COVID 19 disrupts everything cruising....including our viking season 2020
Viking 2020 Season started with a bang and then fizzled out to a frantic escape for our guests back to where they had just arrived from
The Coronavirus has been highly disruptive of all industries and economies and the hospitality industry certainly is one of the hardest hit. The cruising business, in particular, was nailed hard by the pandemic.
The bad reputation earned with the virus has been developed in the media with Covid cases on cruise ships splashed across the TV, social media and the papers.
It has been a nightmare for many cruise companies and many of my friends and colleagues working for them. Guests stranded on vessels at sea, reaching out on FaceTime, desperate to disembark and go home. The crews, captive on board with no place to disembark.
The Diamond Princess was the first in the spotlight with the many Covid cases and since then, a litany of vessels in the throes of the challenge.
So, how did my Viking 2020 season fair? What happened to me and the guests?
Well, let’s back up to my start for the Viking 2020 season. As a Program Director based in South Africa, I was already planning my European trip up north in February.
Reports started coming through about the virus from China at this time but no one in the general population was aware of just how devastating this virus would be globally. Most media referred to it as a virus in China called COVID19.
The outbreak was slow to be recognized, although we now know governments were being warned of its potential spread. Travel was still open and tourism was at full tilt.
The Viking 2020 season starts…and so does the pandemic of COVID 19
Late February and early March and the signs became apparent that this was a little more than just a localized breakout in Wuhan, China. Precautions were being put in place with a COVID19 reaction.
Viking put out an option for guests who were booked for March sailings with us, to defer or cancel with full refund. I still had the green-light to fly out to Europe and left South Africa on 1st March.
As we do every year, we have a season start-up in Cologne and Vienna. Mine, working on the Mosel river and Rhine, was in Cologne.
I arrived in the German city on March 2nd and went to our winter harbour. This is where we do our management campus – 3 days intense learning of new protocols, sharing ideas and refresher medical aid course.
Winter harbour is exactly that. This is where you will find many of our Rhine and Mosel Longships berthed during the off-season and waiting for the full Viking crews to arrive to start waking them up. Maintenance duties replaced with unpacking and an intense process to duty readiness.
On my arrival I was instructed to wait at the gate. I was then ushered to a tent where my temperature was checked and I had to fill out a medical form.
Bear in mind, this was on the 2nd March – nothing normal about that at all! I was given the thumbs up and only then permitted to enter the winter harbour. Viking was already ahead of the curve.
I have covered the function of Winter harbour operations before in my 2019 season start article in my program directors blog, so I will not write too much about it here.
The one difference to this and the previous season start-ups was the discussion of Covid 19 and the measures we were going to take to protect our guests and crew.
We had a lot of precautions in place. After the 3 day management conference, we each went to our individual ships where our crews started to arrive.
As we always do at the start of the season, we get the ships prepped for sailing. Equipment is taken out from storage, the ship is meticulously cleaned.
We take on non- perishable stores and also have seminars for the crew during the day, in-between chores. It is a really busy week.
The Cities of Lights and Paris to Swiss Alps Program Director Team
As a part of management, I am responsible for some of the training and it is a great opportunity to get to know some of the crew members I had not met or worked with in the past.
We also get a chance to relax after the long day and socialize at the bar after dinner. It’s a fantastic bonding time and an effective way to create the team.
The Cities of Lights and Paris to Swiss Alps routes is one division within the Viking operations, which means we are a team.
As a group, we Program Directors share best practices and support to one another and so we are a tight knit group of friends and colleagues. This photo was taken when we all were pretty clueless about what would happen in the next 48 hours
So, there we were, working through the start-up requirements. The Viking Idi, my assigned ship, the same as last year, was ready. She was looking fantastic. The excitement was growing by the moment as we got ready for the beginning.
While I was in the Winter Harbor, I was watching the bookings with some trepidation. Cancellations were coming in daily as the news began to get worse about the COVID19 spread.
However, there were those guests who were determined to come and enjoy their cruise. But these guests were fast becoming the minority.
And off to Switzerland I go, COVID 19 or not. Viking 2020 season was underway…..zzz
So, off to Zurich I went, leaving behind the Viking Idi to set sail for Basel. I would be seeing everyone in a few days, bringing with me, our guests.
Arrival in Zurich was a day earlier than I was due to start, so I used this time to walk through the old town and stayed in a local city hotel overnight.
The next morning I was up and at ’em, enthusiastically walking from the old city to the guests’ hotel about 2km away. It was pouring rain and I resisted the temptation to call an Uber or get a cab. Nope, I decided, I wanted to walk and get the exercise.
