Viking River Cruises Class Action Says Ship Didn’t Sail, Hit Another Bridge

A passenger of Viking River Cruises says that one ship failed to sail when scheduled and its replacement struck a bridge. He is aiming to hold the company liable for negligence that led to these incidents by filing a class action lawsuit.

Plaintiff John Amato IV says that he purchased tickets on Viking River Cruises’ “Romantic Daube” cruise vacation, set to sail on Oct. 19, 2018, for himself and his partner. Amato says he received his tickets on or around Oct. 5, 2018, and received an itinerary.

The Viking River Cruises class action claims the couple boarded the “Romantic Danube” cruise on Oct. 19, 2018, but the ship never moved due to “low water levels.” Allegedly, Amato and his partner were then sent to a Vienna airport hotel for two nights.

According to the Viking River Cruises class action, the couple were transferred to another vessel on or around Oct. 23, 2018. At this point, they anticipated that their cruise would be cut short because of the delays, but expected to still be able to go on the last three nights of their cruise.

The Viking River Cruises class action lawsuit states that the second ship then moved for around four hours from its initial location. The couple then took a bus tour at a secondary location, and then returned to the ship, at which point the vehicle cruised for seven additional hours before striking a bridge.

According to the Viking River Cruises class action lawsuit, the captain and crew negligently forgot to lower the wheelhouse, arguing that the ensuing collision with the bridge then ripped off the top of the wheelhouse.

The Viking River Danube cruise class action claims that this occurrence disabled the vessel and prevented it from moving further.

Amato says that he and his partner then spent two additional nights on the ship without it moving at all. He says that “out of a planned week-long cruise on the Danube, the two aforesaid ships together ‘cruised’ for a total of about eleven hours.”

The plaintiff claims that only after he set sail on the first ship did he hear from Viking River Cruises employees and local merchants that “low water levels” had posed a continuous problem for the cruise ships.

Allegedly, the problem had existed at least as early as June 2018, but the company did not give Amato or other passengers notice of the problem or an opportunity to rebook.

The Viking River Cruises class action lawsuit argues that the negligence of the captains and the crew led to passengers not receiving the cruise for which they paid.

Allegedly, Amato and other passengers were financially injured and inconvenienced because of the experience, and the plaintiff aims to hold the company liable for this alleged injury and the company’s negligence.

The Viking River Cruises class action notes that the company confirmed Amato’s trip and did not include any writing limiting the liability of Viking River Cruises, and did not specify an exclusive forum for making claims against them.

Allegedly, there was no language in the reservation contract terms that prevented ticket purchasers from making claims against the company.

John Amato IV is represented by himself, at Goodman Meagher & Enoch LLP.

The Viking River Cruises Class Action Lawsuit is John Amato IV v. Viking River Cruises Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-03753-GLR, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.