Gee that is really too bad . I was wondering what Viking was like.

Hopefully this was and exception and not the rule.

I was in Europe for the month of June and did a 15 day cruise on Uniworld from Bucharest to Vienna.

Uniworld was terrific..I do not have a single complaint.

In Budapest we docked right in front of the Buda Castle and a block from the Chain Bridge.

I do not think I would have liked to push my luggage 500 feet.

I love revenge reviews. I'd take it all with a grain of salt, Percy. I note the OP joined Fodor's specially to tell the world about their so-called crap trip. I'd assume they won't be back.

They may have been the passengers from hell.

Dogster, you may be right as this is the OP's only post.
Internet is slow at the best of time anyway, regardless of what ship you are on, as the internet conenction is shared by all the passenegers and crew. On the night before disembarking the ship, the internet is usually non-existence as the ship is using up all the bandwidth to put through all the credit card charges.

dogster and Eschew:

You guys( Ladies!!) may be right.

A few weeks ago ,we had the same thing posted about Uniworld on every Uniworld thread .

This poster was also a first time poster and I have not heard from the poster since.

I am trying to picture someone pushing their luggage 500 feet on cobble stoned street!

That is almost two football fields !

I was giving UncleRennie the benefit of the doubt!

Here is only one of the thread where this poster blasted Uniworld on every thread.

http://www.fodors.com/community/cruises/interested-in-dress-code-feedback-for-uniworld-european-river-cruises.cfm#last-comment

This person posted this at the end of September and became a member on Fodors at the end of September !!!~ hmmm

There seems to be a tendency to discount complaints on this site. Is there some other interests involved? Like some many posts that sound like ads.

"we had to push our luggage on city streets for 500 feet in the rain, only to have to wait ten minutes for the van to show up"

I haven't been on a river cruise, only on sea cruises, and this can be true for every port: don't recall any shuttle buses allowed into the port area, we always had to walk with luggage.

Reading the above, I thought you are lucky it was only a 10-minute wait!

In many ports the ship docks away from a city. What's new about it? Did't the OP do the homework to check the locations?

I think overall this review is very positive if you think the OP had not complained about food and the cabin - so we can safely assume the food was good, and the bed was comfortable.

I find when folks are happy they don't post as often. However, when things go wrong in their opinion, they shout loud and clear. I think it's just a basic trait in most people.
I think a good guide, etc. is often the luck of the draw.You get some good, some bad and some "don't care" ones. Most of the folks you talk to while booking have never been where you are going and really can't answer specific questions such as where and how far is the docking spot.
What bothers some don't bother others. Can't please everyone.

That should be "doesn't bother others."

Dear UncleRennie,


We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with some particular aspects of your Grand European Tour and would very much like to discuss the details with you. Please contact us directly at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com. We hope to hear from you soon.


Best,


Viking River Cruises

Well UncleRennie, keep us posted as to how Viking resolved this problem for you.

I know with Uniworld that I never had to carry or push my luggage.
I just stepped on the small bus and the luggage was handled for me.

Viking Cruise Lines since you are on this thread now ,could you please outline your luggage policy , for your clients, for us.

Thank You

So many times you see a person post a problem or complaint that often sounds like a rant and then you never see them again. It makes it hard to judge really as this sounds like someone has an ax to grind. I hope UR comes back with info as to resolving this as the offer has been made which is a positive gesture. In any case for me one negative review doesn't mean much unless it points to a trend. Cruise critic is valuable in that you can get scores of passenger reviews for a more comprehensive picture.
Dayenu I luv your POV.

Oh and Blaine why do all your posts have the same link? Is this your agency? Self advertising is not allowed chico.

so sorry you had a bad experience with Viking. We were on the Viking China trip last October and loved everything. We couldn't have been treated better except for one incident.....at the airport our guide kind of left us as we stepped into the ladies room and we had to run around the airport to find them as he had our boarding passes!

I would use Viking again as it was first class all the way and we met some wonderful people.

I too agree with Shar, we also did China with Viking this past May and couldn't say enough positive things about them, in fact we have booked a European river cruise with them for December and very much look forward to it. We have done several river cruises with different companies in Europe and have enjoyed each one. Sure there are some minor kinks sometimes but nothing that will ruin your trip, unless you let it.

Just as an FYI, we returned less than a month ago from a big ship cruise in Alaska, we've found that we do not enjoy these large ship cruises but don't feel the need to bad mouth them.

I hope UncleRennie did at least enjoy some of his vacation.

Only my opinion,
Susan

Good for Viking for chiming in and trying to help. Like the attitude!

It would be nice to hear an update from UncleRennie

Don't hold your breath, Percy.

Okay I am going ot exhale now

From where? Sleeping mode?

Dayenu... How did you know !!!!!!

