Viking River Cruises
reviews and complaints

Stay away from viking river cruises. They are intentionally dishonest and will cheat you if anything goes wrong. Here is what happened to us. We just returned from what was intended to be a 7-day danube waltz cruise from august 5-12, 2018. The day we arrived in our embarkation port, budapest, we got an email from viking telling us that low water levels prevented the boat from getting there and we would have to be bussed to our boat in bratislava. We learned later that viking knew about the water issues over a month before we arrived, but of course never told us because they wanted us locked into their hot mess of a cruise so we couldn't demand a full refund before we flew to europe. When we finally got to the boat and a shortened stay in bratislava, we had only 1 night cruising. The next morning they told us the generator broke down. We had no toilets and menu items were unavailable since the kitchens were down as well. They told us to use the public restrooms on the boat docked next to us. We also had a high pitched screech in our room from midnight until about 3:30 am and the room smelled like old socks. We spent several hours on a bus each way to see the abbey in krems. Never got to see the town, and the next day were told the generator couldn't be fixed and we'd be bussed to our disembarkation port of passau. We spent 6 hours on a bus. They did stop so approximately 100 of us could pay to use the restrooms in a gas station. Then they put us up in a hotel 30 miles outside of town. We got a letter shoved under our hotel room door the night before the "cruise" ended telling us we'd get 25% of the base fare back. Because this didn't include airfare and our extension in prague, we got back $1, 724 after spending more than $12, 000 on this trip. Viking's concealment of the low water levels was intentionally deceptive - commonly referred to as fraud. This was our worst cruise experience on many levels. Viking is only concerned about its bottom line. It cannot be trusted. We wrote a letter to the chairman and got no further compensation or apology.

Be very careful booking Viking river cruises. We bought the 7-day Danube Waltz from Aug 5 - 12, 2018, and spent one night cruising. Viking gave us a bus tour with hotel stays. Their boat broke down - couldn't flush the toilets a lot of the time - and their compensation is 25 percent of our paid cruise fare, not including the airfare we had to pay to get there. We had low water at the start in Budpest and no boat, but even tough the water had been down for a month, they didn't reschedule the cruise. For the low water, they gave us a 25 percent future cruise voucher that expires in one year. But the rest of the nonexistent cruise was Viking not taking care of its boat. I feel as though Viking is the car salesman who sells you a Mercedes, but delivers you a Yugo, and then says he will give you a discount on your next Mercedes. By withholding an appropriate refund, Viking is asking us to cover the cost of its repairs and to pick up the tab for a cruise they failed to deliver. I wrote the chairman, Torstein Hagen, but Viking said the 25 percent refund is the best they will do. Sounds like a bait-and-switch scam.

I understand that the low water levels in the river forced the cancellation of this trip. However, Viking knew of this on August 6, yet waited until Aug. 16 to inform myself and my traveling companion. This was most inconvenient and expensive since we had both planned to travel on to another European site after the cruise. And we had made plane reservations to do so. No refunds for those reservations are possible. Furthermore, Now we must pay premium rates for our flights and hotels since they are being made last minute (August 20 by the time we finished). I had learned to trust Viking since I've made two previous trips with them. However, not only could we not keep our plane reservations to Europe and back, but we must pay much higher fees for new reservations. I am disillusioned with this company.
Paula Drewek
booking # 470058

My husband and I were on the France's Finest cruise that began on 7/22/18 and ended 8/5 and were due to begin the Elegant Elbe cruise on 8/6. We understand that the Elbe cruise had to be cancelled, Viking is certainly not responsible for low water levels. The problems are: 1) we were offered a full refund plus a 25% voucher based on the 'cruise portion' of the Elbe. Viking doesn't consider 4 days in hotels as part of the cruise, just the 6 days on the ship (although the cruise is booked as a 10 day cruise--figure that one out) thus the 25% voucher was very small indeed. Our cancellation letter said we'd get a full refund in 14 business days; an email sent a few days later said the refund would take 30 business days.
2)here's the upsetting part. We booked what is called a butterfly cruise, going from one Viking cruise to another, so that we would only have to pay for trans-oceanic air tickets (business class) once. When we called to rebook the Elbe cruise for next year, the cost was almost double the cost of the cancelled cruise mainly because of the business class air tickets--now we have to pay for air tickets that we did not need originally. Again, that's why we booked 2 back to back river cruises, so that we wouldn't incur separate airfare cost. We received a call from Viking 8/16 and after much talk and time spent, were offered next to nothing even when I explained the whopping difference in cost for the very same Elbe cruise.
I asked for a callback by another representative and was told by a now cranky Viking rep that I'd get one by today. Didn't happen. We've had 2 river cruises and 1 ocean cruise with Viking so far and they've been truly wonderful experiences, but I'm going to cancel this re-booked Elbe cruise rather than pay double what it was this August. I'm sure any Viking staff reading this complaint will have all the documents necessary. What I'd like is for Viking to pay for the round trip business class airfare for the re-scheduled Elbe cruise next June--I should not have to pay for that airfare and would not have to pay that if the cruise hadn't been cancelled. I think that's fair. Thanks, Judith Kamykowski Booking 4920814

