Viking Chateaux, Rivers & Wine

[smokinmike]

People will and should do what makes them comfortable. We are not considering canceling our September cruise at this time for a number of reasons. Our cruise is months away, we have trip insurance and we want to make this cruise happen. We feel that we have the luxury of time in delaying any cancellation decision based on further reports of Viking's performance in the Bordeaux region.

 

We remain optimistic that Viking will work through these issues - it is not in the company's interest for them to fail at this endeavor. Further, Bordeaux has long been a maritime shipping port using the Gironde estuary. The associated rivers, the Garonne and Dordogne, are navigable albeit with certain restrictions. Any new itinerary will certainly have bugs that have to be worked out even with the best of planning. It's unfortunate that the early cruisers are those upon whose shoulders the happy cruises of the future are carried.

 

I do not want to sound as though I am defending Viking. Viking is a large company that can defend itself. Viking certainly needs to do the right thing in terms of compensation for those whose cruise expectations are not being met. I certainly hope that Viking is putting to good use the lessons learned from the early cruises of this itinerary.

 

Let us all hope for Viking's success in the Bordeaux region - their success will be our success.

[marazul]

smokinmike-

I think you are making saltwaterpioneer's point. Yes, the Garonne is navigable and Bordeaux is a major seaport. Many ocean cruises do stop there. However, the issues with the tides on the Garonne and Dordogne will lead to many river cruises that have to remain at Bordeaux like the ones we have been reading about on this thread. I am sure there will be a number of cruises that will be successful when the tides work favorably at the same time as the schedule. I hope yours is one of them.

[smokinmike]

The tidal issues affecting travel upon the river may indeed prove to be too difficult for the logistics to work for river cruising. I just happen to think that it is far too early in the game to throw up one's hands and give up. Viking must have been aware of these challenges when the company initiated the itinerary and they must have done some diligent review regarding the feasibility of overcoming those challenges.

 

Again, we have the luxury of time in deciding whether or not to cancel our arrangements.

 

. . . and we most certainly will do just that if the problems of the past continue to manifest themselves.

 

 

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[MABOAT]

I like your frame of mind Smokinmike. My trip is not till August and I have cxl'd for any reason insurance also. I want Viking to succeed as I would love to explore this area. I just hope they will add more tours to the itinerary that all can enjoy at an affordable rate.

[saltwaterpioneer]

I am glad there are a lot of positive attitudes here and a lot of faith in Viking. Viking does cruises well in the Danube and others. I called my friend in Bordeaux again and spoke at length with him. He is an engineer and has a lot of intellect on this issue. He mentioned that several years ago, there were a couple of enterprises that developed low draft boats to try to navigate the rivers. Oh, by the way, the French don't call these waterways rivers because they are estuaries and operate quite differently. Getting back to the companies, they tried to set up cruises in the same area that Viking is now. What transpired was that the boats only could navigate for a few hours a day before the tides made it impossible to navigate the waters. The majority of the time was spent in port and docked. Passengers revolted and sued and they went out of business. These waterways are too prone to receding tides and with the case of Viking, they will sit in port at least 3 or 4 days out of 7 and that is if all the luck is with them. The tides are different in this part of the world than they are are in most areas. The are unpredictable and can go out within 30 minutes and even the locals get trapped. This is from my friend the engineer.

I did watch that movie last night on Netflix and it was quite entertaining and it gave me a better understanding of the estuaries.

If anyone wants to "hope" for the best, by all means and go for it. It sounds to me that this is a perilous strategy at best.

Viking would not be the first to overextend and they built 15 longships for this year with more to come. I have seen other companies with this strategy and gets ahead of them because they assumed that because there is water there, cruising can be done.

Do what you will, I just wanted to warn you from a credible source. Best wishes but I am canceling as I do not want to waste my money on a cruise that will not provide me with cruise time!

[saltwaterpioneer]

Oh by the way, If Viking had done it's homework and analysis, why did they have all these problems and deny it?

[indianrider]

I have friends that are going on the cities of light cruise and compared to the issues of this cruise, I am going to cancel this tomorrow and see if I can schedule a 12 day cruise for less than the BORE-DOH sailing. I researched online about river boat operators on the Bordeaux cruise and found that basically if you have a skiff you can still run into problems with this river. If you can't cancel because you will lose money, than I say risk it and get Viking to refund you or compensate you however you can. The problem lies with the lines: Viking can alter a cruise itinerary any way it sees fit

I hope you are able to enjoy your cruise but for me, it's not worth it. I read that Rick Steeves advises not to cruise in Bordeaux in his France book. Anyone want to sail Germany?

