STAY AWAY FROM VIKING

Old Jun 16th, 2014, 12:51 PM
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STAY AWAY FROM VIKING

I was on a Viking Rhone River cruise May 2014. I had a balcony suite. For about 4 of the 7 days of the cruise, the balcony was totally blocked from use by other river boats parked right up next to us. When I spoke to a ship representative, he told me there was nothing that could be done about river traffic conditions. This was never mentioned in the literature that this might happen.
One day the captain ran the ship into the shore and into a tree which came crashing onto the front deck. The tree destroyed the protective glass screens set up at the front of the ship. The people who were sitting at the tables effected by the tree coming onto the boat told me the cruise company never apologized to them, not did they ever offer anything to the passengers as compensation. In fact they hardly even mentioned the incident. ihave photos of the damage.

One day I was told I had to leave the front of the ship because it was a "private party and you were not invited." It was a thank you party for those that had returned to Viking. No announcement was made to let others know what was going on. A very abrupt young wait person literally grabbed the Diet Coke can right out of my hand and told me to leave.

Another day, during the lunch buffet, after standing in line for about 10 minutes, I reached the table to find the guacamole, what there was left of it, had turned brown, and the tortilla chips were glued to the cheese at the bottom of the dish. No replacements in sight.

Another incident happened on an afternoon tour where our friends were left stranded on a bus for 45 minutes with several others while those that could handle the walk got off and enjoyed the little town. I would not recommend Viking.

My husband and I paid $6000 apiece for this river cruise. I am asking for a $2000/each refund (NOT a credit) due to these incidents. VIKING IS REFUSING TO GIVE ANY REFUND TO ME AND MY HUSBAND.
barbaramiller2 is offline  
Old Jun 17th, 2014, 02:22 AM
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Sorry to hear you had a bad experience.

However, I just returned from a Danube river cruise and
we would be rafted next to two other boats in some ports
& had to walk thru to get to shore so I suspect this is a
common practice.

Re the private party: This, too, is common in cruising to
thank previous customers & announcements are never made
lest folks try to crash said party. However, there is no
excuse for the rudeness shown to you.

You might try contacting Ombudsman but doubt they will be able to garner a refund.
Rhea58 is offline  
Old Jun 17th, 2014, 06:17 AM
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We went on a Viking cruise to Russia a few years ago. Yes, I remember the "members only" type party they had that we couldn't go to. However, seems the crew member from Viking was rude and taking a Coke out of your hands is ridiculous behavior.

We also noticed that ships are docked side touching side at some ports. Don't think any of us had balconies so that didn't really matter. Anyway, we didn't stay in our cabin much and hung out in the lounge where you could see everything. But, most of the time while docked, we were out exploring and not in our room.

The "stranded on a bus for 45 minutes" is not something to complain about IMO. The bus made a stop for people to get out and if you or other people couldn't handle the walk that is unfortunate, but I see no reason not to make the stop as others on the cruise could do the walk. They shouldn't be punished.
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Old Jun 17th, 2014, 07:08 AM
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I see these as minor annoyances and not major enough to get 2000.00 back.
It sounds like you were not at the tree incident so why did it bother you? It was an accident.
And it was your friends on the bus not you. Why did they go if they could not walk?
Did you let anyone know the guacamole was almost gone? I would have.
I don't think the party or the balcony problem was major enough for a refund.
Sorry to be harsh but this is my opinion.
MarthaT is offline  
Old Jun 17th, 2014, 08:23 AM
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$6000 pp is a lot of money to pay for a cruise so I can see why your expectations were so high. But, rarely are trips perfect. There will always be human error involved.

As others have said, it's not uncommon to have to have several ships parked side by side at certain ports. We had to walk through another ship at one of our ports. You would have had that problem no matter who you cruised with.

I do think you were treated rudely by the waiter but the other incidents didn't REALLY spoil the enjoyment of your cruise, did it? They were probably annoyances but I'm sure you still had a good time.
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Old Jun 17th, 2014, 08:24 AM
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I was on Viking and loved it. The service, food etc. was great. We had one problem with our cabin and it was fixed very quickly. I guess my expectations are not great. Our experience on Viking was much better than our ocean cruises.
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Old Jun 17th, 2014, 02:31 PM
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Except for the rude wait person the things you mention to me are not enough to warrant a 33% refund or any refund at all really.

