Viking River Cruise- Please Black list this company
 

This is the most pathetic river cruise company in the world and they do not have any customer service sense at all. I took the Grand European Cruise with them in Aug. 2015. Instead of leaving from Amsterdam we ended leaving from Rotterdam and so we lost a whole day going to Rotterdam. When we reached Rotterdam our ship was changed and the bus driver drove around ah hour trying to find the ship. The service on this ships is so so . Half way thru we had to change ships due to low water which they must have known for a long time but they do not inform the passengers of this change till you get there . They know you are stuck with them and can not go anywhere except to go with them. So you end up spending a whole day in transferring from one ship to another and bus travels.
After I came back to USA I called the corporate office in LA to talk to the customer service manager. I was told by Lisa Romey the customer rep that passengers are forbidden to talk to the manager.Stapanie Moldonado The customer service reps are rude and find all kind of excuses to justify of all that has happened. They blame everything on the weather and the river. The final recourse for them is to offer you 1000.00 USD vouchers for your further use on another Viking river cruise. They say they will send it by e-mail and I yet have to see that e-mail. I can not belive that the customer can not talk to Customer Service Manageer. Would you book with a company like this????

Low water, like weather is an act of God, your sol.

"Black list" Viking, followed by "Hats off to Viking", same cruise a month later
( http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...-to-viking.cfm ). Interesting juxtaposition and, it seems, both perfectly legitimate reviews. Yet another example of the need to take both criticism and praise with a grain of salt.

MmePerdu, isn't that the truth.

We had an absolutely outstanding experience on our Viking r4iver cruise. of course, we were wise enough to do some research first and definitely booked for a time when it was highly unlikely that the river involved was going to be too low.

Why people insist on allowing variables into their schedule when they could probably have avoided them is beyond me.

And a brand new contributor! Not that's it's not legit, just sayin'

Many people may not even think about the possibility of water levels changing and affecting a river cruise. If you see only wonderful ads, you would never even think about those issues. A lot of people depend on a travel agent, who may/may not know anything about the trip. It is only because I like reading about all kinds of travel that I know about the issues with both low and high water levels.

The first time we took an ocean cruise, I didn't even know what questions to ask. Fortunately, I knew about Fodors and got good advice, was directed to cruisecritic and read about cruises for months before, but it was also a lot of luck the first time. The cruise was perfect, perfect weather, great food, nice ports and upgraded cabin.

Now, I probably know too much, making me check out all kinds of things I didn't even know about before.

In all fairness to the OP , the company knows that there are ‘variables’ such as water levels that will significantly affect travel and chooses not to let travellers know until the last minute when it is too late to cancel. Their prices tend to be cheaper so no doubt they operate on thin margins and are more concerned about filling the cabins than giving paying customers a quality experience. I think cruises appeal to a certain type of traveller who are not particularly adventurous and don’t want to go outside their comfort zone. The companies market a luxury experience at relatively low cost to naive travellers and can’t always deliver on their promises, so no wonder there are complaints.

I made some mistakes in my early travels, like Sassafrass, not knowing the questions to ask. I think it takes a combination of a good attitude and good research to come up with a satisfactory trip. Find out as much as you can ahead of time, and be prepared for the unexpected.

I also had a second or third class trip at a first class price on the Viking "Grand European Tour" in September, 2015; Viking knew, but did not disclose, that there would be significant disruptions -- and we ended up with 3 days of bus touring (including ship change), with 3 hour bus rides each day, a need to leave and meet at specific times (a loss of port opportunities on 3 days, including a loss of ability to spend the evening in Budapest). Service was really poor on one of the two ships, food was mediocre, and at times poor, included wine was mediocre at best. Staff was not responsive to complaint, and Viking was inadequately responsive after the trip. One day, during the ship change, they had all 188 of us at a restaurant for lunch -- and the worst part: we were all on the same schedule, and the women's restroom had 4 stalls, two of which were out of order, and one of which didn't have a toilet seat. The ship often hit one of the many locks at night, waking us up frequently. NOT a first class trip.

Posters who first posting is a long rant about a company has little creditability with me since because I believe the idea is to paint the worse picture possible and who knows what the truth is. Never been on a river cruise but know from reading travel sites water levels in the river can be a big problem and that your timing for a river cruise is important.

<<The companies market a luxury experience at relatively low cost to naive travellers and can’t always deliver on their promises, so no wonder there are complaints. >>
Not all river cruises, or cruises, are low cost- or for naive travelers. Many are, but certainly not all!!

We were not impressed with Viking but did not have any water level problems. We thought they gave a very average experience, nothing special.

I think the issue is always expectations. I'm not a cruiser, did 1 crossing on the QM2 and wasn't impressed, expected something grand and didn't think it was. Now If I'd paid 3X as much and bought "grand", I suspect I'd have gotten it. And if the OP wanted grand, a ship with a fraction of the number of passengers and many times the price may have pleased them. I think these companies likely all give their passengers pretty much what they've paid for. Want more? Pay more.

Saving for me