Another accident of the Viking Forseti

[steamboats]

Just recently the Viking Forseti was involved in two accidents near Würzburg. Today she made it into the news again. She left Forchheim (on the Canal) yesterday evening and forgot to put down a crane which lifted the gankplank. The crane tore down a powerline which crossed both the Canal and the adjacent Autobahn. For repair reasons the Canal and the Autobahn had to be closed. The Autobahn was supposed to open in the afternoon. Both ship and powerline sustained a damage of 40,000 Euros (each).

 

steamboats

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Some one will pay ....

[Host Jazzbeau]

Calling Captain Schettini...

[bobandjo]

That might have been the one our friends were on in June and hit a bridge during high water. oops!

[steamboats]

No, not again the Viking Forseti, this time it´s the Viking Sun which hit two metal piers on the French side of the Rhine river near Strasbourg yesterday. No one was injured but the ship has a nice gash. So all of the 189 passengers (mainly Brits, some US and some Canadians) and 47 crew have already been transfered to another ship to continue the voyage to Kehl. There they were put on busses to continue to Amsterdam. Some have decided to fly back home.

 

steamboats

Edited October 2, 2013 by steamboats

[Ship's Wake]

No, not again the Viking Forseti, this time it´s the Viking Sun which hit two metal piers on the French side of the Rhine river near Strasbourg yesterday. No one was injured but the ship has a nice gash. So all of the 189 passengers (mainly Brits, some US and some Canadians) and 47 crew have already been transfered to another ship to continue the voyage to Kehl. There they were put on busses to continue to Amsterdam. Some have decided to fly back home.

 

steamboats

 

Wow.

 

Sorry for those passengers whose cruise got interrupted. As for the next Viking Sun sailing, I wonder if the boat will be back in service by then?

[davidrw]

On our recent Avalon cruise we had 2 Captains plus a 'Helmsman', they had to work at all hours as well as have enough rest.

 

Unlike Ocean cruising where they can tell the Computer what to do and have plenty of Alarms, river cruising requires endless manouveres with Boats, Bridges, Locks etc in close proximity. Boats have to be regularly docked and schedules change at the whim of the water levels and the lock keepers.

 

I think that the Crews do very well in the circumstances, however there must be a question as to whether there are enough qualified crew on the boats to cover all eventualties - expecially as the number of boats continue to grow.

[gillianrose]

No, not again the Viking Forseti, this time it´s the Viking Sun which hit two metal piers on the French side of the Rhine river near Strasbourg yesterday. No one was injured but the ship has a nice gash. So all of the 189 passengers (mainly Brits, some US and some Canadians) and 47 crew have already been transfered to another ship to continue the voyage to Kehl. There they were put on busses to continue to Amsterdam. Some have decided to fly back home.

 

steamboats

 

Pictures here -

 

http://www.shipwrecklog.com/log/

[Barrheadlass]

It will be very interested to find out how Viking handles this new "wreck" re passengers....

[steamboats]

And another one for the Viking Sun (see here). She ran aground near Straßbourg at Kehl minutes prior to docking. No reason given yet. The passengers could walk over to the La Bohème (CroisiEurope) which came to help and then were disembarked to go on their scheduled tours. With the help of another boat the Viking Sun was freeded and able to dock in Kehl (going under her own power). Divers had to examine the ship for underwater damage. The accident happened yesterday (Nov 12th, 2013) early in the morning.

 

steamboats

[CWRob]

I have been very quiet about our cruise so far. We were on the Viking Magni, Oct 22 to Nov 5. At about two thirds of the cruise we broke down for 27 hours, an electrical/computer problem. Viking did try their best at a plan B, but as a result we were behind and some tours were altered by bussing etc. My biggest problem is that we did NOT visit Kinderdijk which was on my bucket list. Disappointing to say the least! So basicly we did not get what we paid for, not the fault of weather or water levels. Rumor has it that the ship had a problem on a previous trip, but I cannot verify this. Shouldn't happen on a new boat ( 4th trip) . I will give lots of credit to the staff on board for making a great trip. Just disappointed in the scheduling changes due to breakdown. Is Viking a bit like Apple in rushing these new longboats to service before the bugs are worked out?