[indianrider]

Has anyone heard from Go Pack or Id4Elizabeth? They are on the current cruise and I would love to hear what is going on at this minute!

[saltwaterpioneer]

We are currently on the Viking Forseti. Many people are disappointed. They were not allowed to dock in Blaye as planned so we returned to Bordeaux. Those taking the truffle excursion had a three hour bus trip in each direction. They are gone from 8am to 7pm. The cognac tour away from 9 to 5:30. The rest of us are seeing our first real cruising today on our way to Libourne. Those on excursions are missing it. Then, we are unable to dock in Cadillac tomorrow so we are returning to Bordeaux. I believe we will be docked in Bordeaux the rest of the week. We are happy to be away but we are covering so little territory that it is not typical of a river cruise. On our day visiting chateaus, we passed the same chateau four times. We just never expected to be docked so many days in Bordeaux.

 

Also, on Sunday, in between the wine tasting and the chateau dinner, all the buses stopped at a "fake" French village. It was like an outdoor mall built for the tour groups. Silly.

 

It is not weather related. I am not sure about Blaye but I think there was no docking space for us. As for Cadillac, there is a bridge under construction and they are not allowed to go that far up the river.

Also, our cabin is a lovely veranda cabin midship on the main level. At Bordeaux (where we will be docked five out of seven nights) and at Libourne, our cabin always faces directly into the side of the gangway. We have no use of our veranda.

 

Yes, we are in France but for what we paid we could have stayed in a very nice hotel in Bordeaux and taken day trips. We have done very little cruising on this river cruise. After we return to Bordeaux tomorrow, there will be no more cruising. It is disappointing. We don't know if Viking will be offering compensation or if future cruises will be affected.

As far as cabins on the starboard side, anything midship will likely be blocked by the gangway while in port.

 

We decided against the truffle excursion when we realized it was a three hour bus ride each way. I don't think anyone knew they would be away 11 hours and miss one of the few cruise opportunities. We are headed back to Bordeaux today (Wednesday) where we will remain docked until the week ends. They decided to add the optional Sauternes wine tasting excursion but everything is bused out of Bordeaux.

The staff has been very nice and apologetic. They realize this is not what we wanted. I don't know what will happen to future cruises.

 

We passed by Chateau Pichone Longview on the bus, but we did not have any chance to visit it. Now that we are back in Bordeaux, the river cruising is finished. It is now a bus tour.

 

We have only been able to dock in Bordeaux for five nights, one in Libourne and one in Pauillac. There is a lot of bus time. So we cruised in the early morning hours from Bordeaux to Pauillac for three hours on Sunday and from Pauillac in the very early morning hours back to Bordeaux for three hours on Monday. On Tuesday, everyone who was not on an excursion cruised from Bordeaux to Libourne for five hours. On Wednesday, we sailed back to Bordeaux and will remain here until we depart on Saturday.

Please let us know if you hear back from Customer Service. We skipped Blaye because we could not dock and Cadillac because of a bridge construction. We are being bused to Cadillac tomorrow.

 

Hard to imagine that Viking is saying there are no changes. They must mean that they are getting us to all the places promised. The difference is that we are not cruising there. We have skipped a few excursions rather than spend hours on a bus.

Also, for those on the starboard side, the first five or six cabins with verandas on level 2 are totally blocked by the gangway. Not only is there no view, but they are dark.

Viking has included two tours that were supposed to be optional - the Sauternes tour and the market in Bordeaux. They are both bus tours.

Staff here are very apologetic. They say they have been in touch with Customer Service. No idea what that means since Viking claims no knowledge.

 

They can say whatever they like but someone should ask them bluntly if the boat is currently spending five nights in Bordeaux. We are on the ship and it is not moving. This is our fourth night here with tomorrow night here as well.

 

FROM FOTOPEG:

I'm really not surprised that Customer Relations is way behind what's happening - it's also happened before with another cruise line! There seems to be a large disconnect between the ship and the home office!!!

