Compensation versus Settlement (Avalon versus Viking)

[cashmeremypuppydog]

Hello all,

I would like to share 2 river cruises taken by 2 friends of mine during summer 2013. We are all Canadians.

 

The first river cruise was taken in June with Avalon from Amsterdam to Budapest. The water level was too high so my friend had to pack her belonging twice to be changed ship. Everybody understood the situation and were grateful to be move so the daily bus trips would not be too long. At the end of the 15-day trip, Avalon told everyone that they would receive a cash reimbursement for the trouble... I do believe my friend and her husband received close to $2,000 in cash.

 

The second river cruise was in July with Viking from Amsterdam to Budapest. The water level was good for cruising but a German lock strike happened. When her Viking ship arrived in Germany, the trouble started. They had to travel from the ship to the towns by bus. Everyday, the time on the bus increased. The whole ship was VERY UPSET and asked to be transferred to another ship (east) so the commute by bus would not be so long as one day they drove 2 hours to get to where they had to visit and another 2 hours to get back to the ship. They were also told they had to pay for lunch as the bus would drive them back to the ship if they wanted to have lunch on the ship. WHAT? Excuse me but do you think people would lose precious time to take the bus back to the ship, then back on the bus to visit some more that afternoon (if you would have time to go back out there....) and then back on the bus to get back to the ship?

It went on like that for several days. They even miss a stop as they had lose too much time due to the lock strike. Meanwhile, my friend found out that the cruisers on an Avalon ship were transferred to another ship...

Finally, people were MAD, COMPLAINED, YELLED... Name it. Viking could have cared less. At her return, my friend/husband and 2 other couples travelling with them had their TA complained to Viking. Viking came back with "Too bad it's not our fault. However, we will give them a $500 certificate good for another river cruise booked within a year." What an insult! They will never travel with Viking so that certificate was pointless. To make a long story short, they had found that one of their cruise mate (a lawyer) had received a settlement but could not discussed it as she had signed legal documents with Viking. My friend and her cruise mates (2 couples) had a letter sent by an American law firm and Viking was a little bit more willing to satisfy her customers. My friend and cruise mates received a settlement but they can not discussed it! My friend just said "It's not much but it's more for the principle!".

 

You make your own mind about what river cruise company to select: one (Avalon for example) that will reimbursed you a reasonable amount in CASH without even asking OR Viking who might give you a "voucher" to be used on a future cruise booked within a year after you beg them to look at your situation. And if you are lucky enough to have an American lawyer, you could receive a SETTLEMENT if you signed legal documents stating you will not be able to discuss the case.

 

Well, I know for sure I will never cruise with Viking. I know a lot about ocean cruises but didn't know much about river cruises until last summer. The only thing I knew about river cruises was that your ship would disembark you in the middle of a town where you could explore on your own or with a group. I didn't know the water level could change a dream trip into a very disappointing trip. It's why people spend so much money on a river cruise, to be disembarked exactly in the middle of a town and not getting therea by riding a bus! Water level problem should be mentioned in their brochures as it is happening often (well, last year and this year...). The company should mention what they would do to help cruisers... Viking could have shown some compassion by trying everything they could and at least move the cruisers to another ship so their commute by bus was not have been so long...

 

A lot to think about when you book an expensive river cruise!:confused:

 

Also, look at these posts written in June 2013...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1866825&highlight=compensation+settlement

[jiminyC_fan]

I'm sorry this happened but I have to say that there were complaints with the cruise lines and there were praises. I do in fact remember a few cruisers came on CC to defend and stated Viking did a great job. I, for one, will continue with Viking.

[Marty156]

Cashmeremypuppydog.

 

A very familiar sound refrain?

I know exactly how you feel, been there and got fleeced as well.

 

Our story about a different company in 2013 shows even more disdain for their passengers!

 

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

 

(With 29,000+ reads, I suspect that they may have lost a few potential passengers - I hope!)

