Beware of Viking

sorry you have had these experiences.

Thank you, kind words would have "been nice" I wish that was all we got. ! I think we will call our attorney, she is quite tenacious!

 

Still please beware of Viking!

wow, …just wow. i completely enjoyed our first Viking cruise (even with a hiccup or 2) and we looking forward to our next one in March…For the record i don't work for Viking, but enjoy watching them play in Minnesota….

really feel for the op and believe its important for others to know that such experiences happen and also to see how concerns are addressed.

Completely agree with you on that point.

The really bad problems are not common and people do need to know the sort of things that can go wrong even if they are not particularly likely to go wrong.

Given the size of Viking's fleet I'd estimate that well over 8,000 people a day are on a Viking ship somewhere, so the vast majority probably complete their vacations is blissful ignorance of what can happen when problems cascade on top of each other.

So yes, this thread has been useful in letting people see a side of things that most will fortunately never experience ...

markt also believe that potential cruisers want to know that if/when adverse things occur, they will be treated with respect, kept informed and discomfort or loss mitigated as much as possible.

we are willing to pay for good service and appreciate being well looked after when travelling. people have many choices and providers need to be mindful of that to maintain market share.

we all like different things when we travel. comfort can be subjective as can good service. if/when unexpected issues arise that impact on the experience of cruising, the provider who can demonstrate prompt strategies to address those issues is appreciated.

we seek out those with those abilities and avoid the rest. each to their own.

I previously posted in this thread, post 119. In June we did our first viking cruise on the ships involved in this story, Skadi and Lif. Due to low water levels around Regensburg we rode buses for two days, then switched ships to get around the bottleneck. I understand some of the issues but I don't agree with a couple assertions made by the OP. Let me say I am not a Viking cheerleader and I am not a Viking hater. The overall experience was good, despite the irritations. I'm not sure if river cruising is my thing, haven't decided.

The first story that bothers me is story about packing, finding out at 9pm that they were switching ships and being up until 2:30 am packing. As God is my witness, we each packed in less than fifteen minutes. The cabins are so small we took turns. I literally stood at the bottom of the bed, in front of the dresser to move the clothes into the suitcase, maybe five minutes. I spent another five minutes taking clothes off the hangers and putting them in the suitcase. I spent all of two minutes getting the passports out of the safe. We were given the ship switching news at the 6:30 daily briefing, then we had a leisurely dinner, then we went to our cabin about 9pm. We were done packing by 9:30 pm. The next morning we put the final items in the suitcase, maybe two minutes.

The two ships are identical, we had the exact same cabin and the storage set up was exactly the same. I reversed the process, we unpacked in less than fifteen minutes and went about our business.

The other issue that bothers me is the OP talking about how they would have canceled the trip had they known about the dry dock and the anticipated one day riding the bus.Really?? I don't buy it and I don't think very many people would even consider canceling. We have traveled extensively and have had umpteen misadventures on planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships. The first family trip to Europe started out horribly, just before walking out the door to go to the airport Delta airlines called to say our flight was seriously delayed and it was unlikely we would make our international connection. We didn't make the connection, we had a frustrating thirty six hours of waiting, flying, missing connections due to delays and we missed two days of planned activities and we even lost money. But the good outweighed the bad and we keep going.

Viking and any other entity would go bankrupt if passengers canceled for every issue.

We did not get a refund or even a credit from Viking, truthfully I didn't expect one. Yes I grumbled and was irritated by the second day on the bus but things happen.

I don't think Viking is going to refund money but offers are being made for credit on a future trip. I would negotiate a little bit and then give Viking another try.

I previously posted in this thread, post 119. In June we did our first viking cruise on the ships involved in this story, Skadi and Lif. Due to low water levels around Regensburg we rode buses for two days, then switched ships to get around the bottleneck. I understand some of the issues but I don't agree with a couple assertions made by the OP. Let me say I am not a Viking cheerleader and I am not a Viking hater. The overall experience was good, despite the irritations. I'm not sure if river cruising is my thing, haven't decided.

