Viking - Paris to Normandy Not in Paris - Viking will not cover transfer to new port

[Alicatred]

So I had some hope that are transport from Paris to Le Pecq would be covered by Viking based on the following from this thread on Cruise Critic. While the details are still in flux, we are working to arrange transportation for our guests from central Paris to Viking Rinda on embarkation day. You will receive written communication once the details are confirmed." called about 6 weeks ago for confirmation and was told that they would call me on 3-21 or 3-22. No call! I called this morning and was told that they will not transport us from Paris to Le Pecq, even though we offered to get to the Paris Pullman where a bus will transport Viking folks to Le Pecq, nor will they reimburse or credit us for the cost of our transportation to the new port. We booked a cruise from Paris...not Le Pecq bad enough we will have to spend hours on a bus to and from port to Paris, that I will not be seeing Paris from my ship but they expect me to pay to get me to a port 45 minutes away from Paris. This is the worst customer service I have ever seen. We cruise often, usually on Celebrity and I am frankly shocked and outraged about by this. Does anyone have any ideas of recourse?

[Mark_T]

Just for clarity, are we to assume that you have arranged your own air or have deviated from the included air schedule and therefore do not have the benefit of the otherwise included transfers?

[mort&fran]

Try emailing TellUs@vikingcruises.com. I have not yet received the exception I requested 2 days ago, however the person who responded to my email said she understood what I wanted, and why, and she would contact the involved department to see if an accommodation could be made.

 

In addition to the transfer from the Pullman hotel on embarkation day, for our cruise (and others I have noticed) Viking has two shuttle runs between Le Pecq and Paris. So I suggest that you CONFIRM, 'in case there is no room for you' on the bus from the the Pullman hotel, that you and your luggage can take one of the shuttles returning to Le Pecq from Paris.

[Alicatred]

@ Mark T, thank you for your response. We booked our Airfare through Viking and our hotel pre cruise on our own. We are paying for our transport from CDG to our hotel. However we expected to be able to take an inexpensive taxi ride to our port in Paris to board the ship. Now that the ship is no longer going to dock in Paris, we are expected to pay for our own transport to the new port. I had voiced concern before and it was implied by Viking that they would cover the transport - ]While the details are still in flux, we are working to arrange transportation for our guests from central Paris to Viking Rinda on embarkation day. You will receive written communication once the details are confirmed." [/i]

Edited March 23, 2016 by Alicatred

[Alicatred]

@ Mort and Fran - Thank you, I will try that. I appreciate your input.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Alicatred,

 

We responded to your post on another thread but, at the risk of repeating ourselves, also wanted to reply to your comments here.

 

We are sorry for your disappointment and appreciate the opportunity to respond to your comments.

 

Our records indicate the aforementioned follow-up phone call was to take place on March 24, 2016. We sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding but assure you your concerns were not forgotten. We recognize you were contacted this afternoon to discuss your transfer concerns in greater detail and review options to resolve. While you are encouraged to continue to work with your contact, you are always welcome to contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Alicatred, your disappointment in Le Pecq is understandable; however, we assure you that the crew will do their utmost to maximize your time in Paris and provide you with a comfortable stay. Despite being docked outside of the city center, we are confident you will enjoy your overall experience.

 

Thank you again for allowing us to reply. We look forward to reaching a resolution and welcoming you aboard in April!

 

Warm regards,

Viking Cruises

 

So I had some hope that are transport from Paris to Le Pecq would be covered by Viking based on the following from this thread on Cruise Critic. While the details are still in flux, we are working to arrange transportation for our guests from central Paris to Viking Rinda on embarkation day. You will receive written communication once the details are confirmed." called about 6 weeks ago for confirmation and was told that they would call me on 3-21 or 3-22. No call! I called this morning and was told that they will not transport us from Paris to Le Pecq, even though we offered to get to the Paris Pullman where a bus will transport Viking folks to Le Pecq, nor will they reimburse or credit us for the cost of our transportation to the new port. We booked a cruise from Paris...not Le Pecq bad enough we will have to spend hours on a bus to and from port to Paris, that I will not be seeing Paris from my ship but they expect me to pay to get me to a port 45 minutes away from Paris. This is the worst customer service I have ever seen. We cruise often, usually on Celebrity and I am frankly shocked and outraged about by this. Does anyone have any ideas of recourse?

[mort&fran]

Try emailing TellUs@vikingcruises.com. I have not yet received the exception I requested 2 days ago, however the person who responded to my email said she understood what I wanted, and why, and she would contact the involved department to see if an accommodation could be made.