reservation 4639017 - Banot, 4639020-Schlottman, 4639028-Casterton, 4639024-Lamka
The hotel for the Paris portion was the Hilton and less than satisfactory. The check in took 3 hours and rooms weren't ready until after 6pm. The refrigerator in the room didn't work and we called 3 times and no one ever fixed it. We had medicine to store and it needed refrigeration. We told the Viking rep at the hotel and they did nothing about assisting to get it fixed.
The return flight we booked with Viking was a disaster! We had paid the Viking air plus so we could all be on the same flights, which was the case. The last day on the ship we said we wanted to run our boarding passes and the girl at the desk said we didn't have to as Viking is taking care of everything for us. We believed her. When we got to the airport they said they had no seats for us on the plane, even though we had checked them numerous time prior and we all had seats together! They gave no explanation and put us all in center seats all the way from Munich to Chicago! It was horrible. If the Viking rep on the ship had told us correctly we would have run our boarding passes and discovered they did something with our seats. THe Viking rep of course was no where in site at the airport and we received no assistance at all! It was a horrible way to start our trip in Paris and even worse way to end in Prague. We feel Viking owes us some compensation for these problems as we were told Viking was the best, so if you are the best then why wasn't our trip perfect! Please respond asap as we aren't happy at all.

We just returned yesterday from a week on your Viking Delling Cruise from Marsielle to Lyon. Our stateroom was 321. The cruise itself was nice, However the air transportation we were assigned was inconsiderate, cruel and inhumane. These reservations were made for the customer without any thoughts, consideration or regard for the passengers travelling., The trip to Marsielle was prolonged but not as horribly as the return. For our return voyage We were made to leave the ship at 330AM to board a 6:10am flight from Lyon to Amsterdam. Our next flight was not until 1:35 in the afternoon. That gave us 5 and half hours to hang out in the airport after having no sleep the night before. There was however a DIRECT flight at 10AM from Amsterdam to JFK. Of course once at the airport we were told we could not change our flight. WHY was this arrangement not made originally. Why did we have to spend 20 hours travelling for an 8 hour flight. Why does Viking make arrangements that are so inconsiderate of people, .These arrangement were really cruel. You offer FREE airfare but you don't mention that it is for flights that are totally inconsiderate for the customer. Due to the travel arrangements mentioned I do not think we will ever travel with Viking again. I called and had asked for direct flights with the original booking but was never given them.
Due to this horrendous return trip both my husband and myself are feeling ill today because we are so fatigued from lack of sleep (for no reason) from our 20 hour excursion. We feel like the enjoyment of the trip was negated by your poor arrangements with no regard anyone but Vikings ability to secure the least costing flights. As mentioned the idea of doing another cruise on Viking will just not be our choice.

This relates to the paltry compensation being offered by Viking as compensation for a bad change in itinerary due to low water level in the Danube. They are offering a discount on future cruising with Viking, to be used within a year.

After experiencing poor food and service on board the Egil, we do not wish to ever sail with Viking again.
Below is the email communications with Viking "Customer Relations", followed by notes on numerous frustrated follow-ups with agents:

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"Hello Stephanie,

Referring to the Future Cruise Credit Vouchers FCC 1045903 for my wife Shernaz and FCC 1045897 for myself, we are in communication with Meghan and awaiting someone from Viking Customer Relations to get back in a couple of days. We had spoken to Evan before the sailing, as well as with Meghan and Natasha after the cruise.
This is in response to a) our refusal to accept the amount offered by Viking as compensation towards the Danube low water situation by way of Vouchers for future Viking cruises, INSTEAD of a refund, and b) our feedback on the unpleasant experience of the cruise itself.

The really poor experience on board the Egil has reaffirmed our decision to never again sail with Viking, hence we want the amount to be returned to the credit card account from which Viking took payment, or via company cheque.

Below is the email thread, for your convenience."

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"As per the request of 'Evan' who called back on July 26, 2018, to inform that Viking will not entertain any discussions whatsoever about our dis-satisfaction with the compensation offer made for the non-availability of the published itinerary post-Passau, until after the cruise ends, we are following up, having returned home after enduring the cruise.

