benjaminnicholas

Having just gotten off Polaris, I understand how polarizing the entertainment can be.

The classical duo was great for an evening, but they had a very repetitive repertoire.  We heard the same arrangements at least a dozen times.  It also didn't help that the pianist was very strong, but the cellist kept hitting a lot of sharp/wrong notes.  No bueno.

The contemporary couple was somehow able to suck the life out of every single song they sang.  It reminded me of Muzak on horse tranquilizers.

The entertainment director meant well, but was hampered by putting on a one-woman show that had the production value of typical high school.  Bad sound, bad/harsh lighting, no use of that gigantic, expensive projector in the Aula.  A fully missed opportunity to do something fun.

All said, the ship had more than enough technical capability to do solid entertainment, but it felt like they just threw things together.  Viking is charging too much money for it to feel this way.

You bet I mentioned all of this on the survey (written survey, no digital option, oy vey).

On 5/13/2024 at 12:54 PM, CDNPolar said:

I just don't think that we will ever choose to sail on a ship with 3000+ people.

And that's certainly not what any of us are suggesting.

Viking can make changes, have quality entertainment and be nothing like a mega ship.

But change is inevitable.  It's just HOW they change that will determine if they continue catering to an audience that's growing smaller by the day.

It'll be interesting to see.

On 5/13/2024 at 2:14 PM, KBs mum said:

Who cares what is on in the theatre. We can listen to our choice of music by original artists anytime by downloading things. 

We only go in the theatre once per cruise, for the lifeboat drill. It might as well not be there as far as we are concerned. 

Our problem is the live music in the lounges that is too loud and long lasting too be ignored

But see, you're just thinking of you...  And that's not what we're discussing.

You'll be long dead when Viking still remains.  That's the very issue we're touching on:  How the line will change to suit younger pax and a new generation with the money to travel well.

On 5/12/2024 at 5:04 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

I made this statement (some time back) - that Viking's demographic is aging and with that Viking is losing them....  and many people came back and said that NO, as the next generation down is aging, they are replacing them.

 

Below is a chart of age ranges in the USA - source Google.

 

What my philosophy is, is that yes there are people behind the Silent Generation and Boomers that are replacing "us", BUT they grew up in a different era and want different things.

 

I personally believe that IPO or not, Viking does need to grow with the times because the up and coming retirees that can afford Viking in cost and time will want different things than Viking's current demographic.

 

This is not just about age in my opinion.

 

For those of us still working today, look at the gaps in the office environment between the different age groups and their wants and needs.  The younger workers have very different wants and needs from the Silents and the Boomers.

 

Heck, even the current demographic of Viking is evolving.  In 2017 when we first went on a Viking cruise, we would see so many iPads for picture taking and fewer (not none, but fewer) smartphones.  Today, smartphones everywhere.

 

Technology is reshaping the Silents and the Boomers now and what the generations behind us want is not what we wanted.  IMO.

 

 

When you run the numbers and have an understanding of how business has always worked, you can see that Viking can't keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting record profits.

The demographic will always evolve.  This means that they will listen to their younger monied cruiser who could conceivably be a client for decades, not just a few more years.

I'm only 40 and have been doing Viking since I was 23.  I'm aware of the brand, the ships and how they do things.  I enjoy it, but also cruise with a wide variety of other lines.  Viking could learn a few small things from other near-luxury lines.

And they will.  And shareholders will make sure of that.

6 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I didn't think that you knew it was me!

YOU THREW UP ON THE CLASSICAL DUO!

Oh, I've seen plenty of older drunks on Viking expedition and ocean ships.

Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist.

2 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I've been on VE in the great lakes, they used their water gear/boats/sub all the time, weather permitting.  We didn't use some of the heavy coats though.

Weather permitting and water permitting.

So, just because you had it work out doesn't mean everyone else will.

I was just on Polaris, so I'm well-aware.

2 hours ago, KBs mum said:

Cirque du soleil is not hugely entertaining, the circus skills are impressive but repetitive. Style over substance. 

Viking's target market don't book for the entertainment, even though it is now being inflicted on people in the lounges. 

The lectures are much preferable to 3rd rate musical acts or comedians 

CDS is a billion dollar company, so a lot of people would disagree.

Viking's target market is dying every single day.  

Trust me that changes are coming now that the company has shareholders.

8 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Who is “they” ??

 

was it embarkation day?

The crew member working the front door of the restaurant.

Basically, their version of a maitre'd

No, it was well into the iten.

As a simple data point, on Polaris (expedition), in the two reservation eateries, they were making comment on people coming to dinner in black jeans, but still allowing them to sit.

On 5/10/2024 at 10:23 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

The Polaris is an expedition ship and the “entertainment” revolved around science and nature lectures, movies, and some sort of one person show by the cruise director. I throughly enjoyed it as opposed to the typical ocean cruise with less than stellar Broadway productions and C level comics.

