austinetc

The Viking Sky is under construction. Taking a part off her to fix the Star would be a short term solution. Though the comment was more of a throw away joke than a serious suggestion. I'm sorry for the confusion.

Viking Oceans,

As a future passenger, I want to first state that I understand that this situation is terribly frustrating to you. There have been and will continue to be glitches in rescheduling so many individual events. Anyone who thinks this is all easy just doesn't understand the situation. You have my sympathies, and I guarantee you that this hasn't caused me to second guess my cruise.

That said, here's my question: what happened? I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't care and perhaps wouldn't understand, but the fact is that ocean cruises draw persons with more than a little technical and/or marine experience. Probably more than river cruises do. We'd like to have more than a one sentence explanation. I've gotten a lot more than that from airline pilots when they don't takeoff for a two hour, $100 flight.

I'm hoping that having a 100% supply of spare parts on the Viking Sky is a fortunate situation.

Our cruise is this December. We had to paid the full amount in May(?) 2014. There is a refund schedule, but it's pretty stiff.

We got trip insurance via my normal insurance company. Others in my group used AAA. Viking's is really $$$. It's a complex cost; coverage options can vary more than the price.

There are a lot of complexities involved, so a two-way conversation is essential. They get your rough intentions, then send you an estimate with lots of the conditions, such as flights, pre or post travel options, trip insurance options, payment schedule, etc. Then you can call back and make adjustments. Even transportation to and from the airport is covered. I think it's extremely important to fully understand all the options. Trip insurance is of course really important, considering the present situation.

I've never used a travel agent before, but I have one for my upcoming cruise (AAA). They will want a lot of money up front, and it quickly becomes non-reimburseable. Committing to the trip was certainly the riskiest vacation I've ever planned, though now it's sort of cool to know that it's (mostly) paid for.

I should add that, whether one likes it or not, virtually all cruise line contracts include a "the future is unknowable" clause, absolving themselves of most scheduling snafus. Obviously, from a PR perspective, they don't want any disatisfied customers. But the point is that when things turn into lemons, you have to accept whatever flavor of lemonade they mix.

Wobblybob74 has nailed it. Cool name too!

We are going on an upcoming cruise and are interested in Viking's PR response. I like to keep a positive attitude and I've heard enough about the wonderful crew to know that they are certainly doing their best to make lemonade. But if there is one recurring negative storyline it's been about corporate Viking being very good with VIP PR but perhaps less so at the individual level. So this is a test of that perception, which I hope proves false. Obviously everyone (including myself) will have their own evaluation of whether their response is adequate, based on the information provided.

There is another thread on this subject that begins with a more positive attitude. I respectfully suggest that responses go there, not here.

I went over to the Grand Med Tour Roll Call and noted two cancellations. One of the two found the change sad but reasonable.

Frankly I find the fear to be irrational, but I accept that the fear is real nontheless. Certainly 50% of the shipboard conversation would have been about the fear. I'd rather not spend my time on board talking about it.

In my group of eight, all four women were firm that the most they'd do in Tunis is touch the ground with a toe, just to say they'd been in Africa. I had a desire to visit Carthage, but I can't argue with any of the Cruise Lines backing out.

I do wonder about their possible savings (in insurance if nothing else) and if any of those savings will come back to the customer. (And the Cruise Lines murmur "Yeah, right. Like THAT's gonna happen.")

The itineraries for 2015-2016 season cruises have replaced Tunis with Messina. No surprise.

Friends and I will be on the Star this December. I'm wondering if anyone on board now has experience with restaurants' accommodating passengers with celiac disease. A friend has an extreme form of the disease, so any gluten is unacceptable. Other cruise lines have been very compassionate, but now that I've read the Star's reviews I'm concerned that their limited menu options may not be as flexible.