viking---unbelievable and even worse

[Cyber Kat]

:D We had the opposite happen to us the first time in Amsterdam...Rijks was under renovation so we went to Van Gogh...this last time we went to Rijks...it's amazing what they did to the place.

 

 

Are you sure you aren't confusing Kinderdijk with Keukenhof? Because we were there in late April and Keukenhof was loaded with flowers but Kinderdijk was windmills and dikes. It was impressive but no flowers.

 

I don't think people go to Kinderdijk for the flowers :) We might do the Rijks again - depends on how much time we have. We land at 7:45am (12:45am NY time!). I don't think we'll get to check into the hotel until the afternoon, so if they let us leave the luggage we might do some walking around or a canal cruise. Then crash when we can check in.

 

We have the whole next day, then our cruise is the day after that. We'll probably leave the luggage with Viking and maybe see the Dutch Resistance museum that day - it's closer to the docks.

 

I love talking about this - I jump on every chance to do so - my friends and relatives don't want to hear about it anymore!

[Hydrokitty]

I don't think people go to Kinderdijk for the flowers :) We might do the Rijks again - depends on how much time we have. We land at 7:45am (12:45am NY time!). I don't think we'll get to check into the hotel until the afternoon, so if they let us leave the luggage we might do some walking around or a canal cruise. Then crash when we can check in.

 

We have the whole next day, then our cruise is the day after that. We'll probably leave the luggage with Viking and maybe see the Dutch Resistance museum that day - it's closer to the docks.

 

I love talking about this - I jump on every chance to do so - my friends and relatives don't want to hear about it anymore!

 

That's why we're here!!! Who else would put up with our constant comparisons and talk about travel and trips and where we've been and where we're going next and who uses a TA and who doesn't and who likes which cruise line and who doesn't and on and on and on!! We just never get tired of it!!! :D

 

I can't imagine any hotel refusing to store your luggage for you....I've even been offered a place to change clothes! I think the canal cruise would be a good move for that first day..the first time we did it in pouring rain but the last time it was just gorgeous...we used the one across the street from the Rijks and while they didn't give us wine like the first time, the boat was much nicer and more comfortable. Wait till you see the Rijks....O.M.G. it's breathtaking.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[xpcdoojk]

We booked with Viking for Aug 2016. I've read all the comments both negative and positive and it seems to me there are as many people who are happy with them as are not happy. I think you're correct - the volume of business they do generates more complaints. Many of the complaints seem to be from people who didn't do their research - which is something I've noticed happens with a lot of complaints in general. I worked in customer service for many years - I know from complaints! :D

 

I knew about the pay when you book policy (most times - I know people have gotten around it). Of course, I'd rather hold on to the money as long as possible, but it didn't bother us that much.

 

We chose Viking because I like their ships. I like that they are stopping at Kinderdijk - which not all Rhine cruises do. I like that they have a lot of ships to choose from. Not because of glossy ads.

 

We'll see. So far I'm satisfied. I'll come back next Aug and let you know how it went! :)

 

 

If your cruise happens, then giving them your money a year out is not a big deal... I am still hung up on Renaissance cruises circa 2001... planes fly into buildings in NY and suddenly the people who had paid a year in advance on Ren...got squat.

 

Companies go broke, why give them a free loan for a year???

 

jc

[sharkster77]

With all due respect JVilleGal, I think you're missing my point about proportion. WAY more ships = WAY more passengers = WAY more both satiisfied AND dissatisfied passengers.

 

I have read CC for over a year--long enough fer ya?

 

Maybe you have not been reading CC long enough where Viking is concerned???

[twinkletoes4445]

Fair point and if I were working and limited to how much vacation time I had, I would agree....but since I'm no longer working, a bad trip is still a trip and if it's free it's not so bad! You're day will come...hang in there!! :D

 

Oh, yeah, if hubby wasn't still working I would have a different attitude. I am counting the days until he retires or at least cuts back a little. :)

[JVilleGal]

With all due respect JVilleGal, I think you're missing my point about proportion. WAY more ships = WAY more passengers = WAY more both satiisfied AND dissatisfied passengers.

 

I have read CC for over a year--long enough fer ya?

