Viking River Cruises
Reviews and Complaints

Last weekend, we booked a trip to China through Viking River cruises for June 2012 (Imperial Jewels of China tour). I researched available flights from Louisville to China and selected the most desirable, shortest flights. I passed the flight information on to my travel agent, who then called Viking to book for us. Viking informed her that we could not have those flights because they contract through airlines and those flights were not offered in the contract. Instead they put us on a return flight that takes 33% longer.

I called the Viking Air Plus Department and was treated very rudely. The representative that answered told me that they wouldn't talk to me because I was just a customer and not a travel agent. I asked her questions about the trip and she was short and rude with me. I asked to speak with a manager about the flights and was told that a manager "wouldn't speak to me because I wasn't a travel agent." I corrected her and said that a manager would speak with me because I was a customer. She told me that they were 20 minutes away from closing and no manager was there, and that there were only two people still working. I informed her that I would call back the next day.

The next day, I called and spoke with another woman, Patrice, this time very helpful and polite. But she was unable to put us on the requested flights, so I thanked her and asked to still speak to a manager (she had been talking to the manager during my call). She transferred my call to the manager. But he did not answer the call and instead i got his voicemail. I left my name, number, a brief description of my complaint, and requested a return phone call. He has never called me back. Unacceptable customer service.

I am requesting that we be put on the most desirable flights offered. Only a few seats on that particular plane have been reserved this far in advance. There is certainly room on the plane. And it is ridiculous to ask people in their 70s to fly hours longer and add additional connecting flights to their journey. The flights to China are very long and exhausting, and the thought of it being made even longer because we will not be placed on these flights we are requesting is upsetting.

I would like for Viking to return my call and to help us.

If they contact me I will repost and let you know the outcome.

On July 1st 2011 I took the Grand European River Cruise - Our ships name was the Prestige - On a whole I the cruise - I became dissatisfied towards the end of the trip - The last 3-4 days I felt the service became poor in the dining room - There were a few times when people at my table did not get there food ordered - An example: My friend ordered an omelet for breakfast and never got it - Also, we waited long periods of time before we were asked if we wanted more wine or dessert or to order something off the menue for lunch - The first week maybe week and a half we never had to ask they were always right there to service us - We expected the same service though out the whole trip - The second part of my complaint is about the Prague extension - I enjoyed the city very much - Want I did like was the lack of service we got from the Prestige Representative - On the excursion the representative did not go with us as they did when we went on an excursion off the ship which I found to be very helpful - I was extremely upset with our departure at the airport - I was told the day before we left that a rep would be going with us to the airport - Instead she put me and my friend in a cab and left us on our own to fend for ourselves - She said there would be a rep at the airport to assist us - We got there and no one was around - We did not know where to start, what to do, and where to go - Thank God we found an airport worker who spoke some English - This was very stressful to both of us - They were there for us in Amsterdam when we began our trip they should have been there for us in Prague.

