SEVERE INJURY caused by Viking Homelands Ocean cruise

[TheColoradoCruiser]

My husband and I cruised on Viking homelands cruise from Bergen, Norway to Stockholm, Sweden from July 11, 2015 to July 25, 2015. The first full day on board in Bergen, I went to my state room after using the spa facilities. After rinsing off in the shower, I was putting lotion on in front of the mirror when the shower glass exploded and hit me full force in the back. I screamed to my husband to call emergency personnel. My husband began to remove glass shards from my body as emergency personnel showed up. I was bleeding all over. The nurse continued to pull glass shards out of my back and buttocks for another 10 minutes. She then took me to the nurses station bleeding and began bandaging me and gave me a tetanus shot in the left arm. For the first three days I could not sleep because of the pain in my back and the pain from the tetanus shot. I had severe pain from walking on the streets and cobblestones of the cities we visited because of the wounds in the heels of my feet. I had to go to the nurses station on a daily basis for treatment for infection and for bandaging. I could not use the spa for 10 days. Four weeks later there are still 7 One inch wounds painful and itching and bright red on my back.

The only thing Viking has offered me is to replace the cruise cost. They will not pay for my flight. They will not pay to upgrade me to a room that does not have that shower in it. They will not reimburse me. They are only allowing me to book through 2016 which is already fully booked. For me to book a Viking cruise I have to pay for an upgrade. I have nightmares about glass shattering and that shower! Viking cruises is cheap. They do not care about their passengers! Do not ever book a Viking cruise!

I cannot tell you how disappointed and underwhelmed I am at Viking Ocean cruises. I will never recommend them to anyone.

I would like to post pictures of the shattered shower glass and my wounds. Please let me know how to post pictures for everyone to see. They still do not know the cause of the shattered glass. BEWARE EVERYONE!!!!!!

[LHT28]

OMG:eek:

I hope you are recovering

What a frightning experience that must of been

 

I would take the money & run

[TheColoradoCruiser]

Thank you!

 

Viking made absolutely no cash money offer. They offered only a future cruise to be used by 2016 for the amount of money we paid for this last cruise. There is no cruise that is in the same price range because that category is sold out throughout 2016. in other words, they want me to pay them more money for an upgrade in order for me to use the voucher that they are giving me for this last cruise plus airfare plus travel insurance and I don't even want to travel with them again. Unbelievable!

i'm still working on getting pictures uploaded.

[TheColoradoCruiser]

Pictures of shower after glass explosion.

Picture of my back days after bandages finally removed.

[Kathie859]

Good grief! I'm so sorry this happened to you and I'm appalled that Viking isn't doing more. Appalled, but not surprised, given their track record of customer service issues reported on these boards.

[LHT28]

Thank you!

 

Viking made absolutely no cash money offer. They offered only a future cruise to be used by 2016 for the amount of money we paid for this last cruise. There is no cruise that is in the same price range because that category is sold out throughout 2016. in other words, they want me to pay them more money for an upgrade in order for me to use the voucher that they are giving me for this last cruise plus airfare plus travel insurance and I don't even want to travel with them again. Unbelievable!

i'm still working on getting pictures uploaded.

 

Ok I misunderstood I thought they were refunding the cruise price

I would certainly keep after them for a cash refund

 

Hope you will not be scarred from the accident

[Mrs Miggins]

I would have thought that you would be able to sue them ! I am from the UK and we are not a particularly litigious society but I understood in the US things are different. Surely they have a duty of care and the glass panel must have been faulty ?

[Mrs Miggins]

Sorry I see you are from Canada - nevertheless I would certainly seek advice.

[Mrs Miggins]

I was so appalled when I read this that my fingers were working much too quickly! Hence the last post. I presume you are from Colorado.

[shipnc]

We are aboard Star now and are concerned. What caused the shower glass to explode? Hope your situation turns out favorably.

[coco-girl]

Pictures of shower after glass explosion.

Picture of my back days after bandages finally removed.

 

 

Oh my goodness! Poor you, that must have been very scary indeed!

 

I shudder to think what might have happened if you had been slightly turned the other way and had glass fly into your eyes!!

 

Viking really do need to step up here and recompense you accordingly.

 

They seem to throw Future Cruise Credits or On Board Credit at every situation/incident.

 

The very least I would have expected would be for them to put you in a lovely upgraded suite on a future cruise, with all of your airfare expenses etc taken care of.

 

I agree with others when they advise you to take this further and get some legal advise.

 

Best wishes,

 

Coco.

[kathy9]

My husband and I cruised on Viking homelands cruise from Bergen, Norway to Stockholm, Sweden from July 11, 2015 to July 25, 2015. The first full day on board in Bergen, I went to my state room after using the spa facilities.

After rinsing off in the shower, I was putting lotion on in front of the mirror when the shower glass exploded and hit me full force in the back. I screamed to my husband to call emergency personnel. My husband began to remove glass shards from my body as emergency personnel showed up. I was bleeding all over. The nurse continued to pull glass shards out of my back and buttocks for another 10 minutes. She then took me to the nurses station bleeding and began bandaging me and gave me a tetanus shot in the left arm. For the first three days I could not sleep because of the pain in my back and the pain from the tetanus shot. I had severe pain from walking on the streets and cobblestones of the cities we visited because of the wounds in the heels of my feet. I had to go to the nurses station on a daily basis for treatment for infection and for bandaging. I could not use the spa for 10 days. Four weeks later there are still 7 One inch wounds painful and itching and bright red on my back.