We now add a further dis-satisfaction with the actual Viking cruise aboard the Egil, to our experiences. We have enjoyed many cruises with other cruise lines and the experience aboard the Egil has been truly the worst in terms of the quality of food and facilities. We do understand that the tiny portions served reflect European standards. Most of the staff on board were good, but surely not every one of them. Some have low morale but provide great lip-service! Some of the staff made us feel as if Viking was extending us a favour by having us on board!
On the single occasion we wanted a change, the same towels we had left on the bathroom floor mid-cruise were folded and replaced on shelves; the stained comforter was flipped over on the bed to hide the stain; a third small towel was taken and not replaced. On all other cruises we keep the dirty towels, to be replaced, on the floor, but it is obvious when three towels are bunched up together on the floor that they need replacement. Notable exceptions to such behaviour were Oliver (cruise director), Bob (Aquavit Lounge), Antonio and Raul (restaurant), who are truly exceptional and very deserving of their employ.
We do not drink any alcohol for medical reasons but we were willing to pay the cruise fare for our last, and what we expected as one of the best cruises of our lifetime, which in fact turned out to be the worst!
Considering that our first Viking cruise turned out to be the worst and most terrible, we are definitely not interested in any further Viking cruises. We are s still reeling from the shock.

We might have had the slimmest inclination, as a last resort, to cruise the Deep South on the Mississippi, with the expectation of better value due to decent American standards prevailing for that location, but we notice that Viking does not cover that region.

Thus, our demand of a better compensation than what Viking is offering, by way of credit card return, and the unsuitability of a Future Cruise Voucher, has been reinforced. Unfortunately, this is the only communication we look forward to having with Viking, with a quick resolution.

We are also considering enlightening others via CruiseCritic, TripAdvisor, ConsumerAffairs, and a strong refute of the accounts of Howard Blount at BackroadPlanet, Shaun Robertson at ThisLifeInTrips and Dennis Littley at AskChefDennis, with a mention that being authors, they either received special treatment, or that Viking's standards have fallen drastically since."

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"It is VERY disappointing to learn of the drastic impact to our itinerary.
While we understand that the low Danube water level is beyond your control, your given solution is not satisfactory.
Of our many cruises this cruise will be our last and we actually thought we had saved the best for the last with Viking, voting it as the best on CruiseCritic.com. We even turned a blind eye to the ratings on consumeraffairs.com

Moreover, the major attraction of the Main Danube Canal is an experience that will also be missed.

Further, considering the extra time for coach travel, we are also concerned about the optional afternoon tour of Weltenburg Abbey & The Danube Narrows that we have booked and paid for Day 6 in Regensburg.

The paltry compensation and the manner of refund as a Future Cruise Voucher is not acceptable to us.
We demand a better refund of the fare to the credit card against which the charges were made. Again, please note that the Future Cruise Voucher in unacceptable."

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notes on communications with agents:

Aug. 7th - Meghan Miuli
Spoke to Meghan but she could not fing the email that was sent to Viking Customer Relations, so it was resent to her. She said she would get back in a couple odf days, which did not happen.
Every time Viking Cust. Rel. is contacted, the agent denies seeing the emails sent to the mailbox, and cannot connect us to the previous agent to promised to look into the case.

Aug. 8th - Natasha Harris
Spoke to Natasha Harris, who said she couldn't see the email. We forwarded the email to her, which she received and said she would pass it on to someone at a higher level in the department. She wasn't aware that we did not go on the optional Weltenburg Abbey due to low water, asking why we didn't do it! The Egil coincerge told us to contact Viking Customer Relations on our return home and the refund would be made. Natasha said that the ship staff should have done the needful. Anyway, she started the process and Viking will return the amount by credit in 14 to 21 days.

Aug. 9th. - Stephen
We called V. Cust Rel. and spoke to Stephen, to say that despite Meghan informing us she is looking into our compensation and promised get back to us in a couple of days, we were emailed Future Cruise Credit vouchers by Stephanie today, which we stressed before as not acceptable.
Such action shows the lack of co-ordination at the Cust. Rel. department. They were not aware that the Weltenburg optional excursion was affected last week.
Stephen then said he has the authority to settle and offered $250 per head as cash compensation for the change in itinerary due to low water at Passau.
We told him that the amount is acceptable.

Aug. 15, 2018 - Marcia Gray:
"This is confirmation that we are in receipt of your email.
I regret that I wasn't able to reach you today, but I will try to call you again within the next 24 hours.
Should you have any further questions please feel free to contact me directly at [protected], extension 5460, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Pacific Time. "
Marcia Gray I Viking Cruises I Customer Relations Agent I (t) [protected], ext. 5460

(She did not call as promised (usual for a Viking agent) within the next 24 hrs, not counting the weekend that came in. We replied to her email and left a 'phone message message on Monday & Tuesday, respectively, but did not receive a reply.
Marcia just called today, Aug. 15 and said she had no authority to make any "cash" compensation. when asked how Stephen had done so, she said she would speak to him and call back. When she called back she said that cash compensation is not given at all. When pressed again as to how Stephen offered it, she admitted she had not spoken to him as he was busy. Proves that Viking agents do not seem to have integrity.)

