"Abandoning Ship"

[OBX Cruisers]

Thought it time to change thread title to reflect it is no longer just a delay. All passengers will be leaving the "Star" with most flying home. A lucky few are being flown to Bergen to finish out their trip. Have heard those on board who had planned to continue on to Barcelona are among those so they can meet the "Star" when she is again seaworthy. Sorry but I'm not sure I would trust Viking's promises ever again.

After 2 years of planning our shore excursions and really looking forward to our time in the fjords this is a HUGE disappointment. They can keep their credit because as much as I'm trying to be fair to Viking we will never sail them again - ocean or river. We want a full refund for this disaster.

[AggiePilot]

Feeling much the same OBX! One thing I want to note in the other thread is the letter mentioning options to leave or fly to Bergen until end of cruise was the "2nd" letter. The 1st letter asked if you want to leave or wait in Tallinn and do tours while waiting on word when Star would proceed. We asked if Viking could say with some certainty they could get us to Bergen in time to catch flight to Iceland and they said no. We then made choice to go home. Then the next day letter 2 comes out with options to go or fly to Bergen. We chose to fly to Bergen to at least enjoy that port and Iceland extension and not have to hassle with flight changes. However when we get back to cabin that evening (last night 8-2) we find a flight itinerary on our bed that shows us leaving 8-4, tomorrow very early. I waited till this morning to sleep on my frustrations to go have a chat as to why we were not included in the group going to Bergen by air. A lot of note taking and promise to pass questions and thoughts on to management and to expect a personal call. So NOTHING. I will say the crew have been wonderful and free add on tours interesting, but no squat out of management! IMHO this is slowly turning into a PR nightmare for Viking. I thought early on they might just be bruised a little but now think they are going to have a Huge Black Eye.

[Vineyard View]

I think it is way more serious than a black eye. I think that if this is how they treat their passengers, they have given up the right to expect passengers to travel on them. I also think Torstein Hagen needs to get off his rich butt and do something about this - this is clearly being handled in a terribly unfair manner.

[RDC1]

Thought it time to change thread title to reflect it is no longer just a delay. All passengers will be leaving the "Star" with most flying home. A lucky few are being flown to Bergen to finish out their trip. Have heard those on board who had planned to continue on to Barcelona are among those so they can meet the "Star" when she is again seaworthy. Sorry but I'm not sure I would trust Viking's promises ever again.

After 2 years of planning our shore excursions and really looking forward to our time in the fjords this is a HUGE disappointment. They can keep their credit because as much as I'm trying to be fair to Viking we will never sail them again - ocean or river. We want a full refund for this disaster.

 

Do you have an option of refusing and then making your own plans? There is a very good ferry system from Tallin to Stockholm and from there you can catch a train to just about anywhere is Sweden, Denmark and Norway. It might cost a bit, but you are already there.

 

I know if I was in your shoes I would decline and make my own plans and catch my original flights.

[Vineyard View]

That is such a great suggestion RDC1.

[RDC1]

The funny thing is that a number of hotels in Bergen still show up as being available from August 4-8. So if someone were to travel on their own it looks like they could certainly book their own hotel space. May not be where Viking is putting people, but certainly one would not be without a hotel.

 

I suspect that Viking probably ran the calculations, took a look at how they would have to scatter people out and decided to stick with the hotels they normally use and decided to ship everyone else home.

Edited August 3, 2015 by RDC1

[Viking Cruises]

Dear OBX Cruises, AggiePilot, Viking guests & Cruise Critic members,

 

The situation aboard Viking Star during the July 25th departure of the Viking Homelands itinerary has been in flux during the past few days as we have attempted to communicate with guests as soon as we were aware of updates with the repair schedule and contingency plans. We originally thought that we would be able to sail from Tallinn to Bergen with guests onboard, and provided the option of either joining us on that sailing and carrying on with original travel plans from Bergen, or flying home early from Tallinn as soon as arrangements could be made. Many guests made decisions, and for those who chose to fly home at that time, Viking’s air team started making arrangements on the limited space available on flights out of Tallinn.