But what now concerns me is the E-mail sent to the April 12th passengers by the Customer Service VP. Reading between the lines and, I'm sure, carefully chosen words - it sounds like love2read's experience will be repeated! And also seems to contradict the "Viking Cruises" post!!

 

 

I am reposting Love2Reads posts so everyone is reminded of the problem with Viking. As you can see FotoPeg is a wise and experienced sailor and I want to warn you to get out if you can and schedule a different cruise. These estuaries are problematic every day! This is a major foul up and although Viking has a reputation to maintain, they will continue this as long as they can until it becomes obvious to everyone that you cannot cruise efficiently on an estuary!

[Go Pack]

It is 7:00 am on Monday 4/14 we have just deported for Blaye. Thus far nothing has gone wrong. The dinner at the Chateau Kirwan was fantastic. They served 4 diferent vintages throughout the meal. One was better than the other. A family member greeted us before the appetizer and wine to give a history of the Chateau. I could go on but all I want to convey is no problems thus far.the weather is great. 70* today. More later hopefully from a dock in Blaye. They did inform us that Cadillac has a bridge under repair and that will be visited by bus.

[Bet & Peg]

Go Pack ~ a million thanks for your post!!!! Breathing just a bit easier!!!!

 

More later!

[roebud]

This has been quite the exciting thread. So glad GoPack and id4elizabeth are smooth sailing.

 

As for us we are waiting to hear from this current cruise before we make changes in our plans. It is certainly nail bitting that's for sure.

 

Rose

[ChesapeakeSailor]

Have to admit, we are thinking the same thing. Having visited the area last year, we were looking forward to returning and seeing places we did not get to, with the convenience of being on Viking for the transfers and transport (we traveled indy last year). We are meeting friends from GB - that we met on a Viking cruise several years ago - in Paris for a brief reunion prior to the cruise, so our options are many. As has been pointed out on this thread, we knew and understood the limited cruising range of this itinerary; but we have no desire to sit on buses for hours.

Should be a good think-over this week.

 

I notice that you have been on a couple of other Viking Cruises. How were those? I am wondering if the issues are with the cruise line or the itinerary. Thank you.

[Got2Cruise]

This has been quite the exciting thread. So glad GoPack and id4elizabeth are smooth sailing.

 

 

 

As for us we are waiting to hear from this current cruise before we make changes in our plans. It is certainly nail bitting that's for sure.

 

 

 

Rose

 

 

 

To all those posters saying you are going to change your plans, how does this work if you already paid? Do you have special insurance? I don't think it is that easy unless far in advance.

[tipsygirl]

It is 7:00 am on Monday 4/14 we have just deported for Blaye. Thus far nothing has gone wrong. The dinner at the Chateau Kirwan was fantastic. They served 4 diferent vintages throughout the meal. One was better than the other. A family member greeted us before the appetizer and wine to give a history of the Chateau. I could go on but all I want to convey is no problems thus far.the weather is great. 70* today. More later hopefully from a dock in Blaye. They did inform us that Cadillac has a bridge under repair and that will be visited by bus.

So glad things are going well and that the Chateau dinner was a good experience. Thanks so much for the update.

[tipsygirl]

To all those posters saying you are going to change your plans, how does this work if you already paid? Do you have special insurance? I don't think it is that easy unless far in advance.

Generally only medical or other defined emergeny situations are accepted for cancellations less than 90 days before departure. And you have to purchase at the time you book if you want preexisting conditions covered.

Because we have pets who are getting older we now purchase "Cancel for Any Reason " insurance which is more pricey. We did purchase our travel insurance through Viking this time and technically it is a cancel for any reason policy, but you receive credit for another Viking cruise instead of cash back. The only reason we would cancel at this point would be an emergency at home. If we find issues after we board our the cruise we anticipate will be able to work things out with Viking.

[ChesapeakeSailor]

Haven't been to Arcachon myself, but have read that it is beautiful. The oysters and other seafood are part of its attraction. I believe you can take a train from Bordeaux to Arcachon and do your own thing inexpensively. Looks like line C of the city trolley system runs along the river from a stop near our dock to the train station. Should be able to find some more specific information online about times of travel. If you go to the Bordeaux Tourist Office website you can find a map with the trolley lines marked, and probably more info on Arcachon.

