Viking Aegir first and last time!

[Cary Cruiser]

Breakfast and lunch are a bit looser on times because they are mostly buffet style affairs, but at dinner everyone showed up to the dining room promptly at 7, were seated and the servers came within minutes to distribute menus. I think Viking is very clear in their material how this works. You may sit wherever you want, with whomever you want, but everyone has dinner at the same time.

 

I believe that is basically the same format for all RC lines.

 

Perhaps the OP did not fully understand this.

[RCDR]

RCDR from Viking web site:

 

Meals are open seating during set meal times—no table reservations are accepted. Room service is not available.

 

I think you misunderstood open seating (that they do have) with anytime dining.

 

I am referring to their video, which I believe the spokeswoman said "WHEN, and with whom u like (choose)"!!!

[nana541]

I am referring to their video, which I believe the spokeswoman said "WHEN, and with whom u like (choose)"!!!

 

Oh RCDR I hope your cruise gets better and better. But I am soooo soooo sorry you bought into the pretty advertising, I admit that Vikings ad campaign is lovely but I think it paints a very different picture than the day to day operations. It also shows a lot of great looking, well dressed and very fit 50 something's, pretty sure most of your fellow cruisers would love to look like those folks!

 

Have a great time and safe travels!

[RCDR]

Breakfast and lunch are a bit looser on times because they are mostly buffet style affairs, but at dinner everyone showed up to the dining room promptly at 7, were seated and the servers came within minutes to distribute menus. I think Viking is very clear in their material how this works. You may sit wherever you want, with whomever you want, but everyone has dinner at the same time.

 

I believe that is basically the same format for all RC lines.

 

Perhaps the OP did not fully understand this.

 

Thanks you all for assuming that the customer is always wrong! For the last time, I was told on the phone by viking agents on top of watching the video on their site! Their agent should know better, they need to change the script on their online video!!!!

I am not disputing what the reality is, I am disputing the deceptive sell. Let's put an end on this subject, please!

[nana541]

Thanks you all for assuming that the customer is always wrong! For the last time, I was told on the phone by viking agents on top of watching the video on their site! Their agent should know better, they need to change the script on their online video!!!!

I am not disputing what the reality is, I am disputing the deceptive sell. Let's put an end on this subject, please!

 

Oh no your not wrong....that fancy ad campaign is very very misleading, but it sure is pretty! And apparently the "customer service" folks who likely have never been on a riverboat much less a river cruise also believe the Ad Campaign they saw during their training to answer customer questions.

 

Now go have a great trip! Don't let the little stuff get you down!

[RCDR]

Oh no your not wrong....that fancy ad campaign is very very misleading, but it sure is pretty! And apparently the "customer service" folks who likely have never been on a riverboat much less a river cruise also believe the Ad Campaign they saw during their training to answer customer questions.

 

Now go have a great trip! Don't let the little stuff get you down!

 

You are so right! Off to another great dinner with new found friends:D

Thanks again for your kind words!

[Donray]

Thanks you all for assuming that the customer is always wrong! For the last time, I was told on the phone by viking agents on top of watching the video on their site! Their agent should know better, they need to change the script on their online video!!!!

I am not disputing what the reality is, I am disputing the deceptive sell. Let's put an end on this subject, please!

 

Could you post the link to the video that says you can have dinner anytime you like.

[nana541]

Could you post the link to the video that says you can have dinner anytime you like.

 

The OP is actually in Europe on his Rivercruise so posting a link is not going to be so easy as he would need to search the internet to find the Video.... Though you could go to Vikings website and likely what he saw is there!

Edited November 15, 2013 by nana541

[nana541]

Could you post the link to the video that says you can have dinner anytime you like.

 

I just went over to the Viking website, the name of the Video is "Viking Longship Tour" and at 1.39 on that video the lovely woman with the beautiful voice says

"You can eat with whom ever you like, WHEN EVER you like" , well here on Cruise Critic River Boards we do know that is not exactly the case but if I had never spent a year researching on this board and seen that video I most certainly would think that dinner was NOT a set time.