 

The next day it was determined that Viking Star would in fact not be able to sail to Bergen with guests and the remainder of the Viking Homelands itinerary needed to be cancelled. In the interest of time, we communicated to all guests what the revised options would now be: return home from Tallinn, or fly to Bergen for a hotel stay and again, continuing with original travel plans from Bergen. We did advise that available hotel accommodation in Bergen is limited. Unfortunately, due to limited hotel and aircraft space, we were not able to accommodate 100% of the guests who wanted to travel to Bergen.

 

Currently we have over 500 guests scheduled on charter and commercial flights from Tallinn to Bergen. These guests should now be receiving their flight information for August 4th, along with their newly created land program for their days in Norway. We understand that solidifying plans and final communications and travel schedules hasn’t happened as quickly as everyone would like, but we hope our guests understand that it takes time to make last-minute travel accommodations for all guests and to communicate the final arrangements. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience as we work as fast as we can to address each individual travelers needs and concerns.

 

Our Customer Relations team will contact all guests upon their return home. In the meantime, you can continue to work with your Viking Star crew, or you can contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

[HMforcruise]

This is how our flight arrangements played out. Hope your goes better.

We advised Viking that we would take option 1 and go home from Tallinn. Last night, at 9:30 I checked to see if there were any arrangements yet. No. Then at 12:10 a.m. the phone rings in our cabin, saying we have Berlin, Heathrow, Toronto and have to be on bus for 4:15! No sleep, just pack.

We get to Tallinn airport and it is not Berlin, it is Brussels! Off we go landing in Brussels by 8:45 am this morning. We then try to board the British Air flight at 11:55 Brussels to Heathrow., as told. No, we are not booked on it and it is full. But we were booked on the 3:30 flight. So we hang around for that one, wondering why we lost a night's sleep and were loaded on a 4:15 am bus from ship only to sit in Brussels so long. We had to run like crazy in Heathrow to connect to a 5 pm BA flight to Toronto. Almost missed it. Out of the 4 of us, 3 had seats on the issued boarding pass. 1 was on stand by. The good news is that British Airways got it worked out, but we were pretty worried for a few hours in Brussels when we thought one of us may have to stay back. The good news is we made it! Landed safely and are settled in Hampton Inn for some sleep, before driving home tomorrow. I hope the mass exodus from the ship on Aug 4 goes smoothly. Now, when I read that many who wanted Bergen, got itineraries home instead, I think we did the right thing in choosing home as our first option. HTML][/html]

[TERRIER1]

Thought it time to change thread title to reflect it is no longer just a delay. All passengers will be leaving the "Star" with most flying home. A lucky few are being flown to Bergen to finish out their trip. Have heard those on board who had planned to continue on to Barcelona are among those so they can meet the "Star" when she is again seaworthy. Sorry but I'm not sure I would trust Viking's promises ever again.

After 2 years of planning our shore excursions and really looking forward to our time in the fjords this is a HUGE disappointment. They can keep their credit because as much as I'm trying to be fair to Viking we will never sail them again - ocean or river. We want a full refund for this disaster.[/quote

 

I am sitting here waiting for our disembarking color to be called. I fully agree that a 50% credit is unacceptable. We booked this cruise for the Norway segment. 50% will not cover my seeing the fiords with another Viking Oceans or another cruise line and I don't know if I ever want to sail with Viking again. The ship is beautiful, the food good and the service excellent. However, dealing with Viking from day one of booking this cruise nearly 2 years ago has been one miscommunication, no communication and wrong communication. Viking has had our money for close to 2 years now. I feel like we financed this disaster.

[Daramblinman]

To our friends (passengers and crew) on the Viking Star "Homelands" cruise (July 25-Aug 8):

 

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our time on this new vessel (for the few days we got to experience it), although we are disappointed that it had ended with this unfortunate mechanical issue. The onboard staff and crew of the Viking Star was top notch and very accommodating!

