We're Done With The L/A Office

[CCWineLover]

33 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

 

 

All the negativity here on the Viking Board can be disturbing until it is put into the proper prospective.

 

• First, in the universe of Cruise Critic forums the Viking Forum is quite small with very limited participation.  Further, the number of Viking cruisers who are on Cruise Critic or are even aware of this site make up a very small percentage of those who have cruised Viking Ocean. 
   
• Second, those with a gripe are more apt to post than those who have enjoyed a positive experience.

According to a study by Rize Reviews, people are more likely to leave negative reviews without any prompt or request. Many positive reviews are solicited, but unhappy people are probably 10 times more likely to write a review than happy customers without any prompting.

Another study by Online Reputation Management shows that customers who have a bad experience are twice to three times more likely to write an angry review than customers who had a great experience are to post a happy review.

Well stated, Lew.

It applies not just to Cruises, but to Restaurants, Hotels, Tourist Attractions, New Cars .....  just about anything people can write reviews on.  I do believe the COVID experience has made more people bitter and just angry at the world, however, which could be part of the rise in uncivility and need to express their negativity.

[LindaS272]

43 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

Second, those with a gripe are more apt to post than those who have enjoyed a positive experience.

But don’t forget us—the diehard Viking “cheerleaders”. 😆

[KBs mum]

44 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

But don’t forget us—the diehard Viking “cheerleaders”. 😆

This thread was started by a chap who used to be a Viking cheerleader, as were we, until February when we went on a cruise only to find that standards had dropped from the equivilent of a 4 star hotel to 2 star, along with far more intrusive live performances. Also big changes to itinerary prior to departure, with no real notice or option to change to another. Ports halved, one now in a different country, and another cut from all day to a few hours. 

We had to be bloody minded at the customer services desk to get something confirmed in writing. 

We would travel via Viking if there were a very substantial sale on, before boarding we were planning to book 3 ocean and 1 river at full price a few years ahead. 

For us the choice isn't which cruise line, it's are the disadvantages of group travel of limited time in towns and limited dining outweighed by peaceful comfort and convenience. If not we will drop cruising and increase the number of independent city breaks or driving holidays we do

[Hanoj]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

This thread was started by a chap who used to be a Viking cheerleader, as were we, until February when we went on a cruise only to find that standards had dropped from the equivilent of a 4 star hotel to 2 star, along with far more intrusive live performances. Also big changes to itinerary prior to departure, with no real notice or option to change to another. Ports halved, one now in a different country, and another cut from all day to a few hours. 

We had to be bloody minded at the customer services desk to get something confirmed in writing. 

We would travel via Viking if there were a very substantial sale on, before boarding we were planning to book 3 ocean and 1 river at full price a few years ahead. 

For us the choice isn't which cruise line, it's are the disadvantages of group travel of limited time in towns and limited dining outweighed by peaceful comfort and convenience. If not we will drop cruising and increase the number of independent city breaks or driving holidays we do

 

Airlines and resorts are now receiving most of our our travel budget. The last time we cruised was exactly 4 years ago on the Mediterranean Odyssey itinerary. We had cruises booked for 2020 (cancelled by Viking) and 2021 (we cancelled). Our TA had difficulty getting Viking Air to book our requested business class flights. It wasn't until we threatened to cancel for a full refund (right up against the deadline) that Viking Air acquiesced. I don't enjoy the haggling and it really shouldn't be so difficult for the on ship and on shore services to compliment each other to produce truly memorable experiences for guests. Unfortunately it appears the onshore ops are every bit a challenging as before, but now there are reports from former Viking cheerleaders of slipping (sinking?) on ship standards.

 

Slipping standards seems to be an issue across many lines in the small ship cruise line class, whether premium or luxury.

[Azulann]

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

19 hours ago, Omax4 said:

I believe this indeed partially true. However, they keep experiencing record sales every quarter so their bottom line doesn’t appear to be suffering. 

 

At some point, reality catches up with marketing.