We took the Danube Waltz Budapest to Passau cruisse. We were on the Prestige. Our booking number is 4895922.One day me fingers were swoolen and I couldn't put my two silver rings on. As we were going to get a tour in few minutes I decided to put them in my cosmetic bag. The next day I couldn't find my rings. I felt so safe at the boat that I couldn't belleve it.I thought I had missplaced them. So when we left the boat I made sure I wasn't leaving them behind. And thought that I would find them somewhere in my luggage when I arrived home. We took the extension to Prague and by our own we went to Amsterdam. Now at home I can tell you that the rings were stolen. I know it is very difficult to get them back. But maybe if someone tells you a similar story you will be able to find out what happened. We were on room 231 and it was Pythia who arranged the room.There is a thief in the crew and you must find it.Thank you for your attention and hoping to hear from you soon.María del Pilar Azanza de Lecumberri.

After speaking with our representative, travel coordinator Mr. Rafael Rodriguez he passed me on to your department.

I had upgraded our flights from Atlanta, GA to Amsterdam and paid for the upgrade myself. Our flight was delayed going out of Atlanta, GA so Delta rebooked us on another flight to Amsterdam but we were unable to get our upgraded seats.

When we returned from our viking cruise, I called Delta and asked them for a refund. The Delta case number 2826944 was provided. I contacted Delta today to check the status of our refund. Delta sent the refund to Viking instead of back to us (my Visa card). They sent $170.50 for each airline ticket for a total credit of $341 back to Viking. This credit should have come back to me since we paid for the upgrade.

Our ticket numbers our [protected] and [protected]. I do not want a voucher from Viking. I would like to have a credit back to my Visa card for the total of $341.

The other issue we had, was we had to pay for our transfer from the Amsterdam airport to our hotel ($50EUROs) and had to pay for our transfer from our Amsterdam hotel to the ship ($30EUROs). Our friends that we traveled with received a transfer from Viking but we did not.

My phone number is [protected]

VR
Rebecca and Steven McWilliams

Air France Complaint Continued:

Case Number: Delta [protected]. Air France [protected]

After all the frustrating and stressful experiences we had getting to CDG, we next had to catch our connecting flight to Bordeaux. As indicated in earlier correspondence with Delta and Air France, because of our age and mobility issues we need to travel business class. That was what was booked for us for our flights from AUS to ATL to CDG to BOD, and BOD to CDG to MSP to AUS. We consider ourselves travelers rather than tourists, and know that one must "go with the flow" when there are reasonable inconveniences.

We knew that the aircraft for our flight from CDG to BOD had no business seats but were told we would be assigned "premier" location seats. We were given seats 17E&F. I asked the agent if she would give us any consideration for the "business class" classification of our flight itinerary and the fact that we would slow down passenger boarding if we navigate the aisle for about half of the plane's length. The counter agent could not or would not offer a better seating option. She offered us pre-boarding, which of course meant we would only put us in the cramped seats for a longer period of time. We spent over one hour crammed into the seats with no leg room. I'm 6'3'' and my wife is 5'10'' tall. It was a very unpleasant experience. I will attach a photo showing my legs in these "premier" seats.

With our beautiful Viking river cruise completed we needed to fly back to CDG to catch our flights back to AUS via MSP. The itinerary provided by AF on-line, indicated this would have a business class section in which we would have seats (5C&D). It turned out that this aircraft didn't have a business class section. For me to fit in the 5C seat I had to infringe on the aisle space. Photo attached.

The clearing of Customs & Immigration at the CDG air terminal was a text book example of how NOT to serve the public. Passengers from at least two arriving flights; well over 200 people had to clear the one open station. Surely all travelers appreciated the screening that is necessary and that it is done for their safety. But surely, arrival times for large groups of transiting passengers are known and appropriate number of Customs officials can be in place to accomplish the processing. Eventually additional officials sauntered in and slowly opened their stations. To add to this mind boggling situation, the team of attendants (with one obvious supervisor) were incompetent and clueless about expediting the now bulging lines of people. The supervisor gave no attention to what his team was doing (or not doing) and spent his time selecting people, for whatever reason, and moving them directly to the front of the line of the one open station. Our two hour layover was reduced to about 30 minutes. By comparison, in MSP the process of clearing Customs, identifying baggage and moving it a gathering point for our next flight, and then passing through the security check, took less than 20 minutes.

