Have heard negative things about Viking

[sjde]

At least with Viking.  they have enough ships that they can bus you around low points and get you back on a ship to complete your journey. 

 

Last Nov we did Christmas Markets Prague to Paris and the first half of the trip was too early for them to be open , though we started after ( American) Thanksgiving . So many people were upset. It’s true it was billed as a Christmas market cruise and we weren’t informed of this ahead of time. I believe we all got a $300 credit because of this.

 

One thing I’d warn about-we have usually been in a lower level cabin but do NOT get the very last cabin in the corridor or at least not on Viking ( or maybe it was just this ship) but there was a Lot of noise, a lot of banging. 

[Bill Y]

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I think that what I have learned about River cruising over Ocean, is that with River, you cannot (or should not) go into a journey with set expectations.  

 

Last year in December when water levels were high, we docked several times way outside city limits when we knew that Viking had docks at the city.  We were lucky that we did not have to change ships or be bussed to hotels, and the week before our cruise they shut down all ship traffic through Cologne.

 

You must be flexible on River cruises - IMO.

 

We saw so many people that were "red under the collar" and "steamed up" and "angry" at Viking during this cruise.  It was not Viking's fault.  They were doing the best they could under the circumstances of the high water.

 

Imagine what is going on behind the scenes when these weather situations are happening.  Crew on the ship and crew on land rearranging everything, and arranging busses and different docking locations.  This stuff takes a lot of coordination and they are not doing it to punish us, they are doing it to give us the safest and best trip possible.

 

I had to bite my tongue so many times listening to people attack Viking verbally to others on the bus at how ridiculous this was and how they could do better...  I was just beside myself with the lack of understanding and reasoning that some folks actually have to reality. 

It’s a matter of managing expectations. There are advertisements and brochures depicting people enjoying themselves in interesting sunny locations, but what can implead these expectations is rarely mentioned and often minimised. For instance water level disruptions are often explained as, high water early in the year as the snow melts and low water during or after drought due to a dry summer. Anyone who has been following Rhine or Danube cruises in the last few years or has read @notamermaid's excellent reports and explanations knows that this is an over simplification.  Some people are upset on ocean cruises when ports are missed. Unfortunately on rivers and canals it’s not as simple as the ship just taking an alternative route.

[sharkster77]

My favorite unrealistic expectations story is the guy who sued Viking because he did not see the Hungarian parliament building, as in the Viking ads----ON A RHINE CRUISE!!!!

 

I wish I was a fly on the wall in the judge's chambers after he dismissed the lawsuit in a nanosecond.

[ah2001]

On 1/18/2021 at 2:40 PM, sjde said:

A travel agent friend called Viking "the Carnival of river cruises" but we are thinking of taking one anyway, though we've avoided them in the past , partly because of her comment. We were going to do a Christmas Market cruise on Grand Circle or Gate 1 but they are almost all booked. Yes, Viking costs about 25% more (though still a lot less than many others) but has SO many ships so lots of availability.  Any comments pro or con?

our fourth viking is in nov. they are great NO comparrison to carnival   andy 4139775834

[Nippy Sweetie]

Have gone off Viking. Ships just too crowded now. Cabins smallest of all river cruise ships. They've just overdone it all. They certainly feel like the Carnival of the river cruise lines to me these days. Currently on board but this will be our last Viking cruise. 

[sharkster77]

On 9/18/2024 at 2:25 PM, Nippy Sweetie said:

Have gone off Viking. Ships just too crowded now. Cabins smallest of all river cruise ships. They've just overdone it all. They certainly feel like the Carnival of the river cruise lines to me these days. Currently on board but this will be our last Viking cruise. 

Thank you!  More room for us who still think highly of Viking.  Calling them the Carnival of river cruising is a bit harsh, TBH.

[Nippy Sweetie]

@sharkster77 I said what I did after many Viking cruises. They just aren't what they used to be. They have 100 boats now. That's not a small river cruise business.

[sjde]

I did correct my Carnival comparison later ( my travel agent sister had told me that maybe -5 years ago) by saying their image had changed. 

[pontac]

1 hour ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

They just aren't what they used to be.

I wonder if any river cruise line is.

 

They all suffered during Covid when they didn't get any revenue because people couldn't travel abroad. On our first Scenic cruise in 2022 we were sent a quality back-pack and luggage tags and had a car & chauffeur to take us to the airport and to bring us home. In 2024 we got nothing.

1 hour ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

They have 100 boats now.

 

Maybe that's because they're successful?

 

My two Scenic cruises were 75% and 63.8% full. My recent 2024 Viking cruise was 92.4% full.

 

But I wish you the joy of finding a new cruise line. We too are looking at others; not because we're unhappy with Viking but because we've been on most of their cruises, most more then once, and want to experience different shore excursions. I can't face Kinderdijk again!!

 

I look forward to reading your future cruise reports

[sjde]

Viking to me almost seems to fall into an in between category,  at least pricewise -not as much as AMA,  Avalon , Scenic , Uniworld but more than Grand Circle , and Gate 1.

[Nippy Sweetie]

Thanks @pontac. However, I doubt we'll be going on any river cruises any time soon. The only possibility might be one of those luxury barge cruises in France. Only about 8 passengers, wonderful food and wine I gather. More research required meanwhile Sri Lanka coming up after Christmas.

 

[Canal archive]

 

‘Colibri’ on the canal du Nivernais  2022 we and our friends did a diy but then we are narrow boaters there seemed to be quite a few hotel barges, we saw at least three on the Nivernais pleasant people happy faces and according to our chats in the local ‘cafe’ Faboulous food, not up to our standard of course! We drove down and used Eurostar to get to our pick up point which you could very easily do for a hotel barge.

[twototravel]

We comparison shop itineraries when searching for river cruises. It's more about the itinerary for us than the actual ship. We've done several Gate 1 river cruises and they were fine - good value for your money with excellent crews. We are about to take our 4th Viking River cruise in March. The itinerary and length of the cruise was unlike any others offered. Regardless how much you pay and how fancy the ship, odds are something will not be to your liking. It's all about your priorities when traveling. 

[CDNPolar]

I personally think that calling Viking the "Carnival" of river cruising is harsh and I know that statement was corrected....

 

I have been on a few Viking Rivers and have another booked this November.  I do find Viking River ships too crowded, but I do love the aesthetic of their ships, love the crew and service, and love the food.

 

This upcoming is with 8 total family and friends so we won't notice anything but our own enjoyment anyway.