IMO, Viking did  great marketing  with their itineraries and COVID protocol  during the pandemic. Cruises around Iceland, Bermuda, British Isle brought some new  cruisers to Viking during 2021. 

I know of six couples  who tried Viking then  and  made new bookings while on board.  

The cruise I will  on in June is sold out and the one following the same itinerary too. Looking at 2024 for some of their offerings I see some dates are already sold out. 

The expedition ships are an added addition to their fleet. Seems to be selling well. 

River  cruising is a whole different type of cruising that I am not interested in at this time. 

No one knows if they are making money because they are privately owned. 

But as a" cheerleader" on another CC cruise  forum always says" time will tell". 😀

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Azulann

[May B]

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

At some point, reality catches up with marketing.

 

 

I think it’s safe to say many of us are watching for that. Some with high hopes, some with sadness.

[May B]

To answer a question about how do you know, the front line agents who answer the phones at reservations are (perhaps all) working from home, and I heartily endorse that. That’s already been mentioned.

 

When you feel as though you’re up against a brick wall, and that there’s nothing logical about the responses you’re getting, then you might choose to escalate your request. Eventually, or even sooner, evidently the top of the line is in the LA office … for US and Canadian cruisers, anyway.

[Twitchly]

10 hours ago, KBs mum said:

For us the choice isn't which cruise line, it's are the disadvantages of group travel of limited time in towns and limited dining outweighed by peaceful comfort and convenience.

That’s the question for us as well. 
 

We just got back from a 12-day land tour (pilgrimage) of Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. It was unforgettable and wonderful, but it was not peaceful or comfortable. It was intense and strenuous. We’re already thinking our next trip will be another cruise. Maybe that’s what ultimately works best for us — alternating in-depth experiences with relaxing, lightweight samplers.

[millybess]

On 5/28/2023 at 1:28 PM, CDNPolar said:

I also think this...  when you look at the demographic that Viking attracts - the largest part of their demographic - is aging fast and won't always be there.  

 

We have started the second segment of a b2b Med cruise.  The cruise has been fabulous in every way.  Your comment above certainly applied to the first part of the cruise.  However, the second part is very different.  It is made up of many tour groups and the age is very much younger than you would usually see on a Viking cruise.  

[Pushka]

On 5/31/2023 at 11:04 AM, Twitchly said:

That’s the question for us as well. 
 

We just got back from a 12-day land tour (pilgrimage) of Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. It was unforgettable and wonderful, but it was not peaceful or comfortable. It was intense and strenuous. We’re already thinking our next trip will be another cruise. Maybe that’s what ultimately works best for us — alternating in-depth experiences with relaxing, lightweight samplers.

We just returned from Passage to India 21 days cruise covering these countries plus others. While the first week of the cruise had three nice sea days, the rest of the cruise was full on with multiple  5am wake-up calls and return to ship around 8pm. Not all cruises are relaxing. This one was exhausting but fabulous. 

[dd57]

3 hours ago, Pushka said:

We just returned from Passage to India 21 days cruise covering these countries plus others. While the first week of the cruise had three nice sea days, the rest of the cruise was full on with multiple  5am wake-up calls and return to ship around 8pm. Not all cruises are relaxing. This one was exhausting but fabulous. 

Same with our b2b2b in the Med.  21 days of 10 hours of walking thru historic sites was not relaxing.  Nor was our Baltic cruise.  The land trips we have done to Europe were a lot more relaxing because we didn't feel the pressure to fill up every day and could just enjoy the local culture.   On the other hand, we are going to repeat the RT LA to French Polynesia cruise because it is relaxing .  That's the nice thing about land trips and cruises -  you can choose to do whatever you want.

[HHI Cruiser1]

On 5/30/2023 at 10:49 AM, FlyerTalker said:

 

At some point, reality catches up with marketing.

