Poll: Should river cruise lines cancel voyages?

[nana541]

CNN posted this:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/world/europe/europe-flood/?hpt=hp_t

most recent pics first

 

"The river is expected to peak near the border with Slovakia, in Nagybajcs, on Saturday morning and in the capital, Budapest, on Monday, according to the European Commission's emergency response center.

"In both areas, the highest-ever-measured water levels are expected," it said.

Hungary's Water Management Authority said a new record, 20 centimeters (nearly 8 inches) more than the previous high, had already been set at Nagybajcs as of midday Friday.

New all-time highs have also been recorded downriver at Komarom, it said.

The mayor of Budapest, Istvan Tarlos, said he expects a record of 895 centimeters (almost 30 feet) in the capital but he believes its flood defenses should keep the city safe with about a foot to spare"

 

Wow, just read that article. Sadly, while I have read it, I am thinking that the powers that be at some of our favorite River cruise lines are still living in that fantasy world. The last thing their "paying" passengers want is a bus tour and the last thing these communities need while trying to recover and clean up are a bunch of tourists getting in their way.....that's assuming they can actually even get there!

 

Really sad...

[jiminyC_fan]

Personally, I would want a refund. I do not want to take a bus tour.

[Mark_T]

Wow, just read that article. Sadly, while I have read it, I am thinking that the powers that be at some of our favorite River cruise lines are still living in that fantasy world.

 

Unfortunately this is indicative of their state of mind:

 

"xxxxxxxx continues to monitor the situation, and is committed to making any and all needed adjustments to our programs in order to ensure the expectations of our guests are met."

 

The guests however do not want 'any and all needed adjustments', they just want what they paid for and that is not what can be delivered right now.

 

I have great respect for the companies who are taking it on the chin and cancelling cruises, but considerably less respect for those trying to carry on in spite of everything.

 

I do understand why they are trying to do that, but if there is any misguided sense that they are 'rescuing' holidays for people by doing this then go look at the poll in this thread, the majority of people would much rather come back when it is all good again rather than push on regardless.

[Peacemkr59]

Mark_T,

 

Very well said! I sure wish those companies would pay attention to the poll and this thread!!

 

Unfortunately this is indicative of their state of mind:

 

"xxxxxxxx continues to monitor the situation, and is committed to making any and all needed adjustments to our programs in order to ensure the expectations of our guests are met."

 

The guests however do not want 'any and all needed adjustments', they just want what they paid for and that is not what can be delivered right now.

 

I have great respect for the companies who are taking it on the chin and cancelling cruises, but considerably less respect for those trying to carry on in spite of everything.

 

I do understand why they are trying to do that, but if there is any misguided sense that they are 'rescuing' holidays for people by doing this then go look at the poll in this thread, the majority of people would much rather come back when it is all good again rather than push on regardless.

[Avalon Waterways]

ATTENTION FUTURE CRUISERS:

If you are traveling with Avalon Waterways in the near future and have questions or concerns about your upcoming vacation, given the recent flooding in Europe, we invite you to contact your travel agent or call us directly at 866.397.6593 or email traveleradvisory@globusfamily.com. We would be happy to address your concerns and/or answer any questions you may have.

 

(This weekend, our phone lines will be open from 7 AM to 3:30 PM MT, Saturday and Sunday.)

 

If you booked your cruise outside the U.S., we invite you to visit our “International Visitors” tab on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/AvalonWaterways) for regional contact information.

 

Thank you.

[remydiva]

http://www.camvista.com/watch-live-video/europe/hungary/budapest_live_webcam.html

 

Budapest walkways appear under water but pedestrians collecting on sidewalk don't seem worried.

[newfirsttimer]

You will always have people who are less than satisfied with the product they have purchased.... whether it be a vacation package on a river cruise, or a new appliance. Of course, with an appliance you always have a window of opportunity to return it and get a refund. The river cruise package is non-refundable - except in certain circumstances. This is in their brochures.....

 

So much is subjective about the experience.... the food, the wine, the weather, the CD, your travelling companions...:D How would you ever go about figuring out what is "appropriate compensation" if the experience isn't what you imagined??