My mother and I took the Waterways of the Czars cruise with Viking, and were sorely disappointed. The cruise is not worth the money spent and we would not cruise with Viking again. The onboard administrative staff lacked basic customer service skills (they like to lecture you) and we did not feel welcome at all, more liked policed if we did not conform to their strict schedule. The included tours were short (the shortest less than an hour and the longest 3 hours) and we felt that some of their optional excursions (which were very expensive) should have been included. Viking will try to nickel and dime you every step of the way, overcharging you for taxi rides, excursions, and even when you settle your onboard account (ship currency is the euro, but at the end you'll be charged in rubles with an exchange rate plus an extra surcharge). The onboard experience was poor, and the offboard experience was okay.
The food, at best, was edible. The food was not fresh. The pastries were stale, the steak tough, and the salad wilted. My mother, who speaks Tagalog, was able to talk to the Filipino wait staff about what goes behind the scenes in their restaurants. They recycle food (leftover bread served during breakfast is used for sandwiches served at lunch, expired yogurt cups are opened and mixed together in a bowl). If you have traveled on large ocean liners before, you will know that a cruise ship never runs out of food. On this cruise, if you don't come to a meal on time, there is a chance that there won't be enough food for you. On one occasion my mother and I came to lunch 30 minutes after it was served and they had run out of chicken wings. There aren't too many food options, either. Most meals you only have one or two options for appetizers or main course. The wait staff were disorganized and understaffed. It took forever for the next course to be served and many times our ice cream for dessert was served melted. I have some concerns about the welfare of the workers as well. From what my mom gathered during her conversations in Tagalog, the workers are mistreated and underpaid, working 6 months with no days off and earning $30 per day. I also overheard one of wait staff meetings after dinner in one of their restaurants and the restaurant manager was swearing at the staff about how they were driving her crazy.
The stateroom was very small. My mother and I both brought one carry-on and one large suitcase and there wasn't any room to walk. My mom had to put her large bag on top of her bed so we'd have some floor space to get to the door. The "yacht-style" bathroom is also very small. When I first walked in, I wondered where was the shower, but soon realized I was in the shower. Next to the sink is a shower head and a shower curtain you pull to prevent the toilet area from getting all wet. I would recommend bringing flipflops with you to shower/enter the bathroom with. Because the bathroom also doubles as the shower, surfaces will be constantly wet. The air conditioner worked most of the time, but was very loud. It was a very old unit, and the controls didn't match the operation instructions. The housekeepers were stingy about giving amenities, such as shampoo and conditioner. I think they were told only to provide them every three days or something. Because my mother and I are of small stature, we were able to manage, but we can't speak the same for other, larger passengers on the ship. Most staterooms were not equipped with a TV; only the most deluxe suites had one.
There were next to no activities onboard. They had one TV playing BBC news in a small nook with enough seating for about 6 people. There was a movie every night, but most of them were old and/or obscure. The few activities they had practically the whole ship attended, resulting in packed rooms with inadequate seating for everyone. Viking touts cultural lectures that educates passengers about the place they're visiting, but the one I went to was not very good. The presenter sounded unprepared and I could have done a better job putting together the powerpoint presentation. It was really boring and several people left early. There was a vodka tasting event, but of course costed extra. Considering the large proportion of time spent on the ship (~50%), you would think Viking would invest a little more in onboard activities. I spent quite a lot of time to myself in my stateroom. It was a good thing I had brought my laptop, which was stocked with movies, to entertain me. Viking could have organized more activities, easily. They could have done a bingo night, or had karaoke, or Jeopardy, at close to no additional cost to them.
St. Petersburg and Moscow were very nice-- I wish there were more days in those cities. There are tons of things to see. In St. Petersburg, the Hermitage and the Church of the Resurrection are must-sees. Moscow's Red Square has the iconic St. Basil's Cathedral, which is as beautiful inside as it is outside. I'd recommend going to the Moscow by Night tour, when everything is lit up. The stops between the two cities were alright-- some good, some meh. I really liked Kizhi, with it's peaceful, pastoral charm. The local guide we had was really knowledgeable and spoke clear English. Mandrogy, on the other hand, was lame. The fake town looked like it was constructed exclusively for tourists, in which its main attraction is the souvenir shop. We also toured a whole bunch of churches, and they tend to blur after a while. The craftsmanship put into each one is astounding, but after you've seen the fifth or sixth church, they all look the same. Throughout the trip you will be exposed to countless souvenir shopping areas, but don't buy until you're at Uglich. They have the best prices for the same stuff you'll see at every stop. The nesting dolls you'll see there will sell for two to ten times more in Moscow. There were many optional excursions that should have made it into the included tours. Sadly because of the language barrier in Russia, you don't really have a choice of who you're buying tours from, and Viking takes advantage of that, charging 20 euros for a simple shuttle bus to and from the city center, and as much as 70 for a tour of a convent.
This vacation was the most stressful we've ever had. We had booked a pre-extension tour of Helsinki in addition to our cruise. Helsinki was a very nice place, but we could have done the trip on our own at a much cheaper price. Viking only included one walking tour and the rest of the trip was on our own. When it was time to leave Finland for Russia, it was discovered on the train there that we were missing a Russian visa, which we thought our Viking-provided invitation letter was. Throughout our previous travels, we had never visited a country where we needed to apply for a visa beforehand, so we never knew what a visa looked like, and Viking gave us inadequate, vague information on how to obtain one. When giving us the invitation letter, they could have said "this is not a visa" and we would avoided so much trouble. There were so many opportunities to inform us about the visas. Had they checked before we left the country, or even when we arrived in Finland, or even before we got on the train, some of this would have been avoided. We, two small women, were booted off the train with a couple hundred pounds of luggage, and had ten minutes to change platforms and get on the next train going back to Helsinki. We ended up missed the first couple of days of the cruise, and purchasing the visas on such short notice set us back $1200. We pleaded with Viking to help us and Viking refused. We were left on our own, stranded in a foreign country. They refused to help us pay for anything, so we were left paying for the hotel stay and train tickets. They even charged us 40 euros for picking us up at the train station and refused to provide us with the tours we had missed (which we had paid for in the cruise fare) at no additional charge. The tour operators were very rigid and inflexible. They only offered to organize or book things, but always at our cost. This company gave us the impression that they don't care for their customer and think only of profit. This ordeal placed unimaginable amounts of mental and emotional amounts of stress on us and my mother woke up the next day with pain in her left side. We were ready to just give up and go home, but we would lose the money toward the cruise as well as the plane tickets from Moscow, so we were forced to swallow the costs for the visas. We will never forget the way Viking treated us, and that is the main reason we would never sail with them again.

