Disappointment with Viking re: Amsterdam docking

Lattelady,

Please do let us know what you hear from Viking on the matter.

In many of the river cruise lines' marketing materials they emphasize the walk-on, walk-off ease of their docking locations related to town centers. I suspect that alone attracts a lot of interest from former ocean cruisers.

Boarded the Viking hiln yesterday in the industrial area outside of town. Noted one other river ship adjacent to the hiln. Many, many other river boats adjacent to Amsterdam central rail station.

Viking shuttle only ran once per hour. Not exactly convent.

Hello,

I was told there were basically three docking areas....one fairly close to the city...the other further down across a bridge and the third aways out. Also, the companies are in a lottery as to where the ship can dock...ships do not own the docks, the city does and they are at the mercy of the lottery as to where they dock.

the three docking areas are available to look at in detail online in the Viking my trip info:

http://wpc.475d.edgecastcdn.net/00475D/passenger_documentation/2015/Rivers/Rhine_Getaway_AMS-BSL.pdf

it is on page 27.

notamermaid

I was told there were basically three docking areas....one fairly close to the city...the other further down across a bridge and the third aways out. Also, the companies are in a lottery as to where the ship can dock...ships do not own the docks, the city does and they are at the mercy of the lottery as to where they dock.

In the past docking was done by the city of Amsterdam and was known about 2 days before docking. However nowadays there is much to find about that on the port website, so I am not sure if it is a lottery or not.

http://www.portofamsterdam.nl/Eng/Rivercruise/Berth-reservation-overview.html

In the past docking was done by the city of Amsterdam and was known about 2 days before docking. However nowadays there is much to find about that on the port website, so I am not sure if it is a lottery or not.

 

http://www.portofamsterdam.nl/Eng/Rivercruise/Berth-reservation-overview.html

Very helpful link. Thanks Ine!

Hello,

the three docking areas are available to look at in detail online in the Viking my trip info:

http://wpc.475d.edgecastcdn.net/00475D/passenger_documentation/2015/Rivers/Rhine_Getaway_AMS-BSL.pdf

 

it is on page 27.

 

notamermaid

Suezhaven and Coenhaven are not shown in the internary book and are not on that graphic as they are outside of town.

Boarded the Viking hiln yesterday in the industrial area outside of town. Noted one other river ship adjacent to the hiln. Many, many other river boats adjacent to Amsterdam central rail station.

 

Viking shuttle only ran once per hour. Not exactly convent.

tcdcruiser, what port did they have you at?

Lattelady,

 

Please do let us know what you hear from Viking on the matter.

 

In many of the river cruise lines' marketing materials they emphasize the walk-on, walk-off ease of their docking locations related to town centers. I suspect that alone attracts a lot of interest from former ocean cruisers.

I did speak with a customer relations agent from Viking and accepted a cruise voucher for a percentage off of the cruise that we took. I'm happy with the resolution as they didn't have to do anything. And I tried to stress that I probably wouldn't even have been on the phone with them if the staff had seemed more concerned about the docking situation.

Thank you to all of you who understood and supported our position on the matter. I do plan to use the vouchers and book another cruise.

Totally familiar with the three documented and disclosed Viking docking areas in Amsterdam. The ship was located in a area several miles from all three. Viking did not share the change. I was able to locate the ship via marine traffic.com.

Thankfully due to cc I was aware a change might happen. As such I had marine traffic.com loaded on my smartphone.

Also.......overheard several irate customers at the customer service desk discussing the issue.

The orange circles on the left are Suezhaven and Coenhaven. The regular ports are the red circles. I suspect that Suezhaven (where we were) is for extreme overflow as I am not seeing it listed for pax on any of the port traffic websites right now. The area outlined in black is roughly the area in the Viking itinerary book graphic where those red circled docks are shown. As you can see, the industrial docks are much farther away.

