Beware of Viking

[nana541]

We are taking our first Viking Danube River cruise in less than a month. Very excited but now a little bit apprehensive. I can certainly understand the frustration of the OP, but also know that weather is beyond the control of Captain or Viking. We once had an entire European trip canceled due to that volcano in Iceland. bummer! As several have pointed out, attitude can be very important. Vent on Cruise Critic. Write a letter to Viking. But remember to look for the positive. I consider bad lighting for applying my makeup a good thing. I look 10 years younger!

 

 

Oh with that attitude you will have a great trip!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[purduemom1]

I recently spoke to a Viking rep at a travel expo who told me that with all the ships they have on the rivers, they don't have to bus as often or as far as other cruise lines. He did admit to bussing occasionally. I did not mention CC or the various posts I had read contradicting this. While most of his answers to my questions seemed factual, when I asked about docking in Vienna, he told me that Viking docks right in the center of everything I asked him how far the walk was from the doc and he illustrated by pointing to something out the window that was not more than 100 feet away and said that close! I was shocked and even clarified that we were talking about Vienna! He also told me he had been with Viking for several years! So........

 

As for the OP, with all the glitches and problems, whether they be within Viking's control or not, I can see why he is frustrated and disappointed. It would be difficult to overlook so many incidents. I'm sure he and his wife are trying to enjoy their trip but it must be hard to do without wondering what's next.

[BrendaDave1952]

We did this same cruise in May on Viking. There were some hiccups out of the ship's control but we always felt they were well handled. Once a bus load of us were taken to a pub for a drink on Viking when the ship was delayed at a meeting point due to lock delays. At another town delay almost all passengers got off at one dock and were to meet the ship via buses on the other side of a lock. When the ship was delayed the entire crew came out on deck to welcome the passengers back and acknowledge their concern for us. I expect river cruises will be more challenging, finding berths for the ships, delays at locks, all likely to increase due to the number of ships increasing. Take any river cruise knowing possible worse case scenarios and relax when there are hiccups.

[sunshine nana]

We took a WWII bus trip from Paris to Munich last summer as a bus was the only way we could have gotten to all the museums and points of interest including Bastogne. The hotels could not compare to the wonderful cabins with balconies we have had on all 9 of our ocean cruises in Europe, Alaska, Hawaii and the Panama Canal.

We decided to try a river cruise next year to see Prague, Vienna, and Budapest thinking it would be nicer than a bus trip. After reading this thread, I'm thinking another bus trip or a train tour would be much better and certainly less expensive than a river cruise that turns into a bus trip!

[wwinfl91]

Hi again,

 

Someone asked to also post positive comments so tonight I will. We arrived in Cologne Germany early and did a great walking tour to the cathedral with a great local guide. Then when we returned to the ship we were informed by the CD that in spite of the fact we did not sign up for an optional tour to Augustusburg Palace there were open seats. We quickly ate lunch and boarded the bus to the palace. It is someplace Viking doesn't normally visit but Lee, our CD, found on the internet. It was a beautiful place and we enjoyed it. Then we returned to the ship for the captain's dinner only to learn our captain basically only spoke German and Polish, which explained why we hadn't heard much from him. The farewell dinner was good with plentiful wine.

 

After dinner the hotel manager asked that we stop and speak with her which we did for about a half an hour. She took numerous notes which she said she would be forwarding to corporate as well as a comment she would be educating her staff in how to better handle the situations I have described previously. We appreciated Eve's concerns and attention although I wish this

Interview had occurred several days earlier.

 

Generally the food service and the cabin service people on the ship did an excellent job. The guy in charge of the service staff in the dining room did an excellent job in watching out for my wife's low salt diet.

 

We have just learned because of our early flight out of Amsterdam we will need to leave the ship at 4:30 AM. My wife is not a happy camper.

 

 

Anyway we will be contacting Viking after we get home in Texas and seeing what they are going to do about this cruise.

