Viking Sky survivors

[OnTheJourney]

On 9/6/2021 at 11:42 AM, johneb2 said:

On Sept 19th, Carolyn & I will be embarking on a river cruise in Portugal,

You are far braver than I am!  Wishing you the best though. 

[JDincalif]

We were Viking Sky passengers who remained onboard throughout the crisis until the ship reached Molde. Although we never met the author, reading the book we realized that we were in the same group in the atrium under the supervision of the cabaret singer. We found his account of the harrowing experience to be an accurate reflection of our own experience.

[OnTheJourney]

I've yet to buy and read it...too many other things going on (like canceling yet ANOTHER upcoming trip due to covid worries). 

 

Any further word on the invitational cruise? 

[johneb2]

I spoke with several people in HQ yesterday, and the general consensus on the invitational cruise is that nothing will be finalized until Covid and restrictions stabilizes.  As explained, right now it would be unfair to schedule something, then have it cancelled, or worse yet exclude some pax due to the covid restrictions.  They were very forthcoming in the fact that just like regularly scheduled cruises, access is strictly controlled by the individual country and is outside Viking's control.  I can fully appreciate the effort Viking is making in trying to work out things, and guide the pax on the individual cruise requirements since they sometimes change at the last minute.  With our upcoming river cruise to Portugal, they guided us through the numerous steps to ensure access to both Portugal & the cruise.  So kudos to Viking, and lets hope this Covid mess ends soon   JohnEB

[OnTheJourney]

John...thanks for the update. Fully understandable about Viking not wanting to commit to an invitational cruise and then, as you say, having to cancel it (again). We've all been down that road too many times now. With a (likely) international itinerary, it surely makes it more difficult.

 

As to covid ending anytime soon, unfortunately my opinion is that's in the hands of the unvaccinated. Until we see greater numbers - which I'm not sure is going to happen - I can see us going around with this for who knows how long - especially if more variants keep appearing. It's truly discouraging. 

 

I think at this point Viking should maybe just bag the idea. They don't owe us anything. 

[johneb2]

OTJ, I know it is concerning about international travel until this pandemic is finally under control.  We are leaving for the river cruise in Portugal later today, and will report back on how Viking is handling that aspect, as I am sure it will be very similar to the ocean cruises.  They were very extensive and thorough in their pre-cruise requirements, and advising us what to expect on our cruise.  I know Carolyn & I prepared on our end as best as possible (vaccinated with booster shot), sanitizer and masks.  I know we had reached the point of "cabin fever" and felt we couldn't take the confinement any longer.  Again, we will report back on it, but I am sure it will be a positive report.   As for Viking owing us anything, while I agree it is not mandatory,  but it was given as a good will gesture for what we endured.  I believe it should not be forgotten.  If a special invitational cruise turns out an impossibility then they have other options at their disposal.  I still have full confidence that something will materialize one way or the other.   Then again, Carolyn always said I was an optimist.

[DGHOC]

Enjoy your trip John!

[OnTheJourney]

On 9/19/2021 at 11:10 AM, johneb2 said:

As for Viking owing us anything, while I agree it is not mandatory,  but it was given as a good will gesture for what we endured.  I believe it should not be forgotten.  If a special invitational cruise turns out an impossibility then they have other options at their disposal. 

Good thoughts for sure. Have a safe journey. We have nothing international booked till '23 - hopefully by then things will be better. Right now I'd be too intimidated to do it - but admire you for your fortitude to get back out there. 

[johneb2]

While I know this is an Ocean cruises forum, I promised to follow up on how Viking was addressing cruise life on our recent Portugal Douro river cruise, since many of the aspects are the same.  To start with, Viking provided all the information processes required by us to travel, board the cruise, and return home.  Upon boarding the ship, we needed to provide a saliva sample each morning before breakfast for Covid testing.  While on board and during excursions, masks were required except when dining or drinking.  The excursions were handled very well and were very informative.  The ship was approximately half full.  All in all, Carolyn & I were very comfortable with the trip and had no concerns about our safety health wise.  It also was reassuring to know the Portugal vaccination rate is around 90%, with Spain around 80%.  Also while cruising, I spoke with a Norwegian crew officer Michael, who was quite familiar with the infamous Viking Sky incident.  He could not offer any more info on a possible Chairman’s cruise, but what he did say was most people don’t know that Torstein Hagen donated considerable sums of his own personal monies to all the Norwegian rescue and support people that assisted us.  So as for the Chairman’s cruise, we still have to wait.  Carolyn & I feel confident to cruise again, and are looking forward to our Cities of Antiquity & Holy Land cruise in January.  One word of caution, is airline schedules are constantly being changed by the airlines, so make sure you keep checking your flights no matter who booked them!  Our flights for the January cruise have been changed twice already.  JohnEB

[Twitchly]

1 hour ago, johneb2 said:

While I know this is an Ocean cruises forum, I promised to follow up on how Viking was addressing cruise life on our recent Portugal Douro river cruise, since many of the aspects are the same.  To start with, Viking provided all the information processes required by us to travel, board the cruise, and return home.  Upon boarding the ship, we needed to provide a saliva sample each morning before breakfast for Covid testing.  While on board and during excursions, masks were required except when dining or drinking.  The excursions were handled very well and were very informative.  The ship was approximately half full.  All in all, Carolyn & I were very comfortable with the trip and had no concerns about our safety health wise.  It also was reassuring to know the Portugal vaccination rate is around 90%, with Spain around 80%.  Also while cruising, I spoke with a Norwegian crew officer Michael, who was quite familiar with the infamous Viking Sky incident.  He could not offer any more info on a possible Chairman’s cruise, but what he did say was most people don’t know that Torstein Hagen donated considerable sums of his own personal monies to all the Norwegian rescue and support people that assisted us.  So as for the Chairman’s cruise, we still have to wait.  Carolyn & I feel confident to cruise again, and are looking forward to our Cities of Antiquity & Holy Land cruise in January.  One word of caution, is airline schedules are constantly being changed by the airlines, so make sure you keep checking your flights no matter who booked them!  Our flights for the January cruise have been changed twice already.  JohnEB

We’re on that cruise, too (looking forward to meeting you!), and our flights have changed 2-3 times. I’ve lost count. 
 

My bigger concern is whether the cruise will happen at all, given Israel’s current quarantine requirements. Here’s hoping they loosen up in time for Viking to arrange excursions, etc. 

[OnTheJourney]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:36 PM, johneb2 said:

Torstein Hagen donated considerable sums of his own personal monies to all the Norwegian rescue and support people that assisted us. 

John...glad the trip went well for both of you and that you feel comfortable being back out on ships. I'm HOPING to have that same reaction in March.  

 

What you mentioned here about Mr. Hagen does not surprise me. I think he probably felt a deep sense of personal responsibility for what we encountered. 

 

Always good to hear from you! 

[OnTheJourney]

On 10/4/2021 at 5:29 PM, Twitchly said:

My bigger concern is whether the cruise will happen at all, given Israel’s current quarantine requirements.

 

Hoping for the best for all you who have this scheduled for '22. We're on for the following year. 

[OnTheJourney]

On 9/17/2021 at 10:45 AM, johneb2 said:

I spoke with several people in HQ yesterday, and the general consensus on the invitational cruise is that nothing will be finalized until Covid and restrictions stabilizes.  As explained, right now it would be unfair to schedule something, then have it cancelled, or worse yet exclude some pax due to the covid restrictions.

John....I totally get this, but what doesn't quite make sense is that I continue to get brochure after brochure of all these cruises - ocean and river - that are scheduled for '22 and '23. There is no way to know is any of those might need to be canceled down the road, so not wanting to schedule an invitational cruise because it might wind up being canceled or changed, etc. doesn't quite seem to fully explain not wanting to arrive at a plan. Continued covid restrictions has not stopped Viking from moving forward with new sailings. We could be dealing with covid in varying degrees for years to come - so I don't think that should stop any plans from being developed. 

 

As several of us have mentioned previously, all our schedules are filling up with rebookings of trips that have already been postponed for one reason or another, so as a courtesy I think the time is now for Viking to either move forward with a tentative invitational cruise or - also out of respect for the Sky passengers - simply abandon the idea with their regrets that it just didn't work out as originallly planned. I'm fine with that, but having to continue to worry about something coming along after many of us have filled up our calendars for the next 2-3 years just doesn't seem right either.

 

If there is no further word on this by the 2-year anniversary of the Northern Lights trip, I doubt if I'll still be interested since very likely  I'd never be able to fit it in anyway. 

[johneb2]

OTJ, and anyone else who is interested...

I sent an email to Viking yesterday on this, and as their usual professional response, they called me.  I was assured that this is not forgotten and we will probably hear about what the plans are after the New Year's or early next year.  I was told a number of people have inquired about this in recent weeks.  I did mention the concerns being expressed on this forum.  I am sure they are aware of it by reading, or monitoring forums like this.  I was told we would be contacted once the plans are finalized.  So again, I know while we all want to see a concrete plan in place, we need to have patience.  Personally, with our Mediterranean cruise coming up in January, I have seen an itinerary change, and flight changes caused by the fluid situations in travel caused by Covid.  I can only imagine the task of scheduling something like this.  So like everyone else, I await and leave it in the hands of the experts..Viking!  Thanks for listening to my rant!   JohnEB

[OnTheJourney]

John....as always, thanks for your very informative updates!  

[Haworth]

8 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

John....as always, thanks for your very informative updates!  

Agreed, thank you John

One thing Viking may need to consider is some flexibility in changing booked cruises if a clash occurs with the revised date of the "Inaugural Cruise"

[OnTheJourney]

On 11/6/2021 at 6:18 AM, Haworth said:

some flexibility in changing booked cruises if a clash occurs with the revised date of the "Inaugural Cruise"

Absolutely...or else it'll never happen. Given the choice between keeping a cruise that has a boatload of paying customers versus postponing or otherwise changing it to accommodate a freebie for the Sky survivors, I think the chips fall towards the publicly offered sailing. I'll believe it when I see it actually announced. They might first attempt to ascertain what level of interest still exists. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

Just came across this....for your pre-Holiday reading enjoyment.

 

https://www.dsb.no/globalassets/dokumenter/rapporter/assessment_of_the_viking_sky_incident.pdf

Edited December 13, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

Just reading this very lengthy but extremely thorough report that covers every facet of the entire incident. Fascinating and most interesting. I had to shudder a bit when I read that it was estimated that not only was the ship within about 100 meters of the rocky shoreline, but that we were probably within ONLY METERS of some of the shoals. Also interesting is reading about the preparations that were taking place for a possible worst-case scenario wherein they were gathering all available equipment, etc. for a potential water rescue AND needed to locate a facility where living could be separated from dead passengers. Almost tempted to print this whole thing out as a keepsake if it wasn't so long!  

[johneb2]

OTJ, you are correct in that it is an extremely thorough report.  Reading it, I don't think any of us realized how critical our situation was in respect to the shoals and land, and possible water rescues.  As has been stated many times already, once the situation happened Viking did a great job in handling it as best as they could.   Best wishes to all for a Happy Holiday season.

[JDincalif]

We've been watching for the final report from the Accident Investigation Board Norway, which should, when made public, provide additional insight into our shared experience.

 

Best wishes to all in the new year to come!

[OnTheJourney]

Happy Holidays to our Viking Sky Survivor family!!  Hoping for BETTER things in '22 😉

[Haworth]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

Happy Holidays to our Viking Sky Survivor family!!  Hoping for BETTER things in '22 😉

Very well said, I do hope we get word of a possible date soon, we have major commitments in 2022, golf, and would hate to miss out on a reunion cruise

[OnTheJourney]

8 hours ago, Haworth said:

I do hope we get word of a possible date soon

It's way overdue. Quite honestly I don't anticipate hearing anything about this in the near future. As long as the omicron surge is going full steam and causing ever-increasing havoc, I just don't see anything happening. I suspect they'd really hate to tell us that there simply won't be an invitational cruise with circumstances being what they are, but I can see it leaning in that direction. So complicated, also, from the standpoint of being able to accommodate the passengers from all their home countries being that there was a bit of diversity in that regard.

 

I think it'd be really cool to still have this reunion cruise, but I'm ready to move on from the idea and be content thinking about how great it probably WOULD have been had we gone as planned back in January. The whole thing - our adventure, aftermath, plans for a reunion trip, etc. - just seems like it belongs to a distant era with everything that has happened since. 

 

Were there plans to still move forward, I truly think they would have come up with something by now or, at the least, informed us all - officially - that it is still in the works, but instead there has been no official notification since the email of 11/19/20 in which the following was stated:  "While it is too soon to confirm the timing of our rescheduled Chairman's Cruise, rest assured, when we have the dates, we will confirm your booking, provide you ample time to make arrangements and support you in your planning.  I look forward to sharing the details on both the timing and the itinerary in the coming months, and I look even more forward to seeing you on board! .

 

Over a year has now gone by with no further word. It will soon be 3 years post-incident. Time to let it go. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

Well, the New Year has arrived - so now let's see if we hear anything. Given the current environment, I'm doubtful.

 

And yet Viking just sent a World Cruise out there? Doesn't make any sense to me that they'd do something that extensive and yet not be able to put (what will probably be less than) a 2-week cruise together for our group of "survivors". I wish they'd decide on this either way. It's maddening now knowing from the perspective of (still) trying to reschedule previously canceled trips. 

 

So...ok....I just sent the following email to the "tellus@viking" address. Usually they respond by phone. I'll report back if I hear anything. It's really time to know what's going on, if anything. 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

There is some level of concern present among at least several of the passengers (including myself) who were part of the unfortunate incident on 3/23/19 onboard Viking Sky off the coast of Norway. As you know, we were supposed to be offered an invitational sailing on the Vking Venus back in January of ’21. That trip looked outstanding and it’s so sad that it was canceled. Obviously, and very understandably, that trip was simply not possible due to covid concerns. However, now that cruising has resumed again in a big way - with significant protocols onboard your ships - some of us are wondering why nothing has been rescheduled as of yet?  

 

Is this still going to happen? One of the main concerns is that many of us are engaged in rescheduling previously canceled trips from the past 2 years and so it’d be really helpful to know if Viking still has plans to do some sort of invitational cruise so as to plan accordingly. Surely MUCH has already been done in the way of compensation from the events of 3/23/19 and so I suspect most of the passengers from that cruise would not feel all that ‘slighted’ if nothing further is offered; however, since an invitational trip was offered and surely looked forward to, it’d be nice to know either way. 

 

Is there any chance that a decision can be arrived at within the next few weeks?  I see that your World Cruise just went out a few days ago. I fail to understand why something that extensive sailed as scheduled and yet what will probably wind up being less than two weeks in the way of an invitational cruise has not yet been organized. That doesn’t seem to make much sense. I realize the omicron situation at present, which is why it makes it even more important to know what the current plans are, if any. 

 

Hopeful to hear something from you soon. 

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by OnTheJourney