The first story that bothers me is story about packing, finding out at 9pm that they were switching ships and being up until 2:30 am packing. As God is my witness, we each packed in less than fifteen minutes. The cabins are so small we took turns. I literally stood at the bottom of the bed, in front of the dresser to move the clothes into the suitcase, maybe five minutes. I spent another five minutes taking clothes off the hangers and putting them in the suitcase. I spent all of two minutes getting the passports out of the safe. We were given the ship switching news at the 6:30 daily briefing, then we had a leisurely dinner, then we went to our cabin about 9pm. We were done packing by 9:30 pm. The next morning we put the final items in the suitcase, maybe two minutes.

The two ships are identical, we had the exact same cabin and the storage set up was exactly the same. I reversed the process, we unpacked in less than fifteen minutes and went about our business.

 

The other issue that bothers me is the OP talking about how they would have canceled the trip had they known about the dry dock and the anticipated one day riding the bus.Really?? I don't buy it and I don't think very many people would even consider canceling. We have traveled extensively and have had umpteen misadventures on planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships. The first family trip to Europe started out horribly, just before walking out the door to go to the airport Delta airlines called to say our flight was seriously delayed and it was unlikely we would make our international connection. We didn't make the connection, we had a frustrating thirty six hours of waiting, flying, missing connections due to delays and we missed two days of planned activities and we even lost money. But the good outweighed the bad and we keep going.

Viking and any other entity would go bankrupt if passengers canceled for every issue.

 

We did not get a refund or even a credit from Viking, truthfully I didn't expect one. Yes I grumbled and was irritated by the second day on the bus but things happen.

I don't think Viking is going to refund money but offers are being made for credit on a future trip. I would negotiate a little bit and then give Viking another try.

I have been thinking the same thing about packing every time I read the complaint,

I previously posted in this thread, post 119. In June we did our first viking cruise on the ships involved in this story, Skadi and Lif. Due to low water levels around Regensburg we rode buses for two days, then switched ships to get around the bottleneck. I understand some of the issues but I don't agree with a couple assertions made by the OP. Let me say I am not a Viking cheerleader and I am not a Viking hater. The overall experience was good, despite the irritations. I'm not sure if river cruising is my thing, haven't decided.

 

The first story that bothers me is story about packing, finding out at 9pm that they were switching ships and being up until 2:30 am packing. As God is my witness, we each packed in less than fifteen minutes. The cabins are so small we took turns. I literally stood at the bottom of the bed, in front of the dresser to move the clothes into the suitcase, maybe five minutes. I spent another five minutes taking clothes off the hangers and putting them in the suitcase. I spent all of two minutes getting the passports out of the safe. We were given the ship switching news at the 6:30 daily briefing, then we had a leisurely dinner, then we went to our cabin about 9pm. We were done packing by 9:30 pm. The next morning we put the final items in the suitcase, maybe two minutes.

 

The two ships are identical, we had the exact same cabin and the storage set up was exactly the same. I reversed the process, we unpacked in less than fifteen minutes and went about our business.

 

 

 

The other issue that bothers me is the OP talking about how they would have canceled the trip had they known about the dry dock and the anticipated one day riding the bus.Really?? I don't buy it and I don't think very many people would even consider canceling. We have traveled extensively and have had umpteen misadventures on planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships. The first family trip to Europe started out horribly, just before walking out the door to go to the airport Delta airlines called to say our flight was seriously delayed and it was unlikely we would make our international connection. We didn't make the connection, we had a frustrating thirty six hours of waiting, flying, missing connections due to delays and we missed two days of planned activities and we even lost money. But the good outweighed the bad and we keep going.

 

Viking and any other entity would go bankrupt if passengers canceled for every issue.

 

 

 

We did not get a refund or even a credit from Viking, truthfully I didn't expect one. Yes I grumbled and was irritated by the second day on the bus but things happen.

 

I don't think Viking is going to refund money but offers are being made for credit on a future trip. I would negotiate a little bit and then give Viking another try.

First I will talk about packing. We learned at the 9:30 PM briefing and got back to the cabin around 10 PM. We had 2 large suitcases and 2 carry on suitcases. My wife does the packing because I'm not good at it. I delivered the clothes to her and she packed them. We both had too many clothes for the cruise but we finished packing at 1:30 PM.