 

 

Very true for Viking currently.  As Viking uses cruise fares for several new ships (ocean ad river), hiring has not been successful in finding the best crews (recently a river passenger was told by GM to be 'patient' with their new crew and accept less than previous Viking experience).  Viking 'supporters' and Viking marketing have painted extremely high expectations for new Viking cruisers, so when things don't go as expectations (based upon all those previous CC and other social media posted examples), complaints are loud and long especially since these new Viking cruisers paid so much extra for the Viking experience they researched on social media.  Then you add in all the issues with land based customer service from voucher limitations to OBC limitations to Viking Air failures, and you get more loud and long complaints.  As long as Viking sells our cruises, why stop to address these issues? 

We came to a similar conclusion and future cruise direction as Heidi13 a while back after repeated issues with Viking's customer service.  It appears that profits now rules at Viking over customer satisfaction.

[Vineyard View]

Having been a big Viking fan for 10 years, we are currently on Seabourn. We will sail Seabourn again for the right itinerary. We are very impressed with the product so far. The extreme pay in advance and large increases in fares, along with repeated European itineraries is what got us looking in the first place. Right now - no regrets. 

[kcpvwill]

I feel so sorry for the US citizens and especially for Heidi and his fellow Canadians who have had to suffer the problems which appear to be happening regularly with the LA office.  
 

Although a few of the UK posters have mentioned problems, we have had outstanding attention and service from the London office with our 10 previous Ocean cruises and 7 previous River cruises with one more of each booked for this year.  
 

Our only problem is finding new cruises to do in Europe, as I struggle with flying distances nowadays.  With the rivers we have done our first repeat (Douro) as we want to stay with Viking.  It would be great if some new routes are planned for the Mediterranean or even another round Britain with different ports.  
 

I agree that Heidi must have had two awful customer service instances for him to give up on Viking after such a long time of great informative and positive reviews.  I always read his posts with interest as they were so balanced and helpful.  
 

Andy and Judy, although I never met you, I feel I’d got to know you and wish you both well for your future travels.  
 

 

[CCWineLover]

On 6/2/2023 at 10:06 AM, Vineyard View said:

Having been a big Viking fan for 10 years, we are currently on Seabourn. We will sail Seabourn again for the right itinerary. We are very impressed with the product so far. The extreme pay in advance and large increases in fares, along with repeated European itineraries is what got us looking in the first place. Right now - no regrets. 

Interesting...  might be worth exploring. 

Does Seaborne have Kids and Casinos ?   Areas of the ship only certain people can go to?

 

Viking's itineraries are getting stale to us - we've pretty much picked through ones we like.  Wish they would have many more new itineraries (we be doing Iceland and Malta).  Hopefully they are looking at this.

Edited June 3, 2023 by CCWineLover

[Vineyard View]

10 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Interesting...  might be worth exploring. 

Does Seaborne have Kids and Casinos ?   Areas of the ship only certain people can go to?

 

Viking's itineraries are getting stale to us - we've pretty much picked through ones we like.  Wish they would have many more new itineraries (we be doing Iceland and Malta).  Hopefully they are looking at this.

We were in Malta this week. Simply amazing. Don’t miss the sail in. 
we are currently in Kotor. Viking ship is in and it seemed strange for me to think it looks large. 
 

The tiny casino on board is tucked away and unobtrusive. It was empty when we happened by it.  There is not a ‘no kids’ rule, but there is absolutely nothing for them to do on board - and not a single one is on our sailing. Time of year might impact that. I was concerned prior to this sailing but no longer am. 
 

I am going to write up a comparison review when we return. Viking has advantages over Seabourn, but not enough to make it worth the Advantages we are finding here. We will still look at both. The final payment 90 days prior combined with per day cost comparison, cabins, food….. take a look for yourself. We all have different preferences. 

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We were in Malta this week. Simply amazing. Don’t miss the sail in. 
we are currently in Kotor. Viking ship is in and it seemed strange for me to think it looks large. 
 

The tiny casino on board is tucked away and unobtrusive. It was empty when we happened by it.  There is not a ‘no kids’ rule, but there is absolutely nothing for them to do on board - and not a single one is on our sailing. Time of year might impact that. I was concerned prior to this sailing but no longer am. 
 