I think the saddest thing about the original post is that Uncle Rennie went instead of us! We've been wishing we could take that exact cruise on Viking for sometime. It's quite expensive (even with the lowered 2/1 fares). We've never been to Amsterdam and loved Budapest, so the alpha and omega would be perfect. Lots of interesting ports in between.

We've taken one cruise with Viking, on the Pakhomov, from Moscow to St. Petersburg. We consider it one of our best trips ever. Our cabin was spartan but efficient (the boat has been renovated since our trip), the crew couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, our included tours were excellent and our guides superb. Food was just fine and our servers (three girls in particular) were wonderful.

Sorry Uncle Rennie, you should have called us as we would have been overjoyed to go in your place and enjoy every minute of the trip, except for being tired now and then (we're not 21 anymore).

That is okay Giovanna... if you go on another Viking..I will go too

I'm still waiting for our cowardly curmudgeon UncleRennie to reappear...

'Cos it is cowardly, isn't it? No style.

Well you know dogster , we would all like to hear more from

UncleRennie and how he made out with the Viking Represen tative that was nice enough to off him help.

Since he vented and wanted us all to read about his plight,

it is only common courtesy now to give us an update !!

At least Viking wants to make amends for any hardship he endured.

Looks like another one post wonder but we'll see.

Well, it is even worse than that! My wife and I signed up for a cruise on the Rhine with Viking for 15 days. The idea was to travel on the ship, no unpacking, not hotels, no buses and view the beautiful landscapes along the Rhine.....WRONG...our crusis left Antwerp, Belgium on November 13, 2011 on the Viking Sun, supposedly sailing for two wonderful weeks and ending in Basel, Switzerland. Well we did depart from Antwerp and ended in Basel but not on the dream cruise we thought.Day 8 we were informed that the river level was too low to actually sail on the Rhine so they had us pack up, put us on buses and proceeded to bus us across Germany and France. We were put up in nice hotels but the meals were served banquet style and buffets and the normal hotel banquet meal....not what we had paid for! We did end up in Basel and another hotel waiting to catch our flight home. We didn't get to see the Rhine except crossing it on a bus and the destinations we were to see and experience went down the drain as well. Only wished we'd done our homework as we have now found numberous incidents very similar to ours over past year. They knew what they were doing and due to the fine print in the contract you sign, you agree that they can do most anything they like, including putting you on buses and housed in hotels across Germany and Switzerland.

Run, don't walk away from Viking.

Very disappointed to say the least. Hope will help other to research Viking in more detail

We were on the same Rhine cruise beginning Nov. 13 in Antwerp, but it looked a little different to us, especially in hindsight. It's been on the news the past few days that some unexploded WWII bombs were found in the shallow water at Koblenz on Nov. 20, yes, Day 8, Sunday. We stayed on the ship, incuding a sail up the Moselle, as scheduled, until Wednesday, Day 11. We had hotels (2) for the last 4 nights. At that stage of the cruise, the original itinerary included some bus trips, to the Black Forest, for example. Everyone was disappointed about the changes, but what can anyone do about low water in a river? I do think Viking could have informed passengers about the water levels and the possibility of changes before we sailed. There would have been fewer hostile reactions if we'd all been better prepared ahead of time. By the way, Viking's crew on and off the boat were superb. And most passengers made the best of it all, resulting in a very good, not perfect, experience.

I am not defending the river cruise companies here but here is my 2 bits worth ...

Would you have cancelled the trip if they told you ahead that the "cruise" will be changed to "bus & hotel"?

How about if they told you after you get on board on the frist day of the cruise? Would the reaction be less hostile?

They are in a can't win situation. I am not sure what the economics are, but I bet you the cost to bus and hotel is more expensive than using their own boat as they have to pay out money to someone.

Would the passenegrs be more happy if they offer a refund or a partial refund? A future crediy maybe? But knowing that it might actually cost them more moeny to do the same itenary to begin with ...

What else do you think they can do?

I note that, many weeks later, UncleRennie has not reappeared.

We are scheduled for a Viking Cruise commencing on the 27th of December. We have been reading and hearing about the issues with the low river levels and as we purchased the insurance we do have the option of cancelling without penalty. We, however, are really looking forward to the trip (we enjoyed a fabulous cruise with Viking in April!) so we are going to go ahead and prepare to "roll with the punches". Weather and other natural phenomena are always an issue when travelling ... heck, we could have a blizzard on the 27th and never make it out of Chicago! That is part of the "adventure" of travel!
Our previous experience with Viking was positive so we will go ahead and assume that they will do whatever they can to make the trip enjoyable for us. We will still get to see some wonderful cities (Budapest, Vienna, Neuremburg, Prague ...)

I agree dogster. Another one hit wonder?

