Viking Deeply Offends and Insults Their Most Loyal Guests

[sitraveler]

I'm sorry. This was obviously important to you. But am I the only one shaking my head and thinking, ' some people have real problems'? If Viking wishes to invite me to dinner and then give me $500 credit because they made a mistake, bring on the mistakes...really...it...was...just....a....dinner.

 

I suggest you find the thread that discussed the situation. There was a major miscommunication by Viking that caused the problem. I was not on the ship at that time, but V did the wrong thing and did not do right by 50 day cruisers.

It's the first item on this thread. CrusinSubMan posted many positives posts and has a very informative blog from his voyage.

Edited June 30, 2015 by sitraveler
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[CTLeeA]

I suggest you find the thread that discussed the situation. There was a major miscommunication by Viking that caused the problem. I was not on the ship at that time, but V did the wrong thing and did not do right by 50 day cruisers.

It's the first item on this thread. CrusinSubMan posted many positives posts and has a very informative blog from his voyage.

 

I did read it. Viking made a mistake..I get that...but "humiliation", "tears" over it? That's the part I don't get...and Viking providing a $500 credit for a missed dinner (well, not totally missed since the restaurant was open) was quite, quite, inappropriately quite generous.

 

We were on the cruise from Barc. to Begin...yes, there were mistakes...I consider missed a full day in England and a full day in France much more significant than being uninvited to a dinner due to an error. Yet, Viking offered up a $400 OBC credit for that...The cruisers who were 'humiliated' by missing the special dinner got a $500 credit.....Let me ponder this....is a missed dinner worth more than a day in Paris and a day in London? If that were the case, I'd have happily left the cruise a few pounds lighter.

[JVilleGal]

I think being all dressed up and in the theater ready to go when they are just told they have been "uninvited" in a "go away you are not invited to this special evening" kinda way is the issue.... It was HOW it was handled and the clueless aftermath that upset these 50 Day Cruisers.

It was not handled with Class!

[CTLeeA]

I think being all dressed up and in the theater ready to go when they are just told they have been "uninvited" in a "go away you are not invited to this special evening" kinda way is the issue.... It was HOW it was handled and the clueless aftermath that upset these 50 Day Cruisers.

It was not handled with Class!

 

OK..since the mistake had already been made and one cannot unring a bell, how should Viking have handled it and is the $500 credit not enough?

[JVilleGal]

Damaged is done...

[id4elizabeth]

I agree with JVilleGal - it was not that we didn't go out to dinner - it was the way the "univitation" was handled. Keep in mind that when CruisinSubMan first posted this, there was no credit involved. It took Viking a day or so to recognize the unhappiness of those they had disinvited. Me - I am easily bought off, so once they gave us the credit I was a happy camper.

 

When we were asked to leave the Star Theater, the foursome in front of us filing out were understandably upset as they had canelled their reservations at a local Bergen restaurant that they had had for months. I guess it's hard to get reservations there. They had cancelled their plans when they got this special invitation from Viking for this very special night. (There was more involved than just the dinner BTW.) Now they had just been asked to leave - they apparently weren't as special as the non-paying VIPs. And they wouldn't have their Bergen restaurant either. Now they were headed to the main dining room instead.

 

As I said - I was happy with the credit, but I could certainly understand this foursome's frustration. I think this is one of those things you just had to be there to understand. But this isn't something which is going to repeat itself again for future cruises, so it's kind of a moot point.

[CTLeeA]

I agree with JVilleGal - it was not that we didn't go out to dinner - it was the way the "univitation" was handled. Keep in mind that when CruisinSubMan first posted this, there was no credit involved. It took Viking a day or so to recognize the unhappiness of those they had disinvited. Me - I am easily bought off, so once they gave us the credit I was a happy camper.

 

When we were asked to leave the Star Theater, the foursome in front of us filing out were understandably upset as they had canelled their reservations at a local Bergen restaurant that they had had for months. I guess it's hard to get reservations there. They had cancelled their plans when they got this special invitation from Viking for this very special night. (There was more involved than just the dinner BTW.) Now they had just been asked to leave - they apparently weren't as special as the non-paying VIPs. And they wouldn't have their Bergen restaurant either. Now they were headed to the main dining room instead.

