The Vikings are real on this riverboat

Question: My husband and I are taking a Viking River Cruise down the Seine this summer. We are redeeming frequent flier miles for the flight for a surprise 70th birthday present for my husband, and since he loves World War II history.

We planned to fly into Paris early. But now Viking is saying that we must arrive on the day the tour begins, as they are meeting us in the baggage area. We are terribly upset that they are refusing not only to take us the two plus hours to the starting point for the cruise, but they have ignored over and over again attempts to communicate through our travel agent. We would appreciate any help you can give us. — Michelle Rothstein, Furlong, Pa.

Answer: Viking River Cruises seems like it’s being needlessly rigid. So I asked Joost Ouendag, the company’s vice president of marketing, why they weren’t accommodating your requests. “We do not, as a rule, allow diversions from our scheduled itineraries,” he told me. “This is not the result of an inflexible approach on our side, but rather an inescapable reality of organized group travel.”

When you’re traveling with a large group, says Ouendag, having everyone where they’re supposed to be — “adhering to stringent quality and cost control guidelines,” in his words — helps keep things running smoothly.

“This is not to say that we cannot bend the rules a little on occasion,” he added.

So why didn’t Viking bend the rules for you — or at least answer your travel agent? I reviewed the correspondence between your agent and Viking, and it appears that you did everything right. You worked with a travel agent (good job) she was polite and realistic with her requests (also good) and when she was stonewalled, she didn’t turn hostile (very good).

I’m left to conclude that Viking River Cruises believed you would just give up and reschedule your flight to arrive on the approved day. But they didn’t know you, and you were not about to take “no” for an answer.

Your options at that point were limited. You could have kept pestering your agent and the cruise line, or you could have asked for a full refund and found another way of traveling through Europe.

I’m glad you decided to press on. I took a Viking River Cruise along the Danube a few years ago, and it was a blast.

After I contacted Viking River Cruises, Ouendag apologized to you for the way in which your request was handled. He promised to bend a rule for you to make sure you have a transfer from Paris to Le Havre.

(Photo: brennerpeter/Flickr Creative Commons)

  • MeanMeosh

    Perhaps I’m being a tad simplistic – but if you get to Paris early, couldn’t you just take a taxi to the airport and meet the tour guide in the baggage claim area at the “approved” time? My guess is, the tour company doesn’t care how you actually get to the baggage claim area, as long as you get there by the appointed time.

  • Thalassa

    It sounds like everything was handled beautifully, but I wonder why the op couldn’t have simply arranged to go back to the airport at the scheduled time to meet the group?

  • http://home.comcast.net/~chucklicht/ Charles Lichtenwalner

    We have taken the same itinerary with another company, using FF miles for the airfare and had no problem. It was, however, our responsibilty to get to the first hotel on day two (after day one travelling from the US) on our own. We arrived several days before the scheduled itinerary, had a blast in Paris, went to a motel near CDG airport and joined a thoroughly wonderful cruise to Normandy. Never a comment from the tour company but the onus was on us to arrive at the proper time.

  • Sean

    @ MeanMeosh – - I thought the exact same thing when I read the story. I’d get there when I want and just plan on being back at the airport at the pre-designated time.
    Nonetheless, Good job Chris.

  • J C

    I agree with the first two posters. What are we missing here? Can they get to the airport and not get into the baggage claim area because of security and Viking will not meet them outside? If so, thats nit picking. It’s pretty standard that if you precede a group tour into a destination it’s your resonsability to meet the group where it begins, but as long as they can get to that point, as this seems to be the case, the transfer should not be this much of a hassle.

  • John

    As I reread this, it appears that they wanted the cruise company to transport them to the starting point of the cruise early. It’s no wonder that the cruise company would take exception. That adds a very real cost that isn’t included in the fare.

    I’m with the rest of the group. If you want to arrive early, plan on meeting the rest of the group at the meeting point for the trip. The cruise line probably wouldn’t care how you made it as long as you were there by (pick a time).

  • Sarah Di

    I guess I’m confused here. Were they wanting to arrive in Paris early, explore Paris and then go to the port at the normal time? Or were they wanting to get to Paris early and then go immediately to LeHavre? If the former, it shouldn’t be any big deal just to go back to the airport and meet up with the tour group for the shuttle after coming in early. But, if they were not planning on staying in Paris, I can see the frustration. Either way, I hope they have a wonderful vacation.

  • jonathan

    @everyone else… ditto. I did this in Puerto Rico (organized tour of Western Caribbean), and arrived 2 days early for some solo “fun” in San Juan. At the appointed hour, I was in the baggage claim of the airport, met the tour director, and re-joined the “group”. Did I, too, miss something in the narration? Even in Paris, where the airports are a bit out of the way, a taxi whisks one to either, in no time (and, let’s not forget the Metro!)

  • http://http/aol.com barbie45

    Viking was quite rude in not communicating with either travel agent or op. I would opt with Charles and find another company.

  • y_p_w

    Viking River Cruises used to send unsolicited messages to me on a regular basis.

  • Joe

    Why do things the right way or logical way when you have the Patron Saint of Whiners, Saint Elliott, to make those mean old companies bend the rules for you out of fear of a bad writeup?