<<Run, don't walk away from Viking>>

That would be considered very bad advice by some of us. Other than the line not notifying passengers of possible changes I don't see how they can be blamed for the OP's disappointment and anger. It seems to me Mother Nature is the one to blame and there's not much any of us can do about her decisions.

resyki and ejkonz have the right idea about traveling. Good points from Eschew. Some people are travelers; others are tourists. And what in the world happened to UncleRennie?

Dear Viking Guests,

First, we want you to know that we are listening and we appreciate your input, feedback and understanding. The magnitude of this late-season drought was not immediately apparent, but we have made adjustments each day in an effort to continually provide you with our very best. We know you have questions and we know some of you have complaints. For each of the Danube and Rhine sailings that are effected in December, we are providing shipboard credit, complimentary optional excursions, and credit to use on a future cruise.

We understand that if you have a trip coming up, you’ll want answers about how your itinerary may need to be altered. We will continue to update our future guests via email with additional information as it becomes available. We have also made all of these communications available on our website here: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/about/vikingnews.aspx. This information on our website will continue to be updated as well.

For those who joined us in November — Billthree and resykl, in particular — we are working hard to address your concerns regarding how your itineraries were altered by low river levels. Our intent is that all passengers effected by the low water levels will hear from us within the next two weeks. In the meantime, if you would like to contact us directly, we are always happy to hear from you directly at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com.

Regards,
Viking River Cruises

The whole point being is that they knew the water level was too low before we took the cruise and they didn't give us an option to cancel or postpone....which we would have certainly done. Yes the crew did the best they could and kept everything going very well. They also knew the next group on the return from Basel to Antwerp would not be able to cruise weeks before and did not notify them until day before and most had alread started the travel.

And I suppose that Billthree didn't decide to take out the offered trip insurance, either.

We have been on 5 Grand Circle river cruises and have never had to handle our bags from clearing customs to our cabin, or our cabin to airport check in, except to identify them.

realize this is an old post but we have nothing but praise for our Viking river Cruise in China. Everything was so professional and our guide Raqui was great. Sorry others have not had a good experience.....

Just back from Vikings "Footsteps of the Cossacks" in the Ukraine. Nothing could have been better, except maybe a couple of days longer. The Dnieper River doesn't seem to have the water level problems of the Rhine/Danube.

Hi potential Viking Cruisers.....think twice and read this - it's Aug 20/12 and if you're wondering about taking Viking, consider the following letter we sent today to Viking and which still goes unanswered. Never again will we take Viking:


Dear Ms. Maldonado,

Pursuant to instructions on our Viking ticket/contract with respect to being 100% satisfied (page 23, paragraph 3), we expressed in writing (within the 24 hour window) to our program director yesterday morning that we were not satisfied with the service. This was again brought to the attention of the Hotel Manager, in person, upon arriving on the Viking Odin yesterday. Both the program director and the hotel manager stated that they have no authority in this area and that a person of authority, as it pertains to your service contract, was unreachable – nor could they state more specifically when someone could be reachable. We were told that there were time differences affecting this and/or perhaps someone later in the week would address the matter.

Our dissatisfaction has had nothing to do with water levels but with the lack of quality of care and communication from the onset.

