Deceived by Viking, Our Story of the Romantic Danube

Timeline of our story. "The Viking Captivity"

June 2. Left Sacramento on United airlines. We paid for own airfare. Not paid through Viking.

June 3. Arrived in Budapest. Stayed at the Hilton (castle district). As HH gold card members, paid the Hilton personally, not part of pre-cruise with Viking. In the executive lounge we were made aware of the flooding via television and fellow patrons of the hotel. I checked my email for any communication from Viking. None. Started researching the flooding and realized there was a problem.

June 4. E-mail sent to Viking (no response received) copied below:

Romantic Danube reservation xxxxxx.

Dear Viking,

My husband and I are booked on your ship and are due to board tomorrow. We are also traveling with two friends, Michael and Yolanda Gonzalez, who also have a similar cabin below the water line.

I am very concerned for our safety on the Danube. As I have been researching this flood, which BBC is writing "the worst in 500 years". I do understand the the itineraries have been changed, since Regensburg, Melk, and Passau, and much of the surrounding communities are under 4 feet of muddy water.

On Wednesday I spoke to Viking officials who stated "the cruise is not canceled". The Viking plan is to stay in a Budapest hotel, (the Royal Corinthia), the first night and then be bused to the ship Freya docked (stranded) in Krems, Austria. I believe, if my information is correct, that there are many other ships (reports on BBC say 14 ships), that are stranded in that location.

MY CONCERN is the SAFETY on a uncontrolled, flooded river with many stranded ships which are docked in groups and tied together. How can you (Viking), guarantee our safety with our cabins below the water line of your vessel? It seems to me, there is a good chance for a collision that even the best captains would not be able to avoid.

I do not want to board your ship, for fear of my life and the life of my husband and friends.

I have also read, that the Romantic Danube Cruise on June 7th was cancelled and the passengers are receiving two compensation options from Viking. The first is a full refund, the second, rebooking on another cruise with a $500 ship credit. I am officially requesting these two options for the Wright and Gonzalez reservations booked on your ship, Odin, June 5th, 2013.

Respectfully,

Victoria Wright

Sent from my iPad

June 4. Made several international calls. Spoke to Woodland Hills, Ca customer service. They knew nothing. They told me to go to the dock in Budapest as planned. (By this time, the Viking dock was under water). They did not have clue. I asked them for other numbers and they gave me a Berlin number which I could never get through to. Hilton hotel full of displeased Viking customers, all of which were getting no response from Viking, if they could get through.

Spoke to the Viking customer service person at the Hilton. He only knew this information and kept repeating it.

The cruise is not cancelled. Go to the Budapest hotel, the Royal Corinthia, where we will begin your cruise. You must go to the hotel if you would like any information regarding your cruise. Your cruise director will be there and give you information. See photo of board for the instructions given.

June 5. Early morning walked to Viking dock to see if "anyone"was there to answer questions. No one found and I will attach photos of the submerged dock. No sign of anyone there.

Late morning cab ride back to Hilton. Long discussion with our traveling companions. I did not want to go to begin the Viking cruise at all. By this time, because of there terrible customer service and rude treatment I did not believe in the integrity of Viking and did not feel safe being under their control.

Form letter response received from Viking stating same information. Cruise is not cancelled and go to the hotel. See Viking email to me, below my response here.

Sent the e- mail below and did not receive a response to this one.

Viking,

This "form letter" response is an insult to me. I am concerned for the safety of your passengers and you send me a form letter. Vikings customer service is non- existent in Budapest. I sympathize with the 3 employees of Viking, I have had contact with, and can now see just what an terrible corporation this is. Business and money before the safety of your passengers.

Viking is holding us as captives, refusing to give any information or choice to not board the stranded ships.

