We're Done With The L/A Office

[LibertyBella]

Expectations and experiences differ among travelers.  I have a great L.A. Viking agent, one of the nicest cruise agents I have ever encountered, and I have been cruising fifty years on many, many lines. Yes, he is half my age, and not half as well traveled as I am, but he is very cordial.  But then again, I find almost all of my cruise agents to be nice, some more knowledgeable than others, of course.

 

But I am also a low-demand customer--maybe because I know so much about cruising that I do not need a lot of assistance, nor have a lot of requirements. I am also very detail-oriented, and read all terms and conditions and study all the information far in advance. These days I can book almost everything online and avoid most human contact.

 

I would never expect that Viking customer service would be 100% better than Carnival customer service.  Cruise line agents are not very well paid, some only work part-time, some work on commission, many work from home with barking dogs in the background, most do not know how to deal or address complicated situations, as they are just front-line. 

 

I am actually surprised at the level of personalization Viking attempts, given the thousands and thousands of passengers that cruise on them these days. For me, travel is always an adventure, and if everything turns out perfectly, I consider myself lucky. 

 

I am sorry that your recent experience did not go well, but I am not sure other pastures are really greener.  Best wishes for all your future cruises!

[PasadenaDave]

I saw Andy’s post on his blog and commented there.

 

 I continue to have the experience that Princess and HAL come nowhere near what Viking provides and I say this despite having to follow up to be refunded a Viking cancelled excursion.

 

today we booked New Zealand to Australia for next December.  The agent was working from home in Arizona.  She was most helpful and found our information from past cruises in the system quickly.  We were satisfied with the service despite what the cost of flights are now, but that isn’t Viking as I regularly fly to Sacramento on Southwest and prices are up 40% since March 

[oskidunker]

Its the experience on  the ship that is most important. After 25 cruises on Princess over 25 years, we switched to Oceania and Viking as they provide what we want. I was very loyal to Princess. We greatly anticipated all our Princess cruises, especially loved The Grand when our kids were young. The mega ships ruined everything we liked. Long lines for dining, poor service, long waits to get on and off the ships. Less port days, less time in port, overcrowded show lounges, bad food. There are more. We were sad to leave Princess but what fun experiencing new lines! 
 

customer service is bad everywhere. Best to try and do everything with a travel agent and let them deal with the dogs barking and chickens crowing. United Airlines is a nightmare, far worse than any cruise line.  I doubt anything improves-as they  continue to try to stay in business by cutting costs. Maybe Ai will improve service, I hope so.

[CCWineLover]

Again, Andy and Judy - your contributions to the Viking threads has been such a great learning and entertaining experience!  Your knowledge, fairness, honesty, and travel savvy has been so appreciated.   

 

That said, we wish you and Judy the best in your new adventures.  Gee - this feels just like when a really good and respected person you worked with suddenly leaves the company for new pastures.  Everyone suddenly, in addition to being happy for them, starts to question their own participation in the company (in this case Viking).

Let us know where you wind up!

I'll toast a couple good IPA's in your honor tonight.

Kent

[JDincalif]

15 hours ago, LibertyBella said:

Expectations and experiences differ among travelers...I know so much about cruising that I do not need a lot of assistance...

Andy's knowledge and experience with all aspects of the maritime industry, along with his clearly evident and well-communicated insights and expertise related to cruising, is unsurpassed among regulars on this board.

 

Agree with you, sadly, that the grass may not be greener elsewhere, but remain hopeful 

Edited May 16, 2023 by JDincalif

[kirtihk]

On 5/13/2023 at 1:35 PM, Heidi13 said:

We still have great memories of our 2020 World Cruise, which ended prematurely with us being 2 of the final 8 pax, I never thought I would be drafting this type of post. The shipboard leadership team and crew were exceptional and Viking provided exceptional management oversight managing the pandemic, to keep us safe. Sadly, we find the customer service provided by L/A is nowhere close to the exceptional shipboard standards.

 

Having just had a 2nd very negative experience dealing with the L/A office, we will not be dealing with them again, so at this time, Viking is no longer our preferred cruise line. I don't see any point in getting into details of both incidents, other than noting that their treatment of customers fell well below our expectations, not once, but twice.

 

I believe Viking's main markets are USA, Canada, UK and Australia/New Zealand, and they have sales/booking offices in USA, UK and Australia. Therefore, us poor Canadians are the only major market without a sales office, so although Viking has a Canadian website and pricing in Canadian dollars, all our bookings currently go through L/A.

 

If Viking opens a Canadian office or shifts our bookings to the UK office, then we will again consider booking another Viking cruise. However, if the status quo remains, we are sadly done with Viking.

