robert d.

My trip on the Vidar with Viking:
My flight was changed three times due to the quarantine change with the Netherlands so I lost my flight on Icelandair. This made it difficult to get a PCR test on time for the flight as times kept changing; I had to reschedule four times! The flight I took had me going to Newark New Jersey one of the least vaccinated places for a long layover over six hours. The Air Canada flight there only had salmon as the meal or vegan quinoa neither I could eat. So I ate two pouches of pretzels and mineral water. United Airlines was not aware I had mobility issues so boarding was very stressful but a stewardess bought me a sandwich, drink and banana. After six hours on the bench I was a mess. The plane had maintenance issues so we deboarded then reboarded.
Once I arrived in Amsterdam we waited two hours for the bus stuck in traffic then we were transported to the ship. My mattress was only four inches thick atop a metal platform with no box spring and was very lumpy. It was extremely uncomfortable, with no fitted sheets and just a duvet covering. Very hard to sleep and left me very stiff in the morning. Someone had mashed a lady bug in the bathroom and the smell lingered for the whole trip. There was constant noise of a generator night and day in suite 337 even when on shore power. The ventilation system ingested diesel fumes and cigarette smoke from the upper sun deck smoking area and pumped it into my room. I have breathing issues due to ALS so for me it was a serious issue. This happened whenever a ship docked next to my ship (started and reported sept 24 in Passau continued daily/nightly), also whenever buses idled on the dock. I brought this to the attention of the concierge and nothing was done about it. Apparently housekeeping checked the room and said it was now clear. I spoke to the manager about people constantly coming into my room without knocking when I was undressed. Even if I yelled "wait" or "coming in a second." They even ignored do not disturb signs. She explained that they needed a covid sample. I had tried to send the sample with housekeeping to the office but they had refused to take it. I called the office after dinner and asked for a bathrobe to be delivered so I could send my sample to reception. I waited over an hour and no one showed up. I rang reception 30 rings and no pickup this was common whenever I called. It was now late and I was jetlagged. I was naked and getting into the shower when someone began opening the door! I shouldered it closed because he ignored me yelling not to. The person said they would return soon. I put clothes on and waited for the returning person. An hour goes by so I hop in the shower. Then I put a do not disturb sign on my door and go to bed with BIPAP machine running. Two hours later I get phone calls. I get up and provided the sample to someone from reception. The issues with people coming into the room continued with people walking in late at night despite the do not disturb sign. I had to write notes to housekeeping to open the glass water bottles provided as I was unable to open them. I also wrote notes asking for the mattress coversheet to be changed. It was changed once in weeks. A sign on the bathroom wall said towels will only be changed if put in the sink for environmental reasons. Despite leaving soiled towels in the sink they were often put back on the rack even if wet or soiled. Leaving signs on doors asking for room cleaning often were not cleaned. Leaving tips did not make a difference. My attendant A**x even left his pass key in my room for a full day so I could rummage through others rooms! Lucky for them I turned it in at reception they did not seem to care. The Russian manager of the hotel part of the ship just kept saying "what can I do for you?" She never fixed the issues reported. Calls to the reception desk often were ignored despite 30 rings. Many of the concierge people had very poor English skills and seemed confused by my requests and concerns. B********a was particularly bad his behaviors were confusing and rarely solved the problem. For example he could not book a restaurant for me and gave me a printout on the Sacher Hotel but not in English. You got different information from different people they mostly did not know what was going on. These problems persisted until I left the Vidar.
Food was not consistent; one day it would be good the next day it would be awful. I had to send back burnt food and wrong orders. The maitre- d' did not supervise service and thus there were long wait times and tables ignored. Many dishes were weird combinations cooked sous vide with no seasoning. There was no consistency in service or team approach. Many issues were caused by poor language skills. The bartender who was Filipino was excellent and did far more then the others in the lounge. Dishes I had previously eaten at restaurants were prepared in unusual ways and lacked seasoning. Food in general was bland and not always hot. Service was inconsistent Dennis and Vladimir were excellent servers others fooled around and ignored guests. Language issues constantly resulted in strange orders and delivery of the wrong or no food. Servers constantly referred to guests as Sir or Madam then first name. So I was Sir Scott. This was kind of odd. Some appeared not to have been trained. French service is usually: serve from the right remove from the left. I saw drop down over my head, walk around us to window then drop food with both hands. Even reach in front of me with right arm elbow touching my nose to hand food to lady on my right. The Maitre-d' on the Liff watched and caught missed tables and directed meal pacing a few times. Some food just never showed up and we got it from the buffet ourselves. There was often food on chairs and floors from previous meals.
