This was our third time traveling on Viking and we expected a delightful, carefree experience. Lyon and Provence did not disappoint but Viking did. From having us wait at the airport for an hour before taking us to the ship (for a couple that missed their flight) but arriving on board 7 minutes after the light lunch was closed down. After traveling all night there was no food until dinner. For the extension, Viking did not offer enough slots on the excursions for everyone who wanted to go - even trying to book excursions 2 months in advance. Moreover, Viking had no interest in assisting in any way when the excursions were unavailable. At dinner and lunch, the people at the same table were served out of sync with each other so some might be finishing desert while others were getting the appetizer (after lots of waiting). One couldn't help but conclude that the trip was operating by rote.

We wrote to Viking upon our return and got an e-mail expressing sympathy but, because it was largely a form e-mail, getting a number of the facts wrong. We were offered a $250 per person credit on a future trip but only one of the two credits were provided. We wrote about the credits and received no reply.

Only a lengthy, hard copy letter to Torstein Hagen got a reply. To their credit, someone on Hagen's staff called and at least said the kinds of things one would have expected but I must say that it is not a carefree trip when, not only do things go wrong, but one must write three times to elicit a response that seeks to address what went wrong.