 

 

You didn't see those poor Viking passengers last month or talk to them. Trust me we saw them day after day being bused while we had no issues. I already knew the Customer Service issues but after my cruise last month, I saw enough!

But hey I did walk thru a couple Viking Longboats and they are lovely. Shared wine & Coffee with Viking passengers Rafted to OUR cabin window. Both couples very nice and very very unhappy....

 

Yep I think I saw and talked to a boat load of Viking passengers last month. And we sailed into Budapest while the Viking boats were stuck hours upstream!

[arima22]

You didn't see those poor Viking passengers last month or talk to them. Trust me we saw them day after day being bused while we had no issues. I already knew the Customer Service issues but after my cruise last month, I saw enough!

But hey I did walk thru a couple Viking Longboats and they are lovely. Shared wine & Coffee with Viking passengers Rafted to OUR cabin window. Both couples very nice and very very unhappy....

 

Yep I think I saw and talked to a boat load of Viking passengers last month. And we sailed into Budapest while the Viking boats were stuck hours upstream!

 

The bias is showing again. Mention of only Viking when other lines had the same situation....not docking in Budapest, transporting around low water, one other even cancelled due to low water. Friends who sailed with them last month said the transfer went for efficiently.

[JVilleGal]

Kinda hard to ignore it when it was right there in front of us! BTW our ship sailed straight thru Amsterdam to Budapest no ship swap. So Biased you bet!

 

PS no bussing either :)

Edited October 26, 2015 by JVilleGal

[jklc123]

QUOTE=Rosethorn40;48104363]On a different note, and I'm really not trying to highjack this thread, but I don't know how else to ask you this....How was your Canadian Rail Odyssey with Vantage? DH is a huge railfan, and I want to give him this trip as his 60th birthday present (His #1 Bucket List item, mine is seeing the Loch Ness Monster).

 

There was great and not so much. The hotels in Vancouver, Banff and Toronto were fantastic. The Rocky Mountaineer was wonderful...the disappointments we had were as follows and if your DH is a huge rail fan they probably won't matter to him!!

 

1. This is a big one because Vantage doesn't warn you about it. The train tracks in Canada are owned by 2 freight companies and VIA Rail and Mountaineer rent track use. This means that if a freight train is coming VIA and RM have to pull onto a siding and give freight the right of way. As a result the passenger trains run anywhere from 2 to 16 hours behind schedule! It's not too bad between Vancouver and Banff. However, we were supposed to leave Jasper at 4 p.m. and cut short time at Athabasca to be sure we were in Jasper on time. We were and train departed at 8 p.m. We were supposed to arrive in Winnipeg at 4 p.m. and have a few hours to sightsee. We arrived at 3 a.m. and never even saw Winnipeg; and finally we were supposed to arrive in Toronto at 9 a.m. and have a city tour. We didn't arrive until 4:30 p.m. and our tour was cancelled. I understand the delays, I just would have felt better had I been warned. In talking to others I have discovered that our train was not unusual, but pretty much the norm.

 

2. Upgrade to gold leaf on the Mountaineer. It was worth every dime. The food and service were marvelous; your hotel in Kamloops is upgraded and you have your luggage taken to the hotel. Great Greek restaurant in Kamloops BTW.

 

3. sleeping car. Vantage told us the size of the sleeping car so we knew it was smaller than a jail cell....what we didn't count on was that when cabin is set up for sleeping (bunk style) one person can change clothes but the other one has to either leave or crawl inside the bottom bunk! Every night you could hear gales of laughter as we maneuvered around each other. But the good news is the beds were surprisingly comfortable and we slept very well. There is a WC in the cabin and when sitting on the throne my knees were against the wall!! (I'm 5'3"). There's a shower room in every car, fully private, and once you get used to the rhythm of the train, is an experience not to be missed. One thing they don't tell you: if you're traveling with another couple or very friendly with your next door neighbor, the room steward can stow the wall between your cabins and install a table. This gives you 2 cabins, 2 bathrooms, 4 chairs and a table during the day!! We were traveling with another couple so it was a real bonus!!!

