12 night Iceland/Greenland cruise in August 24 with SH Vega, via a Travelzoo/Destinology deal.Discussed around booking about the opportunity to see polar bears, which I felt had been marketed & was a main reason for travelling -& it seemed a lot of other travellers had the same hopes. It was thought that this would be possible, although became immediately apparent once on board we would not -we had a lecture to dispel our hopes , as this was in fact not the case and a sighting highly unlikely-.I felt misled…but fortunately the cruise around Greenland took in the most beautiful awe inspiring scenery which made the trip very worthwhile.One saw beautiful fjords, glaciers and icebergs. A definite trip to do for nature enthusiasts!Embarkation of the ship was smooth, although Swan Hellanic let themselves badly down with logistics. They promise warm coats, waterproof rucksacks and water bottles to use and take home, as well as a welcome bottle of champagne in your cabin on arrival.Unfortunately most of these promises were hollow, not to mention very inconvenient.The low stock of coats meant I had to use a one two sizes to big, -I was advised if you need to exchange the size chosen there is stock, & the rucksack and insulated bottle were missing, as was the champagne. We were told they had supply problems!Had travellers been informed prior to travelling, own arrangements could have been made. As it was some had no suitable bag to carry cameras etc in a safe manner during the cruise.The champagne eventually was delivered to those who made a fuss, the rucksacks and water bottle to be sent home if we left our name and address.Hence, nothing heard for two months, and on chasing this up I have been advised that they are now unwilling to send them out and instead offered an non negotiable $100 voucher against a future cruise or on board credit!This is not an acceptable level of customer service expecting you to re book a cruise costing thousands in order to be recompensed for items contracted in a previous booking!A poor reflection of customer care & value!Such a shame coming from a luxury cruise company where cruises cost several thousands of pounds.The luxury ship, delightful committed staff and itinerary provided an enjoyable trip, the staff on board working extremely hard to ensure guests enjoyment.The company needs to support their hard work and keep customer service standards high. -The CEO of the company was on board this cruise, surely if these problems were unavoidable, they could have been handled better, & overseen by him!As it is, this response by SH does not unfortunately engender trust or indeed loyalty to the brand.-Of note: Swan Hellenics global head of guest relations provided the afor resolution, & assures in agreement with the CEO.
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Cultural Expedition Cruises