 

We are very sad and disappointed about how this trip ended. We are NOT retired and had taken a large amount of time off from work to be able to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. No ship in the world had this amazing itinerary except for the Viking Star as most others were limited in their destinations! Seeing the fjords in Norway was the main incentive for us to travel with Viking. Upon boarding the ship and setting sail out of Stockholm, we were dazzled and thought this voyage was going to be a dream come true...... What began as a relaxing journey had devolved into a fiasco.

 

Viking Star Issue

 

The crew of the Viking Star began providing a few updates with multiple changes to the schedule (beginning Thursday - Sunday) as they learned more about the severity of the ship's dire mechanical problem. My wife and I began discussing what options we might have with the onboard staff; at this point we were provided no guarantee to get to Bergen (and we had booked non-refundable business class seats back home from Oslo on August 11th).

 

A few observations

 

1) On Saturday we were initially given 1.5 to 2 hours to decide if we intended to remain on board OR disembark within the next 48 hours. The form they gave us to complete did not provide details and thus we and others grew concerned about which option to select and what consequences would ensue based on our decision. Naturally, we were stressed and confused due to the ambiguity of the situation (and the form) we were concerned about what Viking would do with this information moving forward.

 

The language deployed in the letter included phrases like, should you stay on board or "choose" to cancel your trip and disembark. To be clear, I was NOT openly choosing to cancel our trip but felt that getting to Bergen was essential so we could eventually make our flight home on our non refundable business class tickets on August 11. This was a goal especially since we didn't believe Viking would do anything to get us on business class seats as we bought them directly through our airline.

 

As neither option was very clear we began our discussion with the Explorers Desk staff on determining what we should do:

 

1) After explaining our situation in regard to our non-refundable business class return flight out of Oslo in ten days, they agreed that we should do what was necessary to get to Bergen.

 

2) After very quickly (remember, we had 2 hours max to declare our decision!) assessing the situation, we relied on our own resourcefulness, tenacity, and optimism to get us out of this dismal pickle. How could we get this trip back on track? So we frantically made alternative arrangements using the ship's spotty, weak wi-fi to book flights out of Tallinn and on to Copenhagen and Bergen. We could not sit idly by. Time is money, after all!

 

3) On Sunday we were notified that the ship would not sail to Bergen and all passengers were to be flown home or maybe to Bergen. Initially, we felt frustrated because before, Bergen was not a guarantee. We worried that our pro-active plan could backfire on us in the long run!

 

HOWEVER, after speaking with the Explorers Desk on board again, they indicated that it would be best to NOT cancel our arrangements as they were still trying to work out the details and plans to get people home or to Bergen-- again, none were guaranteed. They suggested that we stay the course and keep our receipts for possible reimbursement later.

 

4) We decided to listen to the Explorers Desk at that time and not cancel our newly planned trip although we are concerned as now Viking is apparently chartering a plane to transport as many passengers as possible to Bergen today (Tuesday).

 

We are confident that our decision to find our way to Bergen was logical with the advice we received and limited information we were given overall.

 

5) We hope that the additional delays we ran into were not due to Corporate being based in Southern CA. Additionally, is it true that the ship's issues began on a Thursday but became a clearer problem over the weekend-- and if this was the case, why was the problem not fully addressed more quickly? Alas, we are left with more questions than answers.

 

Next Steps

 

While we were sad to leave the Viking Star since we enjoyed our time with the passengers and crew, we look forward to a future journey with Viking although it will be harder for us as we need to take more time off work which is not easy to do.

 

We hope that Viking will work with "us all" as passengers as this is a major issue for their first ocean cruise liner and one that many of us have paid dearly for both financially and personally (e.g., emotional and physical stress and anxiety of trying to recover a vacation at the last minute).

