Viking Portraits of Southern France - Terrible Trip

[Ozjohnno]

Dear Oz,

I agree with you in the sense the people should not be lambasted. We have only sailed with Vantage because we like their product. We have a great deal of respect for Tauck, but it does not fit our personal budget. We would love to sail with them.

I suspect these folks were sold a bill of goods as far as the "luxury" of the Viking cruise, as some other poster here commented.

I am afraid the OP unfortunately came across as a wine snob, although it was not their intention. There are many excellent wines available for $20, but as I stated earlier, in Burgundy the prices are very high.

 

I didn't read the OP as being wine snobs just that they didn't like the wine served. When I was in our RAAF I was lucky enough to be posted near some of great wine areas down here and I was able to take some "wine courses". The best thing I learnt was that wine is an individual taste. In my review of our 2011 cruise I pointed out that even though there were wines I would never drink again I was just happy to be able to taste a wide range of both red and white wine. That was an experience I'm very glad I had.

 

It may surprise some but yes you can tell the difference in varieties served without looking at the bottle and a "good red" will be bruised if it is shaken before pouring and will only recover if decanted.

[Stratheden]

I don't think the OP did enough research before embarking on her river cruise.

 

To expect top shelf wines to be served with meals on a 'budget' cruise' to my way of thinking is very naive. Then again, I don't know how Viking are marketed in the UK.

 

Perhaps the Viking 'Châteaux, Rivers & Wine Cruise' would have been a better choice as their interests are obviously in the quality of the wine.

[Cary Cruiser]

Let's talk wine - I have drunk probably several thousand different wines. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about. I have a wine cellar in my house with several hundred bottles, but I do not consider myself a wine snob.

 

I have had $10 bottles that I thought were very good and $50 bottles that were not so good. Though this does not happen often, price is not always indicative of a persons likes and dislikes.

 

I believe there really is no such thing as a bad wine (unless it is "corked", or air has somehow gotten through the cork to spoil it), every wine is the expression of the taste and method used by the winemaker to express his art. Some may use grapes of a lesser quality or use certain methods that are less costly, but there are times when this can yield a fairly good product.

 

I am going on my Viking cruise this November and I realistically do not expect to be served "great" wines, but I am sure they will be adequate and I am sure I will thoroughly enjoy them. There is more to a bottle of wine than what comes out of the bottle - the people you are with, the venue in which it is served, the atmosphere of the evening.

 

Yes, I intend to enjoy the wine Viking serves me (if not I'll buy a couple of bottles and bring 'em aboard).

[honumaui]

We took this trip with Avalon in 2012 combined with the Seine as part of their Grand France ... had cruised on Viking once in 2008..it was good then but not as good as Avalon ( my opinion) . Our Grand France trip was fabulous...had a really outstanding cruise director who kept us all on top of everything.

As for the wine....We are from Calif and usually drink wine with dinner...and not just Calif wines......Avalon served a choice of 3 different FRENCH wines with each dinner whice varied on different days..There were also other wines for purchase .We thought the included wines were very good and had no complaints.

Also the beds were very comfortable & no prob. with the A/C . Cruising with Avalon again next year

[franski]

I don't think the OP did enough research before embarking on her river cruise..

 

I think this is the biggest issue here.

 

I also suspect that the time lag has added to the sense of injustice. There were obviously expectations that this trip be a luxury experience all the way.

 

Not sure if Viking markets themselves as luxury in the UK - but it doesn't seem as if their prices are over the top. The OP talked about spending £3000 on the trip - but that isn't a really expensive vacation in the river cruise world. Given the price was quoted for the trip, I expect that included the air - so less than $5000 for a week for both of them.

 

There is fine print explanation re: waiting at the airport, but we all know that fine print is often overlooked. It seems as if the OP booked directly with Viking - perhaps working with a TA knowledgeable in the river cruise market might have helped here.

 

Unfortunately the OP did set herself up to be viewed as a bit pretentious when she was distraught over the crew member bruising her expensive bottle of wine. If they had dropped it and not replaced it, I can understand the angst. But - if you don't like the way that the bartenders open the wine, then open it yourself. However, this obviously was something that was important to her, and yet one more area that Viking (in her estimation) failed to provide the promised trip.