  • Lisa S

    Chris, it would be great if you would clarify for us why the OP could not get to the airport. I, along with everyone else, would like to understand better the problem. Perhaps something is missing from the first paragraph? The last sentence did read a little odd, as if something were missing.

    I read the piece twice and it seems to me that the OP wanted the company to transport them two hours via private transport to the starting point. That seems a little above and beyond for group travel. If that is what Viking River Cruise did, then kudos to Viking for providing amazing customer service!

  • Lisa S

    I ought to add, that Viking was very clever to wait until you contacted them because based on this piece, I am going to check them out. It seems like they offer a wonderful travel experience. Way to go Viking!

  • Stephanus Surjaputra

    I’ll have to agree with everyone else here. She chose to arrive early. It’s on her to arrange transportation back to the meeting point. Can you see the nightmare that can occur if everyone on the cruise decided to come in on their own schedule? The tour company would have to scramble and rearrange all the driver schedules to make sure everyone gets to the port on time.

  • Monica

    I’m onboard with everyone else, and I hope Chris can clarify. If the only rule is “be at baggage claim on Friday @12PM” does it matter how they got there or where they came from?

    The only thing I can think of is that this was a packaged deal that included airfair or something, but even then, if the traveler wanted to fly in a day early and pay for a hotel seperately, that should be their choice.

  • J C

    Is John right? They didn’t specify they were willing to go to the airport. Did they want the cruise co. to transport them to the cruise site independently. If so, thats another story and they wouldn’t have a good case. We are missing part of the story.

  • Anne Wiggins

    I, too, have arrived early for a tour. Then I met the group at the appointed place at the appointed time. I have had experience with Viking and they provide a great way to travel. Have a good time!

    AW

  • SandyC

    It is standard procedure for all cruise lines to not provide transportation from the airport to the start of the cruise on any day except the first day of the cruise. The exception would be if they are flying in a day or two early & have booked a pre-cruise hotel with the company. In that case, the cruise line will typically pick you up at the airport & transport you to the hotel (which is part of their package & they are making money off of) and then the day the cruise begins, they will pick you up from the hotel you purchased from them & transport you to the ship. If you choose to do a pre-cruise on your own, you are basically forfeiting the transportation. That’s standard procedure and nothing to be upset about. I’m not sure why their travel agent wasn’t aware of that unless, of course, there’s a piece of the puzzle missing.

  • http://www.angrymarks.com/ Kevin Fields

    I think the major complaint here wasn’t that they wouldn’t honor the request, but that they refused to respond to the follow-up. I know that once I try three or four times to get a response and I get nothing in return, I usually pull my money out and give it to somebody else who will at least give me the time of day.

  • Carrie Charney

    I am “on board” with everyone else here (except one.) I take group trips every year. I arrive early to enjoy sights not included in my tour. Then I meet my group at the appointed place and time. Sometimes, I do ask, and am granted, to be let off on the way to the airport at the end of a trip. For instance, next month I will be “thrown off the van” at Big Pine Key on the drive between Key West and Miami. The tour is not going out of the way to drop me off and I will be able to meet relatives without extra expense.

  • Steve

    I, too, am confused about why the couple couldn’t simply arrange for their own transportation back to the airport to meet at baggage claim on the assigned day. (I assume the airport in France is like American airports, where you don’t have to go through security to meet someone at the baggage claim).

    But I agree with Kevin that the refusal to respond is what makes the company look bad. I don’t think their policy was at all unreasonable.

  • Noah

    I agree that the letter isn’t very clear, but here’s what it seems. They wanted to arrive in Paris early, and stay in Le Havre, where the cruise was scehduled to start. They wanted Viking to take them to Le Havre on the early day.

    I agree with some, but not all, of the previous comments. Assuming Viking was not already picking up other customers at CdG, I don’t see why they should have to send a separate shuttle to take these folks to Le Havre early.

    But, if the issue was that Viking required everybody to meet at CdG, and wouldn’t allow passengers to meet at the location the cruise’s starting point, then Viking’s position was totally unreasonable. A few people said that they should go back to CdG. That’s unreasonable, too. Paris is over 2 hours from Le Havre. Why shouldn’t they be able to go to Le Havre early, and meet the boat there?

  • Shari

    The only thing wrong wit Viking that I can see was their lack of communication, which was really inexcusable. Policy aside, there was no reason for Viking to not reply to e-mails.

    As for the OP, I have to agree with everyone else here. Just make you way back to the airport and meet up with the group.

  • Mark

    There is too much unknown about this issue, all well-covered in the previous posts. I would only add that Viking River has a very good group of salespeople in the field, who deal with travel agencies every day. If the travel agent did not get in touch with the local rep, they missed a perfect opportunity to sort this out swiftly.

  • http://www.roamingtales.com Caitlin @ Roaming Tales

    I agree with Noah. If the passengers are permitted to make their own way to the port, then I think that’s fine. I don’t think they should have to go back to Paris airport, over two hours away, and find their way back through security to the baggage claim area. But I also don’t think the company should have to pay for the transfer if it’s not happening at the appointed time. That said, Viking certainly should have responded to requests.