 

I do think (and this is just my opinion here....) that most companies are going above and beyond from a compensation perspective. They didn't plan on the rain, and would be very happy to continue on down the rivers even if the weather was rotten. It must be a logistical nightmare to try to get people to *any* destination off the boat in that stretch of the Danube. If they have made the difficult decision to move people to a hotel and feed them in restaurants, they are "fighting" with other companies trying to do the same thing. And, then we (yet again) into the subjective areas of food, drink and accommodation.

 

The caveats about water levels, force majeur etc are all in the fine print for every company. Scenic makes you sign a waiver that you are aware of that before they complete your booking. If people are looking for an experience that never deviates from the published package, then perhaps river cruising has a level of risk that doesn't meet their vacation criteria.

 

To expect a company to compensate for water levels, extra time on buses, or "sub par" hotel rooms or food (when there is no realistic measure for these items....) just ends up causing the rest of us more money. The company would end up raising their prices to offset the payouts - especially if they were, as some suggest, to give money rather than a cruise credit.

 

I will be watching these boards - as I did when the volcano eruption impacted travel in Europe - to see how the companies react. But, I also realize that the people that post here represent only a small fraction of river cruise passengers.... and therefore am not sure if we are hearing from people representing "the masses", or those that would be unhappy in most circumstances.

 

Fran

Fran, well said! I totally agree.

[PhillyGirl2]

Like many others, I work hard all year and look forward to my one big vacation in the summer and doing a bus/hotel trip is not appealing. Most people who cruise do so for the unpacking once or twice, not for living out of a suitcase and seeing the world through a bus window. Cancelling and get a full refund is the only option that would appeal to me. I looked forward to seeing what some people say is Europe's most beautiful city--Prague and unless by some miracle the waters recede and life goes back to normal, I won't be able to see it this year. Good luck to all who are waiting to hear more about river cruises to Eastern Europe.

[adeej_in_nz]

I think that the companies who are only helping their customers claim on their travel insurance are not doing enough (yes I'm talking about you, APT River Cruises!). Most travel insurance policies have an excess to pay. Why should affected customers have to pay that?

 

A full refund should come from the actual companies, not through travel insurance policies. I also think a level of compensation is justified, and will ensure the good will of passengers booked with the companies the offer this.

 

I think that for passengers who were caught out in this situation (i.e. were already sailing), then providing bus and hotel alternatives is a reasonable solution. However, it certainly shouldn't be suggested for any future sailings. If sailings can't happen, they should be cancelled and the passengers should be given a full refund.

[Mark_T]

I think that for passengers who were caught out in this situation (i.e. were already sailing), then providing bus and hotel alternatives is a reasonable solution.

 

Only as an option, with cancellation and refund as the alternative, I do not think that cruise passengers should be forced to accept a bus/hotel tour just because they were already there.

[pacmom]

Have been reading the "flooding" posts as a very interested by-stander because our only river cruise this year is on the Gironde in France. We were participants in the closure of the port of Budapest during Dec. 2011. We made our whole trip by water. During the "low" water, most of the other lines bussed their pax to the Christmas markets. No one was given refunds--some a voucher for future trip of undisclosed amounts. Viking was raked over the coals so to speak for its treatment of the situation.

Fast forward to now. It seems that Viking took the 2011 situation and learned a very good lesson. They have the largest fleet in Europe and the most to loose from pax unhappiness. The other lines seem to be trying to make the best of the situation. This was a terribl disaster, hopefully not to be repeated for another 500 rears. Just some thoughts. Pat

[editor@cruisecritic]

Thanks for the perspective, Pat.

 

Carolyn

 

Have been reading the "flooding" posts as a very interested by-stander because our only river cruise this year is on the Gironde in France. We were participants in the closure of the port of Budapest during Dec. 2011. We made our whole trip by water. During the "low" water, most of the other lines bussed their pax to the Christmas markets. No one was given refunds--some a voucher for future trip of undisclosed amounts. Viking was raked over the coals so to speak for its treatment of the situation.