Most of the tours were moderate or extreme for walking. I was very limited in what I could participate in because of this. The onboard glassblowing demonstration was excellent; the taste of Austria dinner was good. The presentation on coffee and Mozart was good. The Miltenburg walking tour met my expectations but I was abandoned on a public bench I could not get off of. It was too low; I was saved by a fellow passenger. The tour guide was good and slowed down after that. The Wurzburg Residence & Walk was boring and the guide did very little, there were no descriptions of the interior we just walked around on our own. Panoramic Vienna was also very boring we just walked from a park to another church. I only enjoyed what I did after I left the group and made my own way around Vienna. Many trips were cancelled without notice. Colognes beer culture and dinner was overpriced and the food was terrible. The guide (P***r) seemed to be running some scam with the bars he took us to, as the group did not drink much but what little they drank was not beer but the bars gave receipts for beers. The guide drank continually. The bars he took us to were empty and like museums. I was not allowed to go to Ehrenbreitstein fortress they said I booked too late. Surviving the war art in Nuremberg was a terrible tour of a dark, damp and smelly cellar. I left the group and had fun outside. I was charged for a soft drink during the complementary champagne meeting on the first night 3.80 euros. I was even charged for a glass of apple juice which was unfair since I do not drink alcohol do to my ALS. I paid €100 to the three servers who did a good job. Despite the issues that were occurring. There was a collision early in the morning while approaching a lock on the fourth day. I happened to be up and went to the reception desk they were running around trying to find out what had happened. There was no water for the sink or shower on the 18th, and the sink would not drain on the 19th.
The furniture was low and uncomfortable and hard to get out of in the lounge and lobby. All guests mentioned this even with no mobility issues. The bathroom was far too small and the toilet was much too low. There was poor ventilation and the lock to the veranda was too stiff to use. The best guides I experienced were Moe in Cologne and the guide from Detroit in Miltenburg. The entertainment system had jagged lines, pauses and poor sound. The TV and movies were dated and the Internet was often offline. Laundry was overpriced and often came back unclean. There were spider webs and insects in the cabin for days see photos attached. There was a general lack of information even if you read the daily flyer religiously. They need to hire a special needs consultant for advice; those on the trip with health issues struggled with the setup. A consultant can address mobility issues regarding heights of chairs and toilets. There were no hand rails or lights in the Cologne dock. The stone stairs were a serious falling risk in pitch darkness.
Bratislava: guests found out on social media that the lock between Bratislava and Budapest was broken due to a collision with a barge. We knew a week before we got to it but Viking played it down. We found out we would be bussed two hours to Budapest so we packed up got coloured slips put on our luggage based on who was flying out or heading to Bucharest. The bus stopped just after crossing the border three busloads of people lined up for two pay toilets. I used the bus toilet I just could not wait, it was dark and difficult to use. We were bused around Budapest doing rolling sight-seeing. Then we boarded a river boat for a buffet the Americans attacked it from both sides like children cleaning it out. The food was awful and they left it in piles on their plates. I got a slice of bread some cucumber salad, cheese and mineral water as the food was not restocked. The glass dining room was broiling hot without air conditioning and windows were dogged shut. Then back on the bus and back to Castle Hill Fortress in Buda. Four of us were sick of climbing the hill and asked if we could ride back to the Hotel. We were told no by the guide then we asked if we could cab it. Told "No cabs never come up here." This was a lie there was a cab stand by the castle, also two dozen drove past us while we sat on benches. We would soon find out why they did not want us at the Hilton. When we got to the Hilton we had to walk a confusing route through the converted monastery. Had lots of stairs and corridors to climb while hauling a heavy backpack. Got to lobby hungry and exhausted it was clear the tour I had paid for wasn't happening. Oops Viking had failed to book rooms for people continuing to Bucharest and a few of those flying out. A near riot occurred with twenty-five people yelling and screaming. I sat and watched and told Wez Westcock the entertainment coordinator I wanted off the ship and would be staying in Budapest it was now close to 7 pm. He said it was too late to get a flight that night and to sleep on it. I decided to have a shower and eat. The buffet had obviously sat out all day it was bad: dried out duck legs etc. There were no servers and not enough seats! They finally opened a third room and I ate with a couple from Kenora who were happy to be going home they were also sick of disappointing food and screw ups. The hotel room was beautiful with a stunning view of Budapest but it had two double beds so my feet stuck out a foot but so comfortable after the lumpy shelf. Complimentary breakfast in the Hilton was excellent and far better than anything Viking had provided. We had to have our luggage in the lobby by 8 am for some reason. We then sat in the lounge until twelve waiting for the Liff to dock or buses to arrive. I told Wes I was not continuing and would stay in Budapest. He convinced me to return to the ship and settle my bill and have lunch. I would get my travel info and find out if a refund was available for the rest of the trip. Sadly I foolishly agreed.