You could have asked for fresh guacamole and the bus incident is really nothing.

Too bad your balcony views were partially obstructed some days by their docking procedures but you surely had your views while in route.

On our last cruise I noticed a worker at the salad bar using his bare hand to out fresh cheese cubes on the serving platter and told someone in authority who promptly had all the cheeses removed and made a beeline to find the worker who did it but I would never think I was owed compensation for this.

If you did not report the rude waiter you should have. Most cruise ship personnel are very nice but its not a perfect world and if bad behavior becomes the rule vs. the exception then its time to find another cruise line.

And will the OP ever be back? We'll see.
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Old Jun 18th, 2014, 03:47 PM
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You were upset because someone used his bare hands to put out cheese cubes? Have you ever been in a restaurant kitchen?? The chef and the cooks have their hands all over your food. That being said, I find it gross and just try not to think about it. We leave for our Viking cruise in three weeks.
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Old Jun 18th, 2014, 04:00 PM
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All the food servers at the buffet stations wear gloves except for this one guy so what happens in restaurant kitchens I don't know but on ships there is a lot of care about food handling d/t to noro virus.

For me its not enough to just walk away. I think its best to report the problem so at least there is a chance that it will be corrected. I agree it was pretty gross. What would you have done?
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Old Jun 19th, 2014, 11:44 PM
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"Another incident happened on an afternoon tour where our friends were left stranded on a bus for 45 minutes with several others while those that could handle the walk got off and enjoyed the little town."

People who can walk (probably cobblestones) went on a walking tour. People who realized they have low mobility, stayed on the bus. This happens on all tours. At least they were allowed to be on the bus, not locked out and left outside to wait for all to come back.
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Old Jun 21st, 2014, 12:09 PM
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We have had other river boats tied to ours when docked at times, mostly in Russia.
We thought Viking was OK, not top of the line by any means. I would choose another company if I were to take another river cruise.
The rudeness of the staff is inexcusable and merits an apology.
Bus waits are part of traveling on a tour.
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Old Jun 30th, 2014, 02:21 PM
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We have cruised Viking twice....17 days in China and 8 days in Europe (Passau to Budapest). In both instances, service levels were excellent and they could not do enough for you. If a problem did occur, a quick comment to a ship employee usually was met with a very swift response to correct.

River cruises do not have the luxury of 5 or 6 pier ports of call like ocean cruises. Limited dock space forces them to do side by side tie ups. When the view was blocked in these situations, we just went topside or to a lounge (assuming we were on the boat and not off exploring).

I think the best advice one can give is to relax and go with the flow. You are on vacation and s--t happens at times. Mostly minor but I would never let small stuff ruin our enjoyment of great places.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2014, 05:10 PM
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Live and learn. I agree with nygvic, just need to roll with the punches sometimes. I am much smarter about how I travel and which cabins I select. But I have been burned more than I care to mention. Just got to take notes and plan better the next time. Good luck.
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Old Jul 5th, 2014, 06:01 PM
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We have been on two Viking cruises within the past year and a half. Both have been wonderful cruises. As river cruising has grown in popularity, it has become common for the ships to be "double parked" next to one another.

Most cruise lines have private parties for repeat customers. On river ships there are limited public spaces where such events can be held. As others have said, the rudeness of the waiter was inappropriate.

Based on our experiences with Viking, I would definitely book another cruise with them.
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Old Jul 5th, 2014, 08:34 PM
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The OP is a 'hit and run', one post wonder. She hasn't been back since registering and posting het rant.
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 06:47 PM
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This is why I always suggest to book these trips with a top agent.
They'll be able to get you invites to these select events and make sure you're VIP.

It's unfortunate that on a river cruise, it's much easier to see the VIPs and the nots because the boat is so much smaller but this happens everywhere - hotels, large cruise ships, etc - but just better well hidden.

So I hope they can get you the 2k back but more importantly, I hope you book with a top agent next time you want to take a trip!
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Old Jul 14th, 2014, 11:05 AM
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Well, I've been on a number of River cruises, but never Viking. I've seen the clientele from the Viking ships, and from what I've read here and what I've seen in person- the clientele reflects the cruise line- low end!
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Old Jul 23rd, 2014, 09:00 AM
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Actually the poll in the latest issue of T+L mag rates them # 2 behind Tauck.

To each their own.
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