Bad idea! Although a light drizzle, the rain soaked me within 15 mins. To add salt to the wound, I managed to get myself lost. An hour later, I found myself at the train station – I had walked a massive circle.
Perhaps it is my own bloody mindedness or just some closeted masochistic tendency, but I was not going to be beaten. No Uber. No cab. Take 2!
So, out I walked again from the point I had originally started, and after 45 minutes I arrived at the lobby of the hotel soaked but vindicated.
Guest begin to arrive
The following day I was greeting guests. Out of the original 183, I was down to a confirmed 68 guests. They arrived with conquering smiles as they had enjoyed abnormally spacious flights to Europe and we all felt that the trip ahead would be unique with such a small group on our Longship.
Everyone was excited. Marc (my city host and colleague) busied himself with briefing the guests with city details while I chatted about the upcoming cruise and things in general. There was a good feel as we all anticipated the next day and those that would follow.
The COVID 19 effect looms, unbeknownst to me
I saw a few guests later in the evening, milling about the lobby and heading into the local restaurant. We chatted about the upcoming cruise and what I thought were the best towns in the City of Lights itinerary and what they could do in these places. Everyone was buzzed with anticipation. It was all going well. By 10 pm I was in bed, ready to get my 8 hours and be fresh for the busy day ahead.
Wake up calls from Hell
The one most awful wake up that any Program Director will dread is not the alarm clock buzzing after limited sleep but the sound of the telephone ringing at 4:30am.
An early call is never good news. It could be a medical emergency or a bereavement of a guest who had bad news from home and needed a flight back.
I answered to be told by the night auditor that he had guests in the lobby asking for me. This was not good!
I sleepily washed and got into uniform and headed down to the lobby. Now, bear in mind, I am not the best in the morning without the standard cup of coffee.
This morning, I did not have that luxury. I took a deep breath as I exited the elevator and saw a group of guests busying themselves with paperwork at a table. They saw me and said…”What’s going on?”
My non-coffee, somewhat useless stumbling reply was “We’re going on tour later but you are up so early”.
I looked at the facial expressions staring back at me. There was a mix of shock, bemusement, disappointment and panic.
“The cruise is cancelled”. came a chorused response.
I looked at them as I grappled to make sense of what they were saying. “Cancelled? Who said?” I asked eventually.
“President Trump has announced that we all have to be back home by tomorrow midnight or we cannot get back”.
The guests were obviously alerted by family back home about the Trump announcement and I was in the dark. “Okay,” I said, while longingly eyeing the coffee machine in the restaurant. “I will call Viking and see what’s going on..”
One of the guests cut me off. “The Chairman of Viking released an infogram. The cruise is cancelled.” I asked to see the information received as I take nothing for granted and there is so much scamming and rubbish put out on social media.
But there it was. Our Chairman, Torstein Hagen telling guests that we need to get them back home. Cruise cancelled and a very generous re-compensation included. I was in shock. Now what? I thought.
Making the plan
The coffee was followed by another. My blunted brain was starting to evolve a thought process. I burned up my phone with our Basel office, waking anyone and everyone.
All confirmation of the cancellation in place, I sent guests to an early breakfast and started to prepare for my next course of action.
A few guests had already contacted our emergency air department in the US and arranged flights. I started to make the plan for the day.
I decided to send everyone on tour who wanted to go. Why not? There was no way they could get flights that morning and the earliest departures would most likely be in the evening or tomorrow.
I gathered the guests at the assigned time to meet for the tour and offered to start arranging flights home while they headed off to enjoy Zurich and the lake cruise. Most opted to go on the tour and that left me and city host, Marc, getting the flight requests sorted.
By the time the coaches were due back, I had a few air arrangements made. I had called the lead tour guide and asked her to inform the guests to stay in town if they wished as no one would be flying back today. So I was happy to see very few guests come back at noon with the coach. Most had stayed to enjoy lunch and explore.
Two days later and I was bidding the last of our guests goodbye. Spirits were good. They seemed to have enjoyed their short lived Viking experience.
Although they had not seen the Viking Idi, my assigned ship for the season, they did at least get to see a bit of Europe. As I told each leaving party over the departing 2 days “How many people can say they came to Europe for the weekend?”
8 hours later I was at an empty Zurich airport and boarding my flight back to Johannesburg, South Africa. That was my season (at least for now). Question is, what is the future of cruise tourism now?
While at home, I noticed that Viking have still gone ahead, proudly announcing and promoting their new projects, one of which is the Viking Expedition ships. This is truly exciting and very much the Wow Factor! Do check it out. I think you’ll be amazed.