I am going to write up a comparison review when we return. Viking has advantages over Seabourn, but not enough to make it worth the Advantages we are finding here. We will still look at both. The final payment 90 days prior combined with per day cost comparison, cabins, food….. take a look for yourself. We all have different preferences. 

Thank you, from another California Wine Country region!

I will look forward to your comparison review!

[TayanaLorna]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We were in Malta this week. Simply amazing. Don’t miss the sail in. 
we are currently in Kotor. Viking ship is in and it seemed strange for me to think it looks large. 
 

The tiny casino on board is tucked away and unobtrusive. It was empty when we happened by it.  There is not a ‘no kids’ rule, but there is absolutely nothing for them to do on board - and not a single one is on our sailing. Time of year might impact that. I was concerned prior to this sailing but no longer am. 
 

I am going to write up a comparison review when we return. Viking has advantages over Seabourn, but not enough to make it worth the Advantages we are finding here. We will still look at both. The final payment 90 days prior combined with per day cost comparison, cabins, food….. take a look for yourself. We all have different preferences. 

Looking forward to your review.  Interested in sailing smaller ships.  One thing i love about Viking ships are the huge windows.  Other then the Living Room and Atrium levels, no matter where you sit you can see outside.  

[wine-wine-wine]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

Looking forward to your review.  Interested in sailing smaller ships.  One thing i love about Viking ships are the huge windows.  Other then the Living Room and Atrium levels, no matter where you sit you can see outside.  

Agreed - looking forward to reading. If Seabourn checks the viewing marks it will go upward in our list.
 

Lack of good visibility, no good forward facing space, and claustrophobia inducing low ceilings is why we will likely never sail on Silversea’s Silver Moon again. 

[lackcreativity]

On 6/2/2023 at 10:06 AM, Vineyard View said:

Having been a big Viking fan for 10 years, we are currently on Seabourn. We will sail Seabourn again for the right itinerary. We are very impressed with the product so far. The extreme pay in advance and large increases in fares, along with repeated European itineraries is what got us looking in the first place. Right now - no regrets. 

We too have been big Viking fans, and really expected to finish out our cruising years with them. Now, as I sit here with my print outs of three Oceania itineraries, to compare with the one new Mediterranean cruise from Viking, I am a bit sad about this. 

 

Our experience cruising with Viking has been an almost entirely positive experience. A few glitches were minor, and we never got involved in any difficulties with the shore-based operations, as most of our bookings were pretty straight forward. We have managed the early pay issue by always booking a second cruise while we have one already booked, so again, not an issue for us. 

 

Our primary difficulty with Viking is our focus on sailing the Mediterranean, and Vikings constant repetition of the same ports in that area. Marketing the same ports in different variations under different names does not provide the variety we were seeking.

 

I thought the new Malta, Morocco, and the Mediterranean itinerary had solved the problem for us. However, while we like travelling in shoulder season, I am not certain if the off-season dates for these cruises are to my liking, and the price does seem to really have jumped over what we have paid previously. While Tunis and Algiers are of interest, I also know that those ports have frequently been cancelled, which would leave six sea days in a sixteen day itinerary. Hence the investigation of another cruise line.

 

I am not sure where we are going to end up in this search. Old loyalties are strong, and comparing the apples vs. oranges of what is included by different companies gets confusing. It was easier when we just knew where to go. 

 

Thanks to everyone for their input in this interesting topic that Heidi13's sad decision has begun.

[millybess]

8 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We were in Malta this week. Simply amazing. Don’t miss the sail in. 
we are currently in Kotor. Viking ship is in and it seemed strange for me to think it looks large. 
 

The tiny casino on board is tucked away and unobtrusive. It was empty when we happened by it.  There is not a ‘no kids’ rule, but there is absolutely nothing for them to do on board - and not a single one is on our sailing. Time of year might impact that. I was concerned prior to this sailing but no longer am. 
 

