Viking Star 4/22/17 Passage to Western Europe Itinerary Change?

[marmom18]

I am an infrequent cruiser but was intrigued by the Viking Star Cruise Passage to Western Europe as the advertised itinerary indicates several stops in Spain and Portugal and then on to France, UK, Norway. It is hard to find south-north cruises, which is why I booked this for April 22, 2017. Now I've been reading that in fact there are four days at sea when the advertised itinerary has two days at sea. If this is the case I am wondering what to do? Do I contact my travel agent or Viking to determine the real itinerary? If it is in fact four days how should I proceed given the trip is already paid for?

[Viking Cruises]

Dear marmom18,

 

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to respond to your comments.

 

We apologize for any misunderstanding and are happy to clarify. The 2017 Passage through Western Europe itinerary will only include 3 days at sea. This information is accurately reflected on our website. We have included the link below for your convenience:

 

http://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/multi-region/passage-west-europe/index.html

 

If you have any questions or wish to further discuss any conflicting information you’ve read, please contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

We look forward to welcoming you aboard next year!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

I am an infrequent cruiser but was intrigued by the Viking Star Cruise Passage to Western Europe as the advertised itinerary indicates several stops in Spain and Portugal and then on to France, UK, Norway. It is hard to find south-north cruises, which is why I booked this for April 22, 2017. Now I've been reading that in fact there are four days at sea when the advertised itinerary has two days at sea. If this is the case I am wondering what to do? Do I contact my travel agent or Viking to determine the real itinerary? If it is in fact four days how should I proceed given the trip is already paid for?

[screen-gem]

I am an infrequent cruiser but was intrigued by the Viking Star Cruise Passage to Western Europe as the advertised itinerary indicates several stops in Spain and Portugal and then on to France, UK, Norway. It is hard to find south-north cruises, which is why I booked this for April 22, 2017. Now I've been reading that in fact there are four days at sea when the advertised itinerary has two days at sea.

 

@marmom,

Is it possible that you've been reading about the Star's 2016 Passage through Western Europe (4/17/2016)? That itinerary is somewhat different than next year's voyages, and has five sea days. Unfortunately, Viking has not done a great job with communication regarding the various Passage through Western Europe voyages, leading to some confusion.

 

 

@Viking Cruises,

You directed marmom to the Viking website for accurate information. It appears that you have not reviewed your website lately. For the voyage in question, it describes a Pre-Extension package in Oslo & Bergen, followed by a Post-Extension Barcelona City Stay. That's backwards: the cruise originates in Barcelona and ends in Bergen. Perhaps you can task your webmaster to make the necessary corrections.

Edited March 22, 2016 by screen-gem

[marmom18]

Yes, I checked the website again and still no change in pre and post tour though once you actually go to the links it is straightened out.

 

Still not sure my question entirely answered, which is what is to stop Viking from making the same changes for next year?

[screen-gem]

^^^

@marmom18,

There's nothing to stop Viking from making changes in the future. Indeed, the fine print in their contract clearly indicates that they reserve the right to change schedules, ports, ships, etc. That's standard in the cruise industry. Unforseen events (hurricanes, political upheaval, terrorist attacks, mechanical problems, etc) may necessitate changes to an itinerary, or outright cancelation. Sometimes cruise lines will notify passengers of changes in advance. Others do a less-than-stellar job in notifying their customers, and/or keeping their websites up to date.

[Squigmond]

@marmom,

Is it possible that you've been reading about the Star's 2016 Passage through Western Europe (4/17/2016)? That itinerary is somewhat different than next year's voyages, and has five sea days. Unfortunately, Viking has not done a great job with communication regarding the various Passage through Western Europe voyages, leading to some confusion.

 

 

I do not see 5 sea days on the website. I see 3 sea days for both 2016 and 2017.

[screen-gem]

 

I do not see 5 sea days on the website. I see 3 sea days for both 2016 and 2017.

 

The website is somewhat obtuse. You have to look specifically at the itinerary for the Star's 2016 itinerary (sailing April 17, 2016), linked on this page:

http://www.vrc.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/multi-region/passage-west-europe/index.html

 

Here's what's described in the linked PDF brochure.

Day 3 - At Sea

Day 6 - At Sea

Day 7 - At Sea (arriving in Bordeaux at 9:30pm)

Day 9 - At Sea

Day 11 - partly At Sea (arriving in Greenwich at 4:45pm)

Day 13 - At Sea

Day 14 - partly At Sea (arriving in Bergen at 1pm)

 

It's actually 6ish sea days in total, on a "15 Day" cruise.

 

The 2016 itinerary for the Sea is different, as is the posted itinerary for 2017.

[Squigmond]

Wow, that is deep in the website. It does say subject to change and obviously has. Very true they should change that pdf. It is clear that on the main pages it lists a much better itinerary with many more ports and way less time at sea. I have a catalog with 2015 cruises in it that lists the itinerary just as it is now so yes they are way behind on pdf changes.......but the itinerary has remained constant for a long time. I do not see a pdf for 2017 so am not sure where the confusion comes in.

[screen-gem]

^^

That PDF for the 4/17/2016 sailing of the Star contains the correct itinerary for that voyage. There is no need for Viking to change it in terms of the ports visited. It has other mistakes, but the itinerary is accurate. It's only applicable to that particular voyage (4/17/2016) and is so labelled.

 

The confusion is that some passengers booked the 2016 sailing of the Star months/years ago based on the generic 'Passage through Western Europe' description in last year's catalog or web listing. I'm aware of some that booked the 50-day 3/27/16 Empire voyage on the Star (which includes the Barcelona-to-Bergen leg) thinking they were going to Malaga, Cadiz, Cherbourg, etc. But they're not. They're on board the Star right now, and will be going to Gibraltar, Bordeaux, Greenwich, etc. as described in the brochure.

[Squigmond]

So the pdf is correct and the main page of the website is incorrect? When you booked which one did you think it was?

[screen-gem]

So the pdf is correct and the main page of the website is incorrect?

 

Both are correct. The PDF accurately describes the 4/17/2016 sailing of the Star, and is so labeled. It's an override for what's shown on the webpage. The webpage accurately* describes the 'generic' Passage through Western Europe voyages for next year (both Star and Sea), subject of course to any changes that might be made in the future.

 

*The term "accurately" needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The webpage lists "London" as a port of call. The port is actually in Southampton, which is 2 hour drive away from London. Ditto for Paris (Le Havre). This is common geographic approximation as practiced in the cruise industry.

 

In contrast, this year's Star itinerary takes it up the Thames to dock at Greenwich on April 27th, almost in the heart of London. Much more interesting than going to Southampton, in my opinion.

[Squigmond]

Have a great time no matter the itinerary. I am interested as I am on the Star in September.......with pdf same as website so far.

[marmom18]

Thanks for your help. I had trouble getting the PDF but it doesn't really matter as I am taking the 2017 cruise. I guess at this point I just have to wait and see what happens.

 

Also as neither London nor Paris are ocean ports I realized we were not going to stop at either and visiting them would require a long excursion.

[screen-gem]

@marmom,

Based on the information presently posted by Viking, next year's Passage through Western Europe (2017) has 3 sea days. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. That's a good balance - after all the walking you'll do on port days, the 'days off' will be a welcome rest.

[Bruce D. McIntyre]

Just wanted to let you know that when we booked Passage to Western Europe in Nov. 2015 our booking showed all the ports of call as listed in their brochures. The April 17, 2016 cruise was no different than what they are currently selling for this cruise. About a month before we left we went into our account and found that five ports of call had been eliminated with no notice to us. I called Customer Service and was told they have the right to do this. This was not the cruise we initially booked and we are extremely unhappy about the way this situation was handled.

[Peregrina651]

Just wanted to let you know that when we booked Passage to Western Europe in Nov. 2015 our booking showed all the ports of call as listed in their brochures. The April 17, 2016 cruise was no different than what they are currently selling for this cruise. About a month before we left we went into our account and found that five ports of call had been eliminated with no notice to us. I called Customer Service and was told they have the right to do this. This was not the cruise we initially booked and we are extremely unhappy about the way this situation was handled.

 

Contact the address given in post #2 of this thread and discuss it with them. They want your feed back and they would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Peregrina651

[Bruce D. McIntyre]

Unfortunately Viking Customer Service is not interested in hearing anything about this cruise. Before we left I spoke with a Customer Service Manager and also wrote a letter to the Chairman of Viking. No response. You need to read some other reviews about the poor Customer Service offered by Viking. We paid over $11,000 to go on a cruise that ended up with half of the cruise at sea. This is not at all what we booked or paid for and Viking offered us $250 as compensation. You should read the Cruise Critic Review "Only Book with Viking if you enjoy being Robbed and Kidnapped."

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Bruce D. McIntyre,

 

Welcome home! While we regret to learn of your disappointment in the itinerary, we do hope you found your overall experience aboard Viking Star to be enjoyable.

 

Your satisfaction is important to us and, to continue discussion, we have arranged for a Viking representative to contact you directly within the next 24 hours.

 

We appreciate the opportunity to respond and look forward to speaking with you!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Just wanted to let you know that when we booked Passage to Western Europe in Nov. 2015 our booking showed all the ports of call as listed in their brochures. The April 17, 2016 cruise was no different than what they are currently selling for this cruise. About a month before we left we went into our account and found that five ports of call had been eliminated with no notice to us. I called Customer Service and was told they have the right to do this. This was not the cruise we initially booked and we are extremely unhappy about the way this situation was handled.

 

Unfortunately Viking Customer Service is not interested in hearing anything about this cruise. Before we left I spoke with a Customer Service Manager and also wrote a letter to the Chairman of Viking. No response. You need to read some other reviews about the poor Customer Service offered by Viking. We paid over $11,000 to go on a cruise that ended up with half of the cruise at sea. This is not at all what we booked or paid for and Viking offered us $250 as compensation. You should read the Cruise Critic Review "Only Book with Viking if you enjoy being Robbed and Kidnapped."

[screen-gem]

About a month before we left we went into our account and found that five ports of call had been eliminated with no notice to us. I called Customer Service and was told they have the right to do this. This was not the cruise we initially booked and we are extremely unhappy about the way this situation was handled.

 

@Bruce,

We were on the Apr17 sailing of the Star with you. I don't think we met, but we certainly talked with others on board who, like you, were misled/misinformed/misdirected about the itinerary.

 

Lest Viking attempt to tell you that the significant ports changes were caused by 'last-minute' events outside of their control, it may be of interest to know that as far back as March 25, 2015 (nine months before you booked), Viking was well aware that the Apr17 voyage had a different itinerary from what they published on the website and in the glossy brochures. They confirmed the different ports in an e-mail to CC member avonglen.

See post #12 in the Roll Call for the Star's 2016 "Empire" 50-day voyage (that included our Barcelona to Bergen leg).

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46055999&postcount=12

 

In a subsequent post on the Roll Call (#16), avonglen detailed the actual ports of call that Viking had confirmed: (Gibraltar, Lisbon, Bordeaux...).

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46143195&postcount=16

 

If you read through that Roll Call, you'll find a number of posts from disgruntled CC members who were upset to find that what they'd booked and paid for was not what they'd be getting. All of which to say, you are not alone in your dissatisfaction.

 

We booked the cruise a couple of months after you did, and were similarly confused by the itinerary. When I enquired, Viking (a) told me that the description advertised on the website was correct (although clearly it was not) and then (b) sent me a PDF containing the different Passages itinerary (Gibraltar-Lisbon-Bordeaux...). The PDF is dated June 19, 2015. It's abundantly clear that Viking knew where the Star was going to stop well before you booked. In other words, they didn't 'eliminate five ports of call' (as you put it) after you had booked. Those ports were never on the itinerary.

 

Thanks for posting the reference to the recent 'Robbed and Kidnapped' review, found here. It should be required reading for anyone considering Viking Oceans. And also for Viking's Sales and Marketing departments on how not to build a new brand, ensure customer satisfaction, or encourage positive referrals.

 

Good luck as you 'continue the discussion'...

[Pyroforyou]

Its funny to read complaints about sea days, do you think your going to fly from place to place. Your on a ship which is at sea, most days it travels at night but since some locations are not close you have to have the sea days. If you look at the map you can see that this cruise travels a long distance. Ports change as the itinerary develops each year, same as the river cruises now seem to be called cruisetours. Cant wait to sail again with Viking.