theremin

=> Kazu, I was just about to send you the earlier date. Again, thank you!

Hi Kazu,

This is a great service you offer. Here is the cruise for the wife & I:

Noordam - 10-Jun-18 - 7-day Glacier Discovery southbound

Theremin & Wife: This is our first HAL cruise and is 2nd leg of a Denali land-sea package

Thank you!!

Thom & Sharon

We lived in the NL for 4+ years. The Dutch greatly revere their royal family (Family of Orange) and the reigning monarch. This is a widely celebrated holiday . . . all non-emergency government functions will be closed as will large businesses and most shops.

I don't know if Nijmegen has a "funfair" (sort of a street carnival), but the atmosphere should be sufficiently festive to ensure you have a good time, regardless.

Have fun!

Wow! I loved the site you've both recommended. I am on a Viking cruise 1 Nov in this area and will definitely put this on my personal itinerary.

Do either of you know whether a tripod is permitted inside to assist with photography? I can manage without, but it's much easier on a solid base.

Any insight you might have is appreciated.

Regards,

Thom

Ah! The inestimable value of a sense of humor and large dose of flexibility. Good story with (I hope) a happy ending. Thanks for the cheer!

The current Viking 2016 schedule shows the Star embarking on a 22-day cruise 16 Oct 2016 from Barcelona to Istanbul. On 1 Nov, it is scheduled to be cruising the Ionian Sea enroute to Santorini.

Interestingly, the weblink offered shows it in NY (Manhattan) 11-13 Oct 2016 and 31 Oct 2016.

Who knows? Might be something to watch.

Wow! Thank you so much for the information. We are sailing 1 Nov on this cruise. Your information is very, very useful. Really well done. Thanks again!!

I'd be very interested to hear what you found out (if you've checked into) your payment scenario. I understand your reading of the contract and it matches mine. I truly hope the flexibility is there, but I suspect there could be a catch something like "If you pay on the contract schedule, you get the brochure rate" (i.e., none of the discounts offered). Even though the"brochure rates" could never be sold (way too high), they are still used at the basis for all the Early Booking Discounts (EBD) which seems to be where the weird payment schedules come in.

I am not saying some of you are alarmists but there are a lot of undocumented facts in your statements above. . . just relax and don't le the rumor mongrels scare you away.

I am the OP and don't consider myself a rumor monger (or mongrel, for that matter). I try to be as accurate with facts I present, as possible. Here is my latest check of ocean cruise full payment deadlines:

Finally, and with all due deference to your TA's experience and expertise, what was written to you is not what is materializing in real-time on several threads (encompassing many passengers) in this forum.

I have a booking on the Star for the Midnight Sun cruise in 2017, but have no illusions of how things are likely to pan out should the unexpected occur during that cruise. This information isn't intended to frighten anyone. It is a consideration (among several) to support the decisions each of us makes when selecting a cruise.

Best regards,

Thom [not the mongrel . . . the other Thom]:D

It seems some of us may be laboring under a misconception. Hopefully, this will clarify my original post.

First: I did not mention or allude to a pending bankruptcy. That notwithstanding, Viking needs >$300M cash on hand to maintain their current credit rating.

Second: The need to maintain large reserves will be a factor in Viking business decisions regarding cash refunds versus future cruise credit.

Third: On CC we've just seen several real examples of how this is materializing.

BOTTOM LINE: If a customer selects Viking for their cruise, there should be no reason to expect significant cash refunds in the event of cancellation or unsatisfactory performance.

Nothing more, nothing less . . .

Ahhhh . . . now we know why I was hesitant to make the post in the first place :D

This post is rather long for which I apologize.

Currently, there is strong commentary about the way Viking Ocean Cruises compensates for failure in delivery of contracted carriage and associated service levels. They offer credit vouchers (not actually refunding anything and forcing customers to do business with Viking in the future) or they give back as little cash as possible and take a long time doing that. Although, this is a recurring narrative across all Viking operations, it is nearing crescendo on the ocean cruise side.

Those who have dealt with other cruise lines or travel companies, see this as outrageously insensitive in a customer-driven market. Most customer expectations are based on past experience or common decency. Why is Viking’s compensation so different from their customers’ expectations? It is money . . . pure and simple

Viking’s own finance scheme mandates they keep lots of cash on hand to help manage the credit rating assigned to their corporate bonds (i.e., keep their borrowing costs down). They already pay high interest and a credit downgrade would worsen things. The information below provides some insight into the situation.

Please note the ‘B3’ rating isn’t the worst junk, but it is considered speculative (i.e., fair likelihood of default) and further downgrades would likely scare off many investors.

Below are selected discussion points (for the full rating see this link: https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-assigns-a-B3-rating-to-Viking-Cruises-new-250--PR_324517)

Per the credit rating, the ocean cruises were supposed to bolster their accounts. Instead, Viking is being asked to refund a lot of money which puts them in a bind. Of course, this does offer visibility into Viking’s unique requirement for full cruise payment far in advance (sometimes years in advance). Our money is used as collateral for their loans.

CC posts from cruisers who have traveled Viking Ocean Cruises to date chronicle everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. I trust them at their word. Their journals indicate two scenarios:

Given the corporate financial situation, there is no rational reason to expect change.

The folks who have completed their cruises or have fully paid their bookings had every reason to enter their engagements with very high expectations of performance or, if warranted, equitable compensation. I wish them success pursuing those outcomes. For the rest of us, however, we can no longer claim ignorance or surprise.

What should we do given our current knowledge?

I pondered well into the night about whether to do this post, but believe it is useful information to assist each of us trying to make informed decisions when choosing our next cruise.