 

As I said - I was happy with the credit, but I could certainly understand this foursome's frustration. I think this is one of those things you just had to be there to understand. But this isn't something which is going to repeat itself again for future cruises, so it's kind of a moot point.

 

...the complaint from JVilleGal about this was that it was handled in a manner which was 'not handled with class!' What would have been a classy way to inform several hundred people that they are uninvited to a special dinner? I think the $500 credit oozes with class......I'm not sure it's a moot point tho, generally speaking....I have seen/heard people have temper tantrums over the silliest issues....to some extent, it's the cruise lines fault by telling us how special we are...how deserving we are of having things done for us perfectly...our problem is that some of us believe it.

[JVilleGal]

That was not my complaint, I was not there. This was the sentiments of those there that evening who felt disappointed and upset by the way it was handled that evening and over the course of the next days....

I believe it was a feeling of a good old fashioned "slap in the face".

Edited July 1, 2015 by JVilleGal

[Vineyard View]

JVilleGal.....exactly You weren't there. We were. We were also 'uninvited'. Since you were not there you seem so personally involved in this experience from afar that it seems a bit out of place. Just sayin.

There were a lot of varying degrees of reactions and feelings from those who actually experienced this situation.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Vineyard View

[JVilleGal]

I only repeated what was shared with me when another poster called you all whiners... Sorry if that bothered you!

[Vineyard View]

That was my point. You were repeating something you had no experience of.

As I said, there were as many reactions to the experience as there were of us who experienced it.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Vineyard View

[id4elizabeth]

CTLeeA - A classier way to tell us would have been to inform us BEFORE we were all dressed up and ready to go, sitting for 15 minutes in the Star Theater and then being told simply that only the non-paying VIPs were invited and then asked to please leave. We could go to the Main Dining Room. Viking had had a day or two from the time they sent out our personalized invitation letters until the time we gathered in the Theater to discover their mistake. Remember, the big apology and credit didn't come until days after.

 

VV - this whole subject was reinvigorated by CTLeeA (who wasn't there either) not by JVilleGal. I too, like you, wasn't one of those folks upset by the uninvitation, but then I hadn't rearranged my evening to take advantage of the special event, but I can understand the feelings of those who were offended. This was not Viking's finest moment of customer relations, but I was easily mollified by the credit. As I said, I'm easily bought off.

[JVilleGal]

Sorry I spoke with my sister & her DH who was there...your correct, it was second hand but I can assure you I got an earful starting within minutes of it happening. Never mind I was several time zones away. :(

[Vineyard View]

One of the sad pieces is that Viking didn't realize the mistake until so many people started showing up....and after didn't realize who all had received the invites. Like you said, not one of their better moments for sure.

 

And there was a large variance of personal feelings around it.

It is over and done though. In the past....the torch is extinguished for me.

[CTLeeA]

That was not my complaint, I was not there. This was the sentiments of those there that evening who felt disappointed and upset by the way it was handled that evening and over the course of the next days....

I believe it was a feeling of a good old fashioned "slap in the face".

 

You...weren't....even.....there?

 

A slap in the face followed by a $500 credit? Slap away...kaching, kaching.

[JVilleGal]

Sorry I spoke with my sister & her DH who was there...your correct, it was second hand but I can assure you I got an earful starting within minutes of it happening. Never mind I was several time zones away. :(

 

 

 

[quote name='CTLeeA;

46999959]You...weren't....even.....there?

 

 

 

A slap in the face followed by a $500 credit? Slap away...kaching' date=' kaching.[/quote']

 

 

No, but my family was and they waited days for that credit because Viking did not seem to know exactly who got the invite and claimed they never did.... Your right, was't there, and it's done...

Not Vikings finest hour!

Edited July 1, 2015 by JVilleGal

[Emperor Norton]

They were so embarrassed and humiliated. It was like being told you were a lower class citizen and not worthy of participating with these more important people. Or, like being a kid again and being told you were not cool enough to hang out with everyone else.

 

The Cruise Director himself seemed like he was reading a script because no one else, such as the Owner Tors, had the courage to confront the situation. Senior management was there and are probably furious. But they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

 

Who was the cruise director?