Elderly couple's $22k Viking cruise of a lifetime plagued by gnats, disease and broken air conditioning
John and Rosemary Kaasa were looking forward to their 15-day voyage across Europe, especially after he recently recovered from a serious health scare.
But after paying more than $11,000 each, the couple from Roswell - about 40 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia - went through a hellish experience.
In the midst of a European heat wave, the much-needed air conditioning system stopped working on their boat.
That major issue then led to another one - gnats swarming the area.
'They said, "don't open your door, your sliding door, because you'll get gnats in,"' Rosemary, 77, told WSB-TV.
After spending five grueling days in a hot boat, the couple and other passengers were frantically evacuated to another ship because of low water levels on the river.
But the air conditioning did not work on the new boat either, leaving them to sit in a room that reached approximately 90F, the couple recalled.
'It was 87 degrees in our cabin when we got there,' John, 78, said.
While dealing with the faulty air conditioning, the couple soon realized their cabin ceiling was leaking, prompting them and others to speak up.
'I had to hold Rosemary down,' John said of his wife.
'He did. At one point, he's like, "Sit down",' she said. 'I had more to say. I was not happy.'
Soon after complaining to the captain, the Kaasas were hit with a horrible sickness that left bedridden for the rest of their trip.
John even recalled hearing other passengers coughing all throughout the ship.
'There was no escaping it. It was miserable,' he said. 'I'd walk up and down the hall, and all you could hear was people coughing one room after another.'
To make matters worse, the husband and wife were both diagnosed with bronchitis when they got back home, Rosemary said.
After the horrid experience, she decided she wasn't just going to let the cruise company get away with what happened.
Rosemary, a volunteer with the local station's Consumer Action Center, quickly remembered advice Clark Howard, a local advisor, gave her.
'From Clark, I've learned that you go to the CEO. So I sent him a letter,' she explained.
Initially, they were offered only $1,000 toward a future cruise, but Howard's advice proved valuable as Rosemary persisted.
'You complain everywhere you can, hope that at some point they decide it's better just to get this person to go away,' Howard told the outlet.
Viking River Cruises only agreed to resolve the issue with the couple after WSB-TV reached out, per the outlet.
It remains unclear what the resolution was as they signed a non-disclosure agreement with the company.
Still, the Kaasas feel very upset about what they endured.
'I'm terribly… No, I'm beyond being angry. I'm just very, very disappointed,' John said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Eli Lilly ramps up UK price of weight loss jab Mounjaro after Trump demands
The price of the weight loss jab Mounjaro will rise by up to 170% in the UK, its US manufacturer has said, as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on drugmakers to increase their prices for Europeans so that they can make them more affordable for Americans. Eli Lilly has said it will increase the price of the drug from September, with a month's supply of the highest dose rising from £122 to £330. Mounjaro contains tirzepatide and is self-administered in once-a-week injections. When it launched in Britain in February 2024, Eli Lilly agreed to a list price 'significantly below' its other European markets to stop delays in availability of the medicine through the NHS. The increase in the list price will align it 'more consistently', the company said, although it added the NHS would not pay the new higher price to ensure continued access for the people with obesity and type 2 diabetes receiving it through the health service. Eli Lilly said it was working with private healthcare providers, which could negotiate their own confidential discounts with the company. Trump has threatened to use 'every tool in our arsenal' to crack down on pharmaceutical companies charging higher prices in the US compared with other nations. The US pays about three times more for drugs compared with other developed countries, according to the Rand Corporation thinktank. On 31 July, Trump sent letters to 17 of the world's biggest drugmakers, including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, demanding cuts to drug prices for Americans within 60 days. 'Make no mistake: a collaborative effort towards achieving global pricing parity would be the most effective path for companies, the government and American patients,' Trump wrote. 'But if you refuse to step up we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices. 'Americans are demanding lower drug prices, and they need them today.' In May, Trump told reporters that a friend in London had told him he had bought the 'fat shot drug' for $88, compared with $1,300 in New York. Pharmaceutical companies have cashed in on huge demand for weight loss treatments. Denmark's Novo Nordisk has become one of the most prominent names in the field, launching Wegovy in the UK in September 2023, turning it into one of the most valuable companies in Europe. While the jabs have increased profits at big pharmaceutical companies, they are racing to develop an equivalent pill, which would be a more convenient and cheaper alternative for patients and healthcare authorities. Eli Lilly said this month that a pill in early trial stages showed that participants on their highest dose lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight, compared with 0.9% of the control group. Novo Nordisk has submitted its oral weight loss drug for approval in the US. Its trial results showed that participants could lose about 15% of their body weight.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