RE: Booking Number 5040887 (Russia), Aug 8 TO Aug 20

I must report a situation that this is slowly turning into a nightmare.

Our luggage, part of which includes my disabled husband's wheelchair, was lost. We are going into the third day now, and I just got word that we will not get it until we arrive in Moscow---an additional 7 days!

The Viking Helgi crew has been very accommodating, no problem there. Our clothes are being washed every day. They are contacting the airlines several times a day.

However, I cannot connect with the local authorities of the airlines (Air France and Aeroflot). We have a claim number LEDSU99482, but it keeps giving me a recorded message that "tracking is taking place."

I do not understand why a wheelchair that sits unclaimed at the airlines could not have been prioritized. Luckily, the Helgi had a wheelchair to lend.

Another problem: We held only enough medicines for four days in our carry-on luggage. The rest of our meds are in the lost baggage. So we had to see the Viking on-board physician to obtain as much similar heart and Parkinson's meds as possible for my husband. He currently is very dizzy and has already fallen once on this trip in our cabin (from veranda back into the room).

My question to Viking: Is there anyway that you can intervene to get our luggage to use sooner than in SEVEN more days when we get to Moscow?

Theresa Ann Pinney
[protected]

My husband and I booked a river trip from Amsterdam to Budapest leaving on Sept 17, 2018 to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Other family members and friends are also going on the cruise from various points around the country. One of the main reasons we chose this cruise was the availability of nonstop flights from Salt Lake back and forth to Amsterdam. We paid for Air Travel Plus and in due time booked nonstop flights to and from. I rechecked the flights on Delta/KLM a month ago and everything was fine. We just received our final travel documents from Viking and we have been taken off the nonstop returning from Amsterdam and put on a flight that connects through Seattle. This adds hours to our travel time and is truly disappointing. The original flight we were on did change flight numbers, from KLM 6027 to KLM 57 but it is the same flight, leaves the same time, nonstop, etc. I have now talked to Viking, KLM, and Costco Travel (who we used as a travel agent). KLM told me the travel agent can change it, they just don't want to. Costco Travel told me we could pay a change fee of $700 (for my husband and myself) for booking changes and we could be put back on the nonstop flight we originally booked. Costco Travel is having one of their supervisors look into this but I don't hold out much hope. I will never book airfare through a cruise operator again. My future recommendations about Viking will depend on whether this situation can be improved upon. I feel as though we are being extorted to pay $700 to get back on the flight we originally had booked.

This was our first River Cruise and we were excited to be able to pack and unpack once and also being able to relax in the ship. I had a hip replacement gone not so well, and I am not able to stand or walk for long periods. From the beginning we were told that there was not enough water in the river and that we would possibly had to swap ships half way through the trip. Everything was lovely and my problems were addressed with "more leisured tours = slow paced tours". But unfortunately, this is what happened: we were informed we had to go on the bus (about 2 and half hours) to meet the sister ship Viking Baldur. We had got used to the staff at the Viking Magni and we resented having to adjust to the new staff in the new ship. However, on top of that, when we were 3 days from the end, we were told that again we had to be bused to Amsterdam on the last day. We sat on the bus 3 hours today, then we had a very poor lunch and then taken to the excursion to the windmills, which was again badly organised, as we were rushed through by a rude Tour Guide who said we had to come back to the bus quickly and if we were not able to follow him basically running, we could not do the tour. This was not true, as other groups were able to have a slower paced tour and their needs were catered for. My husband got so agitated that I really was worried for his health. But somehow, we were accommodated in another group. After the tour, we still have to drive back to our hotels for another 1 and 1/2 hour at least. We were told that we can have a buffet dinner in the restaurant until 10pm. But after refreshing and resting from an exhausting day on the bus, when we got there at about 8.15pm we found that most of the food at the restaurant had disappeared or was not to standard. The chicken was dry, the meat was tough and there was no more cheese or bread in the baskets. The rest of the food looked sad as being sitting there for a long time. We also had to basically beg for wine, as drinks were not readily available.
Sorry, this is not what we expected from this cruise. First, we thought we were going to sail not go on buses for hours, the food today was not what was expected comparable and varied similar to that served on the ship.
We would like to receive some compensation for the inconvenience and suffering during this cruise and hope Viking Cruises understand that this was our vacation for which we expected to be happy and relaxed, not stressed and exhausted.