I think it admirable you were able to pack in 15 minutes but I know how long it took us. Then once we got to the Lif we had to unpack which took less time but still occupied time we had not planned on.

Once again the reason we cruise is to minimize the number of times we have to pack and unpack and then pack again. To us this was a major inconvenience. When we were on Seabourn the first time we had to change cabins because of a problem with the original cabin. The cabin stewards came in and assisted us in moving our clothes while still on hangers to the new cabin. They also offered to pack the other stuff out of the drawers but we did that and then they carried the suitcases to our new cabin. All Viking did was move our suitcases from one ship to another. That is the difference in a superior cruise line and a mediocre one.

As to your second point I will be absolutely clear that we would have cancelled had we known about the dry dock, the busing and the change of ships. If the cruise lines go broke because they tell the truth then there is something extremely wrong about their financing. When we travel we expect things to go correctly and when they don't we let the people causing the problem know about it.

We did NOT pay to go on a bus trip something we have never done and will never do. When we cruise we often stay in a city in a foreign county for a week or so either before or after a cruise. If you check my signature we enjoy transatlantic cruises and then we have stayed a week or so in London, Amsterdam, Florence, Rome, Key West and Paris after or before the cruise. For this cruise we stayed 3 days in Prague before the cruise. But when we do those stays we pack a suitcase for that stay and don't have to pack and unpack all our stuff.

We travel a lot and I have never had as much go wrong on one trip as did on this one which is why until Viking does something to make me feel satisfied they will find me posting not only only CC but also on Trip Advisor, Cruise addict, Away.com, Fordor and whatever other travel sites I can find.

Have a great next cruise.

Sammiedawg, what a terrific attitude!

Becki

WWINFL91- Sorry to hear about your trip, it certainly did seem to snowball due to the dry dock.

I would like to echo what many have said, deal with Viking over the phone, cut your best deal, and move on. Anyone who does a google search will come across this thread, and it will give them a good example of what can go wrong.

I would like to point out that being flexible can reduce the stress level...way back in post 98 you stated "I was talked to by over 20 passengers after the briefing all saying they also wanted to answer the same question but were intimidated by the CD's attitude."

In post 93 you posted some links showing how terrible Viking can be, one even from your cruise. Your fellow cruiser wrote "Overall the trip was good although we had to move ships and were inconvenienced due to high water levels and a "ship inspection" that I believe was most likely a mechanical problem. The crew handled it very well in spite of a hostile disgruntled group of passengers and compensated us with free lunches and excursions which was appreciated. The very negative rude passengers are the ones who made it worse for us!"

So, in your version you're a hero, standing up for your cruising comrades, asking the tough questions and not backing down. In someones else's version, you were stirring the pot, disrupting a briefing, and demanding that you be heard.

Same incident, 2 different stories.

Take a breath, make a phone call, cut a deal, and move on. Or not. (Hope this isn't too opinionated for someone with my low post count...:cool:

We both had too many clothes for the cruise

That is clearly not the fault of Viking. There in no way Viking could have done your packing and that of the rest of the passengers as well. Your experience on the ocean cruise was a change in cabins on the same ship. Other ocean cruise lines also have stewards help if you change cabins. Changing cabins and changing boats - no comparison!

As to your second point I will be absolutely clear that we would have cancelled had we known about the dry dock, the busing and the change of ships.

Perhaps they should have told you about the planned dry dock. At the time it was scheduled, they expected only some minor 1 day inconvenience to the passengers - which became major because of weather that they could not predict. They did not know in advance about the extra busing and the change of ships. I understand you would have cancelled for a 1 day slight inconvenience, even if you could expect that the weather would cooperate so that you could enjoy the other 13 to the max. My guess is that very few people would have cancelled under those circumstances, we certainly would not have.

We travel a lot and I have never had as much go wrong on one trip as did on this one which is why until Viking does something to make me feel satisfied they will find me posting not only only CC but also on Trip Advisor, Cruise addict, Away.com, Fordor and whatever other travel sites I can find.

Why? I thought your reason for keeping on with this was to educate people about what COULD happen. Now that you have educated them on all those travel sites - WHY will Viking continue to see you posting about your unsuccesful cruise? I for one feel educated and would encourage you to communicate with Viking directly rather than through social media.

