The comments below are from a letter sent to Viking following our July, 2013 cruise from Bucharest to Amsterdam. Overall the trip did not meet our expectations. We realize that some problems were caused by the rolling lock strike, but the way that Viking handled that issue was disappointing. In addition, there were aspects of the trip independent of the strike that were disappointing.

First, since the negotiations between the parties had been going on for months, Viking clearly knew that there was the possibility of a strike long before the cruise, although the actual dates of the strike were uncertain. Viking made the decision not to inform their clients of this possibility. Had we known about the possibility, we probably would have decided to take our chances, but we would have been aware of potential disruptions. This unwillingness to communicate was further manifested on the cruise itself. There was very little information provided except to assure us that everyone was working hard to make alternate arrangements. As time progressed and it became apparent that the cruise would have to be terminated, we were asking questions, and the staff seemed to be trying to assure us that we would still be able to continue. Frankly, the failure to communicate left us with the impression that Viking River Cruises was completely unprepared for the strike and that they were making arrangements on a day-to- day basis. As a consequence, at least one of the contracted bus companies (Wii) was completely incompetent, first getting lost in Heidelberg, taking an unnecessary and dangerous route to the castle and then trying to take us back to the ship in Nuremberg rather than going to Wurzberg where the ship was docked. Our belief is that Viking needed to have vetted companies in preparation for a strike in order to avoid these kinds of issues rather than appearing as if they were making all arrangements the day before. Basically, we felt that Viking was not open concerning various plans and options, and furthermore that we were being treated as children.

Independent of the strike issues, however, there other issues that made the cruise less than optimal. Most importantly, we feel that Viking's decision to have two people (cruise director and concierge) responsible for 180+ people was wholly inappropriate, regardless of how competent those individuals may be. As teachers with over 70 years combined experience, we cannot image how difficult it would be to keep track of that may people on excursions. One place where this deficiency became apparent was on bus excursions. With only two Viking personnel and four or more buses, if there was a problem, there was no one from Viking there to address the issue. As a matter of policy, no bus should ever leave the ship without a Viking employee on board independent of any contracted tour guide. That employee (who could be from the wait or hotel staff) should be able to communicate with the cruise director, Viking, and the bus company. That employee should keep count of the people on that particular bus, allowing a departure when everyone assigned to that bus is on board. Doing so would avoid the usual lengthy wait as only two Viking people tried to get everyone on board various buses. In Bamberg the lengthy delay meant waiting in an extremely hot bus since the bus was not able to idle and turn on the air conditioning. It was extremely uncomfortable. Had we left our dog in a car in similar heat, we could have been prosecuted. Read more