VRC # 4887786. My wife and I took a Viking River Cruise in France from July 13 to July 20, 2018 W missed our original flight on July 12 from Orlando, Florida to Paris with an intervening stop. We subsequently booked two tickets on another airline on the same day at a cost of$2260.00. The cruise was very enjoyable including the excursions. We are mostly ocean cruisers but enjoyed the river cruise. Since we missed our original flight, we were greatly concerned about our return flights. We were assured by VRC personnel on at least two occasions that our return flights were booked and that we would have no problems returning home. When we arrived at the Paris airport accompanied by a VRC employee we found we had NOTHING in the way of return tickets. As soon as the VRC identified there was a problem, he quickly and discreetly abandoned us. This caused us great anxiety. It would have been nice to have a lifeline back to the ship. Being in the US without tickets is one thing. Being in a foreign country without tickets is another. Through the efforts of a Delta employee, including seven telephone calls, we were issued tickets to our destination of RDU and then on to Orlando. We went to the gate and realized our tickets were marked SBY (standby). Through the efforts of another Delta employee, taking about 30 minutes, we were finally issued seats on the original aircraft. When we finally arrived at RDU we encountered the same problem no tickets from RDU to Orlando. We went through the process of obtaining tickets which we did. The purpose of this document is twofold. One is to register a complaint with VRC and to see if VRC would be willing to offer us some monetary compensation for the anxiety we went through. The second is to help VRC improve its operations. I am sure we were not the first passengers to encounter travel problems and won't be the last. If VRC employees tell travelers something, especially about travel, they need to verify the information is accurate. Depending on how VRC responds to this request will determine whether we would recommend VRC to others. Part of the situation was our fault and we handled expeditiously and efficiently. The second part was yours and it was not handled as such. I am 73 years old and my wife is 74. Neither one of us has ever been treated as shabbily as we were treated by Viking River Cruise Lines a company that prides itself on the quality of service they provide. Free wine is fine although neither my wife or I partake of it. True service is in the belly of the beast and you are not there. Since our return we have been asked by three church members about our trip. We have hedged our bet with all three. Please advise us as to what course of action VRC is considering.

Viking Cruise July [protected], booking number 4889473, Paris to Normandy
After booking our cruise for 3 cabins, 6 passengers, I was advised to upgrade $50 per person to get better air transportation. It was mentioned we would all get to fly on the same aircraft as well as nonstop service vs Viking selecting the flights for us. 2 passengers were leaving from San Francisco which was nonstop on AirFrance. The 4 of us paid the $200 to travel together. After calling to schedule our flights I was told that nonstop flights out of Dallas Ft.Worth were not available and we would have a connection. We went back and forth a bit and I questioned the connection since I was told the upgrade to Airplus was an advantage to our travel. We were given the option to pay more for the nonstop since the airlines with nonstop service wasn't part of Vikings air partners. I was confused because through advertising by Viking they talk about included airfare being such an advantage of booking with them. We finally made an agreement on a nonstop by AA and as a compensation for my time I was told there would be $100 onboard ship credit for each cabin. I was very thankful since that was not what I was asking for but very appreciative. Well, as it turned out we got a total of $100. That was still nice but I learned that if one does not have a representatives name, and an email showing what was offered it doesn't count. How convenient that the rep didn't notate it on their side. Our previous trip with Viking was booked through Costco and it went so smoothly I forgot all the troubles that can occur. With this issue, some booking issues, not being in port in Paris, but 30 mins away, I cannot recommend this cruise to others.

Booking Number: 4727313
My wife and I booked an April 2018 Viking river cruise in Sept 2017 and paid in full by the required 60 or 90 days post booking. We declined the expensive Viking trip insurance as we had taken (and will continue to take) annual trips out of county without problem. We did get reasonably priced cancellation insurance for the air travel which was booked separately.
In early March 2018, my wife went to the hospital with what we thought was asthma but diagnosed as sudden heart failure. The doctor told us that travel out of country for the following 90 days was out of the question. I called Viking within a day to cancel our trip. The doctor wrote a letter explaining the reason for her travel restriction.
I called Viking three times over the next three days to discuss various ways we could avoid losing $7000. In the end, all Reps had the same scripted message, i.e. write an email stating we must cancel and include the Reservation No., full names of all people cancelling, the reason for cancelling, to attach the doctor's letter, and not to delay as we were past but close to the last 25-day deadline where we could have received a partial refund. I could not speak to a "Supervisor." The last Rep stated it was Friday and all those who were authorized to make a decision on a refund would be off for the weekend and time was of the essence as we were close but past the last deadline.
I sent the email requesting a cancellation and included all the required information and immediately got a short canned negative response with a copy of the contract and stating that the last deadline for a partial refund had passed. No consideration was given for the doctor's note or for a partial credit for a future sailing. I called back and requested that we be allowed to give our reservation to our daughter and son-in-law but that was denied as it was "strictly not allowed."
I finally realized that there never was any hope of getting a refund and the carefully scripted cancellation instructions offered Viking a clear and expedited cancellation process whereas they could immediately rebook our room to another party at full fare. The next morning, I called Viking to rescind my cancellation and they told me it was likely too late as they re-book cancelled reservations quickly. After a long conversation the Rep said he would look into what options were still available. He warned us that if he could get us re-booked, the room may be different from the original room. The next day he called and agreed to rescind our cancellation.
What I am describing above is clearly a deceptive business practice of verbally offering some hope of a refund followed by a urgent hustle to get a formal cancellation quickly to get a more favorable decision for refund. This practice of offering some hope of refund and extracting a formal cancellation maximizes profit through the double selling of rooms. In short Viking appears to be in the business of getting formal clean and clear cancellations as early as possible so they can resell the room. Viking wouldn't allow us to transfer reservations to family members but readily re-sell cancelled rooms as soon as they get the formal cancellation notice.
We were able to get reimbursement for the airfare through the insurer, and from our pre-booked hotels in Charlotte NC and Prague directly and without question from both Marriott and Hilton. Only Viking refused to consider any sort of refund, credit towards a future trip, or transfer to another family couple. Viking allowed us access only to lower level people and dropped us like a rock after sending the canned negative response to our request.

