When you think everything is running to plan...think again. The surprises of river cruising are just around the corner
The constant changes and obstructions to great plans is very much a part of any operation on the river. You are faced with any number of unexpected twists and turns in the plans that you have
It is the weekend of June 8th, Saturday morning in South Africa. On Monday 10th, I am flying to Paris to meet our guests for one of our Viking river cruises itineraries known as the City of Lights. Paris to Prague. I get an urgent email.
A lock is broken. The Viking Idi will not be able to get onto the Mosel.
The previous cruise the ship had to deviate and is now in Vienna. Vienna!!!? That is miles away on the Danube and on the wrong river!
I sit there a moment, a little stunned by the news. What does that mean? My cruise is cancelled?
I knew that whatever would happen next, it certainly would not be anything I, or the arriving guests for the cruise, would expect.
The next 6 hours saw the new plan evolve. Suddenly the City of Lights cruise had transformed into a Danube river cruise starting in Paris and then flying to Vienna.
Piecing the adapted river cruise all-together
The logistical nightmare of contacting guests, creating a new itinerary and organizing the air transportation from Paris to Vienna for 172 guests, I can only imagine.
Things were still developing when I was flying to France on Monday night. I arrived in Paris on Tuesday morning and my phone awoke from airplane mode slumber.
Ding ding ding ding as the messages and emails poured in.
Reading through the emails in the Uber I headed for the hotel, I began to piece together the Land Ops team plan.
It required some real attention and, frankly, after a 10 hour overnight flight to Rome and a connecting flight to Paris, I was kind of wasted. My mind was a fog. I needed some real sleep badly.
No problem. A power nap and I should be good to go. It took a little while , however we managed to get stuff done.
Things were reshuffled. Most guests had received the advisory that the cruise had to be changed for reasons beyond out control.
Compensation for a changed river cruising itinerary
Regardless of offering alternative river cruising itineraries to guests, it is still important to realize that these people have been looking forward to a specific cruise for months if not longer, maybe a year or two.
Simply turning round and saying things are beyond our control, that cruise you have anticipated is not happening but here’s another really excellent one is just not good enough.
The guests received a very generous package as an apology and good faith from Viking. One which I was really surprised by.
It is great to work with a company that realizes the value in showing good faith and adapting to the needs of the day.
Some guests opted for their money back and a good compensation and they did not come at all.
Others decided to come anyway, while others still had already arrived in Paris before getting the last minute news. Happily less than 20 people cancelled.
The rest came for the adventure. And an adventure it was…
River cruising and adaptation requires serious thought and trouble shooting.
Our biggest issue was now that we had all our guests in Paris. Normally we would travel from Paris to Luxembourg by coach and then board the vessel in Trier.
Not this time. Now we had a ship in Vienna. That was a HUGE distance from Paris and certainly not drive-able. So, my next concern was how would we fly 172 guests from Paris?
Commercial flights would have meant fragmenting the groups of guests, sending some on longer legs then others, due to space limitations. And obviously being in a tight spot with trying to book all of them to arrive at a reasonable interval.
Mission impossible. Plus, imagine the unhappiness if they should fly to other stop-overs while others had a direct flight? It would be a mess.
The final deviation plan
The final plan was cemented in the 11th hour. I received information that we would be chartering a 737-800. Excellent! We would fly from Paris CDG to Vienna. For a moment I felt a sudden chill. Hang on, I thought, is this a 737-800 Max?
In light of the recent ill-fated flights of the Boeing 737-800 Max, I knew guests would start asking that question immediately.
A bit of research and a call to the Corporate, I established that the charter plane was definitely NOT a 737-800 Max. Thank God!
I guess that’s an integral part of being the PD. You have to try and be ahead of the curve always and anticipate the challenges and the guests concerns immediately.
You could deliver what you think is great news and discover it has a nasty sting in the tail.