 

We hope our friends-- passengers and crew-- will enjoy the rest of the holidays in whatever decisions they have made under these strange circumstances. Our wish is that everyone ultimately travels home safely!

 

For now we will remain open and confident that Viking will do the right thing for us all.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[amyr]

I fully agree that a 50% credit is unacceptable.

 

This. I absolutely feel for Viking here, and a 25 year airline career taught me nothing if not that weather and mechanical failures can ruin the best laid plans. I also can (from the comfort of my couch) feel for the probably four or five employees sent in to deal with the 900 or so frantic passengers, with very little power and information to help them. What a horror show for them as well as for the passengers, etcetera and blah, blah, blah. That said, on a corporate level they have to make this right; and a 50 percent refund and 50 percent future credit doesn’t come close.

 

Let me tell you another story of reimbursement: Ten years ago we were scheduled for a European vacation aboard Star Princess. As I sat watching CNN one morning, they showed her ablaze off the coast of Jamaica or somewhere. I called my husband in to watch, and we agreed there was no way we’d be on that ship in five weeks. Information began dribbling out via Cruise Critic. Nothing but news reports on the official channels, travel agents didn’t know anything, but Cruise Critic sussed it out from people on board and checking shipyard schedules, and we figured out that drydock would be in the Bahamas with continued work over to Europe lasting past our cruise date. While we waited for the cancellation notice, I cast about for a replacement trip and put a hold on one. Finally word came, and Princess refunded our money, paid for the change fees on our airfare so we could take the Danube River cruise on Uniworld I found, and gave us the full amount for another cruise in the form of a credit. We ended up with a free river cruise, and a free Panama Canal cruise a year later. It was bueno.

 

Because of this, I still always check Princess even though they really no longer fit our needs. We’re older now, and we’re looking for ships without children that aren’t too large, and they’re slowing divesting themselves of the lovely R ships that are my favorites. In my heart, though, I believe that making it right mattered more to them than a buck, and I will always look at their itineraries and try to make one fit. Always.

 

So, two lessons - 1) a little goodwill goes a long, long way, and 2) Cruise Critic is your best source of information when something goes wrong, especially on the bigger boards of more established cruise lines with long-time regulars. It is a powerful force.

 

Terrier, I’m so sorry this happened to you. You absolutely deserve your money back, because the idea that you got in fifty percent of your cruise is ridiculous. You got, what, three ports out of 15 days? Nope, you need a full refund, and the full amount in credit that you can also use on Viking River so they can attempt to re-earn your trust.

 

I was one of the ones on the maiden that was in constant awe of the ship’s beauty and was amazed that it was all going as well as it did considering it was a maiden. My problems with them were mostly on me and something I have to decide if I can work around. There wasn’t enough storage so we couldn’t completely unpack, and I was constantly bumping up against short dining times - breakfast ending at 9, trying to grab an early dinner (or late lunch) around excursions and finding the buffet closed between 2:00 and 6:30, etc. But watching how this unfolds will probably really be what makes up our minds about a future cruise with them.

[Maitaimama]

Received letter late last nite notifying us to have our bags at door in 20 minutes! We are headed to Bergen.,but still have no tickets even after they said we would have them in a few hrs last nite. One charter flight was cancelled this a.m., we r sitting and waiting with baited breath to see if we actually get out. We had previous hotel booked in Bergen for after cruise and that fact may have helped us. Some personnel at guest services have been completely uncaring for our situation. Most crew have been wonderful. this cruise from hell has been a total disaster. Two years of planning, anticipating, dreaming; not to mention paying in full upfront. Total devastation for us. A 50% offer is a total insult and unacceptable. Regardless of what little Viking has done to make amends so far (one hour of open bar two times...really?) it is not enough. When costa had a similar situation a few years ago they offered free flights back home and total refund for cancelled cruise and free future cruise. That's how you keep customers.....Viking needs to take note!

