Here’s How One Advisor Reacted, and Stayed Calm, During Viking Sky Stalling

It started early Saturday morning, when Vickie Everhart got a text from a colleague at her agency. Viking Sky was stalled in the North Atlantic — and her customers were onboard.

“We had worked with these clients for many years, and they are dear, dear people,” said Everhart, who texted with them all day Saturday, then beginning at 6 a.m. on Sunday, and then starting at 4 a.m. on Monday. And while she couldn’t do much, she believes that just knowing someone was there watching out for them helped get her clients through the ordeal.

“I always tell people not to hesitate to contact me, while I can still take care of any problem they are having, rather than hearing about it after they get home. I want my clients to call me when they need me,” Everhart said. “I got an emoji with a kiss from them this morning, and that makes it all worthwhile.”

But on Saturday, as helicopters began airlifting passengers, Everhart kicked into high gear, doing all she could to be of help to the two people onboard on whom she alone was completely focused.

“On Saturday morning, we got an email from Viking, and I called them to try to get more information,” Everhart said. “I wanted to make sure my clients were being cared for; to know what the flight plans were; what I should be prepared for when they got on land. I got Viking’s customer service department on the line and asked if they would call and find out what the plans were for when 1,300 people showed up.”

At about 4 a.m., she got a text from her clients saying they were onshore at a reception center; the police and Viking officials, including Chairman Thorstein Hagen, were there making sure everyone was okay. They were going back to the ship (which had been towed to port) to pack their things. Soon, another text said they were being put on a chartered flight to Oslo.

Thinking ahead, Everhart focused on what would happen when the couple got home, dog-tired after 40 hours without sleep, and facing a long ride from the airport. She called Viking again, got the flight information, and arranged a hotel for them when they arrived in Baltimore.

They texted her again when they landed in Oslo, unsure where to go, and then when they got to Heathrow.

“Basically, I spent the whole weekend texting and calling,” Everhart said. “When they were still on the ship, nobody could give them any information about where they would be taken; I was frustrated that I couldn’t get any information, but I can’t fault Viking. I’m sure everyone was just focused on getting people off the ship. Their priority was to take care of people and they did that. I think they handled it well,” she said.

Viking has refunded the full fare to all aboard the cruise, and offered future credit for another trip.

Lessons learned
So, would she think twice about booking a client in the North Atlantic in March? Like cruising the Caribbean during hurricane season, often “that’s what the customer wants. They want to chase the Northern Lights, and you can’t do that in the summer,” she said. “So, you educate them, you tell them the situation, and you let them make the choice. And then you book it.”

Indeed, she said, while this cruise went wrong, “What are the odds? It’s a rare thing. I just always felt that when the cruise lines are responsible for people’s lives, they are not going to do anything to jeopardize their passengers and their equipment.”

And indeed, it’s when things go wrong that travel advisors prove their value.

“We never want anything to happen, but when it does, we can show our worth,” Everhart said. “That’s something we pride ourselves on. When I started in this business in 1992, I promised myself I’d always be the person I’d want to be taking care of my parents when they travel. I’ve never had a client face danger to this degree, though I did have a honeymoon couple in Puerto Rico [during Hurricane Maria] when the flood waters were up to the second floor, and a single traveler who went missing for three days.”

Her takeaway from both experiences? “Always make sure you have contact numbers for your clients, so if there is a situation, we can immediately be in touch — and an emergency contact so you can contact their family.”