Review of an overpriced and uncomfortable Viking "Rhine Getaway" cruise

This review is for the Viking "Rhine Getaway" cruise on the longship Ingvi August 8, 2014 from Amsterdam to Basel with the two night pre-cruise extension in Amsterdam.

We made the mistake of trying to take advantage of an offer from Discover Card that required us to use their Cruise and Vacation Group travel agency. The only "special" request that we had was that the cabin be equipped with a refrigerator to store my insulin, all of the new longships and several of the older ships have this. The first six trip proposals that we received were for ships without refrigerators in the cabins, by the time that that we could book a reservation on the longship Ingvi it was for seven weeks past our requested cruise date. Our credit card was charged for a higher amount than I had authorized, we eventually received a refund for the excess amount. We never received an itinerary from Cruise and Vacation Group, we only received the Viking cruise kit two days before our sailing date. Whenever we tried to contact Viking for information we were told that we had to work through our travel agent. Every time that we spoke with someone from Cruise and Vacation Group it was with a different agent.

We booked flights and transfers as part of the package, big mistake. I'm sure that we were charged twice as much as we should have been for airfare. For our transfer from Schiphol airport to the Moevenpick hotel we had to search for an agent who made it clear that she didn't care about us and that we should "wait over there". We ended up riding with eight people in a van with seating for six and holding our luggage on our laps.

At the hotel our room was not ready, so they checked our luggage and carry ons. After spending four hours walking around Amsterdam on our own we were allowed to check into our room at 4:00 pm but had to wait five more hours for our luggage to be located. The hotel said that they were "very busy".

The Moevenpick hotel room was barely adequate but not worth the price, the included breakfast was spectacular. We took the mediocre Viking walking tour around the same section of Amsterdam that we had previously explored on our own and spent additional time walking and on a canal cruise. When we returned at 7:00 pm our room had not been made up, the hotel said that they were "very busy".

There was a Viking representative at the Moevenpick hotel, but her dining and tour recommendations were very overpriced compared to what we found on our own. Don't go to the recommended restaurant at the library, there is a Subway fast food restaurant three doors down from the hotel with better food.

The "included transfer" from the hotel to the Ingvi consisted of walking from the hotel to the ship. Once again our room was not ready, once it was we had to wait another three hours for our luggage to arrive. We took another Viking walking tour of central Amsterdam which covered the same area as the tour the previous day.

The exterior of the Viking longships is very unattractive compared to the ships from other cruise lines. The interior is acceptable except that the lounge is too small for events attended by all passengers, the cabin layout is very efficient given the limited size. We had a cabin on the lowest level, we didn't mind the porthole window but the noise was terrible. We had to try and get some sleep after dinner each night since once the ship began moving we couldn't sleep at all. We missed not having a clock or a top sheet for the bed. The service from the cabin attendant was excellent.

Dinner the first night was seated at 7:00 pm, we didn't get any food until 9:00 pm. When you are a diabetic on insulin this is extremely uncomfortable. In general the ship's breakfast buffet was excellent, the lunch buffet/service OK, and the dinner service skimpy and very slow. Tuesday night was German food night served buffet style in the lounge, the restaurant, and the galley. There was five times as much food as anyone could possible sample. The food was better than anything else served on the cruise, I wished that they had saved the leftovers to serve the next two days. If you don't order the 'Silver Spirits' drink package you are out of luck getting any beverage service. We never were served wine or beer during lunch or dinner.

The included Kinderdijk windmill and Marksburg castle tours were very good. Our guide for Cologne spent all of his time talking about how Catholics mistreated the Jews, celebrities he had met, parties he had been to, and current middle east politics. The Heidelberg and Strasbourg guides abandon you in the middle of the cities and tell you that you should look for your busses "back there" after shopping for a couple of hours. On the Black Forest tour the bus drives on winding roads past beautiful scenery at 100 kph without stopping so that you have more time to spend in the souvenir shops. The guide was from Italy and couldn't answer questions about the region. We didn't take any of the optional tours. We enjoyed walking through the towns of Rudesheim, Speyer, and Kehl on our own during these times.

The last night's program was a disaster. You can not get a cocktail during the 'Captain's Cocktail Hour'. The seven course dinner starts late, then there are simply not enough servers to serve every guest simultaneously. After 3 hours my wife left the table when she saw the rare (raw) 'Beef Wellington'.

