Viking Chateaux, Rivers & Wine

[tipsygirl]

This may be my last post as I am in the midst of the cruise, having a great time, and no longer on search of information.

First let me say that we are veteran discriminating cruisers. Viking is our third River cruse line, with multiple river cruises, and we have been on at least one ocean cruise annually for more years than I choose to share.

While I was not happy with Viking Customer service and their earlier denial of issues on this itinerary, I am now convinced that was a problem with that call center that was resolved once Viking was aware of our roll call comments. (Hurrah for the power of social media.) It is clear to me that this is a challenging itinerary for Viking and any other line and Viking is building their ability to respond to these challenges. The biggest issues relate to docking which are greatly influenced by the tides and weather coming in off the Atlantic.Viking must remain flexible, but has no choice but to follow directives as to their moves down the Rivers. We have learned they are sailing under maritime regulations and required to have a local pilot onboard at all times, so there is no issue of lack of ability to handle the ship in these waters.

Our Program Director Meika has let us know that we will have a daily detailed itinerary,updated based on directives as needed. Viking has provided many additional small activities to keep up happy and entertained.

In response to some comments from others from my perspective, the food and wine have been quite good, the tour guides have been delightful (they are a combo of French plus long term British residents with excellent French language skill), and the included tours have met and exceeded our expectations.

Regarding optional tours we chose two of the less expensive tours and found those to be priced much the same as if we had booked them at the Bordeaux Tourist Office. There is plenty to do even if you don't take the optional tours and lots of resources for doing things on your own.

I encourage anyone who loves River cruising, wine, and food as we do to join the party.

[MalibooNewYork]

Two very mundane questions:

Are there heated towel racks in the bathrooms and

Does Viking supply robes? I'd like to know if I need one to pack or not. thank you.

[marazul]

OK - the April 26 cruise has missed two ports out of four (Blaye and Cadillac), one due to river conditions and one due to lack of permits.

[ChesapeakeSailor]

This may be my last post as I am in the midst of the cruise, having a great time, and no longer on search of information.

First let me say that we are veteran discriminating cruisers. Viking is our third River cruse line, with multiple river cruises, and we have been on at least one ocean cruise annually for more years than I choose to share.

While I was not happy with Viking Customer service and their earlier denial of issues on this itinerary, I am now convinced that was a problem with that call center that was resolved once Viking was aware of our roll call comments. (Hurrah for the power of social media.) It is clear to me that this is a challenging itinerary for Viking and any other line and Viking is building their ability to respond to these challenges. The biggest issues relate to docking which are greatly influenced by the tides and weather coming in off the Atlantic.Viking must remain flexible, but has no choice but to follow directives as to their moves down the Rivers. We have learned they are sailing under maritime regulations and required to have a local pilot onboard at all times, so there is no issue of lack of ability to handle the ship in these waters.

Our Program Director Meika has let us know that we will have a daily detailed itinerary,updated based on directives as needed. Viking has provided many additional small activities to keep up happy and entertained.

In response to some comments from others from my perspective, the food and wine have been quite good, the tour guides have been delightful (they are a combo of French plus long term British residents with excellent French language skill), and the included tours have met and exceeded our expectations.

Regarding optional tours we chose two of the less expensive tours and found those to be priced much the same as if we had booked them at the Bordeaux Tourist Office. There is plenty to do even if you don't take the optional tours and lots of resources for doing things on your own.

I encourage anyone who loves River cruising, wine, and food as we do to join the party.

 

Hey Tipsygirl! I am glad to hear you are also having a wonderful time. Yes, there have been changes but overall, the most disconcerting has been the weather which is always unpredictable. I agree with what you have to say, the tours have been wonderful. We were fortunate to have had our Chateaux tasting at Lynch Bage. The tour and museum were impressive. Being Sunday though, the little shops there were closed. Bordeaux itself is a pleasant surprise. We especially enjoyed the evening walking tour. Enchanting. Back to my vacation...

[loge23]

Many thanks to our current cruisers, Tipsygirl and the ChesapeakeSailor for their positive and happy reviews!

Have a great trip and safe travels to both!

[remydiva]

We wanted to do a river cruise and really this hardly does any cruising. You basically go up and down the same spot, if you're lucky! This is not like the Danube cruise where you really cruise to different spots. I think Viking is pushing their luck by calling this a cruise.

.... Sitting in port and maybe getting to cruise a mile or two is not my definition of a cruise

.....Viking changes the itinerary and makes it a joyous trip for you but I am not confident that this cruise will turn out to be a great one.