 

Talk at you all later.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Missouri1014woman]

This cruise on Viking has been the Cruise from Hades! We were bussed more often than on the river. This was all a result of a very BAD decision by Viking to put our ship into dry dock for 12 hours early in our cruise. We were parked next to the Viking Freya, who continued on down the river and arrived at every port as scheduled. Because we were ordered off our ship at Linz and bussed to our next destination, instead of continuing to our next port, we fell victim to the rising waters of the Danube. This created a domino effect in every port afterwards. We were bussed every where, resulting in afternoon tours, in the heat of the day...late July. We were promised early walking tours from the dock of our ship. We spent at least 7 hours on the bus to and from Nuremberg, only to be told at 9 PM, after dinner to pack up our bags because we were being moved to another ship. Terrible communication skills, I know they knew earlier from other passengers. It took us until 1 AM to pack and we had to be on the bus at 8 AM. The bus ride was 3 hours back to Nuremberg "again", where we just came from...poor planning? We boarded a new ship had to unpack and settle in again. Obviously booking a cruise on Viking is more like taking a bus tour but at a much higher price...it is like a crap shoot! Nothing is guaranteed, they claim it is the weather or something else, but they continue to deliver poor service and customer satisfaction. We are frequent travelers who take two or three cruises a year. We have never had a worse experience...some vacation!

[jiminyC_fan]

Just curious about the bus tours. When we were in Amsterdam we took a private tour away from the city so we could see the country side. What an awesome decision we made. It was a great way to see more of the country itself. Were there any positives on the bus tours?

[Missouri1014woman]

There was nothing positive about a 3 hour each way bus ride to reach a historic site, only to be bussed back there in the morning. The air conditioning did not work well so we referred to it as the Sauna trip. This was not what we had paid for, if I wanted a bus tour I would have bought one for a lot less money. A cruise is much more relaxing, when it is done right...you can move around the ship, eat, drink and use the toilets for "free". There were long lines at the WC rest stops, not much fun!

[Missouri1014woman]

The problem with this cruise is that the information was given to some passengers on the ship and others while on the busses back to the ship. Two busses had no Viking people on them so they did not get the information. They also were not informed before dinner and this information "was available" and given to some of the passengers. There was no excuse for withholding this communication, we could have budgeted our time accordingly. It is inexcusable to make this announcement after cocktails and dinner with wine. "Pack your bags tonight and be ready to board busses for 8:15 departure" for a 3 hour bus ride back to the same city we came from.

[pully8]

sounds like regimented hell. some may enjoy extended bus trips and for them there are such trips...at a different price to river cruising.

 

not the product you paid for. unacceptable.

[jc foster]

The problem with this cruise is that the information was given to some passengers on the ship and others while on the busses back to the ship. Two busses had no Viking people on them so they did not get the information. They also were not informed before dinner and this information "was available" and given to some of the passengers. There was no excuse for withholding this communication, we could have budgeted our time accordingly. It is inexcusable to make this announcement after cocktails and dinner with wine. "Pack your bags tonight and be ready to board busses for 8:15 departure" for a 3 hour bus ride back to the same city we came from.

These posts sound almost identical to the hundreds posted on this forum in June 2013 during the flooding. It sounds as though the Viking staff is really trying but for some reason there is miscommunication, no communication, and misinformation. Perhaps it is because Viking is building so many ships and growing so fast that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. It is true that Viking has many more ships than anyone on the river, but they seem to receive many , many more complainants than any other river cruise line. We have taken only one river cruise on Uniworld and have two others booked with Vantage. Almost every week we receive a Colorful Viking brochure with 2 for 1 offers , free air, and other perks in the mail. I have been very tempted and may very well book a Viking cruise at some later date, but all these negative posts are very concerning. If I do book it will not be in the rainy season. I realize theres always a chance of flooding,low water,etc.,but if I decide to book with Viking I will try to play the odds.

[LoneStarCruisinCouple]

Howdy to all my fellow Non Happy Viking Cruise Mates.

So very sorry for all the mishaps that I have been reading and following closely as Lisa and I had originally booked with Viking but after really sitting down and taking a look decided as to go with a company that has been around for some time ,but is just now starting to come into the US Market.

Scenic Tours!!

Yes we are booked on what is called The Jewels of Europe 15 Days going from Amsterdam to Budapest September 2,2015.

Anyways by changing our booking we SAVED $10,000. Nothing to be Sneezed at.