KAR180715 / 4603089
Rhine Getaway July 15 - 22, 2018
Stateroom 325

Upon arrival it was evident our room was permeated with a noxious odor. We were unable to spend time in our room and sleep was difficult. We notified the desk of the problem. The entire staff was understanding and cooperative attempting to solve the problem.

The first night we were provided with an air fleshing spray. Gesture was appreciated, but it did not help at all. We let the staff know. We spoke to the hotel manager. She was very concerned and focused efforts on fixing the problem.

The next day the chief engineer on the boat replaced air filters to our cabin. There was no improvement. We were given an apology note, a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine. We definitely appreciated the gesture and were confident the staff was working on the problem.

We kept the staff informed of the lack of progress eliminating the problem. The second night showed little or no improvement. We noticed that keeping the bathroom door closed reduced the odor in the stateroom. Although it was very hot and humid we were forced to keep the doors to the balcony open to get fresh air in the room. The cleaning staff gave us cut lemons to place in the bathroom to help cut the odor. Very considerate.

On the third day the chief engineer completely tore down the air conditioning unit and cleaned it in an effort to eliminate the problem. Didn't help. He was convinced the odor was coming from plumbing pipes in our bathroom. He did a deep cleaning of the plumbing and drain pipes in our and adjacent staterooms. Finally we had some relief.

The third night was much improved and getting better. The following day the stateroom was greatly improved. The room never had a fresh smell, but we decided it was tolerable.

Considering the source of the noxious odor, we are concerned about being exposed to any health hazards. I do not want to make a direct connection, but throughout the trip and since I have returned home I continue to experience an allergy like respiratory reaction (slight sore throat, running nose, deep breaths, tiredness ). I sincerely hope this is not connected, but want to know if you have any thoughts on this.

I've attached some photos to help document the problem.

I want to stress that the entire staff was completely concerned, responsive and understanding of our distress. The chief engineer was instrumental in diagnosing and solving the problem. He has our highest praise and appreciation for rescuing the remainder of our trip.

I do not know what remedies there are for this situation aside from financial and assurances that we were not exposed to any health risks.