 

I can certainly see where the OP got his info and then got a bit of a wake up once on board. He seems to be having a good time though!

 

Note: there are several videos all really really gorgeous, but the info in question has this exact title. NOT the Longship Tour 2013.

 

I would have posted a link but could not figure it out, sorry!:)

[Viking Cruises]

Dear RCDR,

 

We wanted to let you know that we have read all of your posts and noted your points of disappointment and frustration. We’ve also been in contact with the staff aboard Viking Aegir and understand that a phone call with our Customer Relations team has already been arranged for when you return home. If you would like to contact us directly before that time, we’d be happy to hear from you at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

We do hope that you are enjoying the destinations, excursions and the overall experience.

 

Very best,

Viking Cruises

 

P.S. We’re so happy to hear that you’ve met new friends on your trip! We think that’s one of the best things about river cruises…

 

 

 

We are currently onboard the Viking Aegir, and in a nut shell, Viking is charging close to 5 Star + prices, but delivering less then a 5 star experience! Viking prices had gone from the bargin basement to 5 star +prices with their rollout of 'longships', but they have a long way to go if they want to keep this luxury market! Their service level is a joke!

 

First thing, two of the LONGEST day tour is on the first two days of this 10-11 days itinerary! I do understand this is unavoidable because of locations, but hardly a relaxing start or something to go thru after a 10+ hours flight (even with a night's sleep)! You are on a bus for several hours for a tour that last much less then the bus ride.

 

Once onboard, we were greeted with a cabin stewardess that keeps coming back to our room to 'drop off' stuff that we had requested WHEN we were unpacking with extremely limited space to even walk! She just basically climb over our suitecases! We even got to the point and told her to do this after we are at dinner but she still comes back! Its like getting service by a motel 6 maid! The clincher is when we asked for 4 extra pillows! The reactions we got was like 'why would you need 4 extra pillows'???

 

Our Heys hardcase was broke in the corner when we saw it in our room! This material is practically indestructible, we have had this bag to Asia and beyond thru miles of rough airlines handling with just cosmetic scratches. Inorder for it to break, it was probably some unimaginable trauma that our bag was meet with!

 

BEWARE of what u are told by their agent in the US, dinner is not OPEN TIME DINNING, ALL guest are expected to start at the same time! 'Dine when and with whom u wish' is NOT TRUE! Viking need to take this out of their advertising and literature! I will be making a formal complain with whatever appropriate consumer protection department when i return to the US.

 

With all that said, the things u hear about how excellent their onboard staff is, is absolutely TRUE, at least to 90% of their general staff. Most do try their best (given the cultural differences)! I did overheard a waiter raising his voice to a group of customer asking the status of their drinks, which was a bit shocking (these poor proper English folkes was shocked into silence)!

 

If Viking is listening, I will not be spending my $$ on Viking on future cruises. They need to get their act together! I can spend the same and stay in a Heaven suite with NCL and get a better product for my money!!!

[Osnab]

Thanks you all for assuming that the customer is always wrong! For the last time, I was told on the phone by viking agents on top of watching the video on their site! Their agent should know better, they need to change the script on their online video!!!!

I am not disputing what the reality is, I am disputing the deceptive sell. Let's put an end on this subject, please!

 

What video was it? I see on their website they do say "Meals are open seating during set meal times—no table reservations are accepted. Room service is not available."

 

Can't put an end to a subject that you opened just because you don't like the responses. I will say I personally don't like being at dinner at exactly 7p. But I didn't see anything else being said about this.

 

Again, I really want to know which video you watched. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Felicia

[Osnab]

What video was it? I see on their website they do say "Meals are open seating during set meal times—no table reservations are accepted. Room service is not available."

 

Can't put an end to a subject that you opened just because you don't like the responses. I will say I personally don't like being at dinner at exactly 7p. But I didn't see anything else being said about this.

 

Again, I really want to know which video you watched. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Felicia

 

Never mind....I read a previous post that shared where this was. Yes, it should be changed to not say "whenever you like".

