DavidF1940

Yesterday there was a slight but temporary improvement on the river. Limited navigation was permitted but locks were NOT opened. Viking took advantage of this to do a 2-hour cruise downstream from Barca d'Alva to the first lock. There we picked up the passengers (less than 50% I think) who had opted for the rather arduous coach trip which had been organised whist we were stuck at Barca. The vessel then returned to Barca. This meant that we had a small taste of actually cruising the Duoro. The sun was shining and it was a very enjoyable, if limited, trip.

Today, we leave the ship are being taken by coach to Pochino rail station, where we will take the train to Regua. Apparently this line runs mostly beside the river and the scenic trip is intended to give us a bit more of the Duotro experience. Viking are at least trying to do their best! At Regua we get back on the coach and go on to Guimares. There we have a local excursion and stay overnight. The next (and final) night we will stay in Porto. Changing hotels like this is a bit of a faff, but better than staying in Barca.

The next day we transfer to airport as planned.

It appears that some passengers, in this case a couple flying from USA, got last minute emails from Viking offering them an option to cancel. The email was fairly last minute (the couple were already at the airport or on the plane), but they were on a pre-cruise extension and was a day or two before we left UK for the trip. We, and others, did not receive such an email. Why not? I will ask Viking in due course. If Viking are monitoring this thread, perhaps they can tell us.

At 1845 today, the cruise director confirmed that, despite some limited improvements in the water conditions, the authorities would not allow sailings for several days. Accordingly, we will be disembarked on Tuesday morning and taken by coach to Porto for a 2-night hotel stay to complete the holiday. This is, of course, bitterly disappointing. Today 2 coach trips to nearby locations were arranged and my wife and I found these enjoyable. However, tomorrow's substitute trip looks less of interest AND involves 2 and 1/2 hours each way on the coach and we probably will give it a miss. Regrettably there is not much to do here in Barco d'Alva unless you are into walking, which we are not, so the day will be mostly wasted (except for the food which is as good as you would expect). I get the impression that the quality of cruising the Duoro lies more in the scenic beauty seen from the river rather than for the special nature of the sites to be visited, and so traveling on land is a very poor substitute.

It is not clear to me how much Viking should have anticipated this situation; some passengers (eg see earlier post) clearly believe they should have been more aware, The on-board staff are clearly taking the brunt of people's dissatisfaction, and most agree they are doing their best. The big decisions (eg should they have cancelled before the holiday?) are down to top management.

This is our 3rd Viking cruise, and thee second one where there has been no cruise! The previous one was on the Elbe in, I think, 2013. On that occasion, after some exchange of emails, we got quite good compensation. Hopefully it will be the same this time, and it would be good if Viking could be a bit more proactive this time.

I'm so pleased that so many of you kept in touch. Thanks for your good wishes and kind words.

David

The following is something I have just posted on the "update central Europe flood impact" thread:

This thread is now a bit of history, and I don't know if any of you are still linked into it. However, I thought I should complete the story about our Elbe-non-cruise cruise.

As I left it, I had been offered a 50% rebate of my fare against any other Viking cruise before end of 2015, and that I was seeking a cash rebate instead as I was not sure when I might go Viking again. Well, Viking responded saying they would consider the matter. meanwhile, wifey and I decided we would go to China in 2014; being in our 70s we were not too keen on some of the more busy trips with a handful of internal flights and yes, decided that something with a river (ie Yanste) cruise would be good. There a many trips offered which include such a 3 or 5 day cruise, but most still have a lot of internal flights (and therefore some hoursspent at airports). One trip that caught our eye was a 16-day oliday which included 10 or 11 days on the river, run by...yes...Viking. It wasn't cheap (about £4,500 per head discounted by £1,000 each for 'early booking') but with our promised rebate from Viking it seemed a good deal. We booked and Viking had us noted down for the rebate, and so we settled there and then pleased that we had been able to take Viking's offer after all. End of story?...not quite.

A week or so later we got a letter from Viking saying that, after consideration of my original letter, they were going to retain the 50% rebate offer PLUS a cash back of some £1,100 (cheque enclosed). As you can imagine, we are very content with this and wish to say that we believe that Viking has certainly done well in the end! All we need now is good sailing in China in November.

