Viking River suffers bad PR after charging dead woman rebooking fee

Rules are rules, but sometimes cruise lines need to think about common sense. When they don't, it makes them look cold and uncaring. Take this Colorado man's situation. His wife died before their planned European cruise. Respecting her wishes, he decided to continue on the trip. He let Viking River know that he would still be going but his deceased wife would not. Of course the cruise company charged him a change fee of $850.

Aside from being uncaring, this rule makes no sense to me. The cruise takes on no extra cost by her not being there. He has the cabin, so they can't resell the room.

The media got a hold of the story and Viking dropped the fee. A relatively happy ending. Let's hope Viking learned their lesson.

Video Review: Viking Hlin

With so many questions about river cruising, every video is helpful. This one from Sixty and Me is very casual but also very personal and provides a good sense of the space and intimacy on board.

Popular Cruising's Viking Jarl Review

Popular Cruising changed the pace and tone of their reviews a bit, but it is all for the better. This review of the Viking Jarl is the first in the new style and provides their usual thorough insights and attention to detail.

The Travel Bite's tour of a Viking River Cruise stateroom

There are numerous differences between river and ocean cruises, but one area where they might feel familiar is in your cabin. As Rachelle Lucas of The Travel Bite shows in this tour of her Viking River stateroom, the layouts and amenities are very similar to most modern ocean liners. Small differences like extra appliances and perhaps a little more space favor the river cruise experience vs a traditional ocean cabin.

Travel Yourself's video review of Viking River Cruise

There are numerous video reviews of ocean cruise ships, but not nearly as many of river cruise. That is why the above review of Viking River Cruise from Travel Yourself is so welcome.

Although the video starts in the room (and gives a good idea of the space and special touches), Cailin also shares some of the other highlights from her trip. The clip is short and to the point, yet gives the viewer feel for the experience and sprinkles in Cailin's personalty. It's a good mix.

For more travel videos, check out Travel Yourself.

Popular Cruising's Viking Star Review

Popular Cruising put up another video review of Viking's new ship the Viking Star. The video also coincides with their review of the same ship in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Both reviews highlight the ship's beauty and unique touches, but also point out the ship's challenges in entertainment and activity.

Everyone's counting all the great things about the Viking Star

Both USA Today's Cruise Log and Cruise Fever posted numeric lists highlighting Viking Cruises' new Viking Star. Both lists highlighted the ships beauty and design, but most new ships look great. What makes Viking unique will be their approach to destinations and how they handle the "extras."

Instead of just docking in a port and letting cruisers fend for themselves, Viking is taking a more-river focused approach to their destinations. The ship will have a variety of resources and speakers to educate customers on their ports, sharing the history and culture of the cities. Viking also plans on longer stays in port so that customers can spend more time exploring and experiencing the great destinations.

The other aspect of the Viking Star that has its inspiration from river cruising, is the number of services and amenities that are included in the price of the cruise. Room service? Included! Wifi? Included! Beer/Soda/Wine? Included. Viking is a luxury, high-end product. They could make more money by charging for these extras, but instead they want to present value -- even at the high-end. We hope it works and we hope customers appreciate the decision.

Breaking down the best River Cruises

The Wall Street Journal provided a good breakdown of some of the most popular river cruise companies and what each has to offer. All the well-known lines have similar routes and stops, but the WSJ, with the help of Wendy Perrin, highlights the right river cruise for foodies, photographers and those who want a luxury experience.

The river cruise experience is still very different from the large ocean liners, but as the industry grows the river cruises will become more diverse in their offerings and experiences. It is a great time to sail.

River vs Ocean Cruises

One of the big stories of the past week was news that Viking Cruises' recent ship order includes an ocean-going vessel. With a huge following of river cruise passengers, Viking's expansion will surely be successful...even if they just get a fraction of their river cruisers onto the traditional cruise ship. But what about all those other river and ocean cruise fans who have wondered if they should try something different?

While there are many similarities, the river cruise and the ocean cruise remain very different. Cruise Maven Sherry Kennedy has a great breakdown of the two experiences here. Cruise Maven gives all of the important details and nuances, but the biggest takeaway is the difference in the ships. The river cruise boats are small and therefore don't offer the variety or number of onboard activities or dining options.

Viking's ocean ships will be smaller than the typical megaship, but the cruises will still be more familiar to ocean passengers than river devotees. Even with the differences, the company's success and track record should have river and ocean fans lining up to sail on the new ship.