[CharTrav]

@amyr - my husband's cousin and his wife were on that ill-fated Princess cruise. Heard the story last week from them. Their very first cruise too. Princess refunded them the entire cost of the cruise AND credit on a future cruise.

[OBX Cruisers]

Settling in now at hotel here in Bergen after charter flight from Tallinn with an est 250 other Viking passengers. Weren't sure until 10 pm last night what we would be doing but flights were fairly smooth with lots of Viking red shirts at each airport to usher us through. All hands on deck including the wonderful singers from last night's excellent Beatles tribute - "The Long and Winding Road" - how appropriate!

The end of our journey looks to be turning out OK with a well organized 3 days of touring from Bergen including the Flamsbana. There are many other Viking passengers who did not fare as well. Despite the best efforts of Explorers Desk staff, we just didn't have the info available to make a good decision.

Hard to pinpoint the reason. For instance, there were some who said they wanted to go home on the first form but after receiving better info filled out the second form saying they would like to go to Bergen. Why were some still sent home? Seems pretty unfair to me.

Why were important announcements sometimes made only in the public areas and not in our cabins? We had to run to open the door whenever we heard mumbling in the hall.

In another instance, it was announced that they had flight and hotel info for everyone but we were asked not to go to the Explorers Desk. (We still weren't sure if we were going to Bergen.) Info would be delivered to our rooms by that evening. Others who ignored the plea and went to the desk were able to find out early what was happening. The desk staff said it was fine for us to ask! So much confusion and stress!

[id4elizabeth]

We all wish you the best in Bergen. Let us know how it goes. I'm sure you will enjoy the Flamsbana - we sure did, although we did it on our own as part of the Norway in a Nutshell. Hope your weather is good and you enjoy Bergen and Oslo.

[Vineyard View]

Glad to hear that you made it in to Bergen - those who were provided that opportunity (those who weren't for whatever reasons.... well....sounds like the offered compensation isn't what it needs to be for sure). But those of you in Bergen, enjoy!

it has been quite an ordeal for all. So sorry it happened.

 

Time and time again in reading these posts, I continue to conclude that much stress could have been avoided if VO management team (not her crew) would just truly communicate -

 

Thank you for your updates!

[occruiselady]

I have posted on another thread earlier, but I wanted to make sure my voice was added to this thread as well. We just got home from the Viking Star disaster and, as I said in my other post, I spoke to Valerie from Viking's Woodland Hills office this morning and they are being very firm in offering only a 50% refund and a 50% credit towards a future cruise for all passengers. I pointed out that half of the passengers did not get to go to Norway on a chartered flight, get four nights hotel stay with meals included and free tours, we were sent home on miserable last minute flights. So, how is it that we are all being given the same refund? When you miss 7 out of 11 ports, how does that equate to a 50% refund? I hope all of the passengers who did not get to go to Norway speak up on this issue. I cannot imagine that anyone would accept this as being a fair settlement. A full refund should be demanded by all of us who only made it to 4 ports and then spent days stressed out trying to figure out what was going to happen to us and being given constant misinformation by the staff. Some people were told no one was going to get to go to Norway, I was told only 135 people were going to go, etc., etc. I understand the difficulty of trying to reroute 900 people, however, I do not understand the math and fairness factor that went into the refund decision, it does not make any sense at any level. Viking you can admit your mistake and try to save yourself, it is not too late.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear OBX Cruisers,

 

We’re so happy to hear that you’re settling in at your hotel in Bergen and looking forward to the days ahead. Throughout the past few days we have appreciated your approach to the fluctuations and changes as contingency plans for all guests have continued to evolve.

 

Regarding the announcements made over the intercom system, we received your email last night and note the feedback you share here, too. We will pass along your comments to our colleagues on Viking Star. And we understand that there was some stress in finalizing plans, though we hope you know it was never our intention to cause our guests stress and we did the best we could with the situation. Please do accept our apologies for the disappointments of the past few days.