 

It also appears that the amount of refund (if any) depends very much on the weight of complaints that one can arrange against a company.

 

We were promised a refund, eventually offered a measly $500 each (for an outlay of $20,000) but have never received it!

 

Go legal and fight for all you can.!

PS: You should see the millions of $ they are spending in advertising!

Edited June 21, 2014 by Marty156

[caviargal]

I will never choose Viking due to many factors, but one being their poor record of customer service.

 

We have been on Avalon cruises where there were issues that occurred that affected the cruise out were of their control; nothing dramatic. They handled them well and we had no complaints.

[Los_Pepes]

Getting money out of Torstein is like getting blood from a stone.

[gentlemancruiser]

Just saw another thread about low water levels on the Danube & Elbe and the reply that come from the Viking customer relations person is just outright RUDE. "There must have been some miscommunications/misunderstanding". What an insult, I hate apologies like that, it puts the blame entirely on the customer.

 

I've never been on a Viking River Cruise. When I was researching our upcoming river cruise I knew that I would never want to sail with Viking because of the horrible stories I've read and given how they just responded on the other threat, I'm not 100% certain I'll never travel with them.

[suspaul]

In regard to Viking, yes, they've had their problems as have nearly every other line doing river cruises. First off I'd like to say the original post was "hear say" and the poster was not the actual traveler. We have traveled with Viking 3 times and our 4th trip is coming up. We have also traveled when the Rhine was too low in December 2011 and our 7 night cruise turned in to 3 nights bus tour and 4 nights cruise, it wasn't the best trip we've done but it's not like Viking, AMA or any line has control over the water levels. We did receive a small amount of future credit monies which we used and have booked an additional trip. River cruising is not ocean cruising, many factors play into water issues but to be so negative about one particular line. It's funny that you don't hear the multitudes of "happy campers" but always the negatives. This is my opinion only and we're all free to make our own decisions.

[jiminyC_fan]

In regard to Viking, yes, they've had their problems as have nearly every other line doing river cruises. First off I'd like to say the original post was "hear say" and the poster was not the actual traveler. it's not like Viking, AMA or any line has control over the water levels. River cruising is not ocean cruising, many factors play into water issues but to be so negative about one particular line. It's funny that you don't hear the multitudes of "happy campers" but always the negatives. This is my opinion only and we're all free to make our own decisions.

 

I fully agree.

[UKBayern]

Just to put things in perspective for you: The water levels in the Danube were the highest since 1501 and 1595, breaking all records. In just 3 days, we had over 7 months of rain. There was 10 metres of water in the streets of Passau and Deggendorf. The motorway between Straubing and Passau was washed away over a length of 75 kilometres, and in warm weather we stil have blow-ups one year later, the asphalt just explodes because the ground underneath is still saturated with water. The ancient abbeys of Weltenburg and Metten, and the 13th century castle of Straubing were all flooded, inducing frantic efforts to save ancient books and furnishings. Local people lost everything: their houses, their cars, their livelyhoods, their animals, their businesses. The water came so fast, there was no time to save anything. A month later, all locks had to be repaired because they were washed away, and were out of service for that reason.

 

I live in the area, and although not directly hit, I did see the magnitude of the damage. I am very sorry to be so blunt, but I am sick of pampered entitled people coming onto this board shouting "money, money, give it to me, more money, show me the money". This was an Act of God, and no fault of Avalon or Viking, or anyone else. They lost millions because they could not operate their ships normally. It was very kind of either cruise company to give their guests anything in compensation. To start sueing a company for something that is not their fault at all is a big fat disgrace. "Go legal and fight for all you can". Really??? If you cannot stand disappointments, stay at home with the curtains closed.

 

To use words as "fleeced" is a bit rich. And then I read the link provided....Oh boy.... "we knew all about the floods that were being touted as the worst in 500+ years". Being touted???? Really?? Honey, your country barely existed in 1595, how would you know what the worst flood in 500 years looks like.