We got on the bus went to the Liff and I spoke to D****n R********c the hotel manager about issues and my leaving. He moved my room to 305 to prevent a repeat of exhaust and noise. He offered two mattresses to make the bed comfortable and he provided a cleaner to unpack and put away my stuff. He said they were booking my flight and he was waiting for an email about my refund. They put three cartons of apple juice in my fridge and gave me a plate of strawberries and chocolates. I called reception and told them my phone charger was missing. My European Sim card did not work and the internet was down. They said they would call the Hilton about it. It was getting dark and the ship would soon sail I saw Wez and was told by him and D****n that there were no flights available and I would have to leave tomorrow! I was now stuck on board for the next three days with no internet and they had my passport for customs checks. I spoke to reception about needing to have a usb-c charger they did not have one. I spoke to D****n he said he would go ashore and buy one he didn't. I did not get the second mattress either. I did not get my booked trip to Szetendre but was still charged for it. Computers were screwed up and did not show correct location of the boat or my balance on the TV. I tried to go on provided tour which was easy level was told by M*****l S***a (reception) Wez would speak to me because there was no leisure group. He didn't they did not give me a ticket and left without me. Now only 30 people left on the boat only two or three couples from the Vidar. Food was better but the same meals from other ship. I got an excellent goulash and mushroom ragout the first night but I was starving. Service was more skilled but I was often ignored which was weird with so few people. D****n came to my table and said the flight from Belgrade would be free, I knew this was a lie because I had been told by the girl at reception it would cost $902. I asked him to put it in writing he provided a print off of Viking travel insurance flyer the next day which I was sure would not cover me. Flight was Belgrade to Munich Lufthansa economy, Munich to Toronto Air Canada business class. I had paid for business class round trip already. D****n promised the chef would go ashore and buy me a phone charger, he didn't. The lies were piling up. I borrowed one from the reception girl who brought the flight details after three days of asking. I started Canfly which required a scan of my passport. They refused to give me my passport! When I explained the girl escorted me to my room gave me three minutes to scan it. I struggled with shaky hands. She knocked on the door, I got her to scan it and she left with my passport.
Belgrade: I tried to take care of my bill they wanted my credit card number bad. I got a partial bill from the Vidar they charged 656 euro for trips laundry plus cost of flight 776.96 euro on top of this. When I totaled charges on list I got 347.80 euro. So I went down to complain to the person I had just paid. I suspected I would be charged for the flight at the airport so I wanted accurate receipts which I was just not getting. M*****l S***a blamed the Vidar and computer issues. I had been lied to so much and not given accurate itemized receipts despite having days to prepare them. I gave him 30 minutes to sort it out or I wanted the police called so I could file a report. He cobbled something together and we went over it. They had slipped 195 euro in gratuities into the bill but not the copy I was given (scan pages 1 and 2), 69 euro for Szentendre tour that never happened and two drinks he said he would refund those. He refunded 195 euro only. I had him sign and initial lists with paid in full zero balance. When cab arrived D****n, Chef and Maitre d headed up gangway with my luggage through customs. I followed; they were half a soccer field away by the time I got up the ramps. They put my stuff in a cab and I was free of them. Viking refunded trips, and laundry and two days of Amsterdam stuff. I got nothing for the charge for the flight or for the remaining trip to Bucharest. That was all lies. Also got a $500 dollar voucher I will never use since Viking is so slippery. It's a shame I had planned to take the Barcelona to Istanbul cruise.