You have our money and it is obvious you are not being responsible with our safety. Many passengers are elderly and cannot maneuver any circumstances that might become physical. All rivers are closed down, because of the uncontrolled surges of dirty, debris filled water. I have not even mentioned displaced animals and reptiles, and debris that may make untimely visits. Most towns are under water, and the poor people who live here are trying to salvage what little they have left. Your decision to not cancel or at least give a choice is unacceptable. You have most definitely put us, as passengers, "in harms way".

I am requesting that a person with authority contact us with some options before we are required to board your ship. Your employees in Budapest, say they have no authority or answers to the many questions passengers have been asking.

Sent from my iPad

On Jun 6, 2013, at 2:21 AM, "Travel Crisis" <TravelCrisis@vikingcruises.com> wrote:

Victoria,

Your cruise is scheduled to depart and this is the most current information:

This cruise will now take place on sister ship, Viking Freya (Longship, built 2012). Due to water levels, the ship will not be in the normal port of embarkation. Viking representatives will meet all guests at the airport—regardless of whether or not air/transfers were purchased from Viking—and transport guests to where the ship is. There will also be a representative at the normal port of embarkation near the Chain Bridge in Budapest, along with transportation to the ship’s current docking location. After embarkation, the itinerary is expected to proceed with some minor alterations—the most notable of which is that we do not anticipate it will be possible to visit Passau.

Viking takes passengers safety as a serious matter. We would not operate the sailing if we felt there was any condition that would cause injury to our passengers and crew.

Have a wonderful journey!

Regards,

Linnea Henderson

Viking Cruises

From: Vicki [mailto:vjuris-wright@comcast.net]

Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2013 7:25 PM

To: Travel CrisisCc:Subject: Romantic Danube reservation 1370936

Romantic Danube reservation xxxxxxxxx.

Dear Viking,

My husband and I are booked on your ship and are due to board tomorrow. We are also traveling with two friends, who also have a similar cabin below the water line.

I am very concerned for our safety on the Danube. As I have been researching this flood, which BBC is writing "the worst in 500 years". I do understand the the itineraries have been changed, since Regensburg, Melk, and Passau, and much of the surrounding communities are under 4 feet of muddy water.

On Wednesday I spoke to Viking officials who stated "the cruise is not canceled". The Viking plan is to stay in a Budapest hotel, (the Royal Corinthia), the first night and then be bused to the ship Freya docked (stranded) in Krems, Austria. I believe, if my information is correct, that there are many other ships (reports on BBC say 14 ships), that are stranded in that location.

MY CONCERN is the SAFETY on a uncontrolled, flooded river with many stranded ships which are docked in groups and tied together. How can you (Viking), guarantee our safety with our cabins below the water line of your vessel? It seems to me, there is a good chance for a collision that even the best captains would not be able to avoid.

I do not want to board your ship, for fear of my life and the life of my husband and friends.

I have also read, that the Romantic Danube Cruise on June 7th was cancelled and the passengers are receiving two compensation options from Viking. The first is a full refund, the second, rebooking on another cruise with a $500 ship credit. I am officially requesting these two options for the reservations booked on your ship, Odin, June 5th, 2013.

Respectfully,

Sent from my iPad

June 5 continues. Traveling companions have a long ugly discussion. They pretty much force me to get on the Viking Bus to go to the Corinthian hotel. There are no other options given to us by Viking.

Arrive at the Corinthian hotel where they set up a snack with some water and soft drinks. Viking will not tell us anything. Wait for the meeting with Stein and Victoria.

Meeting with Stein finally comes. Ugly scene. No alternatives given. The cruise is not cancelled and you have no other options but to get on a bus tomorrow and leave for Krems, Austria. Board the Freya that is docked in an industrial harbor. Stein reveals the deceptive plan that begins, what I am naming, "The Viking captivity". Stein says, and I quote, "We will begin your beautiful river cruise on the Danube, Saturday". At this time, I knew that was a lie. No way was it safe to be on the Danube. No choice given, you must get on the bus, which arrived in Krems around 8 in the evening. Terrible ride, swollen ankles and stinky passengers from the long bus ride. Are we having fun yet? Exhausted went to bed.

