Viking River Cruises - travel agents (dinner, booking, excursion, europe)

[bigbear99]

What's the advantage, if any, of booking a Viking Euro tour with a travel agent? Just seems like putting a middle person in between me and the cruise company.

Thoughts? Advice? Thanks!

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by bigbear99

What's the advantage, if any, of booking a Viking Euro tour with a travel agent? Just seems like putting a middle person in between me and the cruise company.

Thoughts? Advice? Thanks!

Personally, I have not found a travel agent in person who has been anything more than an order taker. We have had a lot better luck using Vacation to Go, an online broker. i might also use one of the many travel agents who I watch on YouTube as they know a lot about the various lines.

By the way, my dinner "read" has been the Viking River Cruises Europe 2023. (I know that i should get a life.) If you pay cash for your cruise (as opposed to credit), they will give you a 3.3% credit on your cruise. It is buried in the fine print.

While I have no interest in either Viking nor cruising in Europe, I will admit that I find their pricing to be very refreshing. They have one set of fares and darn near everything appears to be included. Having booked four cruises in the past four months, I am reminded of those characters in Central Park with the makeshift tables dealing "3 Card Monte." Even if you win the game, you feel a little bit dirty from the experience.

[bigbear99]

thank you for the helpful reply.

[JoeJunior]

I would assume you're talking about Viking River Cruises. They also have Viking Ocean Cruises.

River cruises are very popular however they're a very luxurious and quite expensive. There are a number of other brands of tours that are very comparable to Viking--at around $5,000 a trip. The river cruises move slowly--maybe a little slower than we would like.

For less money, we could take a week in one country and then take a regular cruise to the Eastern Med or around Scandanavia. Then spend another week in a country of our departure. Mid line ocean cruises are just such good bargains in travel.

[jlawrence01]

Do realize that while river cruises are more expensive than ocean cruises, they are far more likely to be all inclusive. They generally include a guided shore excursions and a drinks package on all cruises