 

4. Dining on VIA: the first leg of the trip from Jasper to Winnipeg the food and dining car service were outstanding. Second leg Winnipeg to Toronto we had a different crew and food and service were not as good, nor was the car kept as clean.

 

If you want more info on things to do and see in Vancouver and Banff feel free to e-mail me at chydro564@yahoo.com...I'd be happy to answer your questions.

 

 

We've booked a trip in June combining VIA from Vancouver to Jasper, bus tour and stays in Lake Louise and Banff, and Rocky Moutaineer gold leaf level back to Vancouver, in June, so I was delighted to see your comments. RM is so pricy that we decided to save a bit (toward our next river cruise -- maybe Egypt) and do it this way. Thanks for your review.

[Hydrokitty]

We've booked a trip in June combining VIA from Vancouver to Jasper, bus tour and stays in Lake Louise and Banff, and Rocky Moutaineer gold leaf level back to Vancouver, in June, so I was delighted to see your comments. RM is so pricy that we decided to save a bit (toward our next river cruise -- maybe Egypt) and do it this way. Thanks for your review.

 

You're very welcome. It should be wonderful. That's when we went and weather was fantastic. RM is pricey!

[Cyber Kat]

If your cruise happens, then giving them your money a year out is not a big deal... I am still hung up on Renaissance cruises circa 2001... planes fly into buildings in NY and suddenly the people who had paid a year in advance on Ren...got squat.

 

Companies go broke, why give them a free loan for a year???

 

jc

 

Call me a cockeyed optimist. I like having all my ducks in a row and everything done. If they have to cancel - we're retired - no issue rebooking.

[Hydrokitty]

Call me a cockeyed optimist. I like having all my ducks in a row and everything done. If they have to cancel - we're retired - no issue rebooking.

 

I'm an optimist by nature as you are Kath, but I have to come down on the side of xpcdoojk on this one...I like to keep my money in my own possession as long as possible. :D

[Mark_T]

I'm an optimist by nature as you are Kath, but I have to come down on the side of xpcdoojk on this one...I like to keep my money in my own possession as long as possible. :D

 

I agree.

 

As luck would have it we are due to make our final payment on our next Viking cruise late next month. It was booked in the UK and the payment will be due 70 days before we depart.

 

The sooner people booking in the USA dig their heels in and stop agreeing to pay so far ahead the better :)

[CaffS&S]

WOW!!! Going to kinderijk in October and saying it wasn't impressive is like going to st Petersburg in December and wondering why they called it the city of lights.... Go at the right time and the place is different, it's an impressive flower field in late April- early May.

 

Gowilk - Please kindly re-read my post. Never stated we were not impressed with the windmills. Actually conveyed we Felt not nearly enough time to bike or hike the canals, it was one of our favorite excursions on the Rhine cruise.

[Cyber Kat]

I'm an optimist by nature as you are Kath, but I have to come down on the side of xpcdoojk on this one...I like to keep my money in my own possession as long as possible. :D

 

I generally do too, but with the cruise paid for, I was able to get ticketed for the air portion - we have seat assignments, already 10 months out. We're doing Amsterdam on our own, so I'm making those arrangements. I just feel better having everything done ahead. If paying in advance is the price for that - I'm okay with it.

[JVilleGal]

I generally do too, but with the cruise paid for, I was able to get ticketed for the air portion - we have seat assignments, already 10 months out. We're doing Amsterdam on our own, so I'm making those arrangements. I just feel better having everything done ahead. If paying in advance is the price for that - I'm okay with it.

 

 

 

Watch those seats carefully! Log in to your reservation on a regular basis and very often toward your date of departure. That way if someone moved your seats as often happens you are in a position to fix it!!!

Edited October 27, 2015 by JVilleGal

[pinotlover]

I typically take advantage of early booking discounts to save money. Uniworld has offered huge discounts for booking and paying for cruises 15 or so months in advance. Looking at my portfolio's performance, the 15% I saved for booking my China trip a year in advance is far greater than I normally earn on my money. If one considers what has happened over the past quarter, spending the money to save money looks smart! This thread is on Viking, which I'm no longer using, however, I doubt that they or Uniworld will be going under in the next couple of years, so I believe the money deposited is safe.