 

Since I had not heard from Viking, and we are departing Monday AM, I sent a follow-up email to TellUs this morning. About 3 hours later I received an email response (a) that the first person with whom I had originally spoken had obtained approval for what I had requested, and (b) what we are to do when we arrive. So if at first you don't succeed...

[JVilleGal]

And so it goes...

[Coral]

And so it goes...

 

They booked air but not hotel.

 

This is similar to what cruise lines do in certain areas such as Alaska. For example - Celebrity sails out of Seward and not Anchorage. If you book your own hotel, you need to find your way to Anchorage or buy a transfer. This port is 3-4 hours away from Anchorage.

 

Same with cruises out of Houston. Most go out of Galveston which is quite a distance from Houston. If you buy your own hotel, you either need to get back to the airport and pay for a transfer or find your own way there.

 

Same with London and Southhampton. If you book your own hotel, you either have to go back to the airport and buy your transfers (which isn't close) or find your own pay to Southhampton.

[JVilleGal]

Being as how I grew up in Anchorage I think I familiar with the concept.

[Coral]

Being as how I grew up in Anchorage I think I familiar with the concept.

 

So you think it is normal to find your own way from Anchorage to Seward or Whittier but not from Paris to Le Pecq?

 

Some of your comments are very sarcastic/negative towards Viking and from what I can tell, you have never sailed with them, is that correct? If I haven't experienced a product, I try not to talk negatively about them.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Coral

[Coral]

I think the main question is - did Princess change ports on the OP or was the ship always docking in Le Pecq?

 

If they were always docking in Le Pecq, then the OP should have factored this in when deciding if they were booking their own hotel or through the river cruise line? There are pros and cons to booking hotels through the cruise line. Everything needs to be factored in when making booking decisions.

 

Now, if the dock did change - then I do feel the original poster should be entitled to free transportation.

[JVilleGal]

So I had some hope that are transport from Paris to Le Pecq would be covered by Viking based on the following from this thread on Cruise Critic. While the details are still in flux, we are working to arrange transportation for our guests from central Paris to Viking Rinda on embarkation day. You will receive written communication once the details are confirmed." called about 6 weeks ago for confirmation and was told that they would call me on 3-21 or 3-22. No call! I called this morning and was told that they will not transport us from Paris to Le Pecq, even though we offered to get to the Paris Pullman where a bus will transport Viking folks to Le Pecq, nor will they reimburse or credit us for the cost of our transportation to the new port. We booked a cruise from Paris...not Le Pecq bad enough we will have to spend hours on a bus to and from port to Paris, that I will not be seeing Paris from my ship but they expect me to pay to get me to a port 45 minutes away from Paris. This is the worst customer service I have ever seen. We cruise often, usually on Celebrity and I am frankly shocked and outraged about by this. Does anyone have any ideas of recourse?

 

 

 

So you think it is normal to find your own way from Anchorage to Seward or Whittier but not from Paris to Le Pecq?

 

Some of your comments are very sarcastic/negative towards Viking and from what I can tell, you have never sailed with them, is that correct? If I haven't experienced a product, I try not to talk negatively about them.

 

 

Thank you for you thoughtful comments!

 

My opinion of Viking is just that, my opinion. You of course are welcome to yours! Good Day

[TravelerThom]

I think the main question is - did Princess change ports on the OP or was the ship always docking in Le Pecq?

 

If they were always docking in Le Pecq, then the OP should have factored this in when deciding if they were booking their own hotel or through the river cruise line? There are pros and cons to booking hotels through the cruise line. Everything needs to be factored in when making booking decisions.

 

Now, if the dock did change - then I do feel the original poster should be entitled to free transportation.

VIKING (not Princess) advertises the trip as "Paris and the Heart of Normandy". Looking at Viking's "2016 & 2017 River Cruises" (published 11/17/15)(this is the copy I can currently lay my hands on) p.70 the itinerary says:

 

"Day 1 Paris

Arrive in Paris, romance capital of the world. Transfer from the airport in Paris to your ship. enjoy free time to explore on your own (D)"

 

It is true that elsewhere in the booklet you can find the words:

Note: The Paris port authority assigned Viking a docking location in Le Pecq, a western suburb of Paris. To help maximize your time in the city center, we are offering complimentary shuttles throughout your stay.

but this is not given in the itinerary.

 

Did Viking lie? I guess I'd have to say No. Were they (perhaps intentionally) misleading? I'd say Yes.

 

I have sailed with Viking several times and have been satisfied with the product I received, but to be blunt their sales practices are quite often misleading (and that is putting it kindly).

 

Le Pecq is a suburb (not part of) Paris; Camden is a suburb of Philadelphia; if I booked a hotel thinking I was going to be in Philadelphia and ended up in Camden I'd feel deceived.

 

Thom

[Coral]

VIKING (not Princess) advertises the trip as "Paris and the Heart of Normandy". Looking at Viking's "2016 & 2017 River Cruises" (published 11/17/15)(this is the copy I can currently lay my hands on) p.70 the itinerary says:

 

"Day 1 Paris

Arrive in Paris, romance capital of the world. Transfer from the airport in Paris to your ship. enjoy free time to explore on your own (D)"

 

It is true that elsewhere in the booklet you can find the words:

Note: The Paris port authority assigned Viking a docking location in Le Pecq, a western suburb of Paris. To help maximize your time in the city center, we are offering complimentary shuttles throughout your stay.

but this is not given in the itinerary.

 

Did Viking lie? I guess I'd have to say No. Were they (perhaps intentionally) misleading? I'd say Yes.

 

I have sailed with Viking several times and have been satisfied with the product I received, but to be blunt their sales practices are quite often misleading (and that is putting it kindly).

 

Le Pecq is a suburb (not part of) Paris; Camden is a suburb of Philadelphia; if I booked a hotel thinking I was going to be in Philadelphia and ended up in Camden I'd feel deceived.

 

Thom

 

This is very similar to other prominent cruise lines with the examples I used above (London/Southhampton, Anchorage - Whittier/Seward, Galveston is a distance from Houston). Not only that - there are port stops in Paris and Berlin that are never close to port by any means. I am sure there are several others. This is not unique to Viking.

[JVilleGal]

Good grief! Until recently Viking had 3 (4) ships cruising this itinerary and 2 (3?) of those ships (the older smaller ones) actually DID dock in the Heart of the City as the Advertising used to say. The Longboat was the only one docked out in the outskirts. This was absolutely not made clear ANYWHERE until just recently. The docking locations where a PDF file very hidden to a clueless customer. Viking got so many upset passengers last spring & summer that they finally adjusted their website to make it clear the Le Pecq was the embarkation point.

 

Apparently you missed this entire episode played out thru the 5 or 6 months of 2015 when passengers found out at the last minute and this was to be just a temporary docking location to be fixed shortly.

 

I realize you have 20,000 post and are a prolific Princess poster but you are an infrequent poster on this board. The Paris docking issue is a well known "issue" on this board, but not so well known to someone booking their first river cruise after seeing the Gorgeous Viking advertising on PBS.

And that advertising always has the same theme "in the Heart of the City".

It is easy to understand in the case of this itinerary why there is much confusion. Viking allowed it to happen and has only just finally clarified the actual embarkation port (on their website).

Edited March 26, 2016 by JVilleGal

[$hip$hape]

Good grief! Until recently Viking had 3 (4) ships cruising this itinerary and 2 (3?) of those ships (the older smaller ones) actually DID dock in the Heart of the City as the Advertising used to say. The Longboat was the only one docked out in the outskirts. This was absolutely not made clear ANYWHERE until just recently. The docking locations where a PDF file very hidden to a clueless customer. Viking got so many upset passengers last spring & summer that they finally adjusted their website to make it clear the Le Pecq was the embarkation point.

 

Apparently you missed this entire episode played out thru the 5 or 6 months of 2015 when passengers found out at the last minute and this was to be just a temporary docking location to be fixed shortly.

 

I realize you have 20,000 post and are a prolific Princess poster but you are an infrequent poster on this board. The Paris docking issue is a well known "issue" on this board, but not so well known to someone booking their first river cruise after seeing the Gorgeous Viking advertising on PBS.

And that advertising always has the same theme "in the Heart of the City".

It is easy to understand in the case of this itinerary why there is much confusion. Viking allowed it to happen and has only just finally clarified the actual embarkation port (on their website).

 

I agree.

WE will be first time river cruisers in May, 2016.

 

From info on CC last summer, I told my TA about the Le Pecq docking. She said it was NOT true. Viking said things would change; they were working on the issue.

About a month ago, TA finally made an email announcement to our group, about the change to Le Pecq from Paris.

 

Still, every morning on National Public Radio, I hear;

"Viking Cruises; Sailing into the Heart of Europe's greatest cities.*"

...* except for Paris, if you are on one of the three longboats.:o:)

Edited March 26, 2016 by $hip$hape

[TravelerThom]

This is very similar to other prominent cruise lines with the examples I used above (London/Southhampton, Anchorage - Whittier/Seward, Galveston is a distance from Houston). Not only that - there are port stops in Paris and Berlin that are never close to port by any means. I am sure there are several others. This is not unique to Viking.

No, misleading advertising is not unique to Viking. BUT I have done river cruises with four companies in Europe and five companies on other continents and ocean cruises with (I think) fourteen companies: Viking's misleading sales practices are right at the bottom of the lines I have dealt with (which is a major part of the why I've only sailed twice with them despite being satisfied with their on-board product).

 

It is unclear to me if you have sailed with Viking. What is your sailing history with them? I assume that you must have sailed with them or would have no basis to claim that they are no worse than others.

 

Thom

[Coral]

No, misleading advertising is not unique to Viking. BUT I have done river cruises with four companies in Europe and five companies on other continents and ocean cruises with (I think) fourteen companies: Viking's misleading sales practices are right at the bottom of the lines I have dealt with (which is a major part of the why I've only sailed twice with them despite being satisfied with their on-board product).

 

It is unclear to me if you have sailed with Viking. What is your sailing history with them? I assume that you must have sailed with them or would have no basis to claim that they are no worse than others.

 

Thom

 

No -I have not sailed with them but I have sailed with other companies (Princess, Celebrity, AMA, Crystal, Carnival, RCCL, HAL) and they all seem to advertise their ports or embarkations in a similar way.

[$hip$hape]

No -I have not sailed with them but I have sailed with other companies

(Princess, Celebrity, AMA, Crystal, Carnival, RCCL, HAL)

and they all seem to advertise their ports or embarkations in a similar way.

Not the same.

If the NCL Escape (not a river cruise boat), with 4,000 pax, said they were sailing in to "the Heart of Paris",

they may get some first time customers, but also they may get some disbelievers.:p

Edited March 26, 2016 by $hip$hape

[JVilleGal]

Wouldn't it be fabulous if we really could sail into Rome, Florence, or Ephesus! Thats what makes Venice or Paris so so exciting.

For many this is a huge dream and then a big let down :(

Edited March 26, 2016 by JVilleGal

[TravelerThom]

No -I have not sailed with them but I have sailed with other companies (Princess, Celebrity, AMA, Crystal, Carnival, RCCL, HAL) and they all seem to advertise their ports or embarkations in a similar way.

Interesting that you say AMA, since when they say Paris that is because they dock at Port de Javel Bas in Quai André Citroën, 15th arrondissement of Paris.

 

Viking catches more than the usual amount of flak about being less than transparent aout Le Pecq because they mistreat customers badly in so many ways: a 2-for-1 sale that NEVER ends, using this fake sale to require full payment over a year out, not responding to customers despite numerous requests until magically after the customer goes on social media they then (and only then) attempt to rectify the problem, etc, etc. Until you have sailed with Viking and had to deal with this, as far as I'm concerned you don't know what you are talking about.

[Coral]

Interesting that you say AMA, since when they say Paris that is because they dock at Port de Javel Bas in Quai André Citroën, 15th arrondissement of Paris.

 

Viking catches more than the usual amount of flak about being less than transparent aout Le Pecq because they mistreat customers badly in so many ways: a 2-for-1 sale that NEVER ends, using this fake sale to require full payment over a year out, not responding to customers despite numerous requests until magically after the customer goes on social media they then (and only then) attempt to rectify the problem, etc, etc. Until you have sailed with Viking and had to deal with this, as far as I'm concerned you don't know what you are talking about.

 

I had something very similar happen on AMA. It appeared that we would have 3 days in Moscow as the itinerary said that, except when I reversed the route which is what I did, there was only 1.5 days in port. It was misleading! The ship was hours from the airport (with traffic) and wasn't close to anything. That wasn't listed either.

 

Again, many cruise companies use the large city when the port is in the suburbs or next town over. Not uncommon.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Coral

[Mark_T]

Until you have sailed with Viking and had to deal with this, as far as I'm concerned you don't know what you are talking about.

 

Sailed twice with Viking and still have nothing but praise for the service delivery, staff and even head office.

 

I guess I don't know what I'm talking about either ... :)

[Ozjohnno]

As McDonald's has proven over the years there are many people who like a "Do you want Fries with that" company.