Our flight out of Basel Switzerland was at 6:50 am, so we had to get up at 3:00 am to have our luggage ready at 3:45 am and depart at 4:45 am. They did an efficient job getting us off of the ship and to the airport, but I don't understand why they schedule leaving at that time for what is supposed to be a leisure trip.

In summary we do not feel that this trip was a good value and we will not be taking any more Viking cruises.

Thanks for the review..

You say "We ended up riding with eight people in a van with seating for six and holding our luggage on our laps." How can 8 persosn fit into 6 seats. The smallest vans are of the VW bus tyoe, 9 persons (1 driver and 8 passengers) or an SUV where two extra seats are in place of the boot making atotal of 7 persons including driver.

I am sure that a driver would not take 8 passengers in a car designated for only 6, if caught he would loose his driving licence andjob.

On another current thread there is a review of the same boat a week or so before you cruised.

Sorry but your above statement about an an over crowded van, makes your review loose any credibility it may have had.

G.M.T.,

You squeeze in.

Hi,

Could you tell us what is your cabin number on the lowest deck. We are also on that deck, cabin 113. Are all the cabins on the lowest deck noisy? Are the noise coming from the engine or the water?

Thanks.

sweettweety,

We were in cabin 114. Some engine noise but mostly water. When another ship passes it sounds like a jet plane.

Somewhere I have actually read your review... Maybe I saw it on TA but I recognize your comments!

Sorry it did not work out, you should have had a wonderful trip.

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We had the opposite experience on our AMAwaterways/APT cruise which we have just returned from. Amsterdam to Budapest.

First, our airfaires where included free with aquarium class and advance purchase. Excellent flights with Singapore Airlines.

TRANSFER TO HOTEL. On arriving at Amsterdam airport we expected to be transfered to the hotel with the other passengers who were to wait at the hotel until transfer that afternoon to the ship. Our trip started the next day, and as we had purchased a night at the hotel, we were taken immediately to the hotel in a private car. Awesome start.

DINNER SERVICE. We were seated at 7.00 p.m. and our orders were taken immediately. First course was served very promptly, as were all the other courses. Our wine glasses were never empty. Excellent service from wonderful waiters and wine waiters, and this continued throughout the trip, and the service was brilliant with ever meal. The food was fantastic. Wonderful german breads baked on board, fantastic meal in the Chefs Table restaurant, (went twice). Even were served a Sunday Roast at lunch. Roast lamb, pork and beef, plus all the extras including yorkshire pudding. Had a British head chef, and as the passengers where mainly from Australia and New Zealand, he put on special treats at lunch time.

AQUARIUM CLASS CABIN. I was a little concerned with having this cabin but it was the only one available. We had two choices when we booked and both were in Aquarium class. The cabin was lovely, a wide staircase leading to the cabin level, and no noise at all. Could not believe how quiet it was. We never knew if we were sailing or not. We were in Cabin 112 on the AmaReina which was a new ship (five months old).

We could not fault this cruise. Everything exceeded our expectations which were high.

Marie

Thank you nana541,

This was supposed to be our 30th anniversary trip. We will never have the opportunity to do this again. We never had the acknowledgement of this from Viking.

Thanks for the info, Kling Klang. Is the engine located more closer to the front of ship? Just wondering if we should change our cabin to one nearer the back on the main deck. But if it is mostly water noise, it would not matter which cabin on the lowest deck.

Anyone else who have stayed on the lowest deck encounter any noise problems?

Thanks.

sweettweety,

Engines are in the back. None of the guests that we spoke with on the upper levels reported noise problems. Its weird because if you are standing in your cabin everything is fine, its only when you lie down that the noise starts.

Sorry your cruise wasn't what you expected. Seems to me the travel agent was more the problem than Viking though.

Welcome back and thanks for your review. We were on the same boat (Viking Ingvi) 2 weeks earlier. I cannot speak for the flights, transfers or hotel as we arranged all of that ourselves. What I can say is that our experience on-board was nothing like you experienced.

Our servers in the dining room were fantastic, the food was served in an appropriate manner (not so quick as to rush you but not a 3 hour ordeal), and all 6 of us enjoyed every meal all week (as you can tell by the various photos in my review linked in my signature).

I have to ask if you ever went to the Aquavit Terrace for food as it was a buffet so always available including dinner? This would have solved the waiting issue, especially as a diabetic. Also, did you sit at the same table every night or move to other areas to try different servers? Did other guests have the same issues with food quality?