I am going to write up a comparison review when we return. Viking has advantages over Seabourn, but not enough to make it worth the Advantages we are finding here. We will still look at both. The final payment 90 days prior combined with per day cost comparison, cabins, food….. take a look for yourself. We all have different preferences. 

We just left Kotor 2 hours ago so I guess we were there at the same time. I think you were there before we arrived this morning, but you had to tender and we were able to dock.

 

The sailaway was really beautiful. One of the best we’ve seen. 

[Vineyard View]

We actually arrived right behind you. Was a bit disappointed that we tendered, but this small ship goes to a lot of really small places as well, and they have tendering down to a science. They were running every 10 minutes throughout the day. We sure lucked out on the weather didn’t we!  We are now Sailing into Vodice/Sibenik in thunderstorms this morning. 

[Vineyard View]

13 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

We too have been big Viking fans, and really expected to finish out our cruising years with them. Now, as I sit here with my print outs of three Oceania itineraries, to compare with the one new Mediterranean cruise from Viking, I am a bit sad about this. 

 

Our experience cruising with Viking has been an almost entirely positive experience. A few glitches were minor, and we never got involved in any difficulties with the shore-based operations, as most of our bookings were pretty straight forward. We have managed the early pay issue by always booking a second cruise while we have one already booked, so again, not an issue for us. 

 

Our primary difficulty with Viking is our focus on sailing the Mediterranean, and Vikings constant repetition of the same ports in that area. Marketing the same ports in different variations under different names does not provide the variety we were seeking.

 

I thought the new Malta, Morocco, and the Mediterranean itinerary had solved the problem for us. However, while we like travelling in shoulder season, I am not certain if the off-season dates for these cruises are to my liking, and the price does seem to really have jumped over what we have paid previously. While Tunis and Algiers are of interest, I also know that those ports have frequently been cancelled, which would leave six sea days in a sixteen day itinerary. Hence the investigation of another cruise line.

 

I am not sure where we are going to end up in this search. Old loyalties are strong, and comparing the apples vs. oranges of what is included by different companies gets confusing. It was easier when we just knew where to go. 

 

Thanks to everyone for their input in this interesting topic that Heidi13's sad decision has begun.

I completely agree with you! It is why we started looking elsewhere - all of this. 
 

Oceania’s new ship Vista has a few appealing itineraries next year in the Mediterranean. The problem that I find with them is that they run in 10 day segments for the most part. We prefer in between 10-20 days. 14 is a sweet spot for us now due to home/pet issues,  unlike the longer itineraries we did before. 

 

We weren’t looking to change from Viking. But this experience has been a lesson for us that others do have excellent products out there and itineraries are important. 
 

[Twitchly]

Very much looking forward to hearing comparisons between Viking and Seabourn. Does the latter still have formal nights? If so, are they easily avoided?

 

Also, what is “the Retreat” I see mentioned in Seabourn threads, and how does it compare to anything on Viking?

[SJD117]

On 6/4/2023 at 8:52 AM, lackcreativity said:

Our primary difficulty with Viking is our focus on sailing the Mediterranean, and Vikings constant repetition of the same ports in that area. Marketing the same ports in different variations under different names does not provide the variety we were seeking.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
 

Linda and I fully understand that different people have different places they want to visit, whether on a cruise ship or on a land-based trip. Believe me, I get it! So with that in mind, I’ll try to explain our perspective on sailing in the Med.
 

For us, Viking’s itineraries in this region hold little interest — not because they’re repetitive or lack variety, but because we’ve already traveled by air, land, or ferry to most of the itinerary ports. Spending a single day in a town or city that we’ve enjoyed before (sometimes for several days) just doesn’t ring our bell. This isn’t Viking’s fault; rather, it reflects how we’ve traveled the last 40+ years and how we hope to travel in Southern Europe in the future.

 

We’ve cruised five times with Viking Ocean. Except for a TA that ended in Valencia and Barcelona, none of our cruises touched the Med. Instead, Viking took us to fascinating places in Northern Europe, Asia, and South America. Great fun!

There’s so much to explore in this world, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to do so. Good luck and good fortune with your own travels.