By the way, we are scheduled to take another Viking Cruise in 2019

Majestic Fjords & Vibrant Cities
Booking Status: Final
Booking Number: 5075077

This is unusual for me to be writing a negative review of Viking Cruises since my wife, Elena, and I thoroughly enjoyed two previous river cruises (Bordeaux and Rhine) and are scheduled to take our third in France (Provence 7-day Cruise with post extension in Dijon) initially flying October 27, 2018. The reason I am complaining is how horrible Viking scheduled our flights, and their stubborn refusal to rectify at no additional cost. One of Viking's selling points is their low airfare, but apparently unless one initially pays an extra $50/person to purchase Viking Air Plus, all scheduling is done by a computer. Apparently, the computer selects the cheapest flights from airlines with which Viking has contracts, and this means the cheapest for Viking and NOT ANY consideration for reasonableness for the travelers. Yesterday, I received our flight itinerary. Viking had booked with United, and the flight from San Diego thru Washington (Dulles) DC thru Brussels to Marseille, France was reasonable and OK with us. HOWEVER, the flight home was TERRIBLE! Viking's computer had scheduled our first leg home @ 8:30am from Lyon, France. Because of our Viking post extension in Dijon, which is 132 miles or so north of Lyon, arriving at the Lyon airport 2 hours ahead of time, or near 5:00am, would require we leave Dijon at 2:30am by bus or 3:00am by car. This means we would have to wake up at 1:00am or so, thereby eliminating our last night's sleep in the expensive hotel. If that was not enough, the return from Lyon thru Brussels thru Newark, NJ, to San Diego had a near 4-1/2 hour layover in Newark! Because this return flight itinerary was so unreasonable, I assumed (incorrectly) that Viking would correct the situation by rescheduling us on more reasonable flights, at no cost. HOWEVER, my AAA Travel agent, who was managing our trip, and I, after at least three phone calls, were unable to get Viking to waive the $50/person Viking Air Plus they insisted upon before changing my return flights to ones that are more reasonable. My wife and I finally gave in, and now we leave Lyon at 1:20pm (allowing us plenty of time to get there from Dijon after having a full night's sleep). We get home in San Diego late at 11:10pm, but I guess that cannot be avoided. The AAA Travel agent told me that even after paying $50/person for Viking Air Plus, that not all flight options are available without paying an additional $150-$250/person for better flights if these flights are not included in Viking's contracts with the airlines. So, in summary, either initially pay the extra $50/person for Air Plus to give yourself a better chance of not being surprised and infuriated by a totally unreasonable schedule as happened to us, or be prepared to pay this later if/when your luck runs out and you get a crappy schedule. I know it is only $50 X 2 = $100, but I am so angry with Viking! Their service up to this point has been outstanding, so I just cannot accept their unwillingness to correct at no charge their totally unacceptable flight schedules. I definitely will tell this story to anyone who asks about my trip or about Viking cruises, so I assume that Viking will suffer far more than $100 in bad marketing. Good luck to you; but be forewarned. - John

Dear Ryan,

In regard to your correspondence dated July 20, 2018, there is no misunderstanding; rather, there is a total misrepresentation on your part. Each and every time we met on Viking Hermod regarding the West Indies Explorer cruise, you stated unequivocally that we would get an automatic free upgrade to one of the three higher category cabins because both the Deluxe Veranda and Deluxe Veranda V rooms were sold out.

When we received the booking confirmation on June 18, 2018, it did not contain any information regarding a cabin upgrade. We were not comfortable with that and questioned you in person, again on the Viking Hermod, about this omission. At that time you assured us that we would get an upgrade, you even opened the Viking pamphlet and showed us that we would get one of the three upgraded rooms. We still did not feel comfortable, we met again before getting off the ship and you said that you would send an email documenting that fact. No email was received, which prompted my emails of July 11, 2018 and July 18, 2018.

At no time during any of our discussions on board did you state that the guarantee category for a "free upgrade" was for a different booking date. You were consistent throughout each and every one of our meetings regarding the West Indies Explorer cruise that we would get a free cabin upgrade. Nor did you ever inform us that there would be an additional cost in order to get the cabin upgrade. This is our third Viking cruise. Unfortunately, the experience for the West Indies Explorer cruise has not been satisfactory to date. Please rectify this to adhere to Viking's impeccable standards.

My husband and I went on the Grand European Tour booking # 4845417.

We signed up for the optional tour of the Dutch Cheese making and the Kinderdijk windmills (which was part of trip's included itinerary). Hence we paid for the Cheese Making tour $128 in total. The trip took place in the afternoon of 7/21/28

Your description of the tour reads:
"Enjoy a walk around the farm with your hosts, busy farmers making their living of the earth. meet the cheese makers who patiently create their product from fresh milk and learn the craft, process and history of cheese making, which dates back to pre-Christian times."

1. We arrived at the farm at 5:00pm. Daily operation there stops around 4:30pm. And so we were introduced to a large clean empty bath, with all its blades and other parts disassembled, and put aside to dry. All other equipment were empty and powered down as well. We got a brief a description of how the Gouda is being made, saw wheels of cheese in a brine bath and were ushered outside to the sables to see the cows.

2. We could have read a wikipedia article about cheese making and would have learned more. We didn't learn the craft, nor the process or its history. We didn't see any milk bath, cheese press, spinning, coating, sealing and the like. Nor did we learn the history of Gouda making. We were told of the mother of the family making cheese at home but were never told how that was translated into a large scale commercial process.

3. The walk around the stable was guided by a friend of the family not the farmers themselves who took his time detailing the breeding process of cows but without explaining why current procedures are being used (the man is neither a farmer not a geneticist and definitely nor a guide).

4. We were taken to the farm after touring the wind mills and found out that the Virgin Cruises arranged for a single bus for two cruise ships. The other group was taken to the farm first where they watch the entire process live and only then they toured the wind mills so they got their money worth. We got the opportunity to quickly sample a few cheeses and buy some.

This was the most expensive cheese that we we ever bought. $128 for the opportunity to buy a small wheel of cheese. What a bargain.

We feel that Virgin failed to deliver on its promised tour and we think that we are owed a refund.

Sincerely

[protected]@gmail.com