Fast forward to now. It seems that Viking took the 2011 situation and learned a very good lesson. They have the largest fleet in Europe and the most to loose from pax unhappiness. The other lines seem to be trying to make the best of the situation. This was a terribl disaster, hopefully not to be repeated for another 500 rears. Just some thoughts. Pat

[DocDave69]

We were on the Avalon Visionary going from Budapest (embarked May 29) to Prague via Nuremberg. On the second day aboard, the cruise portion was, out of necessity, cancelled. The trip continues as a hectic bus tour. We finally left the bus tour 4 days before it ended. Our biggest disappointment was not being given the option of leaving the tour when the cruise portion was cancelled and receiving commensurate compensation.

In our opinion that would have been a reasonable option for both passengers and Avalon.

[Familygoboston]

I've been watching this with interest as we have just booked our first river cruise. I certainly understand that the cruise lines have no control over this and I would never expect additional compensation above a refund or even ability to apply the funds to a future cruise. But I would be very disappointed if my river cruise turned into a European (if this is Monday it must be...) bus tour. I will never ever take one of those tours a d would be hugely disappointed to pay river cruise prices for a sub standard one (and let's face it, if all the cruise lines are scrambling to make the same arrangements, quality is bound to suffer!)

 

The cruise industry also has insurance and they can insure their lose due to a major problem like this. I understand being bused around a single port or skipping or changing a port due to some water level problem or unrest, but with this major flooding the "cruise " had turned substantially into a bus tour to places where the very things you want to visit may be closed or damaged not ok!

[Peacemkr59]

DocDave, Just curious, are you writing to Avalon regarding your disappointment?

 

We were on the Avalon Visionary going from Budapest (embarked May 29) to Prague via Nuremberg. On the second day aboard, the cruise portion was, out of necessity, cancelled. The trip continues as a hectic bus tour. We finally left the bus tour 4 days before it ended. Our biggest disappointment was not being given the option of leaving the tour when the cruise portion was cancelled and receiving commensurate compensation.

In our opinion that would have been a reasonable option for both passengers and Avalon.

[DocDave69]

Peacemkr59

I have written a letter to the CEO of Avalon and sent a copy to our local office in Toronto. My travel agent has spoken to someone at Avalon and they asked him to pass along their regrets for the situation that developed ( which we appreciate) and asked for more time to form a response to our concerns. We appreciate that Avalon must be swamped with work at the moment and are hopeful for a reasonable solution. Fingers crossed!

[remydiva]

Peacemkr59

I have written a letter to the CEO of Avalon and sent a copy to our local office in Toronto. My travel agent has spoken to someone at Avalon and they asked him to pass along their regrets for the situation that developed ( which we appreciate) and asked for more time to form a response to our concerns. We appreciate that Avalon must be swamped with work at the moment and are hopeful for a reasonable solution. Fingers crossed!

 

I laffed at DocDave69 response...no rants :mad: no outbursts about disease ridden sewage filled rivers with the naked natives crouched beating their mud soaked clothes with rocks on the river banks.:eek:...no, we canadians just politely write a letter to the appropriate people ( CEO) and CC the appropriate people and will patiently await a response.:)

 

Well done DocDave.

[SoCalTraveler]

JazzBeau -I am assuming that river cruise companies, just like all other large businesses with investors, have business insurance to protect themselves against unexpected losses. I can't imagine that any mainstream river cruise company would be operating on such a narrow margin that having to cancel a month's-worth of cruises due to flooding would put them out of business. What is more likely to put a company out of business would be for them to get a terrible reputation for treating their customers shabbily, charging passengers for services that weren't provided (no matter what "caused" it), and packing paying customers onto buses and farming them out to sub-standard/last-minute/second-rate hotels and feeding them less-than-promised meals. The flooding that is occuring is not the river cruise company's fault - but it's not the customer's fault, either! Who should rightly bear the cost if contracted services cannot be provided, through no fault of the individual customer? The absolute worst thing would be to find out that these companies actually "saved money/increased their revenues" due to lowered operating costs (not having to operate those boats, make those meals, or pour that wine) and at the same time, pocketing un-earned revenues by refusing to give passengers their money back!

There is no such insurance commercially available.

 

One could imagine Lloyd's writing a special policy to cover this risk, but no insurer, including Lloyd's will agree to cover losses if a cruise line decides to cancel. Too easy for the cruise line to cite risks to passengers, real and imagined, and then cancel.

 

Large corporations tend to have policies which insure against common risks which are expressed in terms of losses which exceed a very large deductible, often tied to gross sales.