A couple is suing Viking Cruises after they claimed that their trip was a nightmare.
Manhattan attorney James P. Cinque, 62, and his wife Marie-Helene Cinque , 58, booked a Grand European cruise with the line for their 30th wedding anniversary, but the dream trip turned into a horror. They're not hitting Viking Cruises with a $5 million class action lawsuit claiming that the line knew that the ship has electrical problems before a breakdown that occurred on their cruise, the New York Post reports.
The couple booked the trip on the Viking Magni from Sept. 24 through Oct. 8. In the cruise line brochure, Viking promised an "unforgettable trip" along the Rhine River with "friendly, attentive, award-winning service," the suit says according to the Post.
The couple claims that Viking didn't mention to passengers that the Viking Magni had power issues on a previous cruise. About ten days into their voyage, the electrical system shut down again.
The boat slowly got to the nearest port but it couldn't be fixed, so the 200 passengers on board were placed on cramped buses and were taken on seven-hour bus trips between stops.
"The boat shouldn't have broken down," James told The Post. "It's not like it was an act of God."
When the couple tried to ask for a refund and to leave the group, Viking told them that they would have to leave at their own expense.
"We were taken to Frankfurt instead of the beautiful cities along the river," James said. "We spent one whole day on the bus. We missed Amsterdam entirely."
Cinque said he decided to file the lawsuit after he argued with Vikings' customer service and they would only offer him a 50 percent credit on a future cruise.
"I don't want to go back on one of their cruises. It was horrible," James said.
In the lawsuit, the couple is demanding a $25,000 refund for each passenger.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