On July 2010 us and another couple booked a cruise to China with Viking River Cruises that was fully paid by July 30th, 2010. The trip was scheduled for October 2011. At the time of booking we were told several times that all charges less $100.00 per paseenger were fully refundable as long as the trip was cancelled prior to 121 days before the cruise. Due to the economic conditions of the company I and the the other person work for, our vacations were not approved and on March 1, 2011 we were forced to cancel the trip. We submitted proof that this was beyond our control. Viking has elected to NOT refund us the $1, 198.00 each of us paid for the Trip Mate Insurance. I have, in the notes I took that all the moneys would be refunded, less the $100.00 per person, if cancelled 121 days or more prior to the departure date. I took this at face value.

We cancelled our trip with seven (7) months notice!. It is sad that a company of the caliber and reputation of Viking to impose a penalty of $2, 796.00 {($1, 198 + $200) x 2)}. Had we not taken the insurance, the only costs to us would have been the $100.00 per person since we were well within the 121 day window.

We are extremely disappointed as we believe this is quite unjust and unfair. It absolutely makes no sense to withhold and not refund the insurance money for a trip cancelled so many months prior to the cruise. This is supposed to be trip protection, not trip rip-off.

Hi, unfortunately I and others have had a very poor experience with Viking Marine International - www.vikingboatlift.com.

Why am I doing this? To give folks a "heads-up", so that they may make informed decisions.

It has been 1 year, 2 months, and a few days, since Viking Marine received my US$4000 deposit for a boat lift they promised to deliver and install in "4 to 6 weeks".

As of July 12 2011 I still don't have a boat lift...

I have requested my money back, but have not received that either.

See the full story here - http://myvikingboatliftexperience.blogspot.com

Thanks! Keith

When we booked the China’s Cultural Delights tour I was asked about any special diet restrictions or food allergies. I informed the VRC rep that my wife did have some very specific food allergies. The VRC rep indicated that she would note that and ensure that the ship’s chef was made aware of it. I then said to the rep that I intend to call United Airlines to make certain that they could accommodate the meal restrictions for the round trip flight from SFO to China and back. The rep then stated, “That won’t be necessary – let me take care of that for you. I’ll call United and let them know.” I thanked her for that and assumed that the airline would be informed of the food restriction.

When we boarded United Flight 344 on March 14, 2011, we were told that the airline had no knowledge of a special food request. As a result, my wife was unable to eat anything for the duration of the 11 hour flight.

Upon arriving in China, I did not have phone access but I did have limited email access. I emailed VRC, advised them of the VRC miscue and asked that they phone United Air to ensure that they could provide an appropriate meal for my wife on the return trip. Here is VRC's email reply, verbatim:

“Sorry for the inconvenience but unfortunately the meal request is only
available on our ships we cannot accommodate on the air flight as those
are not apart Viking.”