IMHO - river cruising would not ever please you, no matter which line you booked. I read that there is always a possibility of high or low water levels having a major effect on the cruise - but we are going to take one anyway - in spite of what COULD happen.

Enough bellyaching! Any way to lock this thread?

Everything that had to be said has been said - at nauseam.

WWINFL91- Sorry to hear about your trip, it certainly did seem to snowball due to the dry dock.

 

I would like to echo what many have said, deal with Viking over the phone, cut your best deal, and move on. Anyone who does a google search will come across this thread, and it will give them a good example of what can go wrong.

 

I would like to point out that being flexible can reduce the stress level...way back in post 98 you stated "I was talked to by over 20 passengers after the briefing all saying they also wanted to answer the same question but were intimidated by the CD's attitude."

 

In post 93 you posted some links showing how terrible Viking can be, one even from your cruise. Your fellow cruiser wrote "Overall the trip was good although we had to move ships and were inconvenienced due to high water levels and a "ship inspection" that I believe was most likely a mechanical problem. The crew handled it very well in spite of a hostile disgruntled group of passengers and compensated us with free lunches and excursions which was appreciated. The very negative rude passengers are the ones who made it worse for us!"

 

So, in your version you're a hero, standing up for your cruising comrades, asking the tough questions and not backing down. In someones else's version, you were stirring the pot, disrupting a briefing, and demanding that you be heard.

 

Same incident, 2 different stories.

 

Take a breath, make a phone call, cut a deal, and move on. Or not. (Hope this isn't too opinionated for someone with my low post count...:cool:

Thank you for your post and pointing out the differing view of another passenger on the same cruise with the OP. I would like to think we would react with a positive attitude. We certainly have been educated about what can happen on a river cruise. We were even educated before reading this thread - imagine that!

OP says he read and researched on this river cruise board before going on their cruise. Surely he was educated and forewarned by others who posted negative reviews of their river cruise experiences, but he went anyway - I wonder why.

WWINFL91- Sorry to hear about your trip, it certainly did seem to snowball due to the dry dock.

 

I would like to echo what many have said, deal with Viking over the phone, cut your best deal, and move on. Anyone who does a google search will come across this thread, and it will give them a good example of what can go wrong.

 

I would like to point out that being flexible can reduce the stress level...way back in post 98 you stated "I was talked to by over 20 passengers after the briefing all saying they also wanted to answer the same question but were intimidated by the CD's attitude."

 

In post 93 you posted some links showing how terrible Viking can be, one even from your cruise. Your fellow cruiser wrote "Overall the trip was good although we had to move ships and were inconvenienced due to high water levels and a "ship inspection" that I believe was most likely a mechanical problem. The crew handled it very well in spite of a hostile disgruntled group of passengers and compensated us with free lunches and excursions which was appreciated. The very negative rude passengers are the ones who made it worse for us!"

 

So, in your version you're a hero, standing up for your cruising comrades, asking the tough questions and not backing down. In someones else's version, you were stirring the pot, disrupting a briefing, and demanding that you be heard.

 

Same incident, 2 different stories.

 

Take a breath, make a phone call, cut a deal, and move on. Or not. (Hope this isn't too opinionated for someone with my low post count...:cool:

Good summary and great conclusion ..(especially for someone with so few posts! ;)

Also, very good sleuthing re: Trip Advisor comments in the post by 'Evelyn R of Stockton, California' (I would like to dine with her at her table) about the very same cruise! That provided some badly needed balance that was missing about this experience.

As the last poster said, this topic is done ad nauseum.:rolleyes:

Game, Set, Match.

We travel a lot and I have never had as much go wrong on one trip as did on this one which is why until Viking does something to make me feel satisfied they will find me posting not only only CC but also on Trip Advisor, Cruise addict, Away.com, Fordor and whatever other travel sites I can find.

Interesting.... I thought you just wanted to educate the masses? Just as I predicted, it looks like ulterior motives are at work - may as well try to get a full refund eh? I'm wondering how many meals you have sent back to the chef over the last year.