As foodies we are planning on going on the market tour the same day as the Arcachon trip. Checked the price against local guides in Bordeaux and it is in line with their costs.

 

Yea...another foodie. Yes, let's try to connect. We are not extending. Do you see an opportunity for us to take the train to Arcachon during "a day at leisure'? I would like to compare French oysters to Chesapeake oysters. ;)

 

If given the opportunity to ask during your talk with Steffie today, would you please inquire if the tour to the truffle farm was always going to be 3 hours each way? Merci.

[smokinmike]

Thanks to Go Pack for the report - here's hoping your cruise is a success and you're having a great time.

 

Regarding insurance - we purchased our Cancel For Any Reason package from Viking as well. We're at that point in our lives where family obligations tend to require that type of protection. Apparently it might provide protection for other reasons as well.

 

This is our first experience with both river cruising and with Viking. We cruise regularly aboard HAL for Big Ship itineraries and Royal/Star Clipper for sails and adventure. We were hoping to add river cruising to our toolbox and the cruise in Bordeaux seemed like a good opportunity.

 

 

 

 

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[travelfirst]

I notice that you have been on a couple of other Viking Cruises. How were those? I am wondering if the issues are with the cruise line or the itinerary. Thank you.

 

I have been on four Viking cruises and never had a problem at all. I think this sounds like an issue with the river.

[Got2Cruise]

I guess cancel for any reason is worth it then. I hope you guys don't have to use it.

[pacmom]

Did this trip last year with Road Scholar and had no problems--fantastic trip which included a week in the Dordogne Valley and A week sailing on the C. d'Bergerac. While not exactly like the other European river cruises, we had our own wine expert as our group leader and had wine tastings every am and visited chateaus in the afternoon. The other groups on board went out to Arachon--it was an all day trip--we cruised up to the mouth of the river and back to Bordeaux. Had no problems mooring at any of the stops. Pat

[tipsygirl]

Yea...another foodie. Yes, let's try to connect. We are not extending. Do you see an opportunity for us to take the train to Arcachon during "a day at leisure'? I would like to compare French oysters to Chesapeake oysters. ;)

 

If given the opportunity to ask during your talk with Steffie today, would you please inquire if the tour to the truffle farm was always going to be 3 hours each way? Merci.

ChesapeakeSailor,

Just got off the phone with Viking. Sorry, but I forgot to ask about the time for the transfer for the truffle trip. You may want to call the number they gave us and find out the info. I did notice in the travel documents itinerary that there is no time for travel listed, but is does indicate you are traveling to the Perigord region. May want check the relative locations of Libourne and Perigord.

I talked with Lanisha instead of Steffy. Was told basically what you were, although the info on Blaye was a little more specific. Lanisha stated that the dock at Blaye had been damaged by a ship leaving the dock prior to the Forseti's arrival, and she wasn't sure whether the dock was repaired. We should be able to find out from GoPack whether they docked there today.

 

One thing we will have as an issue on the 26th sailing is that May 1 is a holiday in France. I am trying to find out how extensive closings will be that day, but the French take their holidays quite seriously, so we just need to be aware. Since we won't be docking in Cadillac we will already be docked on April 30 in Bordeaux. ( Note that in the detailed itinerary it does state "Depending on tidal conditions, your ship may return to Bordeaux in the afternoon of day 5.)Only thing on the ship's itinerary for the 1st is a city tour of Bordeaux, so we really have 2 days "at leisure" in Bordeaux.

 

We are spending 3 days in Bordeaux prior to the cruise. Were going to stay in town, but now may venture out to a chateaux or two instead.

[love2read]

The truffle tour from Libourne was away from the ship for 11 hours. Six of those hours were on the bus. Those who took the truffle or cognac tour missed one of the few cruising days as we were heading back to Bordeaux.

 

 

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[id est]

I guess cancel for any reason is worth it then. I hope you guys don't have to use it.

It is worth it if you have extra $400 - $800. That's an average premium increase... :eek:

We never bought it and wouldn't buy under any circumstances...

[Go Pack]

We are on our way at 7:00 am to Libourne . Blaye was great. The couple we met last evening said the cognac optional trip was well worth the expense. So far this trip is everything I expected. No problems. The food and wine at meals very good. The weather is great. In summation all my fears and concerns were for naught.