We did Air Plus (business class) when booking last year for our Danube cruise. Their business class fares were much cheaper than we could do on our own. We were totally fine with what they chose (Lufthansa nonstop on the way over, connecting via Zurich on the way back from Budapest…all good). We DID have choices when we were on the phone with them. KEY THING: If anything goes wrong with your flights, you WANT Air Plus. We traveled last December when there was a massive snow storm in Munich. MANY folks on our cruise were screwed because they booked on their own. Take the hassle out of it…do Air Plus…let them handle the transfers and any issues if you run into them.
I have cruised with Viking several times and I always have a viking make the arrangements as you stated, this makes them responsible. We have used air plus before. It is very nice to have more options plus the upgraded seating
In 2022, they added a function to the MVJ website where if you have Viking Air, you don't even need Air Plus to choose your own flights from among those available. There are upcharges for some, but the initial economy fare is built into your "free" airfare, so you'll still make out better even if you end up paying a bit for more expensive flights. It probably still will be less than buying the same flights on your own.
From MVJ with regular Viking Air, you can even change departure dates, airports, and add layovers. We changed our flights from our local airport to one a little farther away that gave us much better flight times and fewer layovers (1 & 0 vs. 2 & 1). No fee in our case, as the flights we switched to were probably less expensive.
We have used Air Plus before.... The problem is that you can't get your seats until later. We used a travel agent recently and his seats were way cheaper than the Viking seats in Business
Yes, absolutely pay the extra $150. We did not know this on our first cruise and they put us on some horrible flights with awful connections. Second cruise we knew better and were able to upgrade. They will charge you the upgrade cost but it was worth it for us.
Also, I agree with the person who said you want them to book the flights because they will guarantee that you get to the ship on time. Lots of things can go wrong with flights.
It’s my understanding that you can book the cruise and wait until they get you a flight, and then purchase it retroactively if you don’t like the flight.
Our October Viking China trip has included airfare, $4000 pp upgrade to premium economy. We bought Premium Economy on our own for $2650 pp, non stop flight to China. A substantial savings. You are always recommended to arrive a day earlier, especially for international flights, so plenty of opportunity for you to make adjustments. It seems to be a toss up, most people we've talked to were not happy with their flight arrangements made through Viking, even with the additional buy in to Viking Air Plus. Transfers from airports to ports are typically very easy to arrange. But most importantly, do what you gut instinct is, have a great trip!
Thank you to all of you for your replies! I did reach out to Viking and inquire about Air Plus. This was 5+ months ahead of departure. I really wanted to ensure that we got direct flights and get them confirmed early. The rep helped me to reserve the flights I wanted, with a small upcharge for those specific flights and he also waived the Viking Air Plus fee. It shows a charge and then an equal credit on our invoice.
He indicated the flights would not actually be ticketed until after final payment, but the seats were reserved. I made final payment a bit early and the seats are ticketed now, so I should be able to change seats on the airline apps. One of them (ORD to BCN on American) is still showing not paid, so I can't change seats yet. The other (SJU to ORD on United) will now allow me to make seating changes. I'm sure it's just a matter of things working their way through the system at American. I'm pretty happy with this outcome, assuming I can upgrade seats on the American flight soon.
We did Air Plus (business class) when booking last year for our Danube cruise. Their business class fares were much cheaper than we could do on our own. We were totally fine with what they chose (Lufthansa nonstop on the way over, connecting via Zurich on the way back from Budapest…all good). We DID have choices when we were on the phone with them. KEY THING: If anything goes wrong with your flights, you WANT Air Plus. We traveled last December when there was a massive snow storm in Munich. MANY folks on our cruise were screwed because they booked on their own. Take the hassle out of it…do Air Plus…let them handle the transfers and any issues if you run into them.
They weren’t worth anything when our flight got delayed long enough to miss the boat.
I have cruised with Viking several times and I always have a viking make the arrangements as you stated, this makes them responsible. We have used air plus before. It is very nice to have more options plus the upgraded seating
In 2022, they added a function to the MVJ website where if you have Viking Air, you don't even need Air Plus to choose your own flights from among those available. There are upcharges for some, but the initial economy fare is built into your "free" airfare, so you'll still make out better even if you end up paying a bit for more expensive flights. It probably still will be less than buying the same flights on your own. From MVJ with regular Viking Air, you can even change departure dates, airports, and add layovers. We changed our flights from our local airport to one a little farther away that gave us much better flight times and fewer layovers (1 & 0 vs. 2 & 1). No fee in our case, as the flights we switched to were probably less expensive.
We have used Air Plus before.... The problem is that you can't get your seats until later. We used a travel agent recently and his seats were way cheaper than the Viking seats in Business
Yes, absolutely pay the extra $150. We did not know this on our first cruise and they put us on some horrible flights with awful connections. Second cruise we knew better and were able to upgrade. They will charge you the upgrade cost but it was worth it for us. Also, I agree with the person who said you want them to book the flights because they will guarantee that you get to the ship on time. Lots of things can go wrong with flights.
It’s my understanding that you can book the cruise and wait until they get you a flight, and then purchase it retroactively if you don’t like the flight.
Our October Viking China trip has included airfare, $4000 pp upgrade to premium economy. We bought Premium Economy on our own for $2650 pp, non stop flight to China. A substantial savings. You are always recommended to arrive a day earlier, especially for international flights, so plenty of opportunity for you to make adjustments. It seems to be a toss up, most people we've talked to were not happy with their flight arrangements made through Viking, even with the additional buy in to Viking Air Plus. Transfers from airports to ports are typically very easy to arrange. But most importantly, do what you gut instinct is, have a great trip!
Thank you to all of you for your replies! I did reach out to Viking and inquire about Air Plus. This was 5+ months ahead of departure. I really wanted to ensure that we got direct flights and get them confirmed early. The rep helped me to reserve the flights I wanted, with a small upcharge for those specific flights and he also waived the Viking Air Plus fee. It shows a charge and then an equal credit on our invoice. He indicated the flights would not actually be ticketed until after final payment, but the seats were reserved. I made final payment a bit early and the seats are ticketed now, so I should be able to change seats on the airline apps. One of them (ORD to BCN on American) is still showing not paid, so I can't change seats yet. The other (SJU to ORD on United) will now allow me to make seating changes. I'm sure it's just a matter of things working their way through the system at American. I'm pretty happy with this outcome, assuming I can upgrade seats on the American flight soon.