I read an interesting article about cyber bullies using social media (Trip Advisor, Yelp, etc) to extort things from businesses. Here's a link in case anyone is interested.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2623290/Give-free-meals-Ill-bad-review-TripAdvisor-Anger-blackmailers-using-online-ratings-website-extort-free-rooms-dinners-hotels-restaurants.html

Thank you for your post and pointing out the differing view of another passenger on the same cruise with the OP. I would like to think we would react with a positive attitude. We certainly have been educated about what can happen on a river cruise. We were even educated before reading this thread - imagine that!

 

OP says he read and researched on this river cruise board before going on their cruise. Surely he was educated and forewarned by others who posted negative reviews of their river cruise experiences, but he went anyway - I wonder why.

You asked 'why' someone who said IF they had known about Viking issues (and they most certainly did as the OP was very active pre cruise in the thread titled 'Low Waters on the Danube and Elbe') , they would never have booked and yet they did...you wonder why?

CHEAP prices! Evelyn R said on her Trip Advisor post

River cruises are expensive and my 2 for 1 with 80% off airfare deal on the 14 day Danube Main and Rhine Rivers from Budapest to Amsterdam was very good.

Heck I'd take a chance on that deal!

I think the OP said somewhere that they paid $4000 for a 14 day cruise including air I think from Texas. Wow.THAT is a deal in my books. I paid that much for a 7 day with air for Viking longship in friggin December!

And perhaps the summer season's often fickle water levels is what prompted the sale in the first place.

Sorry, I said I was done the post before...:o

Where did you find a post from someone else who was on the same cruise. I have been watching the boards and have not seen one.

Thanks

Where did you find a post from someone else who was on the same cruise. I have been watching the boards and have not seen one.

 

Thanks

Allow me to share: It is from a link that YOU yourself provided on your post #93

I think she got the date wrong but the itinerary and ship change is exactly the same as yours.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g187323-d1545128-Reviews-River_Cruises-Berlin.html

“July 25th 14 day Viking River Cruise-Budapest to Amsterdam”

4 of 5 starsReviewed 10 August 2014

River cruises are expensive and my 2 for 1 with 80% off airfare deal on the 14 day Danube Main and Rhine Rivers from Budapest to Amsterdam was very good. This was my 4th river cruise with my 4th tour company so I realize water levels can affect the trip. So choosing river cruises comes with risk. I for example was once taken off a ship and bussed through eastern Europe. Oh well! Comes with the territory so choose wisely. Quality levels vary and Viking is ranked high but not the highest on quality levels. Overall the trip was good although we had to move ships and were inconvenienced due to high water levels and a "ship inspection" that I believe was most likely a mechanical problem. The crew handled it very well in spite of a hostile disgruntled group of passengers and compensated us with free lunches and excursions which was appreciated. The very negative rude passengers are the ones who made it worse for us! We were able to evaluate service on two ships and the service was considerably better on the Skadi versus Lif which also was an inconvenience. Tours were very good and better at the beginning of the cruise and the last one in the Netherlands was pretty bad..would have been better to take us into Amsterdam even for dinner. But all in all the trip was very good. I would recommend this cruise to others with the caveat that you search for 2 for 1 deals and free or very discounted airfare. River cruises are a blast but are not for everyone so choose wisely.

Visited July 2014

really feel for the op and believe its important for others to know that such experiences happen and also to see how concerns are addressed.

 

many unfortunately may not be regular uses of the internet and therefore not aware of potential problems. we like to read travel info and will seek it from many sources, some are not as fortunate.

 

long may people tell their experiences, good, bad and the ugly.

 

re the dry dock issue... not seen that done/reported during a season?? anyone else?

 

packing and unpacking on a river cruise would not be what many would expect. we have done 6 and certainly not had that experience.

support and understanding goes along way in providing a quality travel experience.

I'm not going back to look for the post, but I recall reading that the dry dock was scheduled as a free inspection/service prior to Viking taking full repair/maintenance responsibility. I may well be mistaken . . . Maybe OP will clarify?

If my recall is accurate, then this might not be the only Viking dry dock this season. We experience a repair "event" on a cruise, not serious enough to warrant a dry dock. Parts and a technician met the ship and the repair was accomplished overnight with minimal disruption of the schedule.