I am really excited by the prospect of delivering a river cruise that will have unusual elements thrown in like the charter, an included concert in Vienna and some other aspects thrown in.
The itinerary I know from my previous seasons on the Grand European river cruising itinerary.
The adapted river cruising odyssey begins
The Paris pre-cruise tours are complete. I am up at 5am and getting ready on the morning of departure from the hotel. The guests start to come down to the hotel lobby after breakfast and the place starts filling up fast.
Luggage is coming down from rooms, porters are scrambling. Motor coaches arrive and the luggage identification and loading of the coaches begins. I would like to say it was a smooth process but it was anything but.
The adventure had begun. Everyone is on the coaches and we head out to the Hyatt for a laid on lunch in Paris.
Then we all go to the airport and arrive at Terminal 3 of Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. The line is long. I am frustrated and trying to organize more check in staff to speed up the process.
This is something totally new for Viking river cruises and the last minute arrangements bring with them the challenges. I sense that this will not be easy river cruising. I was right!
The Charter Flight in pictures
A company first!
Arrival Vienna
All good until we got out the terminal. I arrive at the bus parking area.
No buses!!? I look around me and see the guests gathered. My anticipation was that the motor coaches would be arriving imminently.
I asked all guests to bring their luggage to the curb and then the waiting game began. 5 mins became 15.
Still no transport. Behind me I could sense the rising tide of tiredness and irritation. 175 guests are glaring at me. It’s an awful place to be.
I make my calls. I start to alert everyone in corporate and the bus company. Where are my buses!? “They are are on their way, Rob”. 45 mins later and the humidity of the dying light of day brings with it a new irritation.
Mosquitos! Guests are starting to get bitten. Their patience is worn down to a frazzle. We have bought everyone drinks at the local soda drink stand – bet the guy never had a better days business.
Long story short, miscommunication with drivers and company. They were sleeping in a hotel room and woken up by a really peed off PD. I was at my wits end.
The cruise officially begins
I called the company and said that I am sending everyone to the ship in taxis. Within 5 minutes the coaches arrived, Halleluljah!
The buses loaded up the luggage and the guests boarded. I breathed easier and accompanied one bus to the ship. The guests were amazing.
Dinner had almost become the midnight buffet in the ship restaurant. I walked in and was greeted with smiles and warmth which blew me away. What a great group of people!
From my perspective, the cruise was challenging. We had issues along the way and due to the last minute arrangements, the flawless style we do things was not exactly that.
I explained this to the guests and tried my best to guide them through the challenges and misadventures as best I could.
Nuremberg was a treat on the last day, with great guides, a visit to the Congress Hall, the Zepplin fields (the place where Hitler would propagandize his insane philosophy to thousands of Nazi’s).
The history of Nuremberg is what makes it such a great stop. It has three fascinating levels to it.
The middle ages history which is enthralling, with a visit to the castle grounds and the old city, the WW2 history that brings some perspective to a troubling time and the modern day city it is today.
Nuremberg: Congress Hall, old city and the Zepplin Fields
I won’t lie and say it was not a relief to get the guests to Prague. The cruise was enjoyed by most of our guests, judging by the reviews.
However, it was not the usual Viking river cruising style. From my side, being a bit of a perfectionist in my work, it frustrated me at almost every turn.
Each day was a mystery as to how things would work out. And each day did not disappoint with something out of the ordinary.
To say I felt exhausted after this cruise is an understatement. But truly, the guests were amazing and I enjoyed the company of every one of them.
I have had perfect cruises with great weather and excellent timings for tours with superb guides on everyone and yet, incredibly, had guests who seemed to find fault in anything and everything.
This group, however, reminded me why I do what I do and what a joy it can be. So while they offered me their thanks, I offer it ten times back.
Okay, time for the next cruise…
Cruise: 26th June – 7th July – From the lights of Paris to the delights of Prague and every treasure in-between. Another journey with our Viking guests