 

I suspect the poster is just trying to wind us up. He/she never even went on a river cruise. Burning down a company on the internet you never ever even had dealings with is not very chique to say the least. TripAdvisor deletes reviews if the poster admits he was not actually there himself. I think CC should do the same.

[notamermaid]

Hello UK Bayern,

 

a "local" voice, great to hear from you! I very well remember the distressing news reports; and having been on a Danube cruise just 5 weeks prior to the flooding made it worse for me to see.

 

This whole scenario which makes you annoyed has prompted me to point out and make it clearer on CC that river cruising is not necessarily the relaxed travel marketing makes it out to be. While rivers have become safer to navigate and ships more and more comfortable and luxurious, human error can occur and nature will have her way, always!

 

I partly point to the river cruise companies for putting information into the small print that should be more readily available and being perhaps a little quiet about flooding and low water issues IMO.

 

To put it bluntly: if you want to avoid the likelihood of your river cruise turning into a bus trip do not book the cruise in the first place.

 

It is important to do your homework about river cruising before you book. It can be a great way to travel.

 

I wonder how the unfortunate but luckily all safe cruisers on the MS Britannia feel about all this complaining. They were evacuated on Saturday when their ship had had an accident. They had to endure the shock and an overnight stay in a local hotel and were bussed back to Cologne were their ship was headed. They could not finish their cruise.

 

To be fair, I think, us, who have first-hand experience of a river that can flood, will naturally have a different view on this topic than people who have to travel thousands of kilometres to get to the respective river in the first place.

 

Last year from the river Rhine our hearts went out to the people on the Danube as they had done a few years prior to the people on the Elbe. I am afraid to say that one does not spare much thought on bussed river cruisers on holiday when one knows that people are loosing their cars, houses and / or their livelihoods. Instead, people collect money for relief funds or donate goods.

 

notamermaid

 

Sunny today, with little rain forecast for the week.

[pully8]

http://www.marinelink.com/news/netherlands-evacuated371578.aspx more about the river cruise incident mentioned above. all safe. unclear how the ship sprung a leak?

[nordski]

 

I suspect the poster is just trying to wind us up. He/she never even went on a river cruise. Burning down a company on the internet you never ever even had dealings with is not very chique to say the least. TripAdvisor deletes reviews if the poster admits he was not actually there himself. I think CC should do the same.

 

I agree. the TripAdvisor policy makes eminent good sense.

[steamboats]

The motorway between Straubing and Passau was washed away over a length of 75 kilometres, and in warm weather we stil have blow-ups one year later, the asphalt just explodes because the ground underneath is still saturated with water.

 

;) Are you sure about this? 75 km washed away... Regarding the time they need to build a brand new Autobahn over here it wouldn´t have been repaired until the next 5 years ;). The blow ups are mainly heat related and occur in parts of the Autobahn which have never been flooded. It´s mainly because in this area the foundation of the Autobahn is concrete and then paved with asphalt. It´s the concrete parts which "blow up".

 

But anyway you´re totally correct about the last years flooding being an extreme event.

 

Please all future travelers keep in mind: Flood do occur pretty fast. For those people working onboard it is an extreme situation. They do have to make decisions which they usually don´t have to do. They need to contact the US offices. "Sub par" hotel accomodations are mentioned frequently. Sorry, folks, but you won´t find 5 star hotels widely spread all over Germany which can accomodate hundreds of stranded cruise ship passengers. It´s not just one ship affected but numerous. So it´s first come first serve. What do you expect in such a situation? Passau and Regensburg do have lots of hotels but mainly smaller independet operated hotels, no big chains. Nuremberg has more hotel capacity but also not in the luxury segment which might be up to "par" with the ship. It´s the same for "sub par" meals in local restaurants. For larger groups you have to make reservations in advance and usually you do get a fixed menu for a large group. No restaurant can spontaneously accomodate 100 people for lunch coming all at the same time. They need to get provisions for such a group first.