 

We hope you have a wonderful time exploring Bergen. Thank you again for choosing Viking Cruises – and for your continued patience and positive outlook. We would be happy to hear from you after you return home and will surely have additional feedback on your full journey. Please consider contacting us again directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com!

 

Happy travels,

Viking Cruises

 

 

Settling in now at hotel here in Bergen after charter flight from Tallinn with an est 250 other Viking passengers. Weren't sure until 10 pm last night what we would be doing but flights were fairly smooth with lots of Viking red shirts at each airport to usher us through. All hands on deck including the wonderful singers from last night's excellent Beatles tribute - "The Long and Winding Road" - how appropriate!

The end of our journey looks to be turning out OK with a well organized 3 days of touring from Bergen including the Flamsbana. There are many other Viking passengers who did not fare as well. Despite the best efforts of Explorers Desk staff, we just didn't have the info available to make a good decision.

Hard to pinpoint the reason. For instance, there were some who said they wanted to go home on the first form but after receiving better info filled out the second form saying they would like to go to Bergen. Why were some still sent home? Seems pretty unfair to me.

Why were important announcements sometimes made only in the public areas and not in our cabins? We had to run to open the door whenever we heard mumbling in the hall.

In another instance, it was announced that they had flight and hotel info for everyone but we were asked not to go to the Explorers Desk. (We still weren't sure if we were going to Bergen.) Info would be delivered to our rooms by that evening. Others who ignored the plea and went to the desk were able to find out early what was happening. The desk staff said it was fine for us to ask! So much confusion and stress!

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Maitaimama,

 

We hope that your day has improved since you wrote this post. Please know that everyone at Viking is doing all that they can, as fast as they can, to assist each guest and make the necessary travel arrangements. We’re not sure of what the specifics are of your exact situation, but we would like to help if we can. If you are still experiencing the frustrating challenges that you mention here, please do contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com – hopefully we can help.

 

If you prefer to contact us after you return home, that’s fine too. We’d just like the opportunity to speak with you, get a better understanding of your particular situation, and try to make amends for your disappointment, as we would like for you to travel with us again and experience a Viking journey under less exceptional circumstances.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

 

Received letter late last nite notifying us to have our bags at door in 20 minutes! We are headed to Bergen.,but still have no tickets even after they said we would have them in a few hrs last nite. One charter flight was cancelled this a.m., we r sitting and waiting with baited breath to see if we actually get out. We had previous hotel booked in Bergen for after cruise and that fact may have helped us. Some personnel at guest services have been completely uncaring for our situation. Most crew have been wonderful. this cruise from hell has been a total disaster. Two years of planning, anticipating, dreaming; not to mention paying in full upfront. Total devastation for us. A 50% offer is a total insult and unacceptable. Regardless of what little Viking has done to make amends so far (one hour of open bar two times...really?) it is not enough. When costa had a similar situation a few years ago they offered free flights back home and total refund for cancelled cruise and free future cruise. That's how you keep customers.....Viking needs to take note!

[Viking Cruises]

Dear occruiselady,

 

We’re sorry to hear that disappointment and frustration have only continued now that you are home. Please know that we will be reviewing each individual case that comes through our Customer Relations team, including yours. We hope that message was conveyed to you when you spoke with one of our team members. However, for good measure, please do email us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so that we are certain that you would like us to review your particular case and we will revert as quickly as possible. Having said that, please try to understand that our response times may be a bit delayed due to the heavy volume of calls our Customer Relations team is currently experiencing. We appreciate your patience and are looking forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

 

P.S. We did see that you posted this on another thread. Please forgive us repeating ourselves when we reply to you there too, but we want to make sure that we do all we can to reach you.