[gillianrose]

Never mind....I read a previous post that shared where this was. Yes, it should be changed to not say "whenever you like".

 

Better yet, they could offer a much longer time period during which passengers could dine. Having everyone arrive at 7:00 PM doesn't sound at all pleasant.

 

I have seen some crew videos for river trips (it was not a Viking ship, but it was a company that assembles crew for river ships) and the crew goes in to dine in the very same dining room as the passengers, just as soon as the passengers are finished. That gives them a strong incentive to rush the meal.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Better yet, they could offer a much longer time period during which passengers could dine. Having everyone arrive at 7:00 PM doesn't sound at all pleasant.

 

I have seen some crew videos for river trips (it was not a Viking ship, but it was a company that assembles crew for river ships) and the crew goes in to dine in the very same dining room as the passengers, just as soon as the passengers are finished. That gives them a strong incentive to rush the meal.

 

That wasn't true on our AMA cruise. Our party lingered in the dining room after everyone else, and we were never rushed.

 

AFAIK all river cruises have one set time for dinner (which varies depending on the days activities). The dining room is sized to fit the boat so everyone fits, and the kitchen is geared up for this schedule. We thought we would hate it, but it turned out to work very well.

[Cary Cruiser]

The video does say "dine with whomever you want, whenever you want. and you can change that every day if you like."

 

 

Words are always open to interpretation, but when I saw the video, based on the context of the sentence, I took the "whenever' part to mean that you could sit with different people every night if you chose to. Bob and Sally on Monday, Joe and Judy on Tuesday, etc.

 

If you take the "whenever" part out of context then I can see how someone might misinterpret it, but the "whenever" clearly refers to the "whomever".

 

Unfortunately, I see too many instances where people purchase river cruises and don't really know what they have purchased. I know I did more research prior to my cruise that most people, but that is key to understanding what to expect: less surprises = better time = more satisfied customer.

 

RCDR - In spite of all this, I hope you have a marvelous cruise, and that every other aspect of it lives up to your hopes and dreams!

Edited November 18, 2013 by Cary Cruiser

[RCDR]

First, thanks to nana541 for setting me back on the right track during my cruise! Your kind words really helps :D

 

I believe our problems has to do with getting used to what a River Cruise is, cultural differences, and choosing the wrong itinerary for our first cruise (Eastern Europe's river is not lined with castles and lush greenery). Having said that, we are glad we saw this part of the world before its turned into like the rest of Europe!

 

Viking called today to address the problems. Bags we had to go thru TravelGard first, but they will assist if i encounter problems! She will pass the info onto corp about clearing up the ad and language regarding dinning guidelines, i hope! There are NO two seat table in the main dinning room, they definitely need to change that video! It clearly shows a man and a woman sitting at a table for two people!!

I have to say dinning with a group of people all 7 nights is exhausting! Upstairs dining is very limiting.

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/videos/#gallery_vtVikingShips_vrcv_longships-new-tour

 

I have to say, all in all Viking did a good job with customer follow up and customer service!

Front desk staff, our dining room staff (as we sat at the same area all nights), cabin steward (minor issues), all was friendly and cheerful.....I think there was only one Bar area waiter that was rude and appears to be mad all the time! All the Asian staff was so nice and helpful, which is a bit different then our experience on Ocean cruises!

[rjscott]

Although the dinner hour on our Viking cruise was at 7pm, we generally arrived around 7:10 to avoid a crush around the dining room doors (one of the things that I disliked about our ocean cruises). The friends we often dined with one time didn't arrive until nearly 7:30, and no one made a fuss about it, not an eyebrow was even raised. As others have said, dinner was a relaxed affair; a time to enjoy the food and drinks and courses were not rushed. And yes, most evenings we were in the dining room until 9-9:30pm and no one seemed out of sorts to have us there. We had some very pleasant conversations in the dining room with our new "friends".