FDA issues recall of cheese products sold nationwide over fears of contamination from bacteria and RODENTS
Five cheese products have been urgently recalled due to being potentially contaminated with deadly bacteria and rodents. Wegmans Food Markets has voluntarily recalled four of its cheese products containing camembert and brie cheese after they were found to be at risk of containing listeria, a type of bacteria that causes severe diarrhea and muscle aches. The recall included the following products: Wegmans Medium Camembert Soft Ripened Cheese, 8.8 oz; Wegmans Assorted Cheese Flight, 1 lb; Wegmans Grilling Camembert with Tapenade & Roasted Tomatoes, 10 oz; and Wegmans Caramel Apple Pecan Topped Brie Cheese, 13 oz. Affected products, supplied by Georgia-based Estancia Holdings, were pulled from stores after the company was notified by their French supplier that three shipments they received may be contaminated with listeria. Recalled items were sold in the cheese department at all Wegmans stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington DC. They were sold between July 1 and August 12, 2025. Additionally, New Hampshire-based Quesito El Establo recalled its Spanish Cheese (Quesito Colombiano) because they were manufactured at a facility with rodents, rodent activity and other unsanitary conditions, according to an FDA investigation. The FDA warned this raised the risk of the products being contaminated with salmonella, which causes bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps. The cheese was distributed to stores in Massachusetts targeting Hispanic and Latino customers. They all had the product code August 22, 2025, or earlier. No illnesses have been reported for either recall. Quesito El Establo has stopped production and distribution of affected products while the FDA and the company continue investigating. Listeria, also called Listeriosis, is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. It can be found in moist environments, soil, water, decaying vegetation and animals, and can survive refrigeration and other food preservation measures. Many foods can harbor the bug, but it is usually found in unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses and ready-to-eat foods, such as prepacked sandwiches. Cooked shellfish, cured meats and fish, including sushi and pre-cut fruit, are also a risk. Most people who eat food contaminated with Listeria will not become seriously ill. But in some cases, it can cause confusion and seizures, miscarriages among pregnant women, and even death. This can happen when the infection spreads beyond the gut and affects the central nervous system, which can lead to numbness and seizures. The CDC estimates 1,600 Americans become infected with listeria every year, and about 260 die. Salmonella typically causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that begin six hours to six days after initial infection, according to the CDC. Unlike most bacteria, once consumed some strains of salmonella can survive the stomach acid and travel into the intestines. Once there, they burrow into the cells lining the organ, causing inflammation, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. The bacteria may also enter the bloodstream and travel to other organs. Most people recover within days, though the illness is responsible for more than 1.3million infections, 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths a year. Customers who consumed any of the affected products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund, the FDA said.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
World first driverless BUS to ferry holidaymakers between terminals at major UK airport is unveiled
HOLIDAYMAKERS will soon be ferried between terminals in the world's first driverless bus at a UK airport. The eight-seater auto shuttle will trial at Teeside International Airport from October. 2 A £1 million deal between the airport and Aurrigo International Plc will see the bus ferry passengers between terminals, while an Auto-Dolly Tug - designed to ferry cargo instead of passengers - will be trialled in January. Managing Director at Teesside International Airport, Phil Forster, said the technology would make moving bags from check-in to planes seamless. But Aurrigo's Auto-Shuttle will be tested before it carries any passengers across the tarmac. It's hoped that, if successful, the new vehicles will transform the way passengers are moved around the airport. And they could be shuttling passengers to their flights as early as 2026. Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, told the BBC: "These vehicles arriving in just a couple of months' time are a huge boost and I'm excited to see them serving holidaymakers on our year-round flights in the New Year." The futuristic vehicles come to the airport after plans were announced earlier this year to invest £2 million to build a facility that would construct and test trackless trams. The Tees Valley Combined Authority hopes the facility would allow driverless vehicles to be put to work in town centres by the end of 2027. He went on to say that the tech will likely have an impact on the whole aviation industry. Aurrigo has deployed its driverless vehicles across the world before but has never trialled them at a live airport. The firm's test will mark a world first as the driverless buses take to the tarmac. Driverless buses have previously been used in Scotland but never deployed to an airport before. The new technology allows for operating costs to be reduced with no need to pay drivers. Driverless vehicles are still relatively new and untested technology and are yet to be rolled out nationwide.
