard deposit amount. From 55 days prior to sailing to 30 days prior to sailing, the penalty is 50% of the total fare or the standard deposit amount, whichever is greater.

For most cruise lines, as long as you cancel before your final payment date, there is no penalty. After final payment, you will lose your deposit or the deposit and a portion of your cruise fare, depending on when you cancel in relation to your sail date.

The covered reasons will vary by policy, but in general, the covered reasons for canceling a trip will include: Injury or illness of insured, travel companion, family member, or business partner. Hurricane or natural disaster strikes destination.

Credit card. This is the simplest and most used method of payment. Upon boarding, you will present a credit card on which an amount will be pre-authorized (to check if you have any credit left). At the end of the cruise, the total amount of your purchases will be charged on the credit card.

Do you get a bill at the end of a cruise? ›

You will receive a paper statement at the end of your cruise (usually the last night) alerting you to the balance that will be charged to your account.

You should have no problems changing your cruise cabin after booking, although you will have to pay extra. It's very easy to upgrade by contacting the cruise line or your travel agent. Some cruise lines also offer programs to allow you to bid for upgrades closer to the departure date.

What happens if you don't tip on a cruise? Most cruise lines work on the basis that the crew members' pay structure is based on receiving tips. If you choose not to tip, for whatever reason, you are impacting the salaries of the crew who have served you so well during your cruise.

Generally, guests tip $15 to $20 per day per passenger for the cabin steward and dining room staff on a cruise.

Viking River Cruises offer two ways to manage your gratuities: you can relax and enjoy your journey by pre-purchasing gratuities on My Viking Journey at our standard recommended rate of US$18 per guest per day; or, we will automatically add a discretionary service charge of €15 per guest per day to your shipboard ...

Although there is a mix of ages on the Viking River ships, most passengers are 60 plus, and many are retired, especially those favoring the longer voyages.

Dress is casual on-board Viking River, with shorts, slacks or jeans advised.

The Minibar is Included on Viking Cruises

Onboard Viking the mini bar is included. How often it is replenished depends on your cabin grade. The standard balcony cabin is only filled at the start of your cruise but the other categories are filled whenever they are empty.

Are Viking Ocean Cruises all-inclusive? Viking Ocean cruises are about as all-inclusive as you can get on a cruise. You won't find any additional charges for the alternative restaurants, Wi-Fi, or even wine, beer, and soft drinks at lunch and dinner.

How much is laundry on Viking Ocean? ›

Viking Ocean Cruises

Self-service laundry, including detergent, is free of charge. For a shirt (laundering only), the send-out cost is $2.50–$4.

Trip Cancellation is a benefit that can provide coverage for non-refundable trip payments in the event that a trip has to be cancelled for a covered reason. One covered reason for trip cancellation is the death of a family member of yours or your traveling companion.

Yes, policyholders with Trip Cancellation coverage are able to cancel their flight or cruise in the event of a medical issue before their trip if they, their travel companion, or a non-traveling family member experience unforeseen illness, injury, or death leading up to a trip.

New federal rules require a refund whenever a cruise that starts in the U.S. is cancelled or delayed at least three days. You can voluntarily agree to a credit. Otherwise, you get your money back. You also get back any ancillary fees you pre-paid.

Call the Cruise Line (And Be Polite) No matter when you see a price drop, it's worth a polite call to see if the cruise line will work to refund the money. Often (though not always) it will work. As you can see above, if the price is lowered within 48 hours of your booking, you can fill out a form to get your refund.

120–91 days before sailing: $250 plus administrative fee, which varies and can be converted to a future cruise credit (alternatively, for Owner's, Vista and Oceania suites, the penalty is 10 percent of the cruise fare) 90–76 days: 25 percent of the fare. 75–61 days: 50 percent. 60–31 days: 75 percent.

Guests, and their traveling companions assigned in the same stateroom, who cancel their booking due to testing positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of the date of embarkation are entitled to receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) or a refund* for the amount paid to Carnival.

Trip Cancellation Insurance will reimburse you for the amount of pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses (e.g. airline, cruise, train, hotel, etc.) that you have insured, should you cancel your trip before departure for an unforeseen covered reason.

How much do you tip a stateroom attendant? ›

There aren't any hard-and-fast guidelines for this type of tip since it's contingent on your experience, but $25 to $40 on behalf of a couple roughly works out to an extra $2 to $3 per person, per day, for a seven-night cruise.

As a general rule, plan to have $50 to $100 each day in the local currency. Also, you may want to bring an extra $20 a day for tipping crew members. Make sure to include smaller bills for tips. Fifty to a hundred dollars a day should be enough to cover small purchases, tips and snacks at each port.

Every purchase you make onboard will go towards a stateroom account that will ultimately charge your card on file at the conclusion of the trip. Expect a large pre-authorization charge when your trip starts. Each night, the pre-authorization is expanded to cover additional charges you incurred that day.

You will most likely need cash while you're off the ship, especially in foreign ports. Not only can it save you money in foreign transaction fees that most credit card companies charge, but if you're traveling to certain parts of the world, you may encounter places where credit cards aren't accepted.

The amount you pay will vary by cruise line, but they are all in the same ballpark. You can expect to pay about $15-$20 per person, per day. So a couple traveling together will see about $30-$40 per day in gratuities, or about $200+ over the course of a week-long cruise.

Unfortunately, if you're not able to pay your cruise bill, you'll be stranded on board. Cruise lines usually require full payment of your onboard account before you disembark. Cruise lines often provide payment plans and other ways to ease the burden, but if you're unable to pay it, you'll be stuck.

An upgrade is essentially the same as booking a guarantee cabin — a type of room where your cabin category is guaranteed, but your specific room location is not. You agree to let the cruise line pick your cabin in exchange for giving you a discount on that room.

Balcony cabins on cruise ships are more spacious due to the outside space. They have spectacular ocean views, fresh sea air, and a private seating area. Although these cabins are more expensive, the rewards of a private balcony sometimes outweigh the cost. If it fits within your budget, balcony cabins are worth it!

Directly Ask Your Cruise Line for a Cruise Cabin Upgrade

You really have nothing to lose by calling your cruise line and asking the question: “Is there a possibility of a cruise cabin upgrade?” If you're willing to pay for a cruise cabin upgrade, call your agent or cruise line about two weeks before departure.

Many luxury cruise lines, higher-end river lines, and some British and Australian lines have a no-tipping policy, and gratuities are not required. You can always tip at your discretion, though some crewmembers are not allowed to accept monetary gifts.

Do you tip wait staff on cruise? ›

Note: Your automatic gratuities do go towards the wait staff and cabin steward already. If you're financially strained don't' feel like you have to tip any extra on top of this. But if you do have tips removed from your account (as mentioned in another point below) make sure you at least tip these two crew members.

No-one will say. The Carnival website states: “100 per cent of your gratuities are distributed to the crew who you interact with, such as your stateroom attendants, dining, bar and culinary services staff, as well as others who work behind the scenes to enhance your overall cruise experience.”

How much does a Housekeeper make at Viking Cruises in the United States? Average Viking Cruises Housekeeper weekly pay in the United States is approximately $1,350, which is 142% above the national average.

The onboard staff is dedicated to providing you with the best cruise experience possible, and it is customary to give gratuities in recognition of their service.

You have the right to refuse this automatic gratuity charge and may compensate cruise staff on your own terms. However, you will need to notify the front desk of this desire. Otherwise it will appear on your bill when your cruise ends and it will be charged to your credit card on file.

If you do not prepay cruise gratuities before sailing, the cruise line will add them to your onboard bill. The cruise line will then charge your credit card for the gratuity amount at the end of the sailing – along with other purchases you made with your cruise card (drinks, souvenirs, spa treatments, tours, etc.).

Tipping | Gratuities are not included in Viking River cruise packages, so be prepared to tip $10-12 per person/per day at the end of the trip to your favorite crew and $2 per day for the program director. The staff is so accommodating that you will probably want to tip more, so use this guide as a baseline.

Payments: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, checks made payable to “Viking River Cruises, Inc.” and e-checks (Electronic Funds Transfers) are all acceptable forms of payments. Some credit card companies may impose a “Foreign Transaction Fee” even though your transaction is denominated in U.S. dollars.

$10 per person, per day, Viking tour escort. Credit card or cash in envelopes.

Why did I already receive an invoice or payment invitation? A Mobile Vikings subscription is a so-called 'prepaid - postpaid' subscription. With a traditional subscription, you pay for everything afterward. With Mobile Vikings, you pay partly in advance, and partly afterward.

Can you bring your own alcohol on Viking River Cruises? ›

The Viking River cruise alcohol policy is similar to the ocean cruise policy. River cruisers can bring wine and alcohol with them onboard to drink on their stateroom balcony or in public spaces (including the ship's restaurants). And, again, there's no corkage fee for bringing your own wine to the restaurant.

With Viking, there are no hidden fees. One price covers most everything—port charges, Wi-Fi, meals, lectures, activities and shore excursions—plus hotel accommodations on cruisetours.

We accept all major credit cards and also offer a 3.3% discount on payments made with echeck, an electronic debit to your checking account.

The Minibar is Included on Viking Cruises

Onboard Viking the mini bar is included. How often it is replenished depends on your cabin grade. The standard balcony cabin is only filled at the start of your cruise but the other categories are filled whenever they are empty.

Q: Can you refuse to pay gratuities added to your bill? Yes, though cruise lines highly discourage it and will work with guests if they are not satisfied with the service on their voyage to adjust the fee to lesser gratuities if necessary.

Rate for adults is at PHp 888. Senior citizens (75 years old and above) have 50% discount. Weekend and Holiday Lunch and Dinner: Kids whose height is below 3 feet may eat for free. Those whose height range from 3-4 feet are charged with PHp 388, while those who stand 4-6 feet are charged with PHp 688.

Viking Air Plus service is available to all guests and, in addition to providing personalized service, it is also the solution for special situations such as: Coordination of group travel, including multiple departure cities and/or airports.

There are no formal nights on Viking so there's no need for long dresses for women or dinner jackets for men (even neckties are discretionary). Instead, the dress code is “elegant casual,” meaning anything from a sundress in the Caribbean—to slacks and a blouse for women cruising in colder climates.

Meals on a Viking River Cruise

Breakfast: 7:00-9:00 am. Lunch: 12:00-2:00 pm. Dinner: 7:00 pm.

Passenger Profile

Although there is a mix of ages on the Viking River ships, most passengers are 60 plus, and many are retired, especially those favoring the longer voyages.