Regards to all

DavidF

This thread is now a bit of history, and I don't know if any of you are still linked into it. However, I thought I should complete the story about our Elbe-non-cruise cruise.

As I left it, I had been offered a 50% rebate of my fare against any other Viking cruise before end of 2015, and that I was seeking a cash rebate instead as I was not sure when I might go Viking again. Well, Viking responded saying they would consider the matter. meanwhile, wifey and I decided we would go to China in 2014; being in our 70s we were not too keen on some of the more busy trips with a handful of internal flights and yes, decided that something with a river (ie Yanste) cruise would be good. There a many trips offered which include such a 3 or 5 day cruise, but most still have a lot of internal flights (and therefore some hoursspent at airports). One trip that aught our eye was a 16-day oliday which included 10 or 11 days on the river, run by...yes...Viking. It wasn't cheap (about £4,500 per head discounted by £1,000 each for 'early booking') but with our promised rebate from Viking it seemed a good deal. We booked and Viking had us noted down for the rebate, and so we settled there and then pleased that we had been able to take Viking's offer after all. End of story?...not quite.

A week or so later we got a letter from Viking saying that, after consideration of my original letter, they were going to retain the 50% rebate offer PLUS a cash back of some £1,100 (cheque enclosed). As you can imagine, we are very content with this and wish to say that we believe that Viking has certainly done well in the end! All we need now is good sailing in China in November.

Regards to all

DavidF

I said (above) that I would report on any Viking offer of recompense. They have now offered a 50% of paid fare discount on any further cruise booked before end of 2015. :(

I am not happy with this. I am not at all sure I want to go with Viking again, and want a cash rebate. If they can afford to sponsor so much ITV "drama", they can afford something better than "buy one, and if it is not good, get second at half price".

Vikijg Elbe up date:

We arrived in Prague. Journey was approx 1hr in coach with local guide who never stopped talking, 1hr strolling in picturesque area, marred only by the same non-stop talking (and repeating himself) guide, followed by 2 hr lunch, followed by another 2 1/2 hr coach trip, thankfully without aforesaid guide. Much of the last part was along by the Elbe in scenic valley, which made us realise how different it would have been sitting on the boat, sipping tea, reading or whatever, rather than imprisoned in the coach. Hey-ho!

We understand that the next batch of passengers, for the return Prague to Berlin trip, is out here, and that Viking is cleared to sail all the way, lucky so-and-so's; at least OK for the present.

No news yet about compensation offer. I'll lket you know how this goes when it happemns.

Cheers

David

We have just heard that the Viking Schumann, recently ' stranded' at Dresden (Elbe), is due to transfer on Saturday without passengers to near Prague, presumably to pick up passengers starting out from Prague on Sunday. A good if small improvement, and no guarantee that they will be able to cruise all the way to Magdeburg/Berlin.

DavidF

rockwall,

In Elbe area, between Magdeburg and Dresden, mossies have been a bit of a problem, especially but not soley on a 'gondola' trip in an @english Garden' (I forget, and don't have handy,the name of the place). Deterrent and anti-itch soothing stuff would be useful, although readily available locally.

Cheers

DavidF

The Elbe at Dresden has gone down a bit. The bank where the Schumann is moored is now a bit less covered with water, but you would still get wet feet if boarding. The trouble is that the ground is so saturated that only a small amount of rain could reverse the situation. Weather is mixed; some cloud, some sunshine and just an odd slight shower.

I may well have no more to add about the river, as holliday draws to a close. I will try and summarise on Viking's handling of the whole issue, including compensation.

Remydiva: Thanks for extending my readership (from 1 to 2?)!

SaladM: Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

DavdiF

Well, there's good news and there's bad news!

Today's coach trip to Meissen (3 hours including 'comfort' break), then tour round the town and then porcelain factory, and then on to 5-star Kempinski hotel in Dresden went well enough; it must be said the coach trips are grating somewhat. Meissen was a pretty little town and the factory was reasonably interesting In the town we saw the first real signs of the dasmage done by the floods. A number of shops had taken in 1 to 1 1/2 metres of water and although clearing up has gone apace, several are still closed; it must have been awful.