Here is my email response to the VRC rep:

“So why was I told by a Viking rep that Viking would handle that air meal
request? And what is the status of that request on the return flight?
The info in your reply to me is contrary to the representations made to
me by Viking earlier. I await your advice.”

Over the course of several more email exchanges between the VRC reps and myself, that same message was reiterated to me and they continuously refused to call United Airlines to make appropriate food arrangements, despite my being assured by the first rep that VRC did indeed make such calls to airlines. On the return trip, we had to pack a meal for my wife since VRC refused to correct the error and make the simple call to the airline. As noted, I did not have access to a phone and could not make the call myself.

If a VRC rep promises to do something over the phone, get it in writing. And don't expect them to fix their own mistakes. Massively poor customer service.

We bought Trip Mate Insurance from Viking River Cruises for a trip to Paris. Our flights were cancelled due to severe winter storms. We filed a claim, and it was denied (even though this was a covered claim!). We filed an appeal, wrote to the CEO of Viking River Cruises, and filed a dispute with our credit card company since we had not received the services for which we paid. Eventually, we received our checks from U.S. Fire Insurance Company (the underwriter for Trip Mate). Even though we FINALLY got our claim settled, what a major hassle! We will NEVER again use Viking River Cruises (their accounting supervisor lied in one of his letters!) nor Trip Mate. What a major rip off! Also, we were advised by a legal professional that no one should EVER buy a travel insurance policy from the provider or vendor of the travel package.

October 8th my husband and I and old friends boarded a Viking Ship, the Mirabelle, in Lyon France. WE took this ship because 2 of the 4 of us are handicapped and needed an elevator. It didn't work all week and it appeared there was no effort to fix it. The ship was old and at first our bathroom had a bad smell. The hotel manager was a terrible mean man who refused to serve us just a little yogurt and fruit when we returned to the ship 15 minutes late for breakfast after looking for a church on Sunday. The time they told us the service began was wrong so we hurried back for breakfast as there were no restaurants open on Sunday that early and it was raining. He was so cheap and so mean. WE will never go Viking again. Our Vantage trips were very good and we talked to people about Avalon and they said it was great. Viking as well as the other ships did have great tours and guides. The food was cheap food but well done by the chef. Tasteless watery soups though. Not a decent French pastry even though we were in the heart of Provence. Wine came with dinners: same boring wine all 7 dinners. For the money, it was totally awful.

I scheduled a vacation in February 2010 for a vacation in July 2010. I paid the extra $100 for seat assignments. I explain to the clerks that I needed seats by the window for my wife and myself due to disabilities. No problem, I was told since I paid the money. One month before our trip I was told that my wife was flying out of Chicago to Belgium and that I was flying out of Washington, DC. I explained the reason for paying the $100 dollars and they said they could not guarantee the seating assignment. What was the extra money for if they couldn't guarantee the seating assignments? I did purchase the insurance so I did not loose all my money but they destroyed the vacation.

We booked a cruise with Viking Cruise Lines on the Danube. The river was in flood stage well before we left for our trip, they were aware of this and by their own admission, "while we did anticipate and plan for minor disruptions, there was no reason to expect anything of the magnitude you experienced. We believe we provided you with the best possible alternative." The magnitude of disruption to our trip was that out of a seven day cruise, we cruised about 28 hours at the tail end of the trip. The rest of the time was spent being bused to the locations we should have gone to by boat. We spent more time on the bus than at the sites we were supposed to visit. The side trip options to various UNESCO sites were cancelled. I would not say that a bus trip was the best possible alternative. We should have been give the option to postpone the trip since the river was flooded well before we left and there was no information when it would crest. We did not experience anything close to what we should have for this vacation. We have contacted Viking and they feel that they fullfilled their obligation just by getting us to the places listed in the itinerary, even though we had minimal time at most places when we should have had a whole day. We have asked for a partial refund and Viking has refused any type of refund. Instead they have offered a time sensitive voucher for $1000 that we can use on most but not all the cruises Viking offers. We could never travel with them again and would advise others planning a trip with them to reconsider. I have heard other Viking horror stories and Viking always uses the same excuse, "we have no control over the river". The attached photos show the condition of the river when we arrived at the boat. Notice the building already had its flood doors installed. My final words are: DO NOT TRAVEL WITH VIKING CRUISE LINES.

