Idyllic Viking Trip at first….but beware when things go wrong.

I posted this on ocean cruises by mistake so have reposted it here. I received a reply from Viking today - very first contact since we left the "cruise" on June 12. I will post their reply in the next posting. I don't know who the posting is from as the writer of the Viking reply did not identify themselves. I would like to clarfy that is a complaint only about the complete lack of information from corporate Viking during and after the loss of our cruise. Let's hope this is a lesson learned for them - and all cruise ships - about the importance of communication with their passengers.

We signed up for a 2 week cruise on the Viking Var out of Budapest traveling to Amsterdam.

The first 5 days of the trip were idyllic – all we had dreamed about. The ship was beautiful & our room, though somewhat small (with a French balcony) was an organized & comfortable haven where we could watch the river. The staff was superb – friendly, helpful & very professional. We found the food delicious & liked being able to sit with different people every night – made it easy to get to know almost every one on the ship. We absolutely loved the cruise & were thrilled we had chosen this company, this itinerary and this ship.

And then the floods came. What happened to the towns & the people on the Danube and the Rhine was catastrophic. We were heart sick at what happened to the little town of Passau that we had visited. We were evacuated off the Var near Passau & moved to a hotel in Munich, being told we would be transferred to another ship above Regensburg. Then we were told that the rest of our trip would be by bus to Frankfurt. At Frankfurt (not on the itinerary) we were put on the Prestige which was an older boat that did not have the same accommodations as the Var. This ship was docked in an industrial area with a view of a concrete factory. We were nowhere near the town so could not walk anywhere. Buses became our mode of travel all the way to Amsterdam. The optional trips, such as Rothenberg, were cancelled.

Our days began with putting our suitcases out in the hall by 7:00 am, breakfast in the hotel restaurant, bus drive for 1-3 hours, tour for 1 ½ hours, back on the bus for several more hours & then check into a hotel & have dinner. For people like us who hate bus tours, it was hell.

We fully acknowledge that the flood was not the fault of anyone except Mother Nature, but once we left the Viking Var, the way our daily life was handled by Viking rests fully on their shoulders.

Internet news clearly stated that the Danube waters were rising as early as May 28 – the day after we left Budapest. We feel strongly that had we been told about the river level concerns earlier AND had been given the choice to cancel our cruise with full refund, we would have made that choice. We certainly would never have made the choice to go from hotel to boat to hotel and be subjected to long, long bus rides, long crowded lunches of heavy food and rushed tours. Nor would we have chosen to sit on an older boat in an industrial area with the smell of methane and one whole side of the ship’s rooms in the dark due to the high wall of the dock.

Despite all this, the worst part of all was the lack of information as to what was going to happen after we left the “Viking Var” and in the days that followed. Mieke (Program director) and Jessie (Concierge) were obviously doing their best, but they could not lessen our anxiety because of the Viking management style: “We don’t know any more than we have told you” and “We don’t have the authority to answer that.” When it was suggested that a Viking representative with authority come to the ships, we were told they are in the USA. Viking dropped the ball in not having upper management make an appearance in Europe considering the magnitude of the problem.

By the end of the trip passengers were angry and frustrated because of being unable to get answers from Viking. Rumours began to spread which caused more anxiety. Much of this could have been avoided if Viking had handled things in a different manner. Communication from upper management, more information and more choices would have created an entirely different feeling among all the passengers. My husband and I and the friends we were traveling with were afraid to leave the ship for fear we would get no compensation for our loss. Every day was filled with anxiety about what would come the next day.

We have arrived home from what was to be the most relaxing trip ever and instead have arrived home dead tired and heart broken for the loss of what should have been a dream trip.

We were assured by the program director that each one of us would receive an email and then a follow-up call. We now know that Viking only has 5 Customer Service reps so it is obvious it will be a long time before we hear from Viking by phone.

All in all this was not the trip we had dreamed of, not the trip we paid for well in advance. We have received an email stating that we will receive compensation and it is a fair amount – more than we expected from this company. But this letter of complaint is not about compensation. It is about how all the passengers were treated while on the trip. How can a company have such a horrible management style and expect to have a good reputation? Beware when things go wrong, as Viking will not be there for you.