June 6. Bus tour of Budapest and long ride to Krems, Austria. Arrived late, after 8 o'clock.

June 7. Awoke to the scene of cranes and grain elevators. Disappointed, but relieved because we were "safe" from the raging river. Viking still telling the same story. We will be on the river, Saturday. Now, board the bus at 8 am for Vienna. You will have 4 hours in Vienna (including lunch break) after the 2 hour bus ride, there, and before the two hour bus ride back back to Krems.

After a long day of bus rides and a little touring of Vienna there was another meeting called. New information, the Viking ship staff said "the German authorities have closed the river Danube". Viking is finally forced to give us a choice, and the Viking staff were authorized to offer passengers the option of leaving and receiving a "credit" for the unused cruise portion. At this time we have been held captives for 3 full days (half way into the 7 day cruise). Should you choose to stay you could possibly receive a 75% credit towards a future cruise. Accepting a bus cruise appeared to be our only option for recouping any value on our trip, as we had no interest in a future cruise, and we had made reservations to spend one week in the Czech Republic following the cruise. (Uniworld, Tauck and Avalon were offering full refunds and credits towards future cruises.) Viking was not reimbursing airfare paid which was expensive. Disappointed and stuck. The option finally given half way through would not work for those who had plans in Europe after the cruise. Non refundable reservations had been made. No choice for us, but continue with Viking.

June 8. In the morning, we were bused to Melk and toured the Abbey. First enjoyable day of our travels. Trying to make the best of a bad situation. Long day, road closures made the bus rides much longer. Exhausted got back to ship in time for dinner. Food was adequate, but not great. I thought at least food should be good? I found the restaurant lunches, much better than Viking cruises.

Evening, another announcement. Pack your bags, be ready at 8 am for your bus departure to Regensburg, where you will board the Odin.

June 9. Boarded the bus at 8:00am. At 12:00 bus stoped in Linz for 3 hours where we had a nice lunch and short tour. Got back on the bus at 3:00 and finally arrived in Regensburg at 9:00 pm. LONG DAY. Unpacked in the Odin room. Found it dirty, and the sink was clogged. Plumbing seemed to be a issue. Smelled and a lot of plumbing noises. So disappointed in the Odin ship. Freya was better, at least it was clean and the plumbing worked. Was hoping Odin's food would be better than the Freya's, but I was wrong. Food kept getting worse. By this time I realized the following cruises were cancelled, and they were obviously using up the food they had with no new food being ordered. Poor management, on top of poor customer service. The staff was not happy either, and it showed.

June 10. In the morning, We walked to old town and enjoyed the freedom of choice for the first time. Free time in Regensburg. Back on ship in the afternoon. Maintenance fixed the sink, but the shower still flooded the bathroom every time. At this point, I decided I could not take another day!The accommodations were not acceptable, and the food was getting worse. Not acceptable.

June 11. Called a private car and escaped from the "Viking Captivity". At this time I felt relieved and finally gained back some control of our vacation. Arrived at the Hilton Prague Old Town. BEST service and never so happy to be in a safe, clean place. The staff at the Hilton Prague Old Town was fantastic and the hotel room clean.

Viking should have cancelled this cruise, with full refunds given. The cruises after us were cancelled and given full refunds in addition to future ship board credits. We endured captivity and lost our freedom of choice. Viking it is the right thing to do. Refund our money.

Sorry this didn't work out.

Keith

So since you joined CC all your comments but 2 on every possible thread are to complain about Viking and say they are the worst?

You arrived in Europe in the middle of the worst flood ever recorded in history. It was worse than the flood of the year 1501. Situations grew out of control in matter of hours. The river we live on changed its flood warning levels from Code Green (normal) to Code Purple (beyond help) in TWO hours. We had more rain in 3 days than is normal in 7 months.