 

Hi

I am snooping here as my cousin is currently on this Apr 26 Forseti Bordeaux 'cruise'. She emailed earlier on the weekend after their 3 day Loire Valley pre-cruise and indicated there had been some 'mix ups' and that the weather wasn't great. Haven't heard from her since.

 

But I offer this observation as a fellow CCer, experienced ocean cruiser and I have 3 river cruises under my belt. Here is my two cents worth--I agree that this does not constitute a CRUISE.

 

The word 'cruise' can be defined as:

"a voyage on a ship or boat taken for pleasure or as a vacation and usually calling in at several places.",

 

But, even if you DO get to all the ports on the new Bordeaux itinerary, you only are on the water for 200 km according to Google maps. 8 days and you go only 200 km and you end up where you started?? :eek:

 

Compare this with other week long cruises I have done --

Danube (Passau to Budapest) 500 km.

Tulips and Windmills ( Amsterdam to Antwerp) 650 km

Castles on the Rhine (Amsterdam to Basel) 750 km

Or with this 14 day cruise that I have not done...

Grand European (Amsterdam to Budapest) 1400 km

 

So I would suggest that if, like others here who have changed their minds, IF you want to experience that region of France, then consider if this 'cruise' and your time and money will offer you the best opportunity to do that.

 

My opinion only offers the 'numbers' on how many km you will actually be 'cruising' in case that is a factor.

 

On the positive side, it was great to hear from the two posters who are actually on this cruise and who are enjoying themselves. Hope the rest of the trip goes smoothly and is pleasant. :)

[tipsygirl]

Hey Tipsygirl! I am glad to hear you are also having a wonderful time. Yes, there have been changes but overall, the most disconcerting has been the weather which is always unpredictable. I agree with what you have to say, the tours have been wonderful. We were fortunate to have had our Chateaux tasting at Lynch Bage. The tour and museum were impressive. Being Sunday though, the little shops there were closed. Bordeaux itself is a pleasant surprise. We especially enjoyed the evening walking tour. Enchanting. Back to my vacation...

We are probably walking side by side on tours. We also did Lynch Bage and the evening tour in Bordeaux. Are doing The Chateau lunch today.. Just docking now in Libourne.

Still no complaints except the weather...but it is April, so showers are inevitable.

Another note for all...this is a beautiful ship! And the staff are incredible!

[notamermaid]

The famous - infamous - bridge that the Viking ship is apparently not allowed to pass under:

 

http://fr.bordeaux-tourisme.com/offre/fiche/bordeaux-au-fil-de-l-eau/OP031AQU033V500K9N

 

You can see a river boat passing under in the photo, not a large cruise ship.

 

The site says that you can book a river tour with explanations in French and English for 15 euros.

 

notamermaid

[Stratheden]

Can someone who has been on Uniworld or some other cruise line please tell us if they were allowed under the bridge.

[Bet & Peg]

indianrider ~ sorry I didn't answer your question, missed it before! Been a busy time helping our son prepare for an Autism fundraiser this Sunday!

 

We're not that experienced in River Cruising - have just taken 2 so far! Our first was Viking's Portraits of Southern France - chosen because we wanted to see Paris and DH enjoys Rhone Valley wine & wanted to visit Chateauneuf du Papa. I was very leary about RCs - thought I'd miss the pool and entertainment and dinner choices and people! But I really feel in love with the whole experience - even the organized tours that we always avoided on OCs! I especially enjoyed the way we were treated - I can only explain it by saying I felt like an "adult" - no going through security evertime I entered the ship; could bring wine on board anytime; no food lines and NO pushing - even if some people always had to be first! RCing isn't perfect but I really enjoyed it!

 

Second trip eas last year, DH wanted to "so" the Rhine River and I suggested Christmas Markets since we had seen the Rhine on a car trip in 2008. I just loved that trip also - new ship (didn't mind the "old" Neptune on 1st RC); fabulous CMs; good weather; same "adult" treatment; Cologne & Strasbourg that I'd like to visit any time of year!!!!

 

We are more itinerary driven then anything else! Actually booked thos Bordeaux cruise before last year's cruise! Maybe I "jumped" too quickly but thought that Viking was a good enough company to have fully researched a new itinerary before offering cruises there! Perhaps I was wrong - ugh!!! Should have been as smart as you to think about a land trip to this area - but, unfortunately, think those days may be past! But can't wait to hear all about your trip!!!!

