VIKING INSIDER · ROB’S STORIES

By Rob Wheatley – Program Director & traveler.
With Viking since 2014 · Originally published May 2019 · Updated 16 October 2026

Trier: two missing guests · Miltenberg: a worrying call · Heidelberg: seven left behind · My advice for guests

Most things that come up in my life as a Program Director are fixable.

If the ship is not moving on and is close by or in the town, I am not too concerned and will delay our departure slightly, if possible.

Sometimes those guests come hurrying along to a chorus of sarcastic applause from their fellow guests. The relief is considerably more important to me than the applause.

The situation, however, can get more serious if the guests are identified as having walking issues or perhaps health issues.

In Trier, the two missing guests were two lovely ladies whose mobility and health made me particularly concerned.

I had four motor coaches loaded and ready to go. The guests had already been waiting about ten minutes while I did a count and a recount. After some investigation and questions of those who had been travelling on the same bus, I knew exactly who these guests were.

This is the moment to make a decision.

a. Do you send three of the motor coaches on and hold one behind?

b. Do you step off the motor coach and go in search of them yourself and send the coaches unaccompanied to the ship?

c. Do you wait and hope they will eventually turn up?

But, to be honest, my instinct that day was “all for one and one for all”.

Holding back only the coach to which the missing guests belonged felt unfair to those waiting, while everyone else returned to the ship.

On that occasion, I decided either all four coaches would wait or all four would return. That was my judgement on the day, not a rule for every situation. Which led me to the final conclusion. I called the Hotel Manager first and checked whether the ladies had called (they had not).

I explained the situation and arranged to move the port talk until after dinner. I would send all four coaches back, go in search of the guests myself and, hopefully, return with them by taxi.

I was concerned. Knowing these two ladies, I realized that they needed to be found. It could not be a case of leaving them with the responsibility of finding their way back to the ship. But I had one last idea.

I asked the lead driver to have her drivers follow her bus slowly as she did a U-turn and headed in the opposite direction that we were supposed to go, passing by the Porta Nigra gate (the meeting spot).

My hope was that four well-branded Viking motor coaches would stand out and be seen by the ladies if they were nearby.

So, off the bus I got. My Viking lollipop in hand, ready to go searching. As I walked up towards the Porta Nigra gate, I watched as the 4 Viking buses turned around and drove slowly by me on the road.

It’s a weird feeling watching the buses go past, knowing that you should be on one of them. But, that was how it was. I prayed this would not become a drama search for the next few hours.

In this case, I was really worried. Again, I had 4 Viking coaches with everyone on board except this gentleman.

Getting off and leaving the coaches was not an option this time. I asked each bus load of guests to watch out for the gentleman, describing his appearance.

We worked as a team.  Together with the other 3 coaches, we drove around Miltenberg for 20 mins as a convoy, looking for him. No luck at all. He could be anywhere.

We drove back to the meeting point in the hope he had found his way there.  Nope. He was nowhere to be seen. I was desperate.

We had to go. However, I would be leaving a guest who genuinely was so confused that he may be lost for a long while.

I felt that I needed to really do something a little more dramatic. Before we left town, I called the Miltenberg police and described him. I sat anxiously with my phone for about ten minutes as we drove away.

My phone rang. The police had found the man and put him in a taxi. Thank you, Miltenberg police!

Yes, once. I was in Heidelberg. There was a marathon on in the town. It was chaos.

Our coaches had just 5 mins to park and load and had to leave to make way for other coaches. I asked a guide to count two coaches. I counted the other two.

I had no idea why they would be there.  I got their number, called them and explained how they could get back.

Then, five minutes later, my phone rang. Another 3 people are standing at the meeting point! What the….!!!!?????

Yes, it was a complete disaster. 7 guests left behind. They had been late or confused about when and where to meet.

Turns out, the guide had not counted the other bus, she had just counted her group on one bus. Murphy’s law was that the 7 belonged to the motor coach that was not counted.

Perfect…NOT!  I was livid. However, to be fair, blaming someone else for the screw up is not the job. I ultimately carried the responsibility.

All 7 guests came back to Rüdesheim by train and got there before the ship did. It worked out okay but it taught me a valuable lesson.

After that, I asked the coach drivers to count as well: another check, especially when loading was rushed.

Those Heidelberg guests were able to reach the ship’s next location. That does not mean every missed coach or river ship can be sorted out with a quick taxi or train ride.

The ship may have moved, the next docking place may be different, and transport may be limited. Calling the onboard team first is much more useful than confidently setting off for the place you think the ship ought to be.

My ocean-cruise years gave me other memories: guests waving frantically from the quay when it was already too late. A large ship cannot simply reverse the afternoon and come back because someone has appeared.

Once it sails, catching up may involve much more than an inconvenient ride. The arrangements depend on the route, transport, travel documents and the cruise line’s instructions.

A wrong square, a misunderstood time or a last-minute dash? Tell me your story in the comments. I am particularly fond of the ones where everybody gets back safely.