 

Another thing to remember: The crew on a river cruise ship is not employed by the company selling you the cruise. None of them! The hotel and nautical crew are usually employed by two different companies (hotel operation and nautical operation are separate). The cruise director is usually a free lancer.

 

Of course the company selling the cruises (which usually is in the US for you and therefore far away from where the action is) can do better on behalf of customer relation. But do you really expect a call center employee - somewhere in the US - answering your phone call is aware of the situation over here in Europe?? They don´t lie to you - it´s simply they don´t know better (and don´t have the information).

 

Sure it´s a company decision whether and how to compensate the passengers who didn´t get the cruise experience they´ve dreamed of. But first of all floodings are nothing under the control of the cruise company (neither are strikes). So it´s pretty questionable whether by law they have to compensate the passengers at all. Most of them do it due to PR reasons. It´s up to you as a customer to decide which company is doing better regarding this.

 

But please make a difference on how you were treated onboard and how the cruise company handled the "aftermath".

 

steamboats

[gentlemancruiser]

Just to clarify. It is not the flooding that people are upset with, it's being told that you will have a wonderful river cruise vacation, which you've spent $X0000,00 to take and then you are put onto a bus for several days. The concern with the line in question was how to cruise lines handle the situation. It's understandable there are situations that are beyond the control of the cruise lines, but CRUISE LINES DO CONTROL HOW THEY TREAT THIER GUESTS.

 

Some river cruise lines provide as much notice as possible so thier passengers can make informed decisions, so if needed they can cancel international flights and try to get refunds via insurance policies. Other cruise lines take they approach to maximze profits and don't want you to use your insurance.

It's pretty hard for the gentleman whose just flown from US to Hungary to meet a river cruise that is not going happen. It's decitful not to inform your customers. Especially when he's contacted the cruise line multiple times before leave the US.

 

I'm sorry about the flooding and devestation that occurred in Europe. The point I was trying to make is cruise lines that don't treat thier guests with respect dont' deserve my money.

[4774Papa]

I appreciate what cashmere has provided. I read many of the posts from last year when the flooding caused so many problems with central Europe rivers.

Scenic took a huge hit the way they handled their passengers.

Viking had did not handle theirs that well, but not as bad as Scenic.

 

Yes the strike was an Act of God, generally referred to as Force Majeure in legal terms.

However, how a company handles the passengers that spend $10-15K on a trip is important.

Many cruise lines cancelled their river cruises with all the flooding. Others provided significant compensation. Those were the class act. Those deserve future consideration for booking the next river cruise.

[notamermaid]

Hello 4774Papa,

 

Thank you for pointing out the Force Majeure clause. A legal term and so far I have found a reference to it in every river cruising brochure's terms and conditions in German I have read. I referred to that clause in the thread about the Ukraine problems:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999957&highlight=force+majeure&page=3

 

Mine is post #42.

 

notamermaid

Edited June 23, 2014 by notamermaid

[CaroleSS]

However, how a company handles the passengers that spend $10-15K on a trip is important.

 

I think you've hit the nail squarely on the head.....for ALL companies!

 

What we need to be is better educated consumers! WE need to do the research on companies as well as their 'product'. If I book an ocean cruise in the middle of hurricane season and my itinerary has to change as a hurricane is blasting the island I had my heart set on going to......whose fault is that??? MINE!

 

While I understand that some things just 'happen' on cruises.....so do things just happen in life. We need to go with the flow, understand that we are on vacation, buy insurance upfront, and know how the parent company handles these incidents and prepare accordingly.

 

Nothing is guaranteed (besides death and taxes :eek:).....educate yourself and have a backup plan!

