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SEVERE INJURY caused by Viking Homelands Ocean cruise

TheColoradoCruiser

By TheColoradoCruiser,
in Viking Ocean

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Traveler103

Traveler103

Posted
Posted
The OP's photos are small and sideways (thanks Apple) so to maybe help others view the OP's pics plus a BEFORE pic of shower pic from another poster, I have copied, rotated and post.

 

It is clear that it is the curved portion of the shower that shattered as others have said.

 

I am reading this thread as my cousin and hubby are booked to sail on Viking Ocean next year. I have no dog in this race. I hope the issue is rectified ASAP as Viking has last posted it will be.

 

Before----

 

 

After--

 

OP's injuries--OUCH!

 

 

I feel truly sorry for the party that received the impact from the glass. Hope she heals quickly.

 

What is interesting is the curved portion. Our shower, in a Penthouse Junior Suite, was not curved but squared off - two pieces of glass with a caulk joint. Tempered glass is formed and then heat treated to induce stress in the glass. When impacted or further stressed, it breaks to smaller pieces rather than shards - the small pieces can still can cut as we see. A curved piece of glass will have more stress in it than a flat one will. What type of cabin was this in? We heard of an second incidence. Curious if it was also the curved glass. Does any one know?

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Traveler103

Traveler103

Posted
Posted
I am the aforementioned friend. They denied the explosive issue and acted like it wasn't any of their business. Here are photos who are interested:

 

 

I was still inside the shower when it happened, luckily i had slippers so my injuries were minor. Had my wife been brushing her teeth, all of that glass would've ended up IN her back.

 

Sorry you experienced that - hope your injuries were not too serious. Was it a curved or straight piece of glass that shattered? Hard to tell from the photo.

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vcr_traveler515

vcr_traveler515

Posted
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I am the friend of Vacationeer15 that is still onboard. Thank you for rotating the pics. We had Deluxe Veranda cabins next to each other on Deck 4. After my friend was flown home, VO moved me to a Penthouse Veranda cabin because was worried there were problems with the glass in the same section. They all have curved glass edge. There seemed to be some maintenance activities going on regarding the bathrooms but there was no onboard notice to passengers. I am still taking the precautions that I posted until I finish the cruise on Aug. 22

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Solent Richard Great Review Rare

Solent Richard

Posted
Posted
My friend flew home because his wife did not feel safe onboard. I was present when they were told that all of the available cabins onboard had glass shower stall only.

 

Please note that in this case, it was not the shower door that exploded, but the side panel with the curved corner that shattered. It looks from Colorado Traveller‘s photo that it was also the side panel that exploded.

 

I think that it is reasonable that Viking may not have the problem figured out right the way, but they should at least take some immediate measures to protect the safety of the current passengers. As Wendy the Wanderer said, such measures could include putting on a plastic film to prevent glass from flying in case of explosion. Short of action from Viking, I think the three measures I mentioned in my previous post are the only things current passengers can take to reduce the risk of injuries.

 

My main concern is that Viking is not addressing the safety problem immediately and directly, rather they are more concerned about their public relations.

 

I thought that also - that it was the side panel and not the door.

 

I'm booked to sail before the end of the year and, despite this unfortunate incident, am very much looking forward to sailing with Viking and comparing the experience to that which I had on Hapag Lloyd's Europa 2.

 

That ship certainly had some magnificent bathrooms...

 

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/10/03/europa-2-raising-the-bar/

 

By the way, what grade cabin was it that this happened?

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hypercafe

hypercafe

Posted
Posted
Wow, the Hapag Lloyd's Europa 2 is amazing!! Loved reading your blog!! I have a feeling there is no comparison!

 

I was on the Europa2 last December for two weeks. Was very special. The most amazing thing is just 500 passangers on a ship that large. give it a try.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

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uncleg

uncleg

Posted
Posted

Sorry you folks had to go through this, I find it easy to believe the shower glass would shatter with movement of ship. I couple of years ago the inside glass of a set of french doors(high end) in one of my guest rooms shattered it to a million pieces, fortunately it did not explode (safety glass). The door company suspected it happened when door slightly warped during a hot summer day.