[quote name=Huffy2k;43808551

I read an interesting article about cyber bullies using social media (Trip Advisor' date=' Yelp, etc) to extort things from businesses. Here's a link in case anyone is interested.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2623290/Give-free-meals-Ill-bad-review-TripAdvisor-Anger-blackmailers-using-online-ratings-website-extort-free-rooms-dinners-hotels-restaurants.html

That is an interesting article and a scary situation of growing 'cyber bullying' as you aptly called it.

As if owning a restaurant and business isn't hard enough...

WWINFL91- Sorry to hear about your trip, it certainly did seem to snowball due to the dry dock.

 

I would like to echo what many have said, deal with Viking over the phone, cut your best deal, and move on. Anyone who does a google search will come across this thread, and it will give them a good example of what can go wrong.

 

I would like to point out that being flexible can reduce the stress level...way back in post 98 you stated "I was talked to by over 20 passengers after the briefing all saying they also wanted to answer the same question but were intimidated by the CD's attitude."

 

In post 93 you posted some links showing how terrible Viking can be, one even from your cruise. Your fellow cruiser wrote "Overall the trip was good although we had to move ships and were inconvenienced due to high water levels and a "ship inspection" that I believe was most likely a mechanical problem. The crew handled it very well in spite of a hostile disgruntled group of passengers and compensated us with free lunches and excursions which was appreciated. The very negative rude passengers are the ones who made it worse for us!"

 

So, in your version you're a hero, standing up for your cruising comrades, asking the tough questions and not backing down. In someones else's version, you were stirring the pot, disrupting a briefing, and demanding that you be heard.

 

Same incident, 2 different stories.

 

Take a breath, make a phone call, cut a deal, and move on. Or not. (Hope this isn't too opinionated for someone with my low post count...:cool:

Amazingly good post with many good points - all that I agree with. Well done!

Where I come from the glass is always half full! Glad to see many people feel that way. Hope to meet them when I cruise.

I hope this thread stays open, I want to know the outcome.

That is an interesting article and a scary situation of growing 'cyber bullying' as you aptly called it.

As if owning a restaurant and business isn't hard enough...

I'm not sure the OP is really cyber bullying, perhaps just venting and I'm sure he/she is very frustrated. I can somewhat relate to the OP's experience. We were impacted by a broken lock our a recent danube cruise and spent half the time on a bus with some VERY long exhuasting days, bags outside doors at 6:15am!!!. We basically lived out of our suitcases for 13 days. Not the restful vacation we'd expect or paid for

BTW, we are still waiting for our cruise company(the name begins A) to contact us with an offer of compensation. I've called them twice since we've been back and I am told someone will call me. Before we left the boat our CD told us what (A) was going to be offering, but it was completely unacceptable given the lack of time on the Danube and the amount of transfers ,etc.

A family member has recenlty had 2 Viking river cruises and both were impacted with probems. In both cases the initial offers from Viking were totally inadequate.

We were impacted by a broken lock our a recent danube cruise and spent half the time on a bus with some VERY long exhuasting days, bags outside doors at 6:15am!!!.

I'm not sure the OP is really cyber bullying, perhaps just venting and I'm sure he/she is very frustrated. I can somewhat relate to the OP's experience. We were impacted by a broken lock our a recent danube cruise and spent half the time on a bus with some VERY long exhuasting days, bags outside doors at 6:15am!!!. We basically lived out of our suitcases for 13 days. Not the restful vacation we'd expect or paid for

 

BTW, we are still waiting for our cruise company(the name begins A) to contact us with an offer of compensation. I've called them twice since we've been back and I am told someone will call me. Before we left the boat our CD told us what (A) was going to be offering, but it was completely unacceptable given the lack of time on the Danube and the amount of transfers ,etc.

 

A family member has recenlty had 2 Viking river cruises and both were impacted with probems. In both cases the initial offers from Viking were totally inadequate.

One advantage to Viking is that they have so many boats on the rivers that often they can change you to a boat on the other side of the problem (ie broken lock) and you can continue your cruise on the river instead of on a bus. That solution may not be always be available and may happen with only a day's notice but it is at least a possibility.