 

 

I have posted on another thread earlier, but I wanted to make sure my voice was added to this thread as well. We just got home from the Viking Star disaster and, as I said in my other post, I spoke to Valerie from Viking's Woodland Hills office this morning and they are being very firm in offering only a 50% refund and a 50% credit towards a future cruise for all passengers. I pointed out that half of the passengers did not get to go to Norway on a chartered flight, get four nights hotel stay with meals included and free tours, we were sent home on miserable last minute flights. So, how is it that we are all being given the same refund? When you miss 7 out of 11 ports, how does that equate to a 50% refund? I hope all of the passengers who did not get to go to Norway speak up on this issue. I cannot imagine that anyone would accept this as being a fair settlement. A full refund should be demanded by all of us who only made it to 4 ports and then spent days stressed out trying to figure out what was going to happen to us and being given constant misinformation by the staff. Some people were told no one was going to get to go to Norway, I was told only 135 people were going to go, etc., etc. I understand the difficulty of trying to reroute 900 people, however, I do not understand the math and fairness factor that went into the refund decision, it does not make any sense at any level. Viking you can admit your mistake and try to save yourself, it is not too late.

[Vineyard View]

It is very good to see these postings from Viking......

I would like to have my faith in VO restored - having been a very big supporter after our maiden voyage.

[id4elizabeth]

Hate to throw a wet blanket on things, but...

 

Good luck with getting anything more out of Viking except apologies. Despite being told onboard ship that Viking would "make it right" and hearing from their Customer Relations team after we returned, all we got were "sincere apologies" even though we were on for the full 50 days. Hope it works out better for the rest of you!

[Daramblinman]

Dear Viking cruise customer service. As we took a pro-active direction to ensure we would make our flight from Oslo on August 11 as previously planned we have not heard from you as promised by your Viking desk about getting access to the Viking excursions in Bergen. I am a bit upset as you have now responded to many comments but not mine. We will arrive in Bergen on Thursday morning and depart for Oslo on our own as planned on August 9. Please advise!

 

 

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[Viking Cruises]

id4elizabeth,

 

Forgive us if you mentioned this before and we missed it, but if after speaking with Customer Relations following your 50-day cruise you still feel that your concerns were not addressed and you were left in question of whether Viking valued you as a guest whom we would like to have travel with us time and time again, well, then we did not do our job very well that day. For that we do apologize. We’ve asked Customer Relations to contact you again to discover what we missed previously and to hopefully come to a more amicable resolution. Or, as you likely know by now, you can always reach us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Kindest regards,

Viking Cruises

 

 

Hate to throw a wet blanket on things, but...

 

Good luck with getting anything more out of Viking except apologies. Despite being told onboard ship that Viking would "make it right" and hearing from their Customer Relations team after we returned, all we got were "sincere apologies" even though we were on for the full 50 days. Hope it works out better for the rest of you!

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Daramblinman,

 

Apologies for not getting to your posts sooner, we’re working as quick as we can to address everyone’s questions and concerns and we didn’t mean to overlook you, we just hadn’t got there quite yet. We’re sorry to have upset you.

 

If we are reading your two posts correctly, we understand it that you worked with the Explorers’ Desk staff to determine that you would still make your own way to Bergen, but you’re looking for clarification on how to join your shore excursion guests on the shore excursion program in Bergen before you depart for Oslo on August 9? (If we’re confused on any of that we do apologize.) We want to help, but having your name and direct contact information would probably be best. Are you able to email us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com? If there is a phone number where we could reach you that would also be ideal.

 

We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your time aboard Viking Star and we do appreciate the nice words about the staff and accommodations. Now, hopefully we can help iron out the remaining details so you can continue to enjoy your trip. We hope to hear from you soon.

 

Kindest regards,

Viking Cruises

 

 

Dear Viking cruise customer service. As we took a pro-active direction to ensure we would make our flight from Oslo on August 11 as previously planned we have not heard from you as promised by your Viking desk about getting access to the Viking excursions in Bergen. I am a bit upset as you have now responded to many comments but not mine. We will arrive in Bergen on Thursday morning and depart for Oslo on our own as planned on August 9. Please advise!

 

 

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