The bad news is that the Schummann (the Viking boat we were intended to board eventually) is sitting in the river at Dresden, moored to the 'bank', but not accessible because the bank is partly submerged, nor will it be OK for at least 2 days. The good news is that we are staying in this excellent hotel for 2 nights, and then we will go direct to Prague (by coach of course) and spend 2 nights there instaed of one. This is an excellent solution to a very difficult situation, mainly as it avoids any unnecessary tedious pack-unpack cycles as well as too many tedious cross-country coach trips. I don't know if Viking chose the Kempinski to impress or delight us (it does both) or because it was the only reasonable one that could suply 50+ rooms at short notice. Tomorrow we will have a full day in Dresden, with a morning tour included and free time thereafter. After that, 2 nights in Prague will be nice.

I have several times referred to the valiant work being done by Viking staff here at the sharp end. I should make special mention of Radim, our Czech Cruise Director, who remains cheerful and helpful at all times, and on whom the burden of these severe and sudden changes of plan must mainly fall. He is a young man who I believe has earned the respect of us all.

Hopefully, the holiday will end on a positive note, although we would all have MUCH preferred to have cruised rather than gone on wheels.

Salad Muncher: As you can see, the river situation is not good. I am surprised that your cruise operator can feel confident in going ahead, but of course I do not have access to all the facts. It appears (and I cannot vouch for the details) that some time at the end of last week, the Czech river authorities allowed shipping to resume, and shortly afterwards there was a collision between a vessel and a submerged shipping container, aalthough no one was hurt. Thereafter, it was decided to undertake extensive surveying and dredging. I hope that anyone better in the know than I, will correct this info if needs be. SM, please feel free to pass on anything I have written to your cruise operator.

Cheers

Today (Wednesday) we got more bad news. Apparently it has been raining steadily for a day or so in Czech and German border areas, and the river there has risen sharply again. All current crew and passengers on the Viking Schumann near Dresden, which we were due to be bussed to on Thursday, have had to be taken off the ship for safety. If the rain stops as forecast, it is expected that the waters will still take some time to go down again. So plans for us have had to be altered.

Viking appears to be making the best of a very difficult and ever changing set of circumstances. Tomorrow (Thursday) we will disembark from our current ship at Magdeburg and will be taken by coach, first to Meissen (as per original itinerary except for use of coach) for a tour of factory and town. We will then be taken on to Hotel Kempinsky (apparently a very luxurious place) in Dresden for at least one night. This leaves us with two more "cruise" nights (plus one scheduled night in Prague hotel) and where we will spend these is not yet clear. Even if conditions allow us to transfer to the Schumann for these two nights, it becomes questionable whether the chance of actual cruising would make the extra packing and unpacking turmoil worth the bother.

Two points of clarification emerged from today. Firstly, it appears that the problem holding us in dock at Magdeburg is that the river authorities are taking longer than expected to be confident that all dangerous debris (containers, cars etc) dumped by the floods have been cleared. The second is that Viking claim that the river authorities had told them some time last week that the river would be clear; I have no reason to doubt Viking's version of this, but nor can I verify it of course. If true, it would seem that Viking are as much victims as are the passengers.

I think it fair to say that most passengers are torn between annoyance at the failure to get the holiday they paid for, and appreciation that Viking seem to be doing everything possible to alleviate the situation. Some passengers are beginning to take a more hostile view, but they are, I believe, a very small minority. People are, however, beginning to wonder about compensation levels that may be offered. Personally, I do not want to 'penalise' Viking, but nor do I want to pay cruise rates for a coach holiday, and no amount of alternative luxury hotels makes up for the inconvenience of extra unpacking and losing the cruise experience.

To Salad Muncher: I think you will find some of the above useful in assessing the situation. I and my wife have enjoyed much about the holiday (today's unscheuled trip to Leipzig was well run and enjoyable) but would have preferred to have had it cancelled beforehand and come again next year instead, although given the advice apparently proffered by the river authority, I don't necessarily blame Viking for going ahead. However, as I have said before, I suggest passengers on all forthcoming Elbe trips, get some assurances from their operators as to possibilities of not getting the full cruise package.

Salad Muncher

Thanks for your comments.There is so little on this thread about the Elbe, as opposed to Danube etc., that I thought I might be talking to myself.