[Bet & Peg]

…help us assemble an accurate “picture” of this cruise by posting answers to the following:

1. how many ports, if any, you missed due to river conditions

2. how would you rate the Forseti’s food (from 1 to 5 - poor to excellent)

3. any comments you would like to add on excursions, service, etc."

April 12, 2014 ~ id4elizabeth – ports missed Cadillac

April 12, 2014 ~ Go Pack – ports missed Cadillac

April 26, 2014 ~ tipsygirl – ports missed Cadillac & Blaye

April 26, 2014 ~ ChesapeakeSailor – ports missed Cadillac & Blaye

May 10, 2014 ~ editor@cruisecritic: Carolyn

May 17, 2014 ~ kidfixer: Linda

May 24, 2014 ~ MalibooNewYork Theresa

May 31, 2014 ~ ABQcruiser

June 28, 2014 ~ Le bon vin

July 12, 2014 ~ vcgeno

July 12, 2014 ~ SueFrankuk

July 19, 2014 ~ loge23

Aug. 16, 2014 ~ lovetocruise17

Aug. 23, 2014 ~ MABoat

Aug. 30, 2014 ~ roebud; Rose & Gary

Sept. 6, 2014 ~ indianrider - CANCELLED

Sept 13, 2014 ~ smokinmike

Sept. 20, 2014 ~ zmjh45

Sept. 27, 2014 ~ parkie

Oct. 4, 2014 ~ FotoPeg: John & Peg, Tony & Linda

Nov. 1, 2014 ~ Laffey724

Nov. 22, 2014 ~ itchyfeetx2

Nov. 22, 2014 ~ sable16

[Bet & Peg]

CheaspeakeSailor ~ you mentioned wine tasting at Chateau Lynch Bages - was this on the included tour at Pauillac? Sounds VERY good!!!

 

PLEASE - don't spend your precious cruise time answering my questions - but loved to have you tell us more about this - and every! - tour!!

 

We've been tasting Bordeaux wine lately - "old world" wines always intimidated me! But, with this trip in mind, I decided I had to "bite the bullet" and become a more serious wine drinking and DH was only too happy to oblige!! Found a bottle from Chateau Siaurac that we'll be tasting before the trip! And would like to research any other Chateaux we might be going to!!

 

Thanks much!!!!

[Bet & Peg]

First, this is NOT a defense of Viking, I couldn’t do that since I think they’ve erred in many ways involving this cruise. Did they fully research the rivers/estuary beforehand? Did they understand the tidal ramifications? Did they apply for the permit to sail under the Cadillac Bridge in responsible time? Why didn’t they forewarn passengers more strongly about the possibility of altering the cruising itinerary? Why were there early reports of the food being such a poor quality? SO many questions that don’t seem to have an easy answer but leaves this future passenger still fearing that quality has been replaced by quantity as they grow larger and larger with more river ships and an ocean vessel!

But all that being said, I do feel that some of the criticism is slight unfounded.

This trip not being a “cruise”: From the very beginning we were drawn to this cruise by the itinerary – WINE! and for me, the idea of seeing some chateaux. Looking at the map we knew there would be very little sailing – certainly not like last year’s Basel to Amsterdam! But the thought of being transported around the area by ship (unpacking just once in 7 days!) and enjoying places perhaps only available through Viking (last year’s WWII museum closed except for Viking’s tour) made us decide the little cruising would be worth it. Of course, we hadn’t then foreseen the possibility of just going back-and-forth from Bordeaux!!

Itinerary changes: I’d be surprised it anyone who had cruised – rivers or ocean – has never experienced an itinerary change. On one cruise we missed Jamaica; had to change tendering spots at the Grand Caymans; were fogged out of Galveston for hours – but the weather wasn’t the fault of RCCL. And we still had a great cruise!!

Disconnection between the office and ship: It doesn’t happen just with Viking. 2010 Baltic Celebrity cruise delayed sailing for hours because ship was undergoing a deep-cleaning because of a noro virus. We knew about it since someone on our roll call was sailing b2b and had been alerted that everything had to be cleared from their stateroom for the cleaning. She notified all of us on CC but some doubters called the home office in Miami to be told there was no noro and ship was sailing on time! Meanwhile the ship had done a fabulous job of arranging tours for early arrivals and food/TV/internet available for all in the Amsterdam cruise terminal and adjoining Movenpick hotel. Personally I’d rather have the ship taking care of things than customer relations!

I just hope that Viking can make a comeback for this cruise – begin warning future travelers of the possibility of major itinerary changes and improve their food aboard so at least that’s something to look forward to!!