Budapest to Amsterdam by the way

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

Is Viking a bit like Apple in rushing these new longboats to service before the bugs are worked out?

 

I think you mean Windows, but the answer is Yes.

[CWRob]

Thinking of Apple and ios7!!!!!!!

 

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[Ship's Wake]

I think you mean Windows, but the answer is Yes.

 

Do you think this applies to all new ships across all lines, or just Viking?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Viking has been pumping out more new ships than all the other lines combines. They have to have overstretched their oversight capabilities.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear CWRob,

 

We are sorry to hear of your disappointment and apologize for the technical issues that affected your itinerary. We realize the necessary schedule changes were not ideal, however we are glad to hear that our staff was still able to deliver a great trip experience. If you’d like to send an email to TellUs@vikingcruises.com, one of our Customer Relations agents will reach out to you to discuss your cruise.

 

Kindly,

Viking Cruises

 

 

I have been very quiet about our cruise so far. We were on the Viking Magni, Oct 22 to Nov 5. At about two thirds of the cruise we broke down for 27 hours, an electrical/computer problem. Viking did try their best at a plan B, but as a result we were behind and some tours were altered by bussing etc. My biggest problem is that we did NOT visit Kinderdijk which was on my bucket list. Disappointing to say the least! So basicly we did not get what we paid for, not the fault of weather or water levels. Rumor has it that the ship had a problem on a previous trip, but I cannot verify this. Shouldn't happen on a new boat ( 4th trip) . I will give lots of credit to the staff on board for making a great trip. Just disappointed in the scheduling changes due to breakdown. Is Viking a bit like Apple in rushing these new longboats to service before the bugs are worked out?

Budapest to Amsterdam by the way

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

Dear CWRob,

 

We are sorry to hear of your disappointment and apologize for the technical issues that affected your itinerary. We realize the necessary schedule changes were not ideal, however we are glad to hear that our staff was still able to deliver a great trip experience. If you’d like to send an email to TellUs@vikingcruises.com, one of our Customer Relations agents will reach out to you to discuss your cruise.

 

Kindly,

Viking Cruises

 

This is how Viking Customer Service works: make a stink on Cruise Critic, get a decent offer. If that's not that way you want to live, choose another river cruise line!

[grand isle joe]

....maybe too much schnapps at lunch?.........;):D

[franski]

This is how Viking Customer Service works: make a stink on Cruise Critic, get a decent offer. If that's not that way you want to live, choose another river cruise line!

 

Just wondering what your beef is with Viking (sorry to hijack the thread here...)

 

It doesn't appear that you have ever travelled with them, and yet you appear to take any opportunity to bash them.

 

Is there something in the past that has affected your opinion to the point that you can't even see their name in print without getting anxious and responding?

 

Or, are you somehow hooked up with another company, and are hoping that your comments will drive people away, and towards something else?

 

Most lines have their cheerleaders - and most also have some people that will never travel with them again. But you seem determined to trash Viking at every turn without (unless your posted sailing list isn't complete) every having travelled with them.

 

Fran

Edited November 22, 2013 by franski

[Host Jazzbeau]

Just wondering what your beef is with Viking (sorry to hijack the thread here...)

 

It doesn't appear that you have ever travelled with them, and yet you appear to take any opportunity to bash them.

 

Is there something in the past that has affected your opinion to the point that you can't even see their name in print without getting anxious and responding?

 

Or, are you somehow hooked up with another company, and are hoping that your comments will drive people away, and towards something else?

 

Most lines have their cheerleaders - and most also have some people that will never travel with them again. But you seem determined to trash Viking at every turn without (unless your posted sailing list isn't complete) every having travelled with them.