 

I will continue to monitor the Viking Board, as over these past 5-years, I have met some great fellow pax. However, visits may not be as frequent as before.

The real problem is people complain about all cruise lines (I don't know whether there is an exception for one or two of them) for hundreds of reason from "where is my night chocolate on a pillow?" or "a steward brought a chocolate covered strawberry - yes, singular, just one!") to "this is a luxury cruise line; so, I expect impeccable service!" - is there such a matter as a flawless provision?  Even surgent might make a mistake.  So, we decided not to complain at all, because an alternative would be not to cruise.

[Vineyard View]

24 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

The real problem is people complain about all cruise lines (I don't know whether there is an exception for one or two of them) for hundreds of reason from "where is my night chocolate on a pillow?" or "a steward brought a chocolate covered strawberry - yes, singular, just one!") to "this is a luxury cruise line; so, I expect impeccable service!" - is there such a matter as a flawless provision?  Even surgent might make a mistake.  So, we decided not to complain at all, because an alternative would be not to cruise.

Nothing is perfect. Something always happens on our trips - by land or by sea!  It’s part of the experience. Letting the smaller stuff go is important for us. So I agree with you. 

That said, having followed Andy for several years, I believe 100% that this was not small stuff. 

[SJD117]

7 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

That said, having followed Andy for several years, I believe 100% that this was not small stuff. 

 

Whether a service issue involves “small stuff” or “big stuff” is important. But there’s also the question of attitude. Is the business taking a problem seriously? Is it treating the customer with respect? Is it willing to go the extra mile to fix a problem?

 

Fifty years ago this month, I began working in a well-known luxury hotel in California. The experience was formative for me in terms of dealing with guests, providing them with great service, and fixing with a smile any problems that arose. Since then, and especially during my 40-year legal career, I’ve understood that attitude is everything — that “small stuff” can escalate quickly to “big stuff” if it’s not handled promptly and professionally.

 

It will be very interesting to see how Viking’s corporate office responds to Andy’s report.

[Heidi13]

19 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

Andy, your advice and explanations have helped us navigate to Viking from Princess. We have done one cruise and have four cruises booked. But I am very concerned by how you and others have been treated.  Yes, the onboard experience is outstanding, but unless the Customer Service on land improves, we too will migrate elsewhere. Given the premium price we pay, we expect, excellent customer support. It seems Viking has lost touch with its roots. 

What cruise line are you considering?

 

At this time, we are taking a completely different approach and will abandon the concept of "Preferred Cruise Line" After 40 years of working for and cruising with Princess and then 5 with Viking, we are going to focus entirely on itinerary.

 

Yes, it will mean reduced standards, but we will adjust our expectations accordingly.

 

At present, we are considering a 133-day Pole to Pole cruise, which incorporates a number of Viking sailings that we were hoping to book.

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, oskidunker said:

customer service is bad everywhere. Best to try and do everything with a travel agent and let them deal with the dogs barking and chickens crowing. United Airlines is a nightmare, far worse than any cruise line.  I doubt anything improves-as they  continue to try to stay in business by cutting costs. Maybe Ai will improve service, I hope so.

 

I totally agree, as travel agents are the professionals who assist us poor pax through the issues. Unfortunately, in both my issues, I had to get personally involved to assist our TA. That isn't the way the system is meant to work.

[CDNPolar]

On 5/14/2023 at 3:35 AM, Heidi13 said:

We still have great memories of our 2020 World Cruise, which ended prematurely with us being 2 of the final 8 pax, I never thought I would be drafting this type of post. The shipboard leadership team and crew were exceptional and Viking provided exceptional management oversight managing the pandemic, to keep us safe. Sadly, we find the customer service provided by L/A is nowhere close to the exceptional shipboard standards.

 

Having just had a 2nd very negative experience dealing with the L/A office, we will not be dealing with them again, so at this time, Viking is no longer our preferred cruise line. I don't see any point in getting into details of both incidents, other than noting that their treatment of customers fell well below our expectations, not once, but twice.

 

I believe Viking's main markets are USA, Canada, UK and Australia/New Zealand, and they have sales/booking offices in USA, UK and Australia. Therefore, us poor Canadians are the only major market without a sales office, so although Viking has a Canadian website and pricing in Canadian dollars, all our bookings currently go through L/A.

 

If Viking opens a Canadian office or shifts our bookings to the UK office, then we will again consider booking another Viking cruise. However, if the status quo remains, we are sadly done with Viking.