 

I do agree that the group was quite "reactive" here... but, hard to know what the intent of the OP was. If it was to warn us about the company, her concerns aren't really reflective of the larger group (ie: needing access to the top deck to smoke, buying expensive bottles of wine and unhappy with the handling of same... no excitement that you can actually buy your own and drink it on board without a corkage fee!!!)

 

It has been said many times before --> if you do your homework BEFORE you book, you should have a better understanding of the product you purchased. Hopefully the OP will find another type of vacation that will better suit her needs.

 

just my 2 cents worth here...

 

Fran

[alexandra cruiser]

Viking is definitely not the only line doing the Rhone--Uniworld,AMA,Scenic and Tauck. There my be others. Many of us have our quirks about things--proper wine service must be theirs. As Brits they may have posted on the UK board of CC. We did this itinerary in 2006 with Uniworld--fantstic trip.

Just remembered GCT also does this trip.

Pat

 

was thinking it was the new Viking one starting in 2014(wine region,different area).

So funny, because I also have done this one on Avalon,not my favorite trip just do to ship problems.But still enjoyed area.Thankfully,did NOT have any of OP s problems.

Guess I ll just have to wait till NEXT year,for new reviews on one I was mistakenly talking about.Sorry.:o

[Barb114]

I'm also curious about whether the OP ever asked for explanations about the top deck being closed.

[beverlyjack]

Why is it that when Viking totally screws up the start of the trip, does everyone attack the OP for nitpicking the rest of the way, even to the point of criticizing the typing style? It is shameless for Viking to penny pinch the airport transportation. You have elderly people coming off a long flight and show them absolutely no consideration. Viking seems to be trying ro recoup the expenses for its new fleet on the shoulders of its passengers. No impression is as important and the first and Viking blew it. The poor trip leader had a very deep hole to try to dig out of, with all of these people.

[Mark_T]

Why is it that when Viking totally screws up the start of the trip, does everyone attack the OP for nitpicking the rest of the way...

 

I can only speak for myself and I did not go straight into attack mode on this one, but the frustration I have with reports like this is so many of the reported problems could have been mitigated at the time they occurred instead of bottling it all up, taking it home, letting it fester for a few months then register here to post and never return ...

 

The airport issue for example could have been mitigated with a couple of direct questions 'when is the flight with the remaining people due to arrive?' followed by, 'then we will meet back here at xx:xx, for now we'll go get something to eat/drink'.

 

Yes, it would have been better to collect the remaining people separately, but just because that wasn't going to happen doesn't mean you have to let it become a major drama for want of actually dealing with it at the time.

 

Smoking area closed, just ask why the top deck isn't available and how long it will be that way. Perhaps it was closed just because nobody remembered to open it again after a low bridge, perhaps there was a very good reason, but we'll never know because nobody asked at the time...

[Cary Cruiser]

beverlyjack - I was not criticizing the typing style. All I said was "No paragraph breaks make it tough to follow."

[franski]

Why is it that when Viking totally screws up the start of the trip, does everyone attack the OP for nitpicking the rest of the way, even to the point of criticizing the typing style? It is shameless for Viking to penny pinch the airport transportation. You have elderly people coming off a long flight and show them absolutely no consideration. Viking seems to be trying ro recoup the expenses for its new fleet on the shoulders of its passengers. No impression is as important and the first and Viking blew it. The poor trip leader had a very deep hole to try to dig out of, with all of these people.

 

Do we know that this mix-up was Viking's fault? Did the OP purchase a private transfer? Most transfers identify in the small print that transfers are considered group transfers, and there may be a wait of up to 2 hours at the airport.

 

Do we know how old (or not) the OP was? What constitutes "elderly", or even a long flight? I would say 85+ years is elderly, and coming from NZ or Aus is a long flight. But - England to France has to be one of the shorter commutes.

 

I stand by my last post in that I doubt the OP did enough research to understand what a river cruise entails. It is really too bad for her that this cruise did not live up to her expectations... but why is that the fault of Viking? At some time, people do have to take some responsibility for their situation. As Mark_T says, perhaps a simple question or two would have helped things along.