 

Fran

 

It was the steady drumbeat of complaints this summer about the flooding. All the cruise lines had to deal with the same problems, but the complaints on Cruise Critic seemed to show that Viking and one or two other lines were significantly worse than the rest.

 

Since Viking has such a large advertising presence (with confirmation on these threads that people believe them), I feel the need to remind those with short memories how Viking left so many people in the lurch last summer.

[franski]

It was the steady drumbeat of complaints this summer about the flooding. All the cruise lines had to deal with the same problems, but the complaints on Cruise Critic seemed to show that Viking and one or two other lines were significantly worse than the rest.

 

Since Viking has such a large advertising presence (with confirmation on these threads that people believe them), I feel the need to remind those with short memories how Viking left so many people in the lurch last summer.

 

I think that there are enough people posting about their experiences - both positive and negative - that CCers can pick up the threads on their own from this point forward...

 

I have travelled with Viking - and although there were a few glitches, they are not the *only* company to have had issues during our travels. And, they were very responsive to my concerns when I did speak with them.

 

I don't take everything they say as "reality" - anymore than I do any of the other companies. The people with short memories can certainly do a search of this site if they are looking at past performances.

 

Fran

[jiminyC_fan]

Just wondering what your beef is with Viking (sorry to hijack the thread here...)

 

It doesn't appear that you have ever travelled with them, and yet you appear to take any opportunity to bash them.

 

Is there something in the past that has affected your opinion to the point that you can't even see their name in print without getting anxious and responding?

 

Or, are you somehow hooked up with another company, and are hoping that your comments will drive people away, and towards something else?

 

Most lines have their cheerleaders - and most also have some people that will never travel with them again. But you seem determined to trash Viking at every turn without (unless your posted sailing list isn't complete) every having travelled with them.

 

 

 

Fran

 

I have to admit that I noticed the same thing and it was beginning to bother me. Thank you for speaking up!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I have to admit that I noticed the same thing and it was beginning to bother me. Thank you for speaking up!

 

Mum's the word on Viking. Sorry to have upset people.

[CWRob]

Further to my post ( #11) on Nov 13, I did email Viking outlining our experience, We had a very quick response from customer relations with a contact person, number and extension, saying they would contact us within 2 business days. We got a phone call 2 days later and our problem was amicably resolved. IMHO good customer service is paramount in running a business......large or small. I did run a business for 37 years. Thank you, Viking!

We overall had a great experience, onboard staff was excellent, food was great with local entrees as we went along. Cruise/ program director Alex was excellent with his patented intro " Soooooooooo, ladies and gentlemen" Onboard activities ranged from classical music to glass blowing to strudel making, and even a talent night and " liars club" Wait staff at our table was excellent, wine glasses never empty,Our waitress, Karyzma aka Charisma was excellent, funny, and laughed at our "humor" Viking, please pass this compiment on. We found that as the cruise progressed, people became possesive of "their " tables but that is human nature, I think. Wi fi was spotty in our cabin depending on our device but was exvellent in the library and lounge area. Rooms were well laid out with plenty of North American 110 voltage receptacles. We didn t really need adapters.

Viking even provided us with a spectacular rainbow in the Rhine Valley!!!

My highlites were Budapest, the classical concert in Vienna, WW 2 tour in Nuremburg, the Rhine Valley, and the entertaining glass blowing demo.

 

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[jiminyC_fan]

CWRob, thanks again for your report along the way that helped me on our cruise following yours. Sorry you had the electrical issues along the way. I guess they worked out the bugs since we didn't have problems. I even packed a flashlight just in case, haha. I'm happy that Viking contacted you. Karyzma (Charisma) was our favorite server. Her sense of humor was fantastic. Hope you didn't miss the talent show that Pam, Karyzma and Kyle were in. Way too funny! Going into Budapest was our highlight. It was FREEZING but well worth fighting the cold to see the spectacular night view. I found it funny that you and I had different program directors. We had Sonya. She was fantastic as well. Other than the horrible jet lag, which isn't Vikings fault, we had a wonderful time.