A couple have detailed their expensive, yet disappointing cruise experience in what was supposed to be a 'trip of a lifetime'.
John, 78, and Rosemary Kaasa, 77, spent $22,000 on a Viking River Cruise, but claim they were plagued by numerous issues on board.
Their vacation quickly turned into a nightmare when the 15-day voyage across Europe was stricken down by sickness, tech issues and the natural environment.
The couple decided to go on the venture after John recovered from a serious health scare. Paying just under $12,000 each, they decided to take a chance on European countries for just over two weeks in celebration.
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Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that they would be battling against a European heat wave, and the air conditioning system would become faulty and stop working.
They were allegedly told not to open any doors, as this could let in bugs, leading them to be trapped with stifling heat.
“They said, ‘Don’t open your door, your sliding door, because you’ll get gnats in,’” Rosemary told WSB-TV.
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After five days on board, they were then all evacuated from the boat and onto another ship because of the low water levels on the river they were sailing.
But that’s when the trip truly took a turn for the worse.
Hoping for better conditions, they were disappointed to find that the air conditioning did not work on the new boat either, which meant that they had no reprieve from the scorching temperatures.
“It was 87 degrees in our cabin when we got there,” John told the outlet.
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Soon after, they realized their cabin ceiling appeared to be leaking, and enough was enough.
Complaining to the captain, the couple were less than pleased.
“I had to hold Rosemary down,” John said, with his wife stating: “He did. At one point, he's like, ‘Sit down’. I had more to say. I was not happy.”
Sadly, their nightmare was just beginning as the Kaasas were hit with a horrible sickness that left them stuck in bed for the remainder of their journey.
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But it wasn’t just the couple, there were many on board who apparently caught the illness.
“There was no escaping it. It was miserable,” John said. “I’d walk up and down the hall, and all you could hear was people coughing one room after another.”
The illness continued after they returned home and Rosemary said they were both later diagnosed with bronchitis.
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Because of how terrible their experience had been, they decided to raise a complaint with the company, having taken advice from Clark Howard, a consumer advisor.
That’s when Rosemary wrote to the CEO of Viking River Cruises and was offered $1,000 toward a future cruise.
Unhappy with the resolution, they enlisted WSB-TV to contact the company on their behalf.
After the network reached out, the pair were reportedly asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and couldn’t detail the deal they were handed.
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However, they still find the whole ordeal disappointing and believe they would have been ‘ignored’ had the TV station not stepped in.
“I’m terribly… No, I’m beyond being angry. I’m just very, very disappointed,” John admitted.
UNILAD reached out to Viking River Cruises for comment.
Topics: US News, Cruise ship, Europe, Travel, Health
Britt Jones