We had booked into what is called an Explorer Suite on Viking,Same Itinerary, same time of year and they wanted their Money up front 16 months prior to our Sailing. Well to make a long story short we are Booked in what is called a Royal Panorama Suite same location as on Viking deck three all the way in the back corner,same time of year, same itinerary and don't have to make final payment until 90 days prior to sailing. Is a Brand New Ship called The Opal, have a Limo and Chauffeur picking us up and also returning us back to the Airport, have a Private Butler, Unlimited laundry,Daily restocking of our bar with Wine, Beer, and Top Shelf Alcohol, Daily Fruit Baskets, Gratuities included and a WHOLE LOT CHEAPER. All I can say is Look out Viking as there is a New Kid on The Block that takes Care of Their Customers.

Scenic Tours is an Australian Company but then again I have lived in Australia and I know that those folks know how to enjoy.

 

THIS is our Cabin

Royal Panorama Suite.

Have a Great Day

Lone Star:rolleyes:

 

ALL For Fun

and

Fun For All

 

Loungin" Laughin"

and Enjoying

those

Tasty Libations

[a priori]

I hope you read this thread before:

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

[Viking Cruises]

There was nothing positive about a 3 hour each way bus ride to reach a historic site, only to be bussed back there in the morning. The air conditioning did not work well so we referred to it as the Sauna trip. This was not what we had paid for, if I wanted a bus tour I would have bought one for a lot less money. A cruise is much more relaxing, when it is done right...you can move around the ship, eat, drink and use the toilets for "free". There were long lines at the WC rest stops, not much fun!

 

The problem with this cruise is that the information was given to some passengers on the ship and others while on the busses back to the ship. Two busses had no Viking people on them so they did not get the information. They also were not informed before dinner and this information "was available" and given to some of the passengers. There was no excuse for withholding this communication, we could have budgeted our time accordingly. It is inexcusable to make this announcement after cocktails and dinner with wine. "Pack your bags tonight and be ready to board busses for 8:15 departure" for a 3 hour bus ride back to the same city we came from.

 

Dear Missouri1014woman,

 

We’re very sorry to hear that you have not enjoyed your cruise so far and apologize for the inconveniences you’ve experienced. We do regret that alterations had to be made to your itinerary due to the water levels, and want to let you know that your comments regarding onboard communication will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel. Our Customer Relations team would like to speak with you upon your return to discuss your cruise. We kindly ask that you send an e-mail to TellUs@vikingcruises.com at your earliest convenience so we can ask a member of our team to contact you.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

[marysb]

We had friends on a June 2013 Viking cruise. Yes, they were bussed everywhere and had to change ships and even spent a night in a hotel on viking.

 

Their comment .. It was an adventure and they felt lucky that viking had their own busses so there was always a bus ( or another ship) available at last minute notice to continue the tour.

[Mark_T]

Their comment .. It was an adventure and they felt lucky that viking had their own busses so there was always a bus ( or another ship) available at last minute notice to continue the tour.

 

Great attitude to have, I applaud them.

 

If anything less than perfection is going to be treated like a disaster then I still say that cruising and river cruising in particular is a poor choice of vacation.

[gentlemancruiser]

We had the same lines from our CD with Avalon. "Count your blessing it is sunny". "Live by the moment" It an Adventure". "We are lucky because we got all the busses". "We are so lucky because we got the last hotel rooms in Vienna before our competition did."

[1SGCruiser]

If anything less than perfection is going to be treated like a disaster then I still say that cruising and river cruising in particular is a poor choice of vacation.

 

 

Absolutely agree!

[CharleeSails]

We did the Amsterdam to Budapest tour in early July and at that time the river was low but the trip went off without a hitch. I can honestly say there is absolutely nothing I would change or complain about. I am sorry that your weather is bad but even Viking has no control over that. We found that they were extremely informative the entire two weeks. Relax and enjoy the trip for what it is or you will make yourself miserable.

[jiminyC_fan]

We had friends on a June 2013 Viking cruise. Yes, they were bussed everywhere and had to change ships and even spent a night in a hotel on viking.

 

Their comment .. It was an adventure and they felt lucky that viking had their own busses so there was always a bus ( or another ship) available at last minute notice to continue the tour.

 

I remember posts that people were happy the way things were handled last year but those comments were quickly swept under the rug. Some were even questioned. People like to bash Viking so they fed off the unhappy people and forgot there were/are happy people.

[JJean]

We did the Viking river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest last September.

We thought the cruise was wonderful, staff and food were great. We

did have bad weather, as it rained some for 12 days straight. It did not

keep us from doing any excursions, just from going outside to eat or up

on the top deck. The water level was fine and we did not vary from

our itinerary. We would do it again and we are going on a Viking ocean

cruise next May.

