Viking River Cruises review: Paris and The Heart of Normandy

WHAT A DISAPOINTMENT! My wife and I did the exact same cruise a few years ago and it was AWESOME. So awesome we invited 2 other couple to do it with us as my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and one of the couples we brought also celebrated their 20th anniversary.
I bragged about the food, the crew, even the beaches of Normandy. One of the guys that came along also lost relatives on Normandy like I did, and he wanted to see where his uncle was killed.

The Food: The sea bass we were served was approx. 1/4" thick, I was The corporate executive chef for a major cruise line in the 90"s and trust me, what was being served as sea bass was NOT sea bass. Most everyone that chose Sea Bass for their entre' that evening were saying how it was more like orange roughy or so other white fish...Very deceptive and disappointing. I won't beat a dead horse, however there were other occurrences as well...

Our trip to Normandy was ending when I, as well as other guest asked "when are we going to Normandy Beach"? The bus drivers answer was "We don't have time for that". Several people blew a gasket and said that was the MAIN reason they booked that cruise. No apology, no explanation, nothing.

Most of the crew seemed "PUT OUT" when asked for ice, another drink etc, There were a few crew members that were hard working people...We tipped them accordingly "on the side" they seemed apologetic for their co-crew members.

The ship was clean, and well appointed. I recognize (or think I recognize) that since Covid, service industry jobs seem to have had to struggle, however, I paid for a top-notch cruise, and I was actually humiliated to invite and bring 4 other people that were disappointed as well. I never send feedback on things like this, but I just retired and now have the time! We just booked an Avalon Cruise on the Douro.
Thanks for listening