My wife and I are just completing a Viking River Cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg with a 3-day Helsinki extension. Throughout he Russian tour there was constant pressure to purchase souvenirs. There was even a scheduled stop in Mondrogy, a fabricated souvinir village specifically designed to bilk tourists. In general throughout the tour the food was great and the guides were very knowledgable and pleasant if you can overlook the constant "shopping" pressure.

Then came the extension to Helsinki which was a total farce, misrepresentation, and waste of $1600. The first day was advertised as a train ride through the Finland countryside but we were told at the last minute that the train trip was cancelled and we were herded trough St. Petersburg airport to Helsinki, arriving at 8PM. Consequently, day #1 was spent waiting for a flight instead of traveling through Finland. The train cancellation was known by Viking months in advance but they chose not to inform us and booked it anyhow. Additionally, Viking knew apriori that a national Holiday in Finland would result in closure of all museums, shops, and many restaurants but again they chose to book the trip extension and not inform us.

Bottom line, Viking has flat out denied any misrepresentation of the trip and refused us any compensation. My advice is beware of their "friendly booking approach" because there may be a scam lurking in the background.

I have been coldly informed by email that I am not eligible for transport from Munich to the boat in Passau with no explanation. So, after no response to my further enquiries I phoned. I was told that I am only eligible for transport if my plane arrives in Munich on the day of the boat cruise (July 18). The Viking agent did not inform me of this restriction (I found out also that there are time-of-day restrictions) when I made the booking over the phone. When I asked for a refund, they said it is their policy to give only 75% refund. That's not fair. It is not like I changed my mind about the transport. Viking did not inform me of the restrictions when I made the booking. I should get 100% refund. Secondly, I should then also expect Viking to provide me with information on alternate transport and where to find the boat in Passau. Would this be so difficult? Neither did Viking offer, and when I requested it, they did not send it to me. How am I supposed to find the boat? Why is it such a problem for Viking to do these very simple things? I am absolutely astounded at this severely poor level of customer care.

In 4/2010, we took our 1st European river cruise aboard the Viking Spirit, which comes out of Paris, France. We were aboard when the Iceland volcano went off, grounding planes throughout Europe. At the end of the cruise, we were stuck, without airplanes, hotel room availability in Paris, and a rail strike.

All Viking had to do was leave us at the airport terminal, and drive away. However, what they did do was this: were were allowed to stay aboard, have a room, have meals, and cruise with them on the Seine river. They didn't charge us for anything except bar bills. Viking River Cruises took the high road. We are now patrons for life. This is how all companies should operate!
Keith B.

The Viking River Cruises agent "helping" us book our vacation for June 2010 makes repetitive mistakes. She does not listen to messages I leave her on her voice mailbox. She is usually late responding to e-mails. I ask her to do one thing and she ends up doing something completely different ... then I have to either e-mail her or call her to correct the mistake.
Reading others' complaints scare me to go on this cruise! I wonder how Viking was chosen as the best cruiseline 2 years ago!

On average I receive emails from Viking Cruises 3 times weekly and in spte of having "unsubscribed" every single time and written to them directly requesting and now demanding to be removed from their email list, I continue to receive emails. This feels like a form of harassment.

Booked cruise on the Danube in January - specifying two couples traveling together. Booking receipt notes we were "traveling with..." Called about airlines tickets in April ("will have in May", called again in May ("will have in June") Called in June ("will have in July), called in JUly - they emailed details. With just a month left before trip discovered that Viking had booked the couples on different airlines, at different departure times. Called - got "sorry, but it will cost $600 to rebook..." it will cost us $600 to correct Viking's mistake?

Now to late to get any refund (funny how they timed that), and they want us to pay for THEIR mistake.

It's THEIR mistake - THEY should pay - not us!