Food Flop
Viking Hemming Cruise Review to River Cruises - Europe
9 Night Portugal's River Of Gold (Lisbon To Porto)
Sail date: March 24, 2017
Ship: Viking Hemming
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 217
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
The River of Gold cruise and the excursions were both wonderful. The cuisine was so poor that we couldn't wait to dock so that we could eat something off the boat that we would enjoy. From uncooked rice to rare pork chops to uncooked Perch to something greesy that somewhat resembled bacon to cold dishes which should have been served warm and the opposite. We can go on and on! We and many others continued to voice our complaints to the Matre'd as well as to the waiters who were the innocent victims in the middle of this dilemma. We learned from someone that the head chef had been terminated at the end of our cruise. Slot of good that did for us. As I explained to the customer service rep over the phone, we take these and other cruises for the enjoyment of the scenery visiting wonderful places etc, the pleasures of relaxation and being catered to, and for good Cuisine. Accordingly, we are prepared to spend a decent sum to obtain these services and expect nothing less! Especially following Vikings long standing reputation in all aspects of a cruise vacation. This was our first cruise with Viking and may have been our last. Viking has given my wife and I two cruise vouchers for $750 each to be used for any cruise with them during the upcoming year. When asked what we felt would be a fair compensation for our dissatisfaction with the food we advised that we would anticipate vouchers for a minimum of 50% or $4000 for the two of us. That would be fair and ensure our future booking. Viking didn't shock me when they declined and said that the $750 or slightly less than 10% would be their max. They proved to me that they are no better than others at what they do and have a long way to go to raise the bar.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
The Hemming is quiet and comfortable. A wonderful boat.
Ports of call
VILA NOVA DE GAIA (PORTO), PORTUGAL
Vega De Terron (Salamanca), Spain