[cashmeremypuppydog]

Hello cruisers,

 

1-) Marty156: "A very familiar sound refrain? I know exactly how you feel, been there and got fleeced as well. Our story about a different company in 2013 shows even more disdain for their passengers! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1892421

(With 29,000+ reads, I suspect that they may have lost a few potential passengers - I hope!) It also appears that the amount of refund (if any) depends very much on the weight of complaints that one can arrange against a company. We were promised a refund, eventually offered a measly $500 each (for an outlay of $20,000) but have never received it!" Thank you for adding your link describing your rivercruise experience with another company. I started this post as I could not believe my friend had been treated so poorly by Viking after spending $16,000 with them. I understand TOTALLY that the water levels or strikes are not in any river cruise companies control but show some class and be upfront. In their case, they were given the run around on a daily basis and just had to put up with the daily longer bus rides... They should at least have switched their cruisers from one boat to another. A lot of people would have been much happier. The goal of starting this post was to inform cruisers out there on what could happen on a river cruise and what to expect from Avalon and Viking.

 

2-) UKBayern and Nordski: "I suspect the poster is just trying to wind us up. He/she never even went on a river cruise. Burning down a company on the internet you never ever even had dealings with is not very chique to say the least. TripAdvisor deletes reviews if the poster admits he was not actually there himself. I think CC should do the same."

You are SO WRONG!!! As mentioned above, I starting this post so other cruisers would know what happened to others and then, be able to make an informed decision when considering buying a river cruise. As I mentioned in my first post, I didn't know much about river cruises before 2013 and now know I will not become a river cruiser until I am too old to handle my suitcases in train station etc. Obviously, river cruising is the ultimate luxury and if everything goes well, it would be a dreamed trip. However, too many things can go wrong so I will only take the chance to river cruise when I am obliged! I don't care for bus tour and would only consider bus tour after considering river cruising.

 

3-) Notamermaid: "I partly point to the river cruise companies for putting information into the small print that should be more readily available and being perhaps a little quiet about flooding and low water issues IMO. To put it bluntly: if you want to avoid the likelihood of your river cruise turning into a bus trip do not book the cruise in the first place. It is important to do your homework about river cruising before you book. It can be a great way to travel." I totally agree. This is why I started this port so cruisers can become more informed about river cruises.

 

4-) Gentlemancruiser and 4774Papa: "The concern with the line in question was how to cruise lines handle the situation. It's understandable there are situations that are beyond the control of the cruise lines, but CRUISE LINES DO CONTROL HOW THEY TREAT THIER GUESTS. Some river cruise lines provide as much notice as possible so thier passengers can make informed decisions, so if needed they can cancel international flights and try to get refunds via insurance policies. Other cruise lines take they approach to maximze profits and don't want you to use your insurance."

"Yes the strike was an Act of God, generally referred to as Force Majeure in legal terms. However, how a company handles the passengers that spend $10-15K on a trip is important. Many cruise lines cancelled their river cruises with all the flooding. Others provided significant compensation. Those were the class act. Those deserve future consideration for booking the next river cruise." Well said!

 

5-) CarolSS: "I think you've hit the nail squarely on the head.....for ALL companies! What we need to be is better educated consumers! WE need to do the research on companies as well as their 'product'. If I book an ocean cruise in the middle of hurricane season and my itinerary has to change as a hurricane is blasting the island I had my heart set on going to......whose fault is that??? MINE! While I understand that some things just 'happen' on cruises.....so do things just happen in life. We need to go with the flow, understand that we are on vacation, buy insurance upfront, and know how the parent company handles these incidents and prepare accordingly. Nothing is guaranteed (besides death and taxes ).....educate yourself and have a backup plan!" Agree again.

 

6-) Suspaul: "In regard to Viking, yes, they've had their problems as have nearly every other line doing river cruises. First off I'd like to say the original post was "hear say" and the poster was not the actual traveler. We have traveled with Viking 3 times and our 4th trip is coming up. We have also traveled when the Rhine was too low in December 2011 and our 7 night cruise turned in to 3 nights bus tour and 4 nights cruise, it wasn't the best trip we've done but it's not like Viking, AMA or any line has control over the water levels. We did receive a small amount of future credit monies which we used and have booked an additional trip. River cruising is not ocean cruising, many factors play into water issues but to be so negative about one particular line. It's funny that you don't hear the multitudes of "happy campers" but always the negatives. This is my opinion only and we're all free to make our own decisions." Future credit monies: Forget it, my friend will NEVER purchase a river cruise with Viking.