 

Check out this web site: Might send you in the right direction......

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/

[kathy9]

I wonder why the shower doors are not made from safety glass?

Very scary.....

[buggins0402]

I wonder why the shower doors are not made from safety glass?

Very scary.....

 

I never knew that it could be a problem, but it appears that it isn't that unusual

http://abcnews.go.com/US/glass-shower-doors-shatter-suddenly/story?id=17407544

 

Google shower door exploding and you'll be surprised how many entries come up. Wow.

[kathy9]

I never knew that it could be a problem, but it appears that it isn't that unusual

http://abcnews.go.com/US/glass-showe...ry?id=17407544

 

Google shower door exploding and you'll be surprised how many entries come up. Wow.

 

Yes Wow! I also had googled it. I am now glad Azamara has that shower curtain......

When I go home today I will be checking my shower doors carefully.

 

Viking needs to step up and compensate that passenger adequately and do a through safety check of all the shower doors on The Star.

[followyourheart]

My husband and I cruised on Viking homelands cruise from Bergen, Norway to Stockholm, Sweden from July 11, 2015 to July 25, 2015. The first full day on board in Bergen, I went to my state room after using the spa facilities. After rinsing off in the shower, I was putting lotion on in front of the mirror when the shower glass exploded and hit me full force in the back. I screamed to my husband to call emergency personnel. My husband began to remove glass shards from my body as emergency personnel showed up. I was bleeding all over. The nurse continued to pull glass shards out of my back and buttocks for another 10 minutes. She then took me to the nurses station bleeding and began bandaging me and gave me a tetanus shot in the left arm. For the first three days I could not sleep because of the pain in my back and the pain from the tetanus shot. I had severe pain from walking on the streets and cobblestones of the cities we visited because of the wounds in the heels of my feet. I had to go to the nurses station on a daily basis for treatment for infection and for bandaging. I could not use the spa for 10 days. Four weeks later there are still 7 One inch wounds painful and itching and bright red on my back.

The only thing Viking has offered me is to replace the cruise cost. They will not pay for my flight. They will not pay to upgrade me to a room that does not have that shower in it. They will not reimburse me. They are only allowing me to book through 2016 which is already fully booked. For me to book a Viking cruise I have to pay for an upgrade. I have nightmares about glass shattering and that shower! Viking cruises is cheap. They do not care about their passengers! Do not ever book a Viking cruise!

I cannot tell you how disappointed and underwhelmed I am at Viking Ocean cruises. I will never recommend them to anyone.

I would like to post pictures of the shattered shower glass and my wounds. Please let me know how to post pictures for everyone to see. They still do not know the cause of the shattered glass. BEWARE EVERYONE!!!!!!

 

Did they move you to another room after this happened?

[Flatbush Flyer]

Google the website of Christopher Elliott, ombudsman at National Geographic Travel. He writes a syndicated travel column about readers' travel problems for which he seeks (and gets) solutions. Perhaps he'll take on your unusual event.

Edited August 11, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[perditax]

Did they move you to another room after this happened?

 

OP said: " They will not pay to upgrade me to a room that does not have that shower in it. "

 

But I think they may mean a CLASS of room without that shower design, not sure, wording is ambiguous.

[followyourheart]

OP said: " They will not pay to upgrade me to a room that does not have that shower in it. "

 

But I think they may mean a CLASS of room without that shower design, not sure, wording is ambiguous.

 

I think her comment about them not paying to upgrade is for a future cruise. I am wondering if they moved her to another room on the cruise she was on.

[LHT28]

OP said: " They will not pay to upgrade me to a room that does not have that shower in it. "

 

But I think they may mean a CLASS of room without that shower design, not sure, wording is ambiguous.

I read it as they will not give her an upgrade on the Future cruise she is forced to take because she is afraid of the shower exploding again...rightly so

 

Just my take on it

[HMforcruise]

OP said: " They will not pay to upgrade me to a room that does not have that shower in it. "

 

But I think they may mean a CLASS of room without that shower design, not sure, wording is ambiguous.

 

How smart to take the photos, even though you were in shock and pain.

 

What cabin #, if I may ask?

[LHT28]

How smart to take the photos, even though you were in shock and pain.

 

Maybe her DH took them while she was being taken care of by the nurse

[hypercafe]

It's hard to sue a cruise line however I would a media blitz until they decided to give me some satisfaction. A cruise credit would not cut it, I would want a full cash refund and I would never go back.

[id4elizabeth]

I don'don't know that the cabin class will have much to do with it. The shower doors are basically all the same. They just get a little bigger as you go up in category, but they are all made of the same glass and are basically of the same design. We were in a Penthouse Junior Suite and ours looked the same as the OP's pics only a bit larger.

[pukekolive]

In New Zealand there have been many incidences of safety glass outdoor tabletops exploding and it is unfortunate that this showerdoor did the same but I don't see that it is Viking's fault.

 

Where is the passenger's travel insurance in this - I would have thought that it would cover something like this?

 

Why is everyone expecting Viking to foot the bill for an accident that it is not their fault?

 

Certainly it was extremely frightening and caused significant injuries but I believe Viking did not have to offer anything towards a new cruise and I would not expect it if the accident had happened to me.

 

Reading the article here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/glass-shower-doors-shatter-suddenly/story?id=17407544

 

it seems the best thing that Viking could do now is to apply the film to all the shower doors on the ship and this would prevent the glass pieces from separating from each other, to prevent any more injuries.

Edited August 11, 2015 by pukekolive