 

I will continue to monitor the Viking Board, as over these past 5-years, I have met some great fellow pax. However, visits may not be as frequent as before.

 

 

Sad to say that we have been in this same mindset for about 2 years now.  Viking WAS our ONLY cruise line.

 

On board, everything is wonderful, but when you call in for anything it is an absolute horrible experience.  Multiple phone calls receive multiple "stories" and one contradicts the other... Stiff policies that even when the change made was against our will, they will not back down...

 

In short, we have one more booked cruise with Viking in August.  We have already sailed on another cruise line and we are investigating others.  

 

Viking has fallen short to us so many times from an off ship customer service standpoint and we do not feel any loyalty to Viking any longer.

 

Viking offer no incentive to book again through them, and the payment terms are horrible.

 

We are not saying NEVER to Viking again, but we are more likely to spread our money around and experience other cruise lines and not be loyal to one....

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, kirtihk said:

The real problem is people complain about all cruise lines (I don't know whether there is an exception for one or two of them) for hundreds of reason from "where is my night chocolate on a pillow?" or "a steward brought a chocolate covered strawberry - yes, singular, just one!") to "this is a luxury cruise line; so, I expect impeccable service!" - is there such a matter as a flawless provision?  Even surgent might make a mistake.  So, we decided not to complain at all, because an alternative would be not to cruise.

 

Deciding not to complain when service does not meet your expectations is basically an avoidance strategy, which has been proven many times to be highly ineffective, often resulting in escalation of an issue.

 

Personally, I have no problems with providing feedback, both positive and negative, as many companies, especially those with an ISO/ISM designation, operate in an environment of continuous improvement. They actually appreciate constructive feedback. It is important to provide feedback at a level commensurate with the issue, so lack of chocolate on the pillow can be dealt with by a cabin steward, not the GM or CEO.

 

Having worked in this industry for many years, based on my previous experience, I have a very definite expectation of "Luxury" and note that it doesn't extend to Viking. This is not a complaint and is certainly not a negative statement, as I also don't consider Regent, Seabourn, etc as "Luxury". We were happy with the lack of formal nights and onboard service levels, which were the best we have seen in over 20 yrs. I have never expected impeccable service, as from my "human factor" training, we learned to err is human. Quality companies understand this phenomenon and ensure that SOP's are implemented to reduce the potential for human error and that any instances of human error are quickly and effectively dealt with.  

[oskidunker]

I like Oceania but they have started cutting time in ports shorter due to bull crap ecological concerns. Be aware. They do not, however, require the final payment 6 months or more in advance. Some of the food is better, not the Lobster, however, i like Viking Living room a lot and the Tea. Also wine by the glass is not bad.. The two lines are similar  in what they give you as well as price. 

[kirtihk]

25 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Deciding not to complain when service does not meet your expectations is basically an avoidance strategy, which has been proven many times to be highly ineffective, often resulting in escalation of an issue.

 

Personally, I have no problems with providing feedback, both positive and negative, as many companies, especially those with an ISO/ISM designation, operate in an environment of continuous improvement. They actually appreciate constructive feedback. It is important to provide feedback at a level commensurate with the issue, so lack of chocolate on the pillow can be dealt with by a cabin steward, not the GM or CEO.

 

Having worked in this industry for many years, based on my previous experience, I have a very definite expectation of "Luxury" and note that it doesn't extend to Viking. This is not a complaint and is certainly not a negative statement, as I also don't consider Regent, Seabourn, etc as "Luxury". We were happy with the lack of formal nights and onboard service levels, which were the best we have seen in over 20 yrs. I have never expected impeccable service, as from my "human factor" training, we learned to err is human. Quality companies understand this phenomenon and ensure that SOP's are implemented to reduce the potential for human error and that any instances of human error are quickly and effectively dealt with.  

Thank you for your reply.  What cruise line do you consider luxury if any? If not Regent, Seabourn, Viking, there are not that many candidates (like SilverSea, Ponant, and Scenic), and all of them are similar or less assumed luxury to Regent.

Edited May 16, 2023 by kirtihk

[oskidunker]

Crystal is cruising again. 

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, kirtihk said:

Thank you for your reply.  What cruise line do you consider luxury if any? If not Regent, Seabourn, Viking, there are not that many candidates (like SilverSea, Ponant, and Scenic), and all of them are similar or less assumed luxury to Regent.

 

The true luxury of the old liners is probably not available anywhere at sea these days. Hebridean Cruises is probably the closest i know.

 

Having experience the true ocean liners, I consider luxury and all-inclusive separate standards. Most of the N/America luxury brands are what i consider all-inclusive.