 

Fran

[TravelBugM]

I think it speaks volumes that JaneCas65 has never returned to respond.

[davidrw]

I think it speaks volumes that JaneCas65 has never returned to respond.

 

Yes it does.

 

Volumes about how newcomers expressing their point of view are treated.

[Marty156]

I think it speaks volumes that JaneCas65 has never returned to respond.

 

Whinger:

1. a person given to excessive complaints and crying and whining.

 

On my link I did do a lot of whining, but no wining!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1892421

[Ozjohnno]

Yes it does.

 

Volumes about how newcomers expressing their point of view are treated.

 

I agree completely. Why should the OP return to defend themselves when they have nothing to defend. The attack dog attitude of some on this board recently does nothing to encourage new posters.

[tml1230]

I agree completely. Why should the OP return to defend themselves when they have nothing to defend. The attack dog attitude of some on this board recently does nothing to encourage new posters.

 

wow

[Peregrina651]

I think it speaks volumes that JaneCas65 has never returned to respond.

 

Yes, it speaks volumes, but not about the OP. I wouldn't return here for a further beating. We have seen the last of Jane and she will forever bad-mouth her experience on Cruise Critic.

[TravelBugM]

I would actually like to hear more from Jane. Perhaps hearing more detail and a response to subsequent posts would clarify and help those of us curious. Personally I think it would be helpful for future cruisers to avoid the issues encountered by Jane.

 

Not bashing, just want more information.

[nordski]

I certainly agree that all posters deserve a respectful hearing, regardless of their history on this board, and and I appreciated those posts that attempted to clarify the OP's background and the issues raised.

 

I also recall that, back in June, when a new poster posited that some of his/her customers thought that Viking had treated them well during the those "Biblical" floods, there was some derision, mockery and general disbelief. Even to the point it was suggested that the newbie was a Viking "plant".

 

So unfortuntely the attack dog" mentality can inappropriately appear in a number of threads.

 

And, a final observation. The posts, particularly of a critical nature, that receive the most open responses on any forum, are those that focus on one or two issues rathe than becoming a rather lengthy list. In my opinion the length of wait for embarkation unfortunately set the the tone for the cruise and, in itself, was a legitimate concern.

 

Perhaps the OP would disagree.

[nana541]

Been watching this thread and no matter how many times I try to keep my mouth shut (and fingers still) just can't help myself!

 

The OP IS absolutely entitled to her opinion and disappointment and to come to CC and share that unhappiness......however,

 

The OP came to CC for one purpose to complain, she signed up and posted one post at 1:10am according to her profile and the clock on my iPad and has never logged on again....

 

Guess I have a problem with "one post wonders" who post their complaints all over the Internet and anywhere else they can think of....

 

I am frankly tired of these type of posters and just a little bit suspicious of the quality of the complaint.

 

Ok I'll shut up JMHO :)

[tml1230]

As others have so wisely pointed out, it is all about doing the research BEFORE choosing a cruise..i think that is the real value in Cruise Critic for us....

 

As an aside... upon return from the grocery store today i noticed a bottle of lite beer from miller that i purchased was bruised. Not sure who is responsible...

[franski]

As an aside... upon return from the grocery store today i noticed a bottle of lite beer from miller that i purchased was bruised. Not sure who is responsible...

 

I am sure that I can help with that...

 

If you could arrange to have it mailed in my direction, I will do a taste test for you and let you know how bad the experience would have been should you have chosen to drink it.

 

Fran

[nana541]

I am sure that I can help with that...

 

If you could arrange to have it mailed in my direction, I will do a taste test for you and let you know how bad the experience would have been should you have chosen to drink it.

 

Fran

 

You are too funny....both of you!

[Smokeyham]

I'm curious if Viking is considered a "budget" cruise line for river cruises? Someone made a comment to that effect earlier, and I am wondering if they are considered to be the equivalent of Carnival for the larger ships?

 

Just to pre-empt any attacks... I am not putting down Carnival, just asking if Viking is considered to be more a "value" line, rather than a luxury line?

[Host Jazzbeau]

The President of Viking gave a famous interview earlier this year in which he proudly proclaimed that Viking's niche is to offer value by limiting the quality to "good enough."