Today we had a good (coach) trip to Wittenberg, where Martin Luther strut his stuff some 500 years ago. Not a subject I thought would be that interesting, but in fact it was great. The guides were, as usual, generally very good, if sometimes a little garrulous. Well worth the trip.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we should be sailing in to Meissen and then on to Dresden. Instead, we have a day (coach) trip to Leipzig, which is less than an hour and a half away and supposed to be very interesting. We will then leave the ship on Thursday, by coach, to do the Meissen and Dresden journey from where we will board the sister ship to actually sail on to Prague. So something will get squeezed out but not certain what.

I can't add much about how Salad Muncher's trip may go, as I don't really have the true facts about the state of the Elbe to hand. All I know is that it has screwed us up quite a bit, but presumably things are improving. The weather has been mostly cloudy today, with a fair amount of rain in Wittenberg, but with little or none back here in Magdeburg and cool temperatures of around 16 degC. Tomorrow is forecast dry and cloudy, and a little cooler. You just need to keep pressing your cruise line for details, I am afraid.

I should add that the food and service aboard our Viking ship has been impeccable, despite the extra load that the programme changes must cause.

I hope you have a good cruise. I will update info when /if I get more news.

As noted in previous posts, the Elbe cruise (Berlin/Magdeburg to Prague) starting on 23rd June has gone ahead - sort of.

We had previously been warned that high water around Dresden would prevent the ship going through, so plan was to transfer at that point to sister ship 'stranded' upstream for second half of trip; a bit of a nuisance to have to repack and then re-unpack but nothing too drastic. However situation is not that simple.

We were told on Sunday evening that, due to measurements being taken on the river, we were not allowed to set out on Monday morning, but delayed until Tuesday morning. Monday’s excursion would be done by coach from Magdeburg. This went sort of OK, but I feel the excursion, although pleasant enough, was not really worth the 3 1/2 hours spent in the coach. Some, but not all, fellow passengers felt the same.

Sadly, this (Monday) evening we were told that we are now not permitted to sail on Tuesday and not even Wednesday is assured. It seems that the river is not navigable upstream (the way we want to go) until about Dresden. Viking assures us that the visits scheduled will take place but it seems possible that all the first half of the ‘cruise’ will be by coach trips from Magdeburg. Viking have told us quite clearly that they realise that this is not the experience we are expecting and that they are looking carefully at what sort of compensation will be appropriate.

I feel desperately sorry for their hardworking, and no doubt exasperated, staff on board, who seem to be making strenuous efforts to cope with the situation (including organising extra little walking trips and even a diversion excursion to a nearby canal and lock). However, I get the impression that someone (senior management?) took a ‘flyer’ and said “go ahead” prior to full sailing authorisation being given by the river authorities (I would welcome Viking’s correction of my supposition if appropriate). I do wonder if the cruise, which was not cheap, should not have been cancelled before it went ahead, rather than risk running at half mast.

We await developments with interest, but I suggest that passengers getting ready for the next cruise should contact Viking for some pretty firm assurances.

Viking,

Thanks for update on Elbe situation (post 69).

David

I cannot join in with the adulation over Viking's issuing of info. I still have nothing about the next Elbe cruise (sails on 23rd but I set out on Wednesday for airport and Berlin extension). See my post no 61 above.

Sailings on 16th and 9th were cancelled, so the trip is uncertain.

David Fuller

"We will continue to update our website with information as it is available. Please visit www.vrc.com/weatherupdate"

Viking,

Are you aware that this link (weather update) is NOT available in Europe. According to an earlier post, unless you are in US, you get diverted to the normal local web site, which has no such info. Please can you correct this?

Thanks

Regards, David

(booked on Elbe Cruise plus 2 extra nights in Berlin starting 20 June, and wondering what the prospects are)

Thanks a lot.

David

Hi SBtS,

My wife and I are in early 70's, and one of us can't walk too far (I think Cliff Walk is not for us). We like to do our own thing and usually take bus/taxi/walk when we dock near town, or rent a car when we want to go further afield. Can't decide whether to get car or use taxis this time (Wednesday, October 6th). I don't think anyone has asked you about self drive yet.

We would probably like to visit one mansion and then look around town and around. I've seen the '10-mile drive' on a website; do you think this is worthwhile? Also, is traffic and parking reasonable in and around town? Also any suggestions for something out of town? Finally, is there anywhere we can park near the Cliff Walk just to take a look? We are going with friends this time, so economics of car rental makes even more sense.

Thanks and regards

David

(By the way, did you realise what you were letting yourself in for when you offered your services?)