[LibertyBella]

Many cruise reviewers (including Cruise Critic) think the only true remaining luxury cruise experience is Cunard Queen's Grill.  It most closely represents the traditional turn-of-the-century full-service ocean voyage.  Of course, tuxedos, ballgowns, and ballroom dancing are also part of the evening events, which many modern cruisers dislike.

 

When I sail on Cunard I go mainly for the on-board experience--when I sail on any other line itinerary dominates my choice.  Viking offers a great product, but I agree it does not meet my definition of true luxury.  I also think the standardization across V. ships is a bit dull, but we are travelers who prefer to stay in castles and historic hotels when we travel on land. High quality reliability is great, but unique and gorgeous is much more memorable. 

[Vineyard View]

 With what seems to be a larger group of passengers sailing these smaller ships, the price points just keep multiplying. So to me, if this higher price point translates into what we individually perceive as the correct level of service, ambience, food, wine…whatever it is that we set as our bar, we will continue to sail on that line.
For us, our top priority is now itinerary and preferably 1200 max passengers, but given the right itinerary -  1500 pax. Food and wine are also at the top of our list. I have stretched my focus back to that higher number because on those ships still sailing with that passenger count, one can find pretty wonderful suites with lovely perks -.in the specialty restaurants etc, at a similar cost to the balcony or small suites on the smaller ships sailing. Those choices of ship size are few, and we haven’t sailed on this size ship in a number of years, but the right itinerary maybe, in a high end suite with a lovely large balcony. I honestly don’t know….but it is now ‘maybe’. 

 

[cccole]

On 5/16/2023 at 1:21 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

At this time, we are taking a completely different approach and will abandon the concept of "Preferred Cruise Line" After 40 years of working for and cruising with Princess and then 5 with Viking, we are going to focus entirely on itinerary.

 

Yes, it will mean reduced standards, but we will adjust our expectations accordingly.

 

At present, we are considering a 133-day Pole to Pole cruise, which incorporates a number of Viking sailings that we were hoping to book.

Sounds like you are "considering" the Holland America 133 day Pole to Pole.  Awesome itinerary.  And if you can get the perfect cabin it will be fabulous.  Happy cruising to you, Cherie 

[Jim Avery]

Andy I will let yall know how our HAL Alaska cruise went when we get home.  Viking no place to discuss HAL🍺

[Heidi13]

43 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Andy I will let yall know how our HAL Alaska cruise went when we get home.  Viking no place to discuss HAL🍺

 

Thanks Jim - It's cooled off a little for your return to Vancouver, just a cool 28C/83F this afternoon, whereas last week we hit 35C/95F. Will be 4 or 5 degrees cooler at the port & airport than our place.

 

Yes, definitely interested in your feedback, once you are home.

[CurlerRob]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Thanks Jim - It's cooled off a little for your return to Vancouver, just a cool 28C/83F this afternoon, whereas last week we hit 35C/95F. Will be 4 or 5 degrees cooler at the port & airport than our place.

 

Yes, definitely interested in your feedback, once you are home.

Andy, if you care for a second opinion on any questions, we had a 7-day HAL trip in the Caribbean in December. We had given up on HAL after a disappointing WC in 2019 (similar to your P. experiences, we're over 300 days with HAL), but took the 1-week trip to use up a voucher.

 

Contrary to our expectations, it was tolerable enough that we'd consider them again in the right circumstances - happy to engage offline if that's of use. 🍺🥌

[PasadenaDave]

6 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

Andy, if you care for a second opinion on any questions, we had a 7-day HAL trip in the Caribbean in December. We had given up on HAL after a disappointing WC in 2019 (similar to your P. experiences, we're over 300 days with HAL), but took the 1-week trip to use up a voucher.

 

Contrary to our expectations, it was tolerable enough that we'd consider them again in the right circumstances - happy to engage offline if that's of use. 🍺🥌

We sailed on HAL after Viking.  We asked ourselves why did we sail on a big ship?  That to us says it all.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

Andy, if you care for a second opinion on any questions, we had a 7-day HAL trip in the Caribbean in December. We had given up on HAL after a disappointing WC in 2019 (similar to your P. experiences, we're over 300 days with HAL), but took the 1-week trip to use up a voucher.

 

Contrary to our expectations, it was tolerable enough that we'd consider them again in the right circumstances - happy to engage offline if that's of use. 🍺🥌

 

Thanks Rob - Appreciate any feedback you can provide. I have an email address listed on the blog.

[CurlerRob]

35 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Thanks Rob - Appreciate any feedback you can provide. I have an email address listed on the blog.

Sent ... thx. R. 🍺🥌