As far as wine & beer go, this was always available from the moment we sat down to the moment we left dinner, usually leaving with a fully topped-up wine glass :D And in fact, if you went to the lounge / bar during lunch or dinner, they would serve you and we were never charged. We did this to grab a beer a few times to enjoy lunch sitting on the sundeck. And we did not upgrade the wine / beer package and had no issues.

I will agree with you regarding the lounge being too small for all the guests for the nightly updates as I mentioned that as well. I also agree the German dinner night was very good, but no better than the rest for us.

With reference to noise in the cabin, we had a balcony cabin on the middle level so I cannot compare to yours other than to say we had no cabin noise all week.

I am sorry to hear your anniversary trip was not what you had hoped for. And surprised they did not acknowledge it as they were singing birthday / anniversary songs each night we were there (including acknowledging my birthday....did your agent advise Viking of your anniversary as that is the only way they would know?).

I am surprised to hear that a cruise on the same boat can be so different two weeks later. I know the Program Director (Nick) was going on vacation after our cruise but I don't think one person can have this much of an impact (in fact our Captain was a "fill-in" as the normal Captain was on vacation)

Overall, this is totally the opposite extreme to what we experienced on the Ingvi. I hope your next trip is better, wherever it may be.

Jerry

I'm so sorry your vacation was not what you expected.

Perhaps you're not used to traveling? As a frequent traveler, you learn that it takes quite awhile to get your luggage once you drop it off at the bell desk or at the ship. I've waited 10 hrs. sometimes. It happens; I don't like it either, but it's expected.

It is common practice for all cruise lines to defer your questions to your travel agent. There are a lot of obvious reasons for this. If you choose to use an agent, you go through them for all your questions and changes to your booking. If you book on your own, you can call Viking directly but you'll get a different agent every time, some of whom have never cruised on the ocean or on a river in their life.

If you had done a little research beforehand, you would see that the AMS Movenpick is right next to the river cruise ship docks. You can walk there very easily. IMO, it's not the best location for seeing the city but it's convenient to get to the ship. I did a simple Google Maps search when I was considering that hotel and after seeing the location, decided against it.

Why did you continue to go on 3 AMS walking tours? After the first one, did you ask, "What areas will we be seeing?" or did you just blindly follow the leader? By the third time, you should've spoken up and asked that question before taking off with the group. I'm sure you would've enjoyed your time in AMS more if you had gone off on your own. Did you pre-buy your museum or attraction tickets? That always helps with lines.

As for meals, a Subway meal is not my idea of good food, but if you did a search on TripAdvisor, you could've probably found some good suggestions for the type of food you wanted and for the budget you wanted too.

It really does pay to do your research ahead of time instead of relying on others to make your vacation exactly the way you want it. Read all the reviews you can, do plenty of your own research and then I'm sure your next cruise will be a much better experience. ;)

Kling Klang, I'm so sorry to hear you had such a disappointing cruise. Expectations are high when that much money is involved. I was on one of the older ships, the Viking Sun, but my experience was very different. I was surprised to hear you had such poor service in the dining room since I thought Viking might have the "best" in the newer ships.

I'm so sorry your vacation was not what you expected.

 

Perhaps you're not used to traveling? As a frequent traveler, you learn that it takes quite awhile to get your luggage once you drop it off at the bell desk or at the ship. I've waited 10 hrs. sometimes. It happens; I don't like it either, but it's expected.

 

snip

Are you saying that a lengthy wait for luggage is normal for Viking? Or some other river cruise line?

My several experiences that the luggage follows immediately behind us as we are escorted to our cabin within minutes of arriving (around lunch time usually).

DrivesLikeMario,

I have worked on every continent in the world except for Antarctica. The impetus for this trip was that I had worked in the Netherlands back in 1997, which is why I was more comfortable touring Amsterdam on our own.

I had performed plenty of research on the location of the Moevenpick hotel.

Unfortunately I was laid off from my job in April. We had already pre-paid for this trip. We did not want to spend anything extra on this trip, which is why we ended up eating at Subway one night and crackers in our room the next night in Amsterdam. My wife will not drink beer nor eat non-American food. She ordered the chicken breast every night for dinner on the cruise except for the Captain's dinner when it was not offered. I was so jealous of cruisinskier's pictures of enjoying beer at the various outdoor patios.

We did not purchase anything on the cruise nor did we leave any tips except for our room attendant. That was why I asked whether you needed to pre-tip to get any beverage or meal service.