[nana541]

Glad your trip got back on track! :)

[jiminyC_fan]

Although the dinner hour on our Viking cruise was at 7pm, we generally arrived around 7:10 to avoid a crush around the dining room doors (one of the things that I disliked about our ocean cruises). The friends we often dined with one time didn't arrive until nearly 7:30, and no one made a fuss about it, not an eyebrow was even raised. As others have said, dinner was a relaxed affair; a time to enjoy the food and drinks and courses were not rushed. And yes, most evenings we were in the dining room until 9-9:30pm and no one seemed out of sorts to have us there. We had some very pleasant conversations in the dining room with our new "friends".

 

I'm sorry to say that arriving late to dinner whether on an ocean cruise, a river cruise or anywhere for that matter is rude and hard on the servers and your tablemates. I wouldn't like you sitting at my table late and then I have to wait for the server to play catch up with you. It also puts off the timing for other tables as they pretty much serve each course at the same time throughout the dining room. Maybe you didn't see anyone raise an eyebrow but I know on my cruise it became a topic of conversation at the table about those that chose to name their time to eat. It really isn't difficult walking into the dining room at the appropriate time on a river cruise especially since the ships have few guests. Please don't encourage others to be late.

[rjscott]

Jiminyc, I was not encouraging others to be late. I should probably have gone back thru the thread to find the point I was trying to address, which was that people were not turned away if they were not in their seats promptly at 7pm, a point that I perceived the person posting was implying.

This can often be the problem with the written word. People, w/o verbal cues such as tone of voice or non-verbal cues such as facial expression, are left to read into a statement or question something very different than what the writer intended.

Sorry that's what happened here.

 

Becki

[noe4laj]

We recently got back from our Viking cruise. You're right, the Dining Room isn't pleasant having everyone crammed in there at 7:00 pm. It is always loud and often hot. Tables were all 6-8 (maybe even a couple of 10s)? Definitely too many people at the end of a long day. We ate in the Aquavit terrace one night. Only six of us up there. So nice and quiet (the limited menu was expanded, so many options to choose from, think bar food mostly but no dessert, which is a bummer). I would've definitely done it again though given the choice of the better menu or the peace and quiet.

 

That said, the staterooms ARE quiet and you hear little/no corridor traffic. What you DID notice in the corridors quite a few times though was the stench of sewage. I thought I was imagining it, but it was commented on several times by passengers.Definitely disgusting, thank goodness it was intermittent and stopped short of our cabins.

 

Better yet, they could offer a much longer time period during which passengers could dine. Having everyone arrive at 7:00 PM doesn't sound at all pleasant.

 

I have seen some crew videos for river trips (it was not a Viking ship, but it was a company that assembles crew for river ships) and the crew goes in to dine in the very same dining room as the passengers, just as soon as the passengers are finished. That gives them a strong incentive to rush the meal.

[antipodean99]

Romania and Bulgaria

 

 

they are countries not towns so to see them in under 12 hrs must be a World record

[Osnab]

I'm sorry to say that arriving late to dinner whether on an ocean cruise, a river cruise or anywhere for that matter is rude and hard on the servers and your tablemates. I wouldn't like you sitting at my table late and then I have to wait for the server to play catch up with you. It also puts off the timing for other tables as they pretty much serve each course at the same time throughout the dining room. Maybe you didn't see anyone raise an eyebrow but I know on my cruise it became a topic of conversation at the table about those that chose to name their time to eat. It really isn't difficult walking into the dining room at the appropriate time on a river cruise especially since the ships have few guests. Please don't encourage others to be late.

 

If I know I'm going to be late and I know who I'm going to sit with, I tell them to order for me so I don't hold up the whole table. Having worked in the food service industry, I know it's difficult not only for the servers but also the kitchen.

Felicia

[MermaidWatcher]

I just have to wonder how much research you did here on CC.... There are extensive posts about various Rivercruise journeys that members have taken. Lot of talk of dinner seating in particular and the very busy port intensive tours and long bus trips.

Apparently river cruising Is just not for you, it is a completely different experience than an ocean cruise.