Thom

The Star has just docked in Copenhagen.

I know several folks on the next cruise were concerned about whether this would, in fact, occur. You can relax now . . . and BON VOYAGE!!:D

The Star has just docked in Copenhagen.

I know several folks on the next cruise were concerned about whether this would, in fact, occur. You can relax now . . . and BON VOYAGE!!:D

This morning, the Star is cruising at 16.3 knots and the Copenhagen arrival estimate has been moved up from 0300/10 Aug to 1400/9 Aug . . . she arrives this afternoon.

I have no insight into how the ship is performing, but find the absence of a follower tug and recent cruising speeds to be encouraging.

This morning the Star is sailing at 16.3 knots and the Copenhagen arrival estimate has been moved up from 0300/10 Aug to 1400/9 Aug . . . she's due in this afternoon.

I have no insight into how the ship is performing, but find the absence of a shadow tug and recent cruising speeds to be encouraging.

Viking Star has accelerated thru 14.5 knots (previously sailing at 10.6) and seems to be gaining add'l speed. I think she is capable of 20.

The Mars (tug that has shadowed Star since Tallinn) has reversed course and is heading back toward Tallinn.

Maybe . . .

Viking Star seems to be accelerating . . . last reported speed was 13.2 knots. That is still well below the 20 knots of which she is capable, but better than the 10.5-ish she had been doing.

The Mars (tug that has been trailing Star) seems to have turned around, although it's destination is still officially Copenhagen.

Here is the current statement from the Viking Oceans website:

"All Viking itineraries are currently sailing on schedule."

Good to know . . .

Sincere condolences to those who suffered this extreme disappointment.

I'm sure there will be plenty of PA&E* to go around. In the end, however, ensuring the availability of logistics support for a ship rests with the operator.

* - Promises, Alibis, and Excuses

Hi Wendy. Yeah a Theremin is a bizarre instrument. It was invented by accident in 1919. It's been around since then and was used for most sound effects in 1950s sci-fi movies. I do own one and dabble at it . . . it can be surprisingly difficult to play a reliable scale in mid-air :D

There are a few concert thereminists in the world and they are impressive to hear with an orchestra.

To the official part of your post, I also value my time (and sanity) too highly to spend it sitting on airplanes for any more hours than necessary.

Best regards,

Thom

I reread my previous posts and didn't notice that I cast any aspersions on Turkish Airlines, but several have "come to their rescue". That is fine and I would like to clarify the carrier was never the issue. It was overall air hours and questionable connections.

The first trip involved 28.3 hours of air travel and had a 1 hour connection for an international flight.

The alternative flight (selected by Viking again) required 17.5 hours of air travel and had no connections shorter than 2 hours.

PLEASE NOTE: Viking didn't select the first plan to save fare costs, as some have suggested . . . the cost is exactly the same (I know because I would have had to pay for any increase).

I've used Viking air to/from Europe before without incident. So why was the eastern Med suddenly the best entry point for US east coast flights to France? :confused:

TA called me to say the $100 fee wasn't supposed to appear on the invoice (she had Viking deduct it from her commission). It was a really bizarre situation. Viking said the "Plus" air would cost $100 fee and any fare increase. They would NOT, however, release the fare info until the $100 had been paid !?! That's interesting: You must pay $100 to determine if you're going to use the $100 service . . . ?

STATUS: We are still going on a cruise, but it is in spite of rather than because of anything Viking contributed. If anybody thinks there isn't any value in using a TA, you might rethink that when cruising Viking . . .

NEXT ACTION: Letter to TA (to use when talking with Viking) questioning the ethics involved in making bad arrangements and charging to fix them. Also, whether charging for a service that may or may not be necessary (Air Plus) by withholding fare info is a sound business practice.

BOTTOM LINE: Viking, you have got to get your head out on customer service before you get a reputation like AT&T.

I appreciate all the additional comments and info including those about making our own arrangements. We have done that, as well (last time to Peru - 2014). I remain open to all avenues, but I find it's sometimes easier from an insurance perspective to bundle as much trip as possible under a single policy.

The story has a happy ending, but I am left shaking my head :(

Got an email from TA with new flight arrangements. Completely rational flights and connections (9 hours going and 8.5 returning). Only one problem . . . Viking added a $100 fee ($50 pp) when making the change. Have gone back once again stating if Viking can't do the job, they we'll cancel the cruise.

This is really nuts . . . schedule unworkable/unreasonable connections and then charge a premium to fix it

BE FOREWARNED: Viking seems to have developed a disturbing sense of humor regarding air service and connections. To support our river cruise, we need to arrive in Marseilles and depart from Paris. We requested JFK as our international port. Here is what our good buddies at Viking found for us:

OUTBOUND: Viking has booked us on Turkish Airlines from JFK to Istanbul and then from Instanbul to Marseilles (13 hrs & 5 minutes)

RETURN: Viking Air booked us on Turkish Airlines from Paris to Istanbul and then from Instanbul to JFK (15 hrs & 15 minutes) with only a 1-hour layover in Istanbul . . . highly unlikely connection.

We have instructed our TA to have Viking either fix the flights (i.e., make them something a rational adult might select) or cancel the cruise. Will post the results here when known. Just when you thought it was safe . . .

That's what I was concerned about . . . given the distances and time constraints involved, I think we'll scratch the abbey off the list of possibles. I really appreciate the info!

Does anyone know the docking location for the Arles excursion? I have seen references to both Arles and Tarascon. We would like to see Montmajour Abbey while we're in that area, but need to know where to make transport arrangements from. Thanks!