I can not comment on Viking since I have never sailed the line, but I have stayed twice at the Moevenpick Amsterdam. Once was in a standard room and the other was in a suite. I found both rooms to be larger and nicer than most other 4 star and 5 star hotels in Europe. Although overpriced we also enjoyed the breakfast buffet. I guess its all a matter of personal choices and expectations. I am sorry Viking did not meet your expectations and hope you have a much better time on your next cruise.

While I am certainly sorry your trip did not turn out as you expected...I think the Discover TA was a large source the problems. Your onboard issues you allowed to fester and failed to address with the staff onboard who could have made your trip a good one.

Where you lost me was your clear shout out that you did not tip the crew, you not only failed yourself but blamed the entire crew for your failing to address problems onboard and a TA who did not give you any kind of advice or service.

My thought is that river cruising may just not be for you!

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Tipping is done at the end of the cruise, so no one knew you were going to stiff them at the times they were providing service.

I don't know how to explain the poor service you received. Even on those cruises most affected by flooding or lock problems the reviews always praise the on-board crews. Could it be that your pre-cruise problems and job issues led you to come on board with a negative attitude? My daughter was a waitress for a few years and she agrees that customers with a negative attitude get poor service.

Are you saying that a lengthy wait for luggage is normal for Viking? Or some other river cruise line?

 

My several experiences that the luggage follows immediately behind us as we are escorted to our cabin within minutes of arriving (around lunch time usually).

That's really unusual to get your luggage that quickly! Like I said, it can take quite a long time and it's quite the norm.

DrivesLikeMario,

 

I have worked on every continent in the world except for Antarctica. The impetus for this trip was that I had worked in the Netherlands back in 1997, which is why I was more comfortable touring Amsterdam on our own.

 

I had performed plenty of research on the location of the Moevenpick hotel.

 

Unfortunately I was laid off from my job in April. We had already pre-paid for this trip. We did not want to spend anything extra on this trip, which is why we ended up eating at Subway one night and crackers in our room the next night in Amsterdam. My wife will not drink beer nor eat non-American food. She ordered the chicken breast every night for dinner on the cruise except for the Captain's dinner when it was not offered. I was so jealous of cruisinskier's pictures of enjoying beer at the various outdoor patios.

 

We did not purchase anything on the cruise nor did we leave any tips except for our room attendant. That was why I asked whether you needed to pre-tip to get any beverage or meal service.

I'm so sorry to hear that and can totally understand you watching what you spent. Europe can be so costly! I'm not knocking you for eating at Subway at all (McDonald's is a mainstay for me!), but it's a shame you didn't get to experience more of the local food. With TripAdvisor, you can sometimes find some real restaurant gems that aren't costly - maybe even some that your wife would try.

My main point was when you ask a concierge or crew person for restaurant advice, you need to be specific: "I'm looking for a very inexpensive restaurant that serves American food" or "I don't want to spend more than 8E per person and I'm looking for this type of food___". The more specific you are with what you're looking for, the better recommendations you'll get.

The same goes with asking about the walking tours before heading out on your third one in the same city.

I have to ask. Did you have travel insurance? Or. did your TA let you down on that, too? Either way, that is not Viking's fault. If you had insurance maybe you should have cancelled your cruise and used that money elsewhere.

I can relate....I was laid off 1 month before DW and I went on vacation back in 2009. Not a Viking cruise. We went. We decided we were going to have a great time no matter what as we didn't know when we might be taking another vacation. Sure, we didn't buy souvenirs but I still drank a "cold one" every night. It is what you make of it.

I guess I don't understand why you would take a EUROPEAN cruise if your DW wanted to eat nothing but American food! Did you really think they were going to serve American food every night? My wife doesn't drink beer either. That doesn't ruin our vacation. How can that be Viking's fault?

By the way, I haven't taken a Viking cruise. My comments are just general in nature. As for stiffing the crew of their tips (even by your admission they were good). I just can't imagine. How would you feel if somebody did that to you?

I agree with Nana541. It doesn't seem river cruising (or any cruising) for that matter is for you. By the way, most of the crew members don't make big salaries and rely on tips just like you relied on your paycheck.

I am sorry to read of your disappointments on this trip. I have never cruised with Viking so cannot comment on the line from personal experience.

It does sound to me that you were already unhappy and resentful about having to take this cruise, in light of your changed employment circumstances. I am not sure that any line or boat would have been able to overcome that obstacle. And I am sorry that your circumstances were such that you choose to stiff the crew and staff. On every river cruise I have been on, staff and crew have worked very hard to give the passengers a good experience.