Thank you lattelady,

for taking the time to post the map with the exact drawings. It makes it clear that the online information I looked at is outdated. It states that the information on the Viking website (i.e. the brochure) is "current as of 9 March, 2015".

Those docks on the left in your map I would have expected to be only used for repairs or as winter harbours - when the ships are "resting".

Too many ships for too little space?

Remember, in Vienna ships often dock in an "industrial" site in Nussdorf, which is way out of the town centre. Some ports on the Rhine have reportedly to deal with "overcrowding". For example Koblenz: day before yesterday, on marinetraffic.com (which I later verified by looking at a webcam) I saw that a Viking ship was moored on the Moselle although they have their own berth on the Rhine. I have not seen this before, coincidence or approaching a normal state of affairs?

I very much understand your disappointment, lattelady.

notamermaid

Notamermaid and Ine, just want to add how much I appreciate the updates/information you provide! You are both a great knowledge source and it's extremely helpful.

Over on rivercruiseadvisor this thread has prompted an article:

http://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2015/05/do-you-care-about-your-docking-location/

It seems Koblenz is one of the safest bets, still. It obviously helps that the town has got two rivers. ;)

notamermaid

Over on rivercruiseadvisor this thread has prompted an article:

 

http://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2015/05/do-you-care-about-your-docking-location/

 

It seems Koblenz is one of the safest bets, still. It obviously helps that the town has got two rivers. ;)

 

notamermaid

Boy, I sure didn't care for the tone of that article! Wonder if he's so supportive of Viking saying they dock in Paris and they're 10 miles outside, based on that other thread here.

Boy, I sure didn't care for the tone of that article! Wonder if he's so supportive of Viking saying they dock in Paris and they're 10 miles outside, based on that other thread here.

I agree with your take on the overall tone. I also think the author over did the public transit access, particularly in the docking locations we had in both Basel and Vienna. Fortunately, we had frequent and relatively short shuttles in those locations.

Can you link the thread you are referencing?

I agree with your take on the overall tone. I also think the author over did the public transit access, particularly in the docking locations we had in both Basel and Vienna. Fortunately, we had frequent and relatively short shuttles in those locations.

 

Can you link the thread you are referencing?

Hopefully this will work:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2215113

And also discussed here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2199965

I agree with your take on the overall tone. I also think the author over did the public transit access, particularly in the docking locations we had in both Basel and Vienna. Fortunately, we had frequent and relatively short shuttles in those locations.

 

Can you link the thread you are referencing?

I also saw that. Author seems like a nice guy from other articles of his that I've read.

But, I don't think he's traveling on his dime. If he was paying, he might feel differently.

Also, how many cruises does he take a year. Most people are lucky to take 1...maybe ever! So yeah, they might be a bit upset that they have to take a shuttle in, one that only runs once an hour. If you're only in town for a few hours, that can really cut into your time. We landed in AMsterdam @ 3 pm local time, got to the boat, unpacked, dinner...it was nice that we were right behind the train station and could walk in, or else we wouldn't have seen any of the city, as we sailed @ 2330 that night.

Lastly, I think the lady who brought up the issue in the original thread was on a Tulip tour, so I think she was docked in Amsterdam multiple nights. Multiple nights of bus rides into town, and getting to watch loaders working from your balcony.

So I do think he was a bit snide.

BTW, I don't think I've ever read a review where they stayed in Aquarium class. All the pictures of the fancy suites just make me realize what I'm missing. Those automatic windows complete w/ bug screens on the new Uniworld boats are really nice looking...

It makes one wonder if cruise lines will move to other ports. I noticed that next year Vantage will be starting their Rhine/Moselle tour from Arnheim rather than Amsterdam. Cruisers will still fly into Schiphol, but will be transported to Arnheim rather than Amsterdam.

FuelScience

It makes one wonder if cruise lines will move to other ports. I noticed that next year Vantage will be starting their Rhine/Moselle tour from Arnheim rather than Amsterdam. Cruisers will still fly into Schiphol, but will be transported to Arnheim rather than Amsterdam.