 

Additionally, my main two all purpose credit cards offer trip insurance as part of the deal. If the deal goes south, I don't lose.

[roothy123]

I would rebook in a heartbeat. Forget the money, forget the Keukenhof (enjoyed it, but could live without it if I had to), just go on a nice cruise as you originally planned. If they'll let you book on Viking Star, and if there are any spaces still available, I would suggest doing that in a heartbeat. We just got back from Empires of the Med Venice to Istanbul and it was an outstanding cruise. Yes, Star and Viking Ocean are a lot like Oceania - but in some ways different, and the differences were refreshing. Now I have 2 great ocean cruise lines to pick from, although Oceania goes more places than Viking. Yes, we had to pay for the cruise very early - they're trying to pay for new ships, and be able to show enough equity or whatever to get loans, insurance, etc.

 

Stuff happens. It's best to be flexible. I loved the Netherlands (that was our first VRC), but Viking goes other wonderful places. Cities of Light Paris to Prague was excellent. China, of course, was incredible. The Danube was quite nice. I'm hoping to go to Russia or Thailand next after saving up some money. It's all good if you love traveling and cruising as much as I do.

[xpcdoojk]

I typically take advantage of early booking discounts to save money. Uniworld has offered huge discounts for booking and paying for cruises 15 or so months in advance. Looking at my portfolio's performance, the 15% I saved for booking my China trip a year in advance is far greater than I normally earn on my money. If one considers what has happened over the past quarter, spending the money to save money looks smart! This thread is on Viking, which I'm no longer using, however, I doubt that they or Uniworld will be going under in the next couple of years, so I believe the money deposited is safe.

 

Additionally, my main two all purpose credit cards offer trip insurance as part of the deal. If the deal goes south, I don't lose.

 

What credit cards? And have you ever filed a claim?

 

interesting post. I have a lot of cards and I have never seen for any reason trip cancellation insurance as an offering.

 

jc

[Hydrokitty]

What credit cards? And have you ever filed a claim?

 

interesting post. I have a lot of cards and I have never seen for any reason trip cancellation insurance as an offering.

 

jc

 

 

I'd love to know which ones too because I have Amex Corporate; Visa, MC and Cap One and none of them offer cancel for any reason trip insurance. Most travel companies will only let you put the deposit on a credit card but not the full trip because the fees are too high. They also won't let you buy a car with a credit card.....I know I tried thinking I'd get a bazilion points...but Toyota said ....nice try...we'll need a bank check please. :D

[JVilleGal]

Nearly all Cruiselines that I am familiar with allow complete payment by Credit Card. I am not aware of ANY card however that is going to Adequately cover Travel Insurance in areas of Medical Coverage, evacuation, preexisting medical issues or cancel for any reason .

And certainly not in the coverage amounts that would cover something catastrophe !

[Hydrokitty]

Nearly all Cruiselines that I am familiar with allow complete payment by Credit Card. I am not aware of ANY card however that is going to Adequately cover Travel Insurance in areas of Medical Coverage, evacuation, preexisting medical issues or cancel for any reason .

And certainly not in the coverage amounts that would cover something catastrophe !

 

That IS interesting. Apparently Vantage won't and I'm not familiar with any of the others, I just thought they all did it, quite frankly, because of the fees they have to pay the card issuing bank.

[Host Jazzbeau]

That IS interesting. Apparently Vantage won't and I'm not familiar with any of the others, I just thought they all did it, quite frankly, because of the fees they have to pay the card issuing bank.

 

Are you saying that Vantage won't take any credit cards? That means your money is at risk from the minute you pay!

[Hydrokitty]

Are you saying that Vantage won't take any credit cards? That means your money is at risk from the minute you pay!

 

No, I can put my deposit on credit card and all excursions or if I want to make monthly payments I suppose...but since I wait until the last possible date to pay the balance due and it's usually over $10,000 they want a bank check. I guess if they were to go under in the 90 days before sailing you're right, I'd probably lose my money. Hmmmm....that'll keep me awake for awhile.

[JVilleGal]

Not comfortable with that! Tom Harper River Cruises also required an e-check and we all know how that turned out :(