I think tipsygirl put it nicely – especially in the middle of a poor-weather, missed port cruise to “encourage anyone who loves River cruising, wine, and food as we do to join the party”.

[Uniworld]

Thank you for your question, Stratheden. Our new Bordeaux program has been operating well, and the current cruise is doing fine. Cruising on the Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde is a remarkable experience, and our nautical team is fully prepared for the unique challenges these tidal rivers can present. Our ship, the River Royale, is 110 meters in length, which makes it much easier to pass under the Pont de Pierre bridge in Bordeaux and then sail successfully on the Garonne upstream to the port of Cadillac and the distinctive wine region of Sauternes.

 

Thank you again, and if there are any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at customerservice@uniworld.com.

 

With kind regards,

 

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

[SueFrankuk]

Wow it is some time since I checked this post out but as we are about to pay final payment thought I would have a look !!

 

We are sailing 12th July with our friends, my husband did comment when we booked it didn't seem to have much cruising and reading the reports makes me think, am also glad that on a river boat we always get the cheapest cabin!

 

Looking forward to reading more posts and hope things look better

 

Sue

[lovetocruise17]

I have enquired about canceling this cruise and with the $1500 I have already paid for travel insurance with Viking they are now telling me that to just cancel it would indeed be only 85% refund but the refufnd would not be in cash that I have paid but in credit for another cruise with Viking that would have to be taken within a year. If there is illness then a monetary refund can be made but after much paperwork. Has anyone else tried to cancel this cruise or others with Viking? I feel that the amount of $$ is a lot and I took out insurance so I could get a monetary refund if something happened. I am really now upset with Viking about this.

 

 

 

OTE=indianrider;42582191]I counted the days and you just missed the full refund date by only a few days. So, it looks like you may have to pay 15% to cancel. You have to decide if getting 85% back on a refund is worth it to you. Everyone's situation is different, financially and what is most important to you. Anyone who is cruising late August or later, can still cancel and get a complete refund in case there are any of you considering canceling. If it were me, I would try to do another cruise and see if Viking would switch you for a small fee. I don't know how helpful they are but as PaulWheeler said,"In general, the upper management was not top notch."

[marazul]

I have enquired about canceling this cruise and with the $1500 I have already paid for travel insurance with Viking they are now telling me that to just cancel it would indeed be only 85% refund but the refufnd would not be in cash that I have paid but in credit for another cruise with Viking that would have to be taken within a year. If there is illness then a monetary refund can be made but after much paperwork. Has anyone else tried to cancel this cruise or others with Viking? I feel that the amount of $$ is a lot and I took out insurance so I could get a monetary refund if something happened. I am really now upset with Viking about this.

 

It doesn't help you now, but it would be worthwhile for others to read the Viking insurance policy before purchasing it. If it only allows for a credit instead of a refund it would be best to purchase a cancelation policy from an independent company. We had to cancel a cruise once (not Viking) and had insurance from an independent company. We had no problem canceling, but it did require some paperwork.

 

Perhaps in your case the policy does not cover cancelation and you are only requesting a cancelation directly through Viking. Some policies only cover cancelation for specific causes (illness, etc), not just for changing your mind. Some cover cancelation for any reason.

[Ozjohnno]

The more I read about Vikings business practices the more I'm glad I've never done business with them. It appears to me that Caveat Emptor applies to every part of their sales pitch.

[lovetocruise17]

vikings insurance is misleading. the Travel Guard says it will refund the percent depending on number of days before trip but Viking has in small print that it will only give you a refund in travel credit. I called Viking just to confirm this practice. Certainly another lesson learned when putting out so much money and finding that you can't get it back.

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is not unique to Viking. When you buy insurance through the cruise line (ocean or river) you generally give up two things: (1) protection if the cruise line goes bankrupt, and (2) payoff is only a credit on a future cruise. If those things are important, you must get third-party insurance.

 

OTOH, third-party insurance sometimes bases the cost on the age of the cruisers. In this situation, it may be better to buy through the cruise line and take your chances. [Especially if you know you love this line and will definitely cruise again with them.]

[remydiva]

Thank you for your question, Stratheden. Our new Bordeaux program has been operating well, and the current cruise is doing fine. Cruising on the Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde is a remarkable experience, and our nautical team is fully prepared for the unique challenges these tidal rivers can present. Our ship, the River Royale, is 110 meters in length, which makes it much easier to pass under the Pont de Pierre bridge in Bordeaux and then sail successfully on the Garonne upstream to the port of Cadillac and the distinctive wine region of Sauternes.

 

Thank you again, and if there are any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at customerservice@uniworld.com.