[homeschoolmama]

Kind of surprised at the original post. If you are so experienced why would rain bother you so much. No different than a hurricane in the Caribbean and having to chage ports unexpectedly. Both are unfortunate happenings but neither are the fault of the cruiseline. Why tear the cruiseline down because they could not give you sun every day. I just do not understand this from someone "experienced". Don't ever cruise to Alaska, good chance it will rain. Don't cruise the caribbean in the summer, it rains every afternoon and don't cruise caribbean May to Dec as it is hurricane season. Oh it rains in London alot too so be careful about Southhampton. Or maybe instead go anywhere you want, expecting there will always be hiccups in the best laid plans and enjoy yourself anyway, meeting new people, reading, or seeing the sights in a different sort of beauty.

 

Sent from my SCH-I915 using Forums mobile app

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

The part that is not perhaps so obvious even when you are in the middle of things is that the decisions are often being taken on very short timescales.

 

So in this case when they went off on their trip in the morning the Captain would have been unable to say what the river level was going to be 12 hours later.

 

So when the plans are unveiled during the evening, this was not something that it was possible to have told them first thing in the morning.

 

It is not that management or the crew on-board want to withhold information, it is simply that the situation is extremely dynamic and all it would have taken was more or less rain during the day and 12 hours later the situation could have been very different.

 

I certainly understand the desire to know what is going to happen as far in advance as possible, we just have to recognize that sometimes, an hour or two is as 'far in advance' as it gets ...

 

Thank you for your reasonable comment. Perhaps when they do communicate last minute like they did for the OP they should explain to the passengers why the information was not available earlier.

[wwinfl91]

I am the OP and never said anything about being bothered by "rain". Our problem occurred because Viking put our ship in a dry dock in the middle of a cruise. That threw us over 12 hours behind at the same time the Danube was rising. Viking did this because the warranty was running out on the vessel and they didn't want to have to pay for the dry dock. That decision ruined our cruise. We spent more time in buses than on the ship at times.

 

We did not pay for a bus tour but a river cruise and we did not get that.

 

There was another Viking Longship in town with us the night before the Skadi was put in dry dock. That ship continued up river and was able to make it's ports on time and its passengers got a river cruise not a bus trip.

 

My argument and that of probably half of the passengers on the ship was Viking knew about the dry dock many days before the cruise and should have cancelled it and given us our money back. Instead they decided to go ahead and ruin a cruise for 177 passengers.

 

Several crew members including lower level officers admitted the dry dock was the cause of all the problems that occurred after that on the cruise.

 

Please take the time to read my full review of the Viking Skadi/Lif Grand Europeon cruise when I post it and then make your decision on whether you would have had such a sunny attitude.

 

By the way about the poster who mentioned Viking having it's own buses. If my memory is correct we had Viking buses less than 20% of the time and many of the other buses we had were old and not as well maintained as the few Viking buses we did have. One had A/C that could only lower the temperature down to the mid 80's.

 

I have yet to contact Viking at their email address as I wanted to come home and go over my notes and put them in order before telling them my story. I will be surprised anything will come of it but I will feel better if I let others know that it was the general opinion of many I talked with on the ship that Viking senior management as well as many of the senior personnel on the ship did not really care whether the passengers were happy.

 

Hope everyone else has a better cruise than the one I just finished.

Edited August 11, 2014 by wwinfl91

[Missouri1014woman]

Dear Missouri1014woman,

 

We’re very sorry to hear that you have not enjoyed your cruise so far and apologize for the inconveniences you’ve experienced. We do regret that alterations had to be made to your itinerary due to the water levels, and want to let you know that your comments regarding onboard communication will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel. Our Customer Relations team would like to speak with you upon your return to discuss your cruise. We kindly ask that you send an e-mail to TellUs@vikingcruises.com at your earliest convenience so we can ask a member of our team to contact you.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

The delays and bus trips were NOT a result of high water as Viking would want you to believe. They resulted because Viking choose to put our ship in dry dock for 12 hours instead of continuing to proceed forward on the river like the sister ship Freya which was parked next to the morning Viking choose to put our ship in dry dock. Freya proceeded up the river and made every one of the ports we had to be bussed to...this would never have occurred without a 12 hour delay when the ship was dry docked.