 

FuelScience

Docking space/cost, or a head start down the Rhein. Our '14 GCT Rhein-Mosel started with an overnight in Antwerp, overnighting right downtown. That wasn't a head start.

It makes one wonder if cruise lines will move to other ports. I noticed that next year Vantage will be starting their Rhine/Moselle tour from Arnheim rather than Amsterdam. Cruisers will still fly into Schiphol, but will be transported to Arnheim rather than Amsterdam.

 

FuelScience

That sounds like a nice idea, actually. I have heard that Arnheim is interesting. Especially for WWII history, of course. And it cuts out the canal stretch while still giving you a stretch on the "Dutch Rhine". Also, I am sure they will make sure you can take in some of the countryside on the way, perhaps even commentary along the way? It is about 90 minutes on a coach from Amsterdam to Arnheim (Arnhem is the Dutch name).

I agree: when you have only six hours in a town you do not want to spend 90 minutes on a tram, bus or train getting to the sights. This advertising slogan "take a leisurely cruise along ..." does not apply to busy bus stops and crowded trams, does it? :( As I have mentioned before, I did not mind taking the tram in Vienna as I love trains and trams and am young and active. But I certainly loved waking up to the skyline of Bratislava and being able to walk right into town. That is what the glossy pictures suggest you can do in almost every town!

notamermaid

We booked our upcoming Viking River Cruise several months ago and we have spent considerable time researching various excursions in Amsterdam to places not covered by the Viking excursions. All of this planning was based upon the Viking River Cruises web site stating that they docked near the Central Station.

Today, less than 25 days before the cruise, we were informed that we will be docked in Coenhaven. Based upon other posts in travel sites and several Amsterdam cab company fare finders it is up to 20 minutes away and around 20 euros (one way) from the center of the city. We also discovered that there is no public transportation and nothing to do in the immediate area.

I called Viking River Cruises to voice my concerns and it was immediately clear that the customer representative didn't think my concerns were valid. She reminded me that Coenhaven is only 2-3 miles away from the original dock location. I explained that yes if we were to swim in a straight line from Coenhaven to Ruijterkade it would be 2 miles but it was at least 5 miles by car and we dont have a car. She then explained that perhaps it would be better to take the Viking excursions rather then plan our own. I explained that they left out important places like the Anne Frank house and the Rijksmuseum. I asked to speak to a supervisor.

The supervisor patiently explained that the Amsterdam Port Authority was to blame. I asked if Viking River Cruises would do anything to assist their customers in light of this situation. She said they would provide a few shuttles on the day of embarkation...only. I asked about the inconvenience of having to rely on taxis and the unplanned expense of 40 euro round trips to downtown. She said it was my choice to leave the ship on my own. Given that the ship is docked in an industrial area she may have a point. I also have concerns about walking around at night in that area. She basically washed her hands saying it was the Port Authority's choice and Viking would not and could not help. I asked if Viking River Cruises could at least extend the shuttles for the days the ship was at dock. I was told that was unlikely. I am still waiting to hear back.

I did some additional research. This is not the first time for Viking River Cruises. I find multiple mentions of this practice over the course of several years. At the same time multiple generic searches found no complaints about other cruise lines engaging in this practice. I even went to the Port of Amsterdam web site http://www.portofamsterdam.com/. They show listings of all the inland river cruise ships and their berths. Most of the other lines had 1-2 ships in one of the industrial areas. Most of Vikings ships are docked in far off industrial areas...way more than half. Either Viking River Cruises has a really bad relationship with the Port Authority or they are just booking berths wrong.

I believe this borders on false advertising and is at very least a shameful way to treat a customer. They advertise having convenient docking location close to the city center when most of their ship are well away from Central Station. Their literature never mentions Coenhaven or any of the other industrial areas they dock in. I wonder if it is a coincidence that the window to cancel with a partial refund closed only a couple of days before they bothered to tell us about the change.