I have traveled to Europe since I was 16 years old, and at all budget levels. Some of my most memorable experiences were on my lowest budget trips, where I discovered very inexpensive places to stay and eat, some by sheer luck and others by extensive research.

Grocery stores in Europe can be treasure troves for good food at reasonable prices and can provide the ingredients for a nice picnic or in room meal. This April in Antwerp, we were not in the mood for a sitdown meal after walking for several hours. We were hungry and headed back to our boat and it was after lunch and well before dinner. We spotted what appeared to be a very busy grocery store. It turned out to be so much more than that, with a prepared food section, small eat in restaurant and, tucked away in the very back, a section with several people busily making sandwiches for the local lunch crowd who packed the place. For 6 E we had a wonderful sandwich (brodjes) freshly made to our tastes. We took it back to the boat and sat outside and had our lunch. It was enough for the 2 of us to share and was just delicious! And a great memory for us as well.

We will always opt for a local experience over a chain, both at home and abroad. McD's for us is good for restrooms and wifi in Europe but not more than that and an occasional morning coffee when nothing else is open; at home, fast food is just not part of our lifestyle & definitely not something we opt for when traveling. A hunk of bread from a bakery, a chunk of local cheese and a bottle of inexpensive wine has often provided us with a low cost meal and a taste of the local culture.

Less than five years ago my husband and I were both laid off within months of each other. It took a while for him to find a job he wanted and I started my own business, which took a while to get off the ground. We had a trip to Europe planned and the large components paid for so we went. We downsized our spending considerably and had a wonderful time, made even more special by some of the unusual experiences we had while trying to stretch our dollars (or Euro in this case) that we would not likely have had otherwise.

I agree that Europe seems a strange choice for someone only interested in American food. Traveling abroad and expecting to find what you have at home does not compute IMO. Vive la difference.

Are you saying that a lengthy wait for luggage is normal for Viking? Or some other river cruise line?

 

My several experiences that the luggage follows immediately behind us as we are escorted to our cabin within minutes of arriving (around lunch time usually).

That's really unusual to get your luggage that quickly! Like I said, it can take quite a long time and it's quite the norm.

Actually, it's been like that on every one of our trips. Captain greets you, hotel director gives you the key card, one staff escorts you to your cabin and others bring you luggage at the same time. That.s typical of the service on GCCL and, from wht friends tell me, Vantage too.

Sorry you were disappointed with your cruise. I've cruised with Viking 5 times now and have never encountered some of the experiences described here. I have found that the pre-excursion hotels are usually very nice but I haven't stayed at the Moevenpick before. It certainly isn't in the best location for easy walking access to attractions.

Our transfers to/from the airport to the hotel/ship were made in decent sized vans with plenty of space for passengers and luggage. As most US flights get into Europe early in the morning, we are always prepared to be on our own and without luggage access until check-in which usually isn't until late afternoon. Yes, that makes for an exhausting first day but that's what happens. As for flying back so early in the morning, we had that happen to us too on our first cruise and after that, we made sure to use Viking Air Plus so we can get a later flight out.

It's the dining situation that I'm most confused about - our servers on all 5 cruises were absolutely the best. They were so helpful, attentive and friendly that it was difficult to say goodbye at the end of the cruise. From the moment we sat down there was someone filling our glass, whether it be wine, beer, soda, water, whatever. And they were constantly refilling without us having to ask. European meals usually take longer than American meals, but we were never just sitting there waiting for long periods of time. We found the food to be delicious and were excited about trying new dishes from the countries we visited. On one night, they had several local dishes on the menu that my mother has hesitant about trying so she wanted to order the steak. My response to her was "why would you want to order a steak you can get at home anytime...try something new..you might like it". She tried the schnitzel and loved it. I'm sure if she had not liked it, the servers would have brought her something else instead.

Never had a problem getting a cocktail during any cocktail hour, free or not. The service in the lounge was always wonderful.

If we had been in your position without food for 2 hours and no beer or wine for lunch or dinner I would have certainly brought it to the dining manger's attention so it could be fixed instead of complaining about it when you get back home. Not tipping the servers for a week's worth of work is unfair if you didn't tell them what they were doing wrong.

I'm not saying that everything on every cruise was 100% perfect but when there was a problem, it was promptly addressed which can't be done if you don't say anything. Overall, from my experiences with Viking is that their staff is the best on each and every ship we've been on. We truly hate saying goodbye to them.

I hope you have better luck on future cruises.