I am not a Viking cheerleader, in fact I don't do river cruises and am only on this river cruise board to give river cruisers advice about our area, but the companies involved also had to deal with rapidly changing conditions and rapidly changing information from the local governments.

You do realize that no matter how high the water gets your cabin would not go further under water. The boat floats.

If you were so scared you should not have gone and taken the loss.

There have been many reports of the high water in the past weeks. Sorry you did not read them.

Clearly you did not enjoy yourselves on this trip, that much is obvious.

I am also somewhat puzzled about the multiple references to safety concerns?

Perhaps there are things that happened that are not mentioned in your post which relate to that, but without those details I imagine Viking may have been a bit confused by your emails and that may explain the replies you received as the safety concerns were easy to dismiss as non-existent.

Also displaced animals and reptiles are a complete non-concern in Europe, this might be an issue in Florida for example, but short of a Zoo becoming compromised there is pretty much nothing to be worried about in the majority of Europe.

I've tried to follow the time-line in sync with various reports that were coming in about conditions and it would seem that if Viking were following an optimistic path, it was a least conceivable that when your trip started, they could have expected to have you moving on a boat before it ended.

When it became clear that it was going to take more than a reduction in water level to achieve that due to damage to infrastructure they offered to terminate with a partial refund, which you declined.

It does seem that the actions and cancellations were based mostly on trying to handle people already on site in what they felt was the best way given the information they had, so while it was at least conceivable that part of the cruise could happen for those already there, they tried to continue, once it became clear it could not happen at all then they began canceling.

I don't doubt that a majority of passengers would have preferred to be sent home and fully refunded, but with these cruises there does seem to be an established pattern of reactions to the relatively common occurrences of high or low water which is what seemed to cut in during the early days.

With this type of holiday, it is not reasonable to expect complete perfection at all times or a complete refund as water levels are an uncertainty, what seems to have been slowly reacted to this time was the scale of the damage not just the level of the water.

Once it was obvious that there would be no cruising at all then I tend to agree that a full refund should have been offered, not a partial refund.

On the other-hand I do think that if things were as you've described then we'd still have continued and taken the 75% credit.

In saying that I have to acknowledge that we are both very experienced cruisers of the UK waterways and rivers and would have no fear or safety concerns in the circumstances you describe and would probably have been in an 'adventure' mindset and also have been planning how to spend the 75% future credit :)

Engineer wise, your fear of being below the water level as it rises is irrational! Put a rubber ducky in the bath tub and see what happens when you add water. Ships float!

Engineer wise, your fear of being below the water level as it rises is irrational! Put a rubber ducky in the bath tub and see what happens when you add water. Ships float!

I think that it is useful for people to be able to share their experiences and feelings with us - it must have been pretty awful for everyone caught out at the beginning of June.

Note that the comment from the OP was a potential issue of a number of boats being tied together and being in the path of a torrent of water. Yes ships generally float, however sometimes they don't.

The more first hand accounts are published (together with what people thought at the time), the more likely companies will want to be seen as doing the right thing with their Clients.

The more that we attack what is said, the less we will hear of what happened.

What is the purpose of attacking this poster's a coconut of their horrible cruise?

Would any of us have felt any different being on that boat?

We don't need people just trying to increase their post counts with the likes of "sorry it didn't work out".

This has been a serious situation. People have save their hard earned money to take these cruises and we have no right to treat them badly when they come here and post their bad experiences.

After all we are Cruise Critic.

Terri

Viking as well as the other lines, were dealing with a disaster the proportions not seen for 500 years. On June 2nd it is obvious that Viking felt they could deliver your cruise but unfortunately they underestimated the raging Danube and the repercussions of closed docks, lack of food and transport and hotel rooms the standard of which they generally enjoy. Give them time to come to grips with what has transpired over the past several weeks and work with them to come to a satisfactory resolve of reimbursement for your cruise, or the offer of a fully paid cruise in the future. Everyone was financially affected during this disaster most importantly the people who live and work in the region who have lost homes, possessions etc. Let's give the cruiselines time to assess their cruises and what could they do differently, including perhaps a refund or partial refund in your case.