In any case, unless Viking River Cruises comes through with the shuttles, I think this is my first and last cruise with them.

And so it goes, "In the heart of the city" !

Mydangcruise, I'm the OP. We were docked in a different industrial dock. They did supply shuttles for the time we were there (except for disembarking...we had to twist their arm to get transportation back to town). It's been a year but I still look back on that trip with a wistfulness that we could have enjoyed Amsterdam the way we expected. Like you say, the way it is advertised. Overall, it was a great trip though, and I hope you enjoy yours. Being lots of warm clothes!

Hello mydangcruise,

sorry to hear about your experience ahead of your cruise. Are you doing the Tulip itinerary or are you going to Basel?

Viking admittedly has hit it hard in Amsterdam in the last two years, it appears. They are often allocated a berth furthest out of town compared to other river cruise companies. In Amsterdam the authorities could allow them back in, logisticallly speaking. I do wonder if it has something to do with the size of their longships. A company those new vessels are comparative to is ARosa. They sail with 130m boats. I might be able to find something out, a little difficult this one.

On the Seine the problem with the docking only arose last year with the introduction of the longships. See the threads on LePecq for reference.

Advertising is tricky, however, on the Rhine Viking still has a very good point with saying "docking right in town" because for the exception of Amsterdam they are close to city centres and often have their own berth. Admittedly, I am not too sure what is going to happen in Basel with the ever-increasing river cruise traffic and there will be disruptions this year on the Upper Rhine with one lock chamber at Kembs being closed due to repairs. This possible inconvenience Viking's current customer's were informed of. The closure was announced in October last year by the local newspapers, by the way. It was not at short notice.

I hope everything else goes well with your cruise.

Have fun on the Rhine, the Spring flowers are coming into bloom.

notamermaid

@notamermaid: We are taking the Tulips & Windmills cruise.

Btw..I read the article referenced above...I think the author missed the point.

I understand there are a variety of reasons a ship might have to dock in unavoidable locations. I grew up as the child of an airline employee. We traveled everywhere subject to load. You prepare for mid-course changes. Often they make the trip memorable. What struck me in this case was not the change itself....rather the way Viking River Cruises handled the situation.

Their website mentions they may have to use alternate locations and they list the good alternatives but they don't mention the industrial ones. Other lines do... I checked. So zero forwarning even though this is a known possibility. As a customer...it minimizes my ability to adjust.

I have no issues using public transport but that's not available in Coenhaven. I would be happy with shuttles but the reps I talked to said first day only... both reps. @lattelady... they are providing even less assistance a year later.

I would be happy doing the canned excursions but they leave out multiple venues... the Rijksmuseum...Anne Frank. They also don't cover wanting to spend the night out enjoying the culture of this wonderful city...no...I don't mean red light district or smoking a joint.

The impression I got from both reps was that my concerns were meaningless and the change was insignificant. So...I will research cabs in Amsterdam and bring extra cash to pay them and look elsewhere for my next river cruise...Viking will probably think this is a small and insignificant change too.

Two thoughts, firstly, you may find the staff on the ship are more flexible and able to help once you get there rather than depending on corporate policy in advance, but I know this doesn't assist you in planning.

Secondly, and I know this isn't helpful, but when you book a cruise with a full schedule of included trips, it should not be a huge surprise that they will focus their attention on the vast majority of people who will be on those included trips rather than the very small number of people who will go off on their own.

Not much point in running a shuttle into town for such a short distance when they are anticipating that there will be nobody left on the ship to use it.

Looping back to my first point though, you may find that once there you'll be able to hitch a lift with the coaches taking everyone else wherever they are going. For the evenings, if there is sufficient interest you may find something is provided, but if not then a taxi is not going to be too bad for such a short distance and the ship will help you to arrange that if needed.