Also, I am glad you gave your opinion so AGAIN the future river cruisers can have a better idea of what to expect.

 

7-) Why would Avalon generously compensated their cruisers in CASH (without having to beg for it) and Viking offered "$500 voucher for a future cruises booked within a year)? Why is Viking asking for a settlement not be discussed by the cruisers who hired a lawyer? It's like if they don't want cruisers to share their mad experience with others. It' surely left a bad taste in my friend's mouth.

 

Thank you all.

[G.M.T.]

I have to laugh and shake my head in disbelief when people state "the floods last year were being toued as the worst in 500 years. I can tell you there were the worst in 500 years. I'm not like the OP who posts what she heard as hearsay, what I post is what I have seen with my own eyes, as can be seen from the post and photos that I posted las year from my hoem town of Passau.

 

Most German houses are built with a cellar / basement, last year many houses suffered structural damage because of the force of the flood waters and pressure of rising ground water. This year some of these same housse are suffering because of sinking ground water levels causing cracs and in some cares subsidance.

 

Floods are an Act of God, but because Bavaria is very Catholic in Germa it is called "höhere Gewalt" or Higher Force. In such cases passengers are not entitled to any recourse against the company involved. But most companies offer some compensation on a kulant (great German word - look it up) bases, mostly for PR reasons.

 

If anyone asks in future what the weather will be like in so and so month, just tell them to buy 3 things:

 

a. High factor sun cream

b. Pair of rubber boots

c. A Crystal Ball

 

Normally cruise lines use local bus companies for excursions etc. Lately I have often seen buses with Viking Line logos on them. Maybe Viking have bought a crystal ball!

[jiminyC_fan]

One should never bash a company that they themselves have zero dealings with.

 

What keeps getting lost in these conversations are that there were actually people that praised Viking and other companies. Those threads are not dug up however. One would rather bash than accept others WERE HAPPY.

 

I am in the camp that the floods were unexpected. While sad that the sailings didn't go as planned it was an act of nature. Not the cruise lines doings. They had to make daily decisions. It was unpredictible. Money is the root of all evil. Don't feel sorry for yourself, feel sorry for those that their homes and businesses were under water. Those people have a right to a pity party.

[Ozjohnno]

When you receive "coin of the realm" in hand that is compensation. When you get offered a voucher off a future trip that is a discount. I know what I'd prefer.

[Marty156]

Just to clarify. It is not the flooding that people are upset with, it's being told that you will have a wonderful river cruise vacation, which you've spent $X0000,00 to take and then you are put onto a bus for several days. The concern with the line in question was how to cruise lines handle the situation. It's understandable there are situations that are beyond the control of the cruise lines, but CRUISE LINES DO CONTROL HOW THEY TREAT THIER GUESTS.

 

Having myself lived through a major flood in 1974, I empathise with all those that suffered in Europe in 2013.

 

However, as gentlemancruiser says, it is the WAY that the cruise companies handled the problems and looked after (or not!) their guests which is the crux of the matter, as the OP originally mentioned.

 

Being told lies, untruths and evading questions from passengers is not a way to instill confidence. Being told that the "River level is dropping in a city" several days BEFORE the peak was (correctly) predicted to occur is not being truthful.

 

Did the company know? Of course! Even the local Antipodes news carried information about the floods.

 

How is it possible that only a couple of companies (AFAIK) did NOT cancel any cruises? Were they so ignorant of the facts?