What is the purpose of attacking this poster's a coconut of their horrible cruise?

Would any of us have felt any different being on that boat?

 

We don't need people just trying to increase their post counts with the likes of "sorry it didn't work out".

 

This has been a serious situation. People have save their hard earned money to take these cruises and we have no right to treat them badly when they come here and post their bad experiences.

After all we are Cruise Critic.

Terri

Thank you, Terri, for your reply. The previous sarcastic replies served only to make me feel even worse. I can't speak for Capeaches, but my fear while cruising for one day on the flooding Rhine was all the debris in the water, combined with not much maneuvering space in the shipping channel. Debris like trees.

Capeaches did what she could ... she asked to cancel before she set foot on board. Viking declined. How would you feel in that circumstance?

Capeaches, I shared a very similar experience on my June 2nd Viking cruise. We have seen each others posts ... the unresponsiveness, deceit & outright lies given to so many of us by Viking is truly something you had to be a part of to understand. I have asked Viking for a 100% credit. They have said they will let me know. As far as I know, no one has been given any refund. I am speaking of the early June cruises that truly should have been canceled by Viking. Perhaps Viking now wishes they had, as well.

Others have posted of outstanding customer service from Viking. I am hopeful that we will see that soon. They have the opportunity to do the right thing. Let's hope they choose to do so.

I have been on Cruise Critic for a very long time and I can't believe how some posters are attacking people who have posted their details of what THEY have experienced. I hope that Viking does make up for their shortcomings during this time. Please stop this negative attack towards people posting here on Cruise Critic. I believe they have gone through enough stress without you adding to it. Cruise Critic was started to exchange info and add to the traveling experience!!

Sheila

I have been on Cruise Critic for a very long time and I can't believe how some posters are attacking people who have posted their details of what THEY have experienced. I hope that Viking does make up for their shortcomings during this time. Please stop this negative attack towards people posting here on Cruise Critic. I believe they have gone through enough stress without you adding to it. Cruise Critic was started to exchange info and add to the traveling experience!!

 

Sheila

I totally agree with Sheila. When a person has a bad experience and shares it with the other CC members - they expect some sort of understanding that their dream trip was ruined - whether it is the fault of the cruise company, the port personnel, the weather, etc. Not someone discounting their experience with a simple "too bad ---- happens".

B. Cole

I have been on Cruise Critic for a very long time and I can't believe how some posters are attacking people who have posted their details of what THEY have experienced.

Let's keep in mind that disagreeing with someone is not the same as 'attacking' them though.

Nobody has the right to expect universal agreement with what they post, nice when it happens but not everyone will have the same opinion on subjective matters.

Let's keep in mind that disagreeing with someone is not the same as 'attacking' them though.

 

Nobody has the right to expect universal agreement with what they post, nice when it happens but not everyone will have the same opinion on subjective matters.

I think that It depends on context.

If someone says that Boats sink, then fair enough have a discussion on whether that is true or not.

However, if someone says that they were worried that the boat may sink - that is unarguable fact and we should not try and disprove it. Some people have had a horrible time and it is important to listen to what is being said and support them.

I have been on Cruise Critic for a very long time and I can't believe how some posters are attacking people who have posted their details of what THEY have experienced. I hope that Viking does make up for their shortcomings during this time. Please stop this negative attack towards people posting here on Cruise Critic. I believe they have gone through enough stress without you adding to it. Cruise Critic was started to exchange info and add to the traveling experience!!

 

Sheila

Very well put ...

I think that It depends on context.

 

If someone says that Boats sink, then fair enough have a discussion on whether that is true or not.

 

However, if someone says that they were worried that the boat may sink - that is unarguable fact and we should not try and disprove it. Some people have had a horrible time and it is important to listen to what is being said and support them.

"I felt unsafe" is not something anyone can or should argue with, I agree.

"I want to cancel because I feel unsafe" is rather different and in this case was I suspect at least part of the reason why the initial emails may not have got the right reaction. Claiming a fear without a valid basis is not going to get a useful result.

Pointing that out is not 'attacking' and supporting an unfounded belief isn't really helping them either.

Snippy little one-liners sure don't help make the point though, no argument there.

Sheila,

Very well said! Couldn't agree more. This is her experience and she has every right to post what happened and her disappointments.

Anna

I have been on Cruise Critic for a very long time and I can't believe how some posters are attacking people who have posted their details of what THEY have experienced. I hope that Viking does make up for their shortcomings during this time. Please stop this negative attack towards people posting here on Cruise Critic. I believe they have gone through enough stress without you adding to it. Cruise Critic was started to exchange info and add to the traveling experience!!

 

Sheila

I have been on Cruise Critic for a very long time and I can't believe how some posters are attacking people who have posted their details of what THEY have experienced. I hope that Viking does make up for their shortcomings during this time. Please stop this negative attack towards people posting here on Cruise Critic. I believe they have gone through enough stress without you adding to it. Cruise Critic was started to exchange info and add to the traveling experience!!

 

Sheila

I also agree with Sheila who in the past has helped me with questions on certain aspects of travel and continues to do so today. These posters who are voicing their concerns on theses boards were there seeing and experiencing those terrible floods and the way their company was handling the situation. Their feelings of safety were theirs alone based on what was happening to them. Those who are attacking them were not there and where I come from voicing an alternate opinion or disagreeing with them is "attacking" them because you weren't there and have no idea of what they were experiencing.

Thank you Bayern for your perspective!

Feel sorry for the horrible experience capeaches had , however, if she felt that unsafe why didn't she just leave ? Unfortunately, she would lose the cost of her cruise but what is the value of life if she was that afraid to sail?

@newfirsttimer, yes Viking and every company was trying to deal with a rapidly evolving scenario and yes local villages and people suffered severe trauma, one must be careful in absolving differences. Viking and other cruise lines are businesses that assume a level of risk in traveling rivers and providing a travel experience and purchase insurance to maintain their business. This should not be confused with the devastation members of the flooded communities have experienced. They do not have multi million dollar insurance policies protecting them. We should absolutely feel for these communities but that is completely different than absolving these river touring companies from responsibility

My first time ever on a board/community! I was on Viking Vienna the week of June 2! I expressed my concern to the tour director that I was shocked that Viking would take guests into an area experiencing a state of emergency and was assured they were not. I work with emergency storm response and know that locals have much more to worry about than a bunch of tourists.

I was in the flooded hotel in Budapest, and had to be evacuated. As a group we were lied to each day about what we would experience each day. We were herded, we were bussed one day for over nine hours.

Viking was wrong on so many counts including community responsibility, guest consideration and safety, (hours of sitting, no water on buses to drink OR for flushing). I suppose it they are not responsible enough to cancel, even after we asked, then how can we expect them to take responsibility now to do the right thing!

Sorry to hear about your experience, I'm surprised that Viking treated customers that way. It makes me less likely to book with them. We have a group of 6 that just booked on another line. River cruising is not cheap, we could have gone on a bunch of ocean cruises for that kind of money. This level of customer service will not entice cruisers to take the risk.

I'm sure anyone put in this situation would be just as upset as you were.

This is awful - I am so sorry this happened to you! Sounds like a dream vacation quickly turned into a nightmare. I hope your post cruise plans were much better.

Dear Cruise Critic members,

We’ve been watching and listening to the many differing points of view shared here recently—and we’d like to offer some input to this conversation, for your consideration…

Timing and Making Assessments

Our Swiss nautical and operational teams rely on an extensive, established network of local authorities and port operators—along with decades of experience with past high and low water situations—to make assessments on navigability of all rivers on which we sail. Weather, soil conditions and water levels are routinely monitored and evaluated. This is particularly crucial under circumstances where a few hours or a few centimeters of difference can have an enormous impact on a ship’s sailing schedule.

Cancellations

Where conditions precluded us from being able to provide a modified itinerary that we believed would be worthwhile—we canceled those particular cruises. For these cancellations, we provided a refund plus a credit for a future cruise so that these disappointed guests may book another journey with Viking.

Modified Itineraries

If we believed that we would be able to continue operating an itinerary with some modifications, we did. Each of these modified sailings was considered individually. Partial compensation in the form of a voucher was provided. In most cases we contacted guests ahead of departure to let them know the ways in which we anticipated their itinerary would proceed based on current conditions. In some cases the rapidly changing navigational conditions prompted additional modifications to the itinerary and as a result we have re-evaluated the compensation provided for these.

Looking Back

Not all of our assessments were perfect and as conditions quickly changed, not all of our contingency plans always occurred exactly as we had planned them. But a good many of them did.

Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. At the time we made decisions whether to cancel cruises or proceed with modifications, we always had the interests and safety of our guests and crew in mind. We have received many emails and phone calls from guests whose cruise did not go perfectly, but who still enjoyed themselves.

Departures in the First Week of June

We get the sense that many of the posts in which returning guests are voicing their disappointment, feedback and point of view, are from departures that occurred in the first few days of June. We understand that when these guests arrived they were taken by surprise at the conditions of the rivers; we were taken by surprise, too. Our Switzerland-based teams worked diligently and in good faith trying to make arrangements as needed and keep their guests informed. We’ve heard frustration over instances where a crew could not provide answers on contingency plans that were beyond the next day, and we apologize for this, to both our guests and our crew, as it was surely frustrating for both parties. With conditions changing quickly, we did the best we could to provide each crew with complete information as it became available. Again, a few hours or a few centimeters of difference can have an enormous impact on a ship’s sailing schedule.

Compensation for Impacted Sailings

We have extended compensation in the form of a credit voucher of varying percentages of the cruise fare paid for the impacted 2013 sailings. These sailings were provided alternative travel arrangements, dining, lodging, and excursions to destinations on the original itinerary (where possible) and substituted places of interest. However, based on sentiments expressed here and elsewhere online, as well as with our Customer Relations department, it is clear that some of those affected guests are unsatisfied with our attempts to make amends for a difficult and challenging situation. So, please do contact us directly if you would like to discuss your experience. Our Customer Relations team is starting to return to normal levels of incoming calls and emails after a few weeks of very high volume, and they would be happy to continue the conversation with any of our guests. We can be reached at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and will be pleased to put guests in touch with a member of our Customer Relations team.

Safety

The safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority; in every deliberation we had it was our primary focus. We are happy and grateful to report that no Viking guests were injured as a result of the flooding. However, we recognize that some of our guests have voiced concerns about their safety and we take those concerns very seriously; please contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so we can further discuss your particular experience.

Updated Information

For guests on upcoming sailings, we continue to update our website: http://www.vrc.com/weatherupdate. We began providing updates on June 3rd when the situation became apparent—including email updates to all affected guests and their travel agents—and we will continue to provide updates until sailing on the affected rivers no longer requires modifications that are known ahead of departure. Please note (though we’re sure most Cruise Critic members who are actively engaged with this forum are already aware) current modifications are no longer a result of water levels, but of the recently announced extended closure of the Altenwörth Lock in Austria.

Contact Us

Even if you have already done so previously we ask that you contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We are re-doubling our efforts to address concerns with guests who may feel that they have not been adequately heard. We understand that there are members in this community who remain disappointed and we hope that each of you will contact us again so we may discuss your particular situation.

Thank you, as always, for reading and allowing us to have a voice within this community. We appreciate your time, patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises