Anyone leaving on Rhine/Danube cruise in next couple weeks - don’t go

[FM-R]

Pre-paid expenses - tips and silver spirits.  What happens if river cruise turns into a bus tour?  This is a sincere question. 

I am planning to embark Viking Sigyn (yep, the one that crashed into a sightseeing boat in 2019 in Budapest), on 8/30 at Basel going to Amsterdam with disembarkation on 9/6.  We have prepaid tips and silver spirits package. 

I have no problem tipping crew, or even pre-paying the tips - one less thing to think about.  However, if I'm not on the Sigyn full time enjoying shipboard service, will Viking refund my prepaid tips?  And, if we are moved to another ship, I do not feel as if I should tip a second time, even if the second crew is not at fault for the low water levels. 

I'm sure silver spirits package will carry over from ship to ship.  But I know it won't if go from ship to hotel!

If we are moved to hotels, then where did the tip money and silver spirits package go? Will I get a refund?

 I'm sure any hotel will want me to pay for my drinks.  I'm sure any hotel staff who provide service will want a tip.  They don't know or care I already paid.  

[ural guy]

FM-R    Legit questions, same as people had on our low water cruise.  Some wanted to know if they were in the 'Owners Suite' on board, would they be in a suite at the hotel?

 

I think with Vantage, that was all taken into how much of a credit you would get at the end of the cruise.  They had a formula based off booking price, number of days not sailing.  It came out OK in end (we weren't in larger cabin or have drink package); what was bad is that none of this was communicated during the tour.  So a lot of people were agitated, and I think this info, if shared at the time, would have allowed those folks some more enjoyment.

[Canal archive]

Sounds like we won’t tell if you wont, customer against customer. Typical!
 

 

[suslang]

16 hours ago, FM-R said:

Pre-paid expenses - tips and silver spirits.  What happens if river cruise turns into a bus tour?  This is a sincere question. 

I am planning to embark Viking Sigyn (yep, the one that crashed into a sightseeing boat in 2019 in Budapest), on 8/30 at Basel going to Amsterdam with disembarkation on 9/6.  We have prepaid tips and silver spirits package. 

I have no problem tipping crew, or even pre-paying the tips - one less thing to think about.  However, if I'm not on the Sigyn full time enjoying shipboard service, will Viking refund my prepaid tips?  And, if we are moved to another ship, I do not feel as if I should tip a second time, even if the second crew is not at fault for the low water levels. 

I'm sure silver spirits package will carry over from ship to ship.  But I know it won't if go from ship to hotel!

If we are moved to hotels, then where did the tip money and silver spirits package go? Will I get a refund?

 I'm sure any hotel will want me to pay for my drinks.  I'm sure any hotel staff who provide service will want a tip.  They don't know or care I already paid.  

I know that you are refunded the drink package for days not on a ship.  Not sure about tips though and would love to know the answer...

[smtcan]

19 minutes ago, suslang said:

I know that you are refunded the drink package for days not on a ship.  Not sure about tips though and would love to know the answer...

It does seem tough on the staff who depend on tips to suffer because of weather conditions, but I can well understand not wanting to pay tips when service isn’t received.  

[FM-R]

2 minutes ago, smtcan said:

It does seem tough on the staff who depend on tips to suffer because of weather conditions, but I can well understand not wanting to pay tips when service isn’t received.  

I don't mind paying tips - I prepaid and planned on tipping extra if any provided really personalized service.  But if we change ships, then what?  I'm sure what I prepaid will not be shared with the second crew.  I guess the second ship's staff keep whatever prepaids were made by their original passengers.  What a mess for staff that get to know pax and then have to learn all new people.  And ... then a whole new set of issues if not go to a different ship but to a hotel.  Hotel staff will expect tips.  Oh, well, can only go with the flow. 

[flviking]

We decided to switch from September to April for our first river cruise. Scenic Budapest to Nuremberg.  Prices are much higher for the river cruise than a bus trip. Our calculus said move. Scenic charged us $400 to make the switch. We will know in May if we made a good decision.

[UDChE89]

Arrived in Passau a few hours ago.  In the taxi on the way to my hotel I noticed a number of boats docked here.  Mine is going out of the Lindau dock tomorrow afternoon.

Edited August 22, 2022 by UDChE89

[rcaruso]

19 minutes ago, UDChE89 said:

Arrived in Passau a few hours ago.  In the taxi on the way to my hotel I noticed a number of boats docked here.  Mine is going out of the Lindau dock tomorrow afternoon.

Lindau a quick bus/taxi ride from town.

[UDChE89]

1 hour ago, rcaruso said:

Lindau a quick bus/taxi ride from town.

Thanks.  I noticed that.

 

on another note, as I was walking to dinner the Amadeus Star departed Passau heading towards Vienna.  She didn’t look very full.