 

I'm not for a minute suggesting that a flood situation DURING a cruise can be alleviated, but deliberately NOT cancelling a cruise when the company knew DAYS IN ADVANCE that they could not provide it, and knowing that other companies were cancelling cruises both before the scheduled cruise date and even for a week after that date does not sound very honest to this poster!

 

At departure in a far-far-away land, most cruise companies had their representative waiting at the airport saying 'Sorry, your cruise is cancelled" and we will refund you.

Yet,at the same airport, at the same time, certain cruise companies were conspicuous by their absence and lack of ANY information to their passengers about to depart on a 20+ hour flight!

 

Those passengers did NOT RECEIVE ANY information until they arrived in Europe on the day of the cruise -or the night before.

 

Did the cruise company not know that river traffic was closed for weeks?

Did their cruise use a set of different rivers???

Did they deliberately mis-inform pax in saying that they would only be on a bus for a maximum of 3 days and it became 7 days out of the 15 day cruise? (In some cases pax cruised for less than 2 days in 15).

 

With reference to travel insurance, yes, we had purchased it. Was it useful?

 

NO! Because the cruise company REFUSED to cancel the cruise!

 

Would the cruise company have lost any $?

1. Ships have been leased, crew and provisions arranged.

2. All passengers have fully paid.

3. If the cruise was cancelled, what cost would there be to the cruise company? (Considering passengers would have been able to claim on their insurance?)

I leave that question to the readers.

 

SO, why did some of the cruise companies refuse to cancel their cruise, KNOWING THE COULD NOT PROVIDE IT or provide a comparable alternative!

 

Are we being unfair to certain specific cruise companies?

I do not think so.

 

Buying a ticket on a plane from say Boston to LAX and then replacing it with a Ferry or Train is NOT what was originally purchased.

[franski]

Hello cruisers,

 

Obviously, river cruising is the ultimate luxury and if everything goes well, it would be a dreamed trip. However, too many things can go wrong so I will only take the chance to river cruise when I am obliged! I don't care for bus tour and would only consider bus tour after considering river cruising.

 

Thank you all.

 

Actually, I am not sure that river cruising is the "ultimate luxury". It is not an inexpensive way to travel, but you can certainly spend more on many other types of vacations. When you factor in the included excursions, wine & beer with dinner and (with some) airport transfers, the cost/day becomes easier to swallow. Of course, if you want to have the "luxury" component, you can spring for a suite - and then your costs rise.

 

Things can go wrong on any vacation. You have no control over the weather. You can be a victim of local crime (had my wallet stolen in London....) or bad food. There is another thread here about a strike with air traffic controllers in France this week... and we are due to fly out on Thursday night to Nice.

 

Things can go wrong. And, will go wrong. Plan for the worst, hope for the best - and enjoy the experience. No two people will describe the same experience even when travelling on the same boat at the same time.

 

I do appreciate it when people come to describe their experiences - but do find a 3rd party report somehow minimizes the credibility, at least for me.

 

If I booked (or didn't book) based on people posting "never book with this line" experiences, I would never have booked our Tulip Time cruise with Scenic, or our Eastern European cruise with Viking... and would have missed out on great trips.

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Leaving for our 1st Avalon cruise this week - and am hoping that it is as enjoyable as our previous cruises with Uniworld, AMA, Scenic & Viking. If it isn't up to par, at least we got away with friends, will probably meet some great people - and be thankful we had the resources to go in the first place.

 

Fran

Edited June 24, 2014 by franski

[notamermaid]

Hello franski,

 

the French do like their strikes. I do not mean to be nasty with my comment. The right to strike is very important. I tend to think: another holiday season, another year - oh, another strike. We are sort of used to hearing those kind of news in Germany.

 

I hope all goes well on your journey and you have a great time in France. I did a land trip in Provence some years ago and loved the landscape.

 

notamermaid

[CaroleSS]

No two people will describe the same experience even when travelling on the same boat at the same time.

 

My folks spent 2 months in China and from their trip report.....they went to two totally different Chinas together!!! :eek::eek: