Viking Cruises cancels 2022 Kiev and Black Sea sailings | Travel Weekly (2024)

FAQs

Is Viking cancelling any 2022 cruises? ›

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Viking has canceled all Russia river sailings in 2022 and 2023.

Viking Cruises cancels 2022 Black Sea and Kiev (Ukraine) sailings, Scenic Group cancels all 2022 Russia river cruises. Viking Cruises cancelled all 2022 departures on its Kiev (Kyiv, Ukraine), Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary in response to Russia's conflict with Ukraine.

Viking River Cruises

“Given recent developments and the developing conflict in Ukraine, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all 2022 departures of our Kyiv, Black Sea & Bucharest itinerary. Guests and their travel advisors on impacted departures have been notified directly by Viking customer relations.”

IF THE ENTIRE CRUISE IS CANCELED OTHER THAN BY YOU FOR ANY REASON, YOU SHALL HAVE NO CLAIM OTHER THAN FOR A FULL REFUND OF THE CRUISE FARE, OR, IF EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THE PASSENGER TICKET CONTRACT, A FUTURE CRUISE CREDIT FOR THE VALUE OF SUCH CRUISE FARE.

Viking Cruises Founder Loses 66% Of Wealth As Pandemic Hits Norway's Richest. Senior Contributor. Travel and lifestyle in Europe with a focus on Norway & Scandinavia.

On 1 March we made the decision to cease all operations in Russia in 2022. “Therefore, we have cancelled all 2022 departures of our Russia river itineraries – and will replace scheduled stops in Russia for all 2022 ocean itineraries.

Cruising the Black Sea

While its name might seem dark and perhaps even ominous—some theories say that it goes back to the Ancient Greeks who called it the “Inhospitable Sea”; others mention the sea's dark algae or deep waters—the Black Sea is actually not dangerous or dreary at all.

Currently, all major cruise lines such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises, Holland America Line, Viking Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Oceania Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Seabourn, all have 2022 sailings that include a stop at the Russian port of St. Petersburg.

Viking is not a company owned by Russia. It is owned by Torstein Hagen, who is Norwegian, while the company has its corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland and its marketing headquarters in LA, California.

Is Viking River Cruises financially stable? ›

Meanwhile, one of the largest European operators, Viking River Cruises, has been having a bumpy ride financially. A planned funding deal this past spring to cover expenses has fallen through. But—unsurprisingly—Viking claims it is in sound financial condition, reports The Travel Insider.

The first ship to depart under the Black Sea Initiative left Odesa on 1 August 2022. (See links on the right of this page for BSI latest news). Today (early 2023), over 60 merchant vessels, unable to participate in the Black Sea Initiative, remain stranded across the ports of Ukraine.

If your cruise operator expects your departure to be cancelled, the operator should inform you as soon as possible. If this is on the day of travel, you should be informed no later than 30 minutes after your scheduled time of departure.

The company offers paid vacation time, holidays, and sick leave. Employees receive a cash referral bonus if the company hires someone you refer and that person stays on board. All employees have the opportunity to take a free and/or discounted Viking Cruise.

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.

The raids slowed and stopped because the times changed. It was no longer profitable or desirable to raid. The Vikings weren't conquered. Because there were fewer and fewer raids, to the rest of Europe they became, not Vikings, but Danes and Swedes and Norwegians and Icelanders and Greenlanders and Faroese and so on.

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.

The Vikings weren't picky about their raiding targets, but the short-term gains in booty and ransom achieved by attacking monasteries resulted in the Vikings being relegated to the “vicious barbarian” category of history.

Ships are all back to 100%

While it was nice for passengers to have less guests around, a less-than-full ship is not practical from a financial viability standpoint and the cruise industry had to get their ships sailing totally full again to maximize profits and make up for all the money lost between 2020-2022.

Pacific Venus's last day of operations with paying passengers will be Jan. 4, 2023. For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter. "We have decided to end the cruise ship business in January 2023," the line said in a cryptic, three-sentence statement posted on its website.

Will cruises be cancelled in summer 2022? ›

Full Fleets Will Be Back in Service

Unlike summer 2021 when only a handful of ships were back in service, summer 2022 sees most cruise lines returning to operate their entire fleet of ships.

Atlas Ocean Voyages, a luxe expedition cruise line based in Florida, is adjusting two of its late-summer Baltic itineraries. Calls to St. Petersburg will be replaced by destinations in Finland and Estonia.

Although most cruise lines have finally canceled port calls in Russia following the unprovoked and deadly invasion of Ukraine, there are two companies which have steadfastly refused to alter their cruise schedules to that region – Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.

St. Petersburg, Russia, is a popular port of call for Baltic Sea cruises. “With the recent events, we have made the decision to cancel our visits to St. Petersburg, Russia on all Summer 2022 itineraries,” the company said in a statement.

Many people wonder whether it's dangerous to swim in the Black Sea and the simple answer is; no, it's not dangerous. The reason for this is that the black sea has two layers, a freshwater top layer from the rivers and a saltwater bottom layer. The freshwater layer is clean and great for swimmers.

Yes, you can swim in the Black Sea but only on the surface as it has two layers of water. The lower one is anoxic, meaning devoid of oxygen, and therefore sunken ships and such stay preserved for longer.

On a one-week journey on a medium sized cruise ship, over 200,000 gallons of sewage is collected and at some point must be treated and released into the sea or discharged onshore, but most is released into the sea.

With Russia invading Ukraine, the cruise industry is already being impacted by falling cruise stocks, fuel prices and Black Sea itinerary changes. Less than 24 hours since Russian forces attacked Ukraine and crossed the border, the big cruise companies already feel the effects.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings also announced that they would remove Russian and Ukrainian ports from 2022 itineraries across their brands, including Norwegian, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas. The cancellations add to the ripple effect Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused throughout the travel industry.

According to information published by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on March 2, 2023, the group of Russian ships in the Black Sea consists of 13 ships, 4 of which are capable of carrying Kalibr missiles, including 2 submarines. It is likely that the two submarines are of the Kilo class.

What airline does Viking cruise use? ›

At Viking, we never compromise with our choice of airlines and use only quality, scheduled airlines, including British Airways, KLM, Scandinavian Airlines and Lufthansa.

The longest cruise is the new Viking World Voyage I, departing on Dec. 19, 2024 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It will sail for 180 days visiting 85 ports of call across 37 countries on five continents.

Known as "Longships," Viking's fleet of river cruise ships on most rivers all carry 190 passengers, with a similar Scandinavian decor and sensibility, as well as inclusions and programming. Let's dive into what you'll find on a Viking river cruise ship.

There were all ages on our Viking River Cruise last summer....but most were over 30, although there were a few that were younger. It was a nice mix of people of all ages and from many different countries. We enjoyed meeting people of all ages and made friends with couples from 3 different countries.

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.

A total of 18 Russian warships and other vessels have been destroyed by the Ukrainian military since the war began on February 23.

In 2022, more than half of the wheat grain procured by the United Nations World Food Programme came from Ukraine. Between August 2022 and the end of the year, it sent 13 ships from Ukraine carrying a total of over 380,000 tonnes of wheat to Ethiopia, Yemen, Djibouti, Somalia and Afghanistan.

How long does it take to disembark a cruise ship? Disembarking all passengers from a cruise ship takes a few hours, depending on the cruise ship's size. From the time your color-coded departure group is called, you can be off the ship in 15 minutes.

What is a good reason to cancel a cruise? ›

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.

You may feel the ship move when on a cruise. Most passengers describe the feeling as a vibration instead of defined movements. The degree of movement felt does increase if the cruise ship is traveling through bad weather and you may be able to feel when the cruise ship is docking or pulling away from the port.

The average Viking Cruises salary ranges from approximately $36,000 per year for Technician to $170,000 per year for Senior Compliance Officer. Average Viking Cruises hourly pay ranges from approximately $14.40 per hour for Sales to $24.00 per hour for Call Center Representative.

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.

Estimated average pay

The estimated middle value of the base pay for Steward at this company in the United States is $19.19 per hour.

Depending on your stateroom category, laundry and pressing may be complimentary. If your stateroom category does not include these services, they may be purchased for a modest fee. A full listing of amenities by stateroom category can be found on each ship page.

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.

Viking Cruises offers complimentary room service 24 hours a day on all ocean ships. An extensive room service menu is available around the clock. So, if you want to enjoy breakfast in bed, a private dinner for two on the balcony, or need some late night munchies, you can order room service at no additional costs.

Set to debut in summer 2022, the Viking Mississippi will sail Viking's highly anticipated voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi River, between New Orleans and St. Paul.

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“We canceled just two river cruises in all of 2022, representing less than 1% of our river cruise departures for the year. We operated 95% of our 2022 European river cruise departures with zero impacts to our guest experience.”

What is the financial status of Viking Cruise Line? ›

Viking River revenue is $124.5M annually. After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found the following key financial metrics. Viking River has 5,000 employees, and the revenue per employee ratio is $24,894. Viking River peak revenue was $124.5M in 2022.

Viking Cruises has ceased all operations in Russia this year in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Physical Distancing & Face Masks

Face masks are optional while moving about the ship. Please note: Viking's Medical Team continually monitors conditions and may deem face masks to be necessary while moving about the ship, based on conditions at the time of travel.

May 20, 2021 - Following the May 19, 2021 signal that Europe will allow fully-vaccinated travelers to enter EU countries without the need to quarantine, Viking Cruises is relaunching five European river cruises beginning in July. Starting in July 2021, five of Viking's most popular European river cruises are back.

To date, all cruises are continuing to operate as normal -- in what is the first full sailing season following the COVID-19 pandemic -- but lines are making plans to alter itineraries if needed. Water levels are currently lowest near the popular port of Koblenz, Germany.

“Aside from the Trans-Siberian rail itinerary, we do not have any cruises operating in the affected areas this year and are operating all of our Central European cruises, including those along the Danube, as planned. Ultimately, the confidence and safety of our guests and crew remain our top priority.

The Danube is Europe's most popular cruising river. It flows through Germany, Austria, Hungary and other counties on its 2,000-mile route, and you'll find itineraries that include Vienna, Munich, Prague, Budapest and other don't-miss cities.

How much does a Director make at Viking Cruises in California? The estimated average pay for Director at this company in California is $52,011 per year, which is 47% below the national average.

The estimated total pay for a Cabin Steward at Viking Cruises is $3,870 per month. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $3,461 per month.

The company offers paid vacation time, holidays, and sick leave. Employees receive a cash referral bonus if the company hires someone you refer and that person stays on board. All employees have the opportunity to take a free and/or discounted Viking Cruise.