The floods were most certainly was not Viking’s fault but it most certainly was not our fault either. We deserved better and more informed treatment and that did not come.

Oh my... The true "colors" are starting to appear! :(

The conditions of your being able to use your voucher is certainly an eye opener!

It's interesting that you should mention Vikings management style. If anyone wants to do a search you can find an interview by the CEO of Viking given a few months before the flooding tragedy. After I read that interview I thought to myself I will never utilize Viking. I hope it all works out for you

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It's interesting that you should mention Vikings management style. If anyone wants to do a search you can find an interview by the CEO of Viking given a few months before the flooding tragedy. After I read that interview I thought to myself I will never utilize Viking. I hope it all works out for you

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

I remember that and I posted it here. Some people laughed it off. Maybe it's time to resurrect that article.

Terri

Viking regularly monitors these boards - so expect they will post in on this thread as well.

Keep pushing to use the entire voucher towards the City of Lights package if that is what you are interested in. After all, it is package they offer (ie: the time in hotels is not an added extension....) so you should be able to use the voucher towards it.

The comment re: voucher to be used for cruise time only is the first time that this has come up, so am not convinced that this is entirely accurate. You may not, however, be able to use the voucher for an extension.

I expect it may take some time and perseverance, but hope that you will be able to work out details with Viking to your satisfaction. Keep holding out to speak with someone at a manager's level or above.

Fran

I suspect that I will be somewhat unpopular in my sentiment, but I've grown tired of the mob mentality and the "Viking bashing" that has occurred on Cruise Critic. Maybe we can cut them some slack. Do you think it's easy transporting (mostly) elderly foreign tourists on the rivers of Europe what with strikes, floods, earthquakes, terrorists, lock delays, security issues while docked in port, and on and on....For the most part, Viking and all the other cruise companies do a damn good job of providing people with exotic trips of a lifetime. So what if their communication skills weren't perfect. You still had the potential to enjoy even the bus portion of the trip. I know I would have. These unforeseeable situations are part of life. By the way, we cruise mainly Uniworld now so I am not a Viking spokesperson. I just feel that every time they don't do something perfectly, these Boards jump all over them like a lynch mob. I apologize if I have offended anyone, I was just trying to avoid us being mean and vindictive. Do we really have to attack their CEO?

I don't think telling the truth is "Viking Bashing". I "cruised" the days of June 16 to June 30.....well after the conditions of flooding and damage were known to Viking. We made repeated contacts with Viking requesting to know if our cruise would not be able to proceed as scheduled ON THE RIVERS. We asked to reschedule at a later time our cruise if it was to be interrupted due to floods and damage. We were assured and even the website stated that our particular cruise would only have a change from Passau to another less flooded city and that we would transfer from the Embla to the Skadi at some point along the river as the ships were out of traditional positions due to the interruptions of the past weeks. We ended up with several days on land being bussed. We had cabins with broken air conditioning, mediocre food, understaffed dining room, uncomfortable beds and bedding, and ended up paying for lunches on land that we had already paid for in our ship reservations. Reimbursements promised ended up the last day being "credits" to be used for shipboard purchases only.....many ended up with ship "shopping" trinkets/sweat shirts because no cash reimbursements were forthcoming. To date, having been back almost a week, Viking has made NO CONTACT with many aboard this ill-fated trip. We paid a high price for a low quality product and were treated like cattle.

I suspect that I will be somewhat unpopular in my sentiment, but I've grown tired of the mob mentality and the "Viking bashing" that has occurred on Cruise Critic. Maybe we can cut them some slack. Do you think it's easy transporting (mostly) elderly foreign tourists on the rivers of Europe what with strikes, floods, earthquakes, terrorists, lock delays, security issues while docked in port, and on and on....For the most part, Viking and all the other cruise companies do a damn good job of providing people with exotic trips of a lifetime. So what if their communication skills weren't perfect. You still had the potential to enjoy even the bus portion of the trip. I know I would have. These unforeseeable situations are part of life. By the way, we cruise mainly Uniworld now so I am not a Viking spokesperson. I just feel that every time they don't do something perfectly, these Boards jump all over them like a lynch mob. I apologize if I have offended anyone, I was just trying to avoid us being mean and vindictive. Do we really have to attack their CEO?

Do you think it's easy transporting (mostly) elderly foreign tourists on the rivers of Europe what with strikes, floods, earthquakes, terrorists, lock delays, security issues while docked in port, and on and on.:eek:

Excuse me? EXCUSE ME?

as a past Viking customer I consider myself neither elderly nor foreign and I've been thru the aftermath of 9/11, floods, tornados,security issues etc. That does not mean that Viking nor any other company (and I've travelled with a few) is excused for having to suffer through dealing with the likes of me or see me as a burden on their bottom line. I am probably their typical demographic customer.

You are correct in that your opinion may be seen as unpopular but, in the spirit of CC, it is yours to freely express.

You and I were not on the river cruises the first 3 wks of June so do not know what those passengers experienced. Some who were able, chose to embrace it as an adventure; others who were physicially or financially unable, did not. Many saw their hard earned/saved money wash away in the flood waters and were deeply disappointed. To what degree is not for us to argue.

Many, and I mean many, CCers who had future cruises planned in June and July and beyond, watched here and waited for info as the floods increasingly worsened. They posted here how they were confident that the companies would not put them in danger and that if life gave them lemons, they would make lemonade and take it all in good stride.

The reality was the many stories posted here on various threads of those who instead started off optimistically, instead found that the cruise they bought ended up in bus rides for hours, hotels, restaurant meals, missed excursions, packing and unpacking all for the same price they paid for a first class river cruise. Read the posts by CruisinGert, Korkeyq, DavidF, Snogonthego, Phoebecat, proppilot, to name just a few and I think you will agree that it is debatable whether or not:

Viking and all the other cruise companies do a damn good job of providing people with exotic trips of a lifetime.

Again, you and I weren't there so we have to acknowledge that while the river boat companies had to deal with horrible business crisis, the public who paid for their trips had to LIVE through it and endure it. I'm willing to cut THEM some slack.

I just feel that every time they don't do something perfectly, these Boards jump all over them like a lynch mob. I apologize if I have offended anyone, I was just trying to avoid us being mean and vindictive. Do we really have to attack their CEO?

Thank you for posting this. I feel truly sorry for the people that have had their "trip of a lifetime" ruined... but fail to see how launching an attack on the CEO can help with this situation. An earlier interview/article on Mr. Hagen has been reposted - for no other reason (in my opinion) that to allow people to join the "lynch 'em" group and state publicly that they will never travel with Viking. I get it... I got it the first time. I assume that these people are also as discerning when it comes to other purchases, and so don't purchase clothing or personal items manufactured "off shore" or in a sweat shop - regardless of the savings you could have. Good for you!! But, people make their own decisions on how to spend their disposable income - and many still choose to travel with Viking. It isn't "wrong" - it is their choice. Not ever traveling with Viking (first time or repeat) may affect Viking's bottom line, but will also affect all of their employees. So - taking your business elsewhere to show the CEO what you think of him may have unintended effects. Just saying.....

Again, you and I weren't there so we have to acknowledge that while the river boat companies had to deal with horrible business crisis, the public who paid for their trips had to LIVE through it and endure it. I'm willing to cut THEM some slack.

Wow.... you have really taken up this torch for the people who lived through this crisis. SOShrink just offered an opinion - and apologized up front if he offended anyone. As you said, he is free to express his opinion.

You have - all the way through this time frame - been encouraging and supportive to people who have posted about their experiences. But, I must say that your response to his post took me aback... it isn't the tone you have offered to others on this board.

Makes me think twice about offering opinions that might be less than mainstream.

Fran

Thank you for posting this. I feel truly sorry for the people that have had their "trip of a lifetime" ruined... but fail to see how launching an attack on the CEO can help with this situation. An earlier interview/article on Mr. Hagen has been reposted - for no other reason (in my opinion) that to allow people to join the "lynch 'em" group and state publicly that they will never travel with Viking. I get it... I got it the first time. I assume that these people are also as discerning when it comes to other purchases, and so don't purchase clothing or personal items manufactured "off shore" or in a sweat shop - regardless of the savings you could have. Good for you!! But, people make their own decisions on how to spend their disposable income - and many still choose to travel with Viking. It isn't "wrong" - it is their choice. Not ever traveling with Viking (first time or repeat) may affect Viking's bottom line, but will also affect all of their employees. So - taking your business elsewhere to show the CEO what you think of him may have unintended effects. Just saying.....

 

 

 

Wow.... you have really taken up this torch for the people who lived through this crisis. SOShrink just offered an opinion - and apologized up front if he offended anyone. As you said, he is free to express his opinion.

 

You have - all the way through this time frame - been encouraging and supportive to people who have posted about their experiences. But, I must say that your response to his post took me aback... it isn't the tone you have offered to others on this board.

 

Makes me think twice about offering opinions that might be less than mainstream.

 

Fran

Fran, you are right...I have been supportive of most of those who have posted their experiences and nothing has changed. I do feel for them as I was almost one of them...our Dec Danube cruise the week before we went, suffered from high water and changes so I was filled with the same angst and worry that many here have.

My' change of tone' was not directed at the affected cruisers but at the post that implied that there was a 'lynch em group'. And I hope you continue to post whether mainstream or not...it is what keeps us reading here...a variety of opinions and experiences.

In fact, if you recall, there was a poster here that tried to start a 'lynch em' group and asked who wanted to join him to start a lawsuit!:eek: His thread quickly fell off the first page due to lack of interest after the initial outrage.

I do agree tho that attacking the CEO is pointless...we all vote with our money and if the proof is in the pudding, and you don't like the pudding, then eat somewhere else.

And just when it looked safe to go into the water, I note there are a couple of posts about recent cruises on the Elbe that didn't go as planned.

Remydiva, perhaps "foreigner" was a poor choice of words, but yes, you (and I) and all other travelers to other countries are indeed foreigners. I didn't know that was a pejorative expression. I also didn't know being called "elderly" was offensive. Although there is a drift toward a younger demographic on river cruises in the past few years, there are still many passengers who have difficulty walking, use walkers, or oxygen, etc., I feel that all the cruise lines have stepped it up as far as accommodating those passengers.

Jayhawker, I'm sorry if my comments seemed insensitive to you given what you and others went through in Passau and other ports during the recent flooding. However, I still feel that there is a lot of anti-Viking sentiment the last few years on CC that is not always justified.....

Remydiva, perhaps "foreigner" was a poor choice of words, but yes, you (and I) and all other travelers to other countries are indeed foreigners. I didn't know that was a pejorative expression. I also didn't know being called "elderly" was offensive. Although there is a drift toward a younger demographic on river cruises in the past few years, there are still many passengers who have difficulty walking, use walkers, or oxygen, etc., I feel that all the cruise lines have stepped it up as far as accommodating those passengers.

Jayhawker, I'm sorry if my comments seemed insensitive to you given what you and others went through in Passau and other ports during the recent flooding. However, I still feel that there is a lot of anti-Viking sentiment the last few years on CC that is not always justified.....

SOShrink: Good of you to come back here and do a follow up post.

And altho you originally posted a comment that I felt was unfair and off the mark:

Do you think it's easy transporting (mostly) elderly foreign tourists on the rivers of Europe

in this post you observed, as I have, that the demographics on river cruises appears to be shifting to a much younger crowd...often times younger than some ocean cruises. Fair to say that transporting ANY tourists in the flood crisis was far from 'easy'!

As far as 'Viking bashing', as I have said before, I think the disproportionate number of negative posts is because Viking has more boats and more cruises and more passengers compared to all the other companies.

So the odds are, that they may have more complaints in #s but % wise, it might not be any more than Uniworld, AMA, Tauck, Avalon, Scenic,etc.

Guess we'll never know.

Thank you for posting this. I feel truly sorry for the people that have had their "trip of a lifetime" ruined... but fail to see how launching an attack on the CEO can help with this situation. An earlier interview/article on Mr. Hagen has been reposted - for no other reason (in my opinion) that to allow people to join the "lynch 'em" group and state publicly that they will never travel with Viking. I get it... I got it the first time. I assume that these people are also as discerning when it comes to other purchases, and so don't purchase clothing or personal items manufactured "off shore" or in a sweat shop - regardless of the savings you could have. Good for you!! But, people make their own decisions on how to spend their disposable income - and many still choose to travel with Viking. It isn't "wrong" - it is their choice. Not ever traveling with Viking (first time or repeat) may affect Viking's bottom line, but will also affect all of their employees. So - taking your business elsewhere to show the CEO what you think of him may have unintended effects.

 

Fran

Couldn't agree more about the "lynch" mob mentality. Sometimes driven by those with no personal experience of Viking and whose posts seem purely mischievous.

Makes this forum a very unpleasant place and I have been avoiding it. In some cases posting seems to be really just "negotiating".

I also hope that those whose cruises were adversely affected receive appropriate compensation and are able to eventually enjoy a wonderful river cruise experience.

I have never cruised on Viking. However, I usually compare Viking cruises to others before I book. Viking never comes out with the best value considering price and the cruise.

We booked Vantage China and ran into some Viking people that paid extra for the last leg of their tour in China. They paid more than we did for fewer days and fewer sites.

Also, I remember getting the plane going into Hong Kong. Our program manager had acquired the immigration forms, actually filled out some of the form for us and assisted us in completing the form. I saw the flight attendants handing out the same form to everyone else on the flight, including some of the Viking people. The Viking people were asking us why we had our forms already and filled up. We helped them fill out their forms.

Viking may one day be the best value for a river cruise, but after reading this thread, I doubt it.

I have never cruised on Viking. However, I usually compare Viking cruises to others before I book. Viking never comes out with the best value considering price and the cruise.

We booked Vantage China and ran into some Viking people that paid extra for the last leg of their tour in China. They paid more than we did for fewer days and fewer sites.

Also, I remember getting the plane going into Hong Kong. Our program manager had acquired the immigration forms, actually filled out some of the form for us and assisted us in completing the form. I saw the flight attendants handing out the same form to everyone else on the flight, including some of the Viking people. The Viking people were asking us why we had our forms already and filled up. We helped them fill out their forms.

Viking may one day be the best value for a river cruise, but after reading this thread, I doubt it.

Dear Jayhawker1973,

It’s concerning to hear that you haven’t had any contact from us after returning home from an itinerary that was affected by the extended closure of the Altenwörth Lock. Our Customer Relations team made initial contact last Tuesday with all guests of what we believe is your sailing (based on some of the information you’ve provided in your posts). Could the email possibly have landed in your spam folder? Regardless, please accept our apologies and please contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so that we may discuss your experience and your concerns. We hope to hear from you soon.

Very best,

Viking Cruises

To date, having been back almost a week, Viking has made NO CONTACT with many aboard this ill-fated trip.

I appreciate all your replies to my posting. All of them have been important - both pro and con. I do want to make it clear that I was not Viking bashing. I loved our trip and I do believe that they made an attempt to finish our trip the best they could. Because we are independent travellers and we hate bus trips, the non-cruise part did colour our view of the changes we had to make in our cruise.

There were two reasons I posted. One was because of the total lack of contact after the trip despite 6 emails to Customer Relations (unanswered). Some of these emails were in support of a couple we met on our ship and the wife had Alzheimer's. She was young and the disease had progressed to the point of needing a lot of help from her husband. They will never be able to go on a trip again and they have asked Viking to refund their 75% voucher. Many of us on the trip have emailed 2 different Customer Service Reps about their plight and have never heard back from a single one of them. Others have called the reps and so far Viking answer to this couple is we will not be doing a refund. This is wrong. As yet none of us have found a way to speak to someone higher up. I am hoping posting this will bring a response from corporate level of Viking concerning this couple.

The second reason is the hope that Viking will see the need to have their corporate level more involved when things go wrong. If you had 19+ businesses having trouble would you not send out upper management to help deal with the problem? I feel this will bring a change in way things are handled, not just from Viking. Customers just want to enjoy their trips. I post reviews on Trip Advisor frequently and have only posted one that was negative - not surprising it was a company who would not listen to the concerns of their guests.

Happy Cruising. We are in the midst of choosing our next Viking Cruise and can't wait.