1. Your message was presumptuous and rude suggesting/offering a $250 “goodwill” credit of a FUTURE cruise. Any attempt to resolve this with you were treated dismissively.. And it has come to our attention from all of the passengers on the ship that we have communicated with that they feel the same. We have travelled extensively with ocean cruise lines and when unforeseen circumstances were experienced, they have immediately credited us to our shipboard account and they have been generous beyond expectations.
2. Upon arriving at the NH city hotel, it was absolute chaos.. As we waited in an endless line for a room key, we were eventually given a room with separate beds (great way to start our anniversary) overlooking a roof of weeds. Moreover, there was no wi fi, and each separate bed was unmade with a folded duvet placed over a covered mattress sheet in a Spartan outdated hotel room with a little old fashioned TV. We were told that there were no rooms available with a king bed. Moreover, as we waited in the reception for our room, there were no refreshments, cool hand cloths, letters of instructions or direction – which was disorienting and uncomfortable when jet-lagged and toting luggage.
3. The staff we eventually were able to speak with were completely overwhelmed with the situation and repeatedly apologized for low water levels while the Viking customers were more concerned with interim accommodation and having some sense of direction. Most of us were communicating that with the amount of money we have spent for a cruise, the interim accommodation and conditions were horrible and we wanted at least 3 days of credit. We were told by Viking staff that they could not make any decisions and that no one was available that could. When we asked when and where we could speak with someone in authority, no one really knew, again citing time differences, “perhaps later in the week in Austria”, or maybe the hotel manager could help us (which we discovered could not). When I approached the captain he could not converse in English, so even he was not someone we could address our concerns with.
4. The first evening at the hotel, they herded us like cattle into one room and began the apology for water levels again. Again, no one in the interim was upset about water levels but rather the quality of our conditions and having some sense of direction; and, that no one from Viking in authority was present or communicable with.
5. The program director informed us that night that we must have our bags outside our door by 7am (a very early hour when one is exhausted and jet lagged) and that we must be ready to get on a bus by 8am -8:30am and that we would be on that bus (off and on) until 5pm. They were going to bus us around Nuremberg, take us for lunch, and then for a bus ride to the ship. I asked if we could go to the ship first to get settled and the reply was no. I asked if we could keep our hotel room so that we may lock our valuables and not have to bus-ride around with personal belongings, but I was told no and to just leave them on the bus - but when I asked if they would be responsible for our personal belongings, the answer was no. So I asked if we could skip the tour and stay in the hotel until later in the day and then go direct to the ship, but I was again told no and that I must go on the tour or be left behind. Ugh!
6. After a sleepless night we got onto the steaming hot bus with little room to place our personal effects. Viking guests on our bus were dripping sweat out of the heat, anger and exhaustion. The fellow across from me was gasping for air as he reached for his puffer. The bus driver could not turn the air on because we were sitting idle. As we began our bus ride, the air conditioning still did not work.
7. We reached some stops. We and other guests got out carrying all of our carry-on luggage as we went up and down cobblestone streets eventually ending up in a restaurant in the old town of Nuremberg. The restaurant was not air conditioned and the staff were overwhelmed as they just learned the day before that we were coming – they didn’t know earlier! After a one-hour wait we were served consommé with a few noodles floating in it and then 6 greasy and tiny breakfast sausages with cabbage. We started to chat with the restaurant manager as he shared with us his frustration that it was difficult to serve a large group on such little notice. He was sweet and asked if he could make me a cappuccino.
8. As we were about to leave our table, my husband sympathized with one of the Viking staff whom were bombarded with the resentment, anger, frustration and confusion of all these guests – she broke completely down and cried. It saddened me deeply to see this young lady in distress.
9. Eventually we got back onto our steaming hot bus ride to the ship. We were told it was about 1.5 – 2 hours, depending upon traffic. There was no traffic whatsoever and we arrived in 2.5 hours.
10. Upon arriving at the ship, the pleasant part of this note is that the staff were friendly, charming and helpful. The condition and circumstances of the ship were lovely and as were advertised. However, we are on the 3rd day of our supposed cruise, we haven’t moved an inch on the water, and we are not where we are scheduled to be…..and this element is acceptable as water conditions warrant it.
So there you have it for our romantic Danube River cruise which we paid you $6500U.S. for. We want to be refunded with 3/8 of our ticket price as it is outlined that we may receive it on page 23, paragraph 3 of our service guarantee. With respect to this clause and guarantee of your contract, it has been breached already by Viking by a) not already providing our refund; and, b)no one in authority has been in touch with us within the 24 hour time-frame outlined in your stipulation.

I expect you to respond punctually to this email communication and that you refund me as outlined above without further aggravation

Just a shout out as a "previously" happy Viking customer - we loved our cruise with them in France and were grossly disappointed in our most recent cruise on the new Idun in Holland and Belgium. The land tours were great and we enjoyed our time OFF the ship. We expected glitches with a new ship but did not expect the attitude and lack of helpfulness from the hotel manager and his crew. They dutifully recorded our room problems (sewer water in the shower every morning - no shower for 8 of our 9 days - and A/C-heat in the room for only 1 of 9 days and problems with our glass closet doors repeatedly slamming open in the middle of the night. Menus are now all handed down from corporate and we were informed by the chef (he and his crew were really nice and did their best but food was disappointing) that all but the salmon and vegetables are frozen and shipped in by corporate now. You are expected to attend (and we do enjoy) the evening get together to go over the next day's itinerary but there is not room in the lounge for all of the passengers so many miss out on each activity/presentation. The dining room has shiny, hard surface ceiling which makes it almost impossible to talk to folks at your table. We won't sail with the Viking longboats again (the design is too flawed) and we are looking at other companies for better service and better food and, most of all, a company that cares about our experiences and communicates with passengers (yes, they say write to them - no, they aren't responsive/ yes, we talked with them and were virtually ignored but they'd be happy to have us sail with them again!). A pretty ship does not make up for bad design and poor training in customer service. We love river cruising and know that it can be fantastic. We are already planning our next river cruise - just not with Viking.

In the latest issue to travel and Leisure Viking was rated # 1 for river cruise companies. They must be doing something right.

How in the world can paul88 send such a letter with so many details and expect it to be answered the same day, especially when a substantial refund is demanded??? He says:

"consider the following letter we sent today to Viking and which still goes unanswered" Still goes unanswered?? Its just the 1st day! Talk about impatience. Good lord.