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teslasguy

teslasguy

Posted
Posted (edited)

We did a Viking River Cruise a few years ago and loved it. Possibly our all time favorite cruise. We are currently booked on their Ocean cruise from Istanbul to Venice in August of 2016. However, after referring friends to their river cruises and having some of them tell us of their terrible experiences this summer and awful treatment by Viking corporate relations we began to question our decision to do the ocean cruise next year. So I began to do some research and I've discovered LOTS of recent complaints including the exploding shower doors on the Star and how terribly Viking is treating these situations. The worst part for me is that it appears to be a consistent theme that no matter what the situation or how bad it is, it seems that the best you can hope for from Viking is a credit towards a future cruise. So sadly we have decided as of today to cancel our Viking ocean cruise next year. I will be calling them Monday to cancel.

Edited by teslasguy
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Traveler103

Traveler103

Posted
Posted
We did a Viking River Cruise a few years ago and loved it. Possibly our all time favorite cruise. We are currently booked on their Ocean cruise from Istanbul to Venice in August of 2016. However, after referring friends to their river cruises and having some of them tell us of their terrible experiences this summer and awful treatment by Viking corporate relations we began to question our decision to do the ocean cruise next year. So I began to do some research and I've discovered LOTS of recent complaints including the exploding shower doors on the Star and how terribly Viking is treating these situations. The worst part for me is that it appears to be a consistent theme that no matter what the situation or how bad it is, it seems that the best you can hope for from Viking is a credit towards a future cruise. So sadly we have decided as of today to cancel our Viking ocean cruise next year. I will be calling them Monday to cancel.

 

 

Sorry to hear about your decision but it is your choice. By the way, the doors did not "explode"; it was the curved panel next to the door. Shatter is a better term than explode. That is what tempered glass does when overstressed or impacted. So far, from this and other posts, I have heard of two events on the Star and Viking's published response was they are replacing all the shower panels on the Star to be on the safe side. Do you have more info than what we have seen here or in the press? Curious about what constitutes "LOTS of recent complaints".

 

We have done two river cruises and loved them plus our recent trip on the Star. We have signed up for the Viking Sea as well for Nov. 2016.

 

Happy sailing.

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teslasguy

teslasguy

Posted
Posted

My "lots of complaints" comments was referring to cruiser complaints overall with Viking. Not just the "shattering" glass panels. I understand that things can and will go wrong. But after spending a career in the service industry I know first hand that people can be amazingly understanding if they feel they are being communicated with in an open and honest manner and that they are being treated fairly. After reading lots of reviews on this and other forums, it is my conclusion that Viking has lost touch with that concept, certainly at the corporate level. In any event we made the decision we felt was best for us. We have done many cruises over the years and expect to do many more. Just not with Viking at this point.

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Viking Cruises

Viking Cruises

Posted
Posted

Dear teslasguy,

 

We are disappointed to hear you have decided to cancel your Empires of the Mediterranean cruise booked for August 2016. Should you have questions about anything you have heard or read, we are happy to provide some clarity. You are welcome to reach out to us at tellus@vikingcruises.com so we can put you in touch with a representative best suited to answer your questions.

 

Best regards,

Viking Cruises

 

We did a Viking River Cruise a few years ago and loved it. Possibly our all time favorite cruise. We are currently booked on their Ocean cruise from Istanbul to Venice in August of 2016. However, after referring friends to their river cruises and having some of them tell us of their terrible experiences this summer and awful treatment by Viking corporate relations we began to question our decision to do the ocean cruise next year. So I began to do some research and I've discovered LOTS of recent complaints including the exploding shower doors on the Star and how terribly Viking is treating these situations. The worst part for me is that it appears to be a consistent theme that no matter what the situation or how bad it is, it seems that the best you can hope for from Viking is a credit towards a future cruise. So sadly we have decided as of today to cancel our Viking ocean cruise next year. I will be calling them Monday to cancel.
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