 

The OP clearly says that several Viking reps told them the dining was open seating, and I have seen this description used in their advertising to promote the idea of the casualness and friendliness of their dining experience. I would not expect to have to search on CC to verify or dispute what they both say and write.

I agree that the OP should have seen in the itinerary that the first day was very long one, but she did acknowledge that it was just due to location circumstances, and not much to do about it. Your point should be well taken about port intensiveness, as well as the observation that river and ocean cruises are two completely different experiences, and some do not make the transition easily, but I think the OP is in a much better position to make that decision about themselves than you are.

As for the cabin stewardess issue, I will use that to illustrate how each of us had different expectations and perspectives on things. There are many who I feel would comment on that as being extremely attentive and prompt service, rather than a negative.

Edited December 25, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[Globehoppers]

We selected Viking's Passage to Eastern Europe based solely on itinerary, that being Bucharest to Budapest via Belgrade. We also wanted to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary on the Danube as we had been assigned at the US embassies in both countries in the late-1980s, adopted our daughter from a Romanian children's home in 1990, and were looking forward to seeing the differences in both countries following a generation of change. The itinerary and ship itself didn't disappoint. Dealing with corporate Viking was a true nightmare.

 

Following booking, I contacted Viking's air arrangement service since we have had good experiences with other cruise company air programs. I was quoted a price of $2,000 R/T per person. Quick check with airlines suggested pricing on any airline would be less than $1,500 pp before any serious searching. I commented about the excessive charge on a CC board and received a Viking Customer Service response on the board suggesting I call them...

 

The cruise schedule included a one-day pre-cruise stay in Bucharest and 2 days post-cruise in Budapest. Having visited Budapest many times, we were interested in additional pre-cruise days in Bucharest and contacted Viking to ask if they could add one day to Bucharest in lieu of the extra day in Budapest. The response was not only "no," but "don't even ask." We then contacted the hotel in Bucharest and added days.

 

After “checking-in” on Viking’s website 2 months prior to departure, we became a bit concerned 3 weeks prior to departure that we had not received any cruise documentation. Calling Viking, I was told that the travel agency had to request the documentation and Viking would send it directly them to the agency, not to me. After a few phone calls and another week, we received the documents. I was interested in the arrival and departure times for the ports of call, especially Belgrade, and that was not included. Only generic day in port information which was already available.

 

Approximately 2 weeks prior to scheduled embarkation in Bucharest, CC became alive with low water problems on the Danube which was generating changes in river cruise itineraries, to include our scheduled boat Embla. We contacted Viking to inquire about possible changes and the first response was "how did you hear about that?" I was then requested to call back, the same number, and speak to a "specialist," really just another operator. The second representative reluctantly offered that, yes, they were having problems and they would keep me informed via email. I explained that we were departing early for the cruise to accommodate the extra days in Bucharest pre-cruise, and was assured that we would be updated on Embla’s status prior to our departure from the US. On return home I discovered an email informing of the ship change sent after departing for the trip. Not helpful.

 

Due to the low water, Embla was "stuck" on the north side of Budapest and Viking sent Aegir to cover the cruise, an identical boat. However Aegir, according to reports on CC, was suffering mechanical problems and had stopped dead-in-the-water several times on its current schedule requiring passengers to be bused between Danube ports. I again asked Viking about this and was told "not to worry, we'll have a ship there...” Nothing more.

 

This came on top of Viking’s demand for full payment immediately following booking over a year prior to the cruise. While not unusual for river cruises, other river cruise companies offer discounts for immediate full payment. Not Viking.

 

The ship itself was very nice. Good cabins (305) and great staff. Especially enjoyed evening dining in the Aquavit terrace away from the extremely noisy main dining room. Food was very good with a great variety. The included shore excursions, the 50-bus variety, were better than anticipated. We did use privately arranged tours in Belgrade and Bucharest.

 

Would we travel with Viking again? Probably not, despite the nice river boat. Dealing with Viking headquarters was the worst cruise experience we have ever had (and we have cruised a lot).