 

With kind regards,

 

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

 

Am I the only one who finds this post from Uniworld very informative and interesting re: getting under the bridge?

 

It begs the question about the information that the Viking passengers received about why they couldnt get under the bridge....size of ship? Permits? Tides?

[nana541]

I would call the Uniworld post extremely informative!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Stratheden]

Am I the only one who finds this post from Uniworld very informative and interesting re: getting under the bridge?

 

It begs the question about the information that the Viking passengers received about why they couldnt get under the bridge....size of ship? Permits? Tides?

 

Yes I did find it very interesting. I have never used Viking before and I won't be using it now.

 

The Viking Forsetti is 443 feet long (135 meters). Is this the reason that it is not allowed under the bridge?

 

Viking usually jump into threads with their own responses - their absence has been noted on this thread.

[tipsygirl]

First, this is NOT a defense of Viking, I couldn’t do that since I think they’ve erred in many ways involving this cruise. Did they fully research the rivers/estuary beforehand? Did they understand the tidal ramifications? Did they apply for the permit to sail under the Cadillac Bridge in responsible time? Why didn’t they forewarn passengers more strongly about the possibility of altering the cruising itinerary? Why were there early reports of the food being such a poor quality? SO many questions that don’t seem to have an easy answer but leaves this future passenger still fearing that quality has been replaced by quantity as they grow larger and larger with more river ships and an ocean vessel!

But all that being said, I do feel that some of the criticism is slight unfounded.

This trip not being a “cruise”: From the very beginning we were drawn to this cruise by the itinerary – WINE! and for me, the idea of seeing some chateaux. Looking at the map we knew there would be very little sailing – certainly not like last year’s Basel to Amsterdam! But the thought of being transported around the area by ship (unpacking just once in 7 days!) and enjoying places perhaps only available through Viking (last year’s WWII museum closed except for Viking’s tour) made us decide the little cruising would be worth it. Of course, we hadn’t then foreseen the possibility of just going back-and-forth from Bordeaux!!

Itinerary changes: I’d be surprised it anyone who had cruised – rivers or ocean – has never experienced an itinerary change. On one cruise we missed Jamaica; had to change tendering spots at the Grand Caymans; were fogged out of Galveston for hours – but the weather wasn’t the fault of RCCL. And we still had a great cruise!!

Disconnection between the office and ship: It doesn’t happen just with Viking. 2010 Baltic Celebrity cruise delayed sailing for hours because ship was undergoing a deep-cleaning because of a noro virus. We knew about it since someone on our roll call was sailing b2b and had been alerted that everything had to be cleared from their stateroom for the cleaning. She notified all of us on CC but some doubters called the home office in Miami to be told there was no noro and ship was sailing on time! Meanwhile the ship had done a fabulous job of arranging tours for early arrivals and food/TV/internet available for all in the Amsterdam cruise terminal and adjoining Movenpick hotel. Personally I’d rather have the ship taking care of things than customer relations!

I just hope that Viking can make a comeback for this cruise – begin warning future travelers of the possibility of major itinerary changes and improve their food aboard so at least that’s something to look forward to!!

I think tipsygirl put it nicely – especially in the middle of a poor-weather, missed port cruise to “encourage anyone who loves River cruising, wine, and food as we do to join the party”.

I would like to make one point regarding the itinerary. We have not missed any ports, just have missed docking in Blaye and Cadillac. We have had relatively short bus rides to these two destinations, not unlike the planned itineraries on other river cruises such as on the Duoro River. But if more time observing from the ship while sailing on the river is what is preferred, this itinerary is probably not the best choice regardless of the ship. Our days have been spent doing on land tours and much of our cruising has been at night.

We did receive a clarification yesterday regarding being denied docking at Blaye, and it did have to do with the Foeseti's length. At Blaye there is only one docking position adjacent to the shore that was already committed to another Ship from a French line. We would have had to tie onto this ship to dock. The authorities determined that due to an approaching storm and Forsetis greater size there was increased risk to the dock and the other ship if we docked also. Just wanted to be sure you all had as much info vs opinion as possible.

Also, the Uniworld ship on this itinerary is the River Royale, which we have sailed on. I recall that it is a lovely but relatively small ship. May give it an advantage in some situations ??

[Canal archive]

I have just looked on french-waterways.com and there is no mention of needing permission to travel through the bridge. There is plenty of warnings about currents and tides especially in the spring, this could account for some of the problems, but not the head in the sands approach to customer relations. Still enjoy your cruises I will be watching with interest.