 

It’s Torstein’s vision of a thinking man’s cruise and I’m onboard with it.

It's a true expedition ship when in the Arctic and other far-off spots.

But now, it's on Canadian waterways and the Great Lakes.  There's far less offered on the ship when it's not in the waters it was designed for.  

It's not that I'm looking for RC-style entertainment.

I'm just looking for Viking to not be lazy and tech their existing shows properly.  They look thrown together when they could look quite professional.

I work for Cirque Du Soleil, so I'm aware of what lighting/sound tech they have on their expedition ships.  More than enough to do very nice productions, including their classical and contemporary duos.  

The cooking demos in the Aulua weren't even lit or had cameras on the stations.  Huge missed opportunity.

Viking does so much else so well, it feels like they knowingly drop the ball on entertainment.

Even older folks need a little razzle-dazzle.

Ultimately, I'm sure they'll have to make some entertainment changes, as their target market continues to die out.  And going public will only make that kind of change happen faster.  

On the Polaris now and it's been 10+ days of very repetitive entertainment.

Even the 80+ demographic is complaining.  I've overheard them talking.

My main problem with this particular ship is that they have the larger theater and tech to do some pretty impressive things, but they don't. 

The shows are very simply lit and the tech is, sad to say, a little lazy.  

At these prices, I'd like to see Viking get a little more creative.

This topic reminds me of how many **** there are when traveling.

If you're sick, stay home or in your cabin.

Like a lot of things VV does, it's still half-baked.

Perhaps their app and the loyalty program will be fixed this year.

Dare to dream.

On 2/29/2024 at 9:42 AM, Linda W. said:

It's like a four seasons resort only better!

It's nice, but I wouldn't go that far

If there's fudging going on with the medical release, Viking needs to put in place better roadblocks to keep people who aren't fit for this kind of travel away.

Do not be selfish and put a whole ship at risk of ruining their holiday just because you want to cross something off your bucket list.

*dad joke alert*

On 2/13/2024 at 8:30 AM, CDNPolar said:

Veuve Clicquot in Canada is $79 bucks per bottle, and we would easily drink 2 bottles of that a day...  At that time I think that the cost of the package was $15 USD per night.  We more than got our moneys worth.  Now Veuve has been discontinued from the SSBP.  Still available, but not within the package.

But Veuve is....  Basic.

FYI:  Expedition ships are using Starlink, so it's much speedier than Ocean or River ships.

While there are number of competitors in the space, Viking changed the game with brand new, larger, modern ships doing the route.

No other ship is as comfortable (imo).  I've done several expedition ships, but they all felt very...  Bare bones.  True design was missing.  

You can't say that about Viking's expedition ships.

On 1/17/2024 at 11:32 AM, PistolPete13 said:

The gym was an absolute zoo at 9:30AM.  It’s not very large at all and I want to say it was even smaller than what was on the Prima.  You had people camping out to use the treadmills (limited to 25 mins) and other machines.  The free weight area only had two benches.  Towels and sanitizer was in chronic short supply.  I’m not sure why the gym was so popular with passengers on this sailing.  I did noticed that the gym was also packed during sail away as well when I peeked in the windows.  Based on my unbiased observations, I think many of the passengers found the gym equipment to be a novelty for their instagram photos.  I’m trying to be kind OK!

The sole reason I wouldn't cruise on Mera again is that their gym is entirely too small for the number of pax.  They undersized it...  And for what reason, I don't know.

It's almost always a zoo, without enough room or any mirrors.  If you're fit, this is a terrible ship to try to stick to your workouts on.

7 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Crew is not supposed to say anything which I think is wrong.

 But people who are tipped do not want to bite the hand that feeds them either.

 When I sail next month I will bring a kazoo incase a jam session breaks out. 😮😁

If the guest can play the way this gentleman plays, I'm fine with it.

He did a spectacular renditions of Chopin, Mozart and Stravinsky.

13 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

samesies - VV's caribbean ports kind of blow to begin with, so for warm weather vacations, we're just planning land based vacations where we actually want to go.  maybe we'd consider another voyage in europe, but getting from LA to barcelona or athens is a giant pain too!

THIS.  Their Caribbean ports of call are dull, dull, dull.  

Their Euro ships have much more interesting itens, albeit not so much so that I'd choose them to sail the Med.

18 hours ago, rikitikitavii said:

I’ve seen a similar sign on the piano in Yacht Club.

Certain repeat guests have carte blanche to play in the YC lounge.

I've seen a very regular guest on the Mera give impromptu spectacular performances and the crew never said a word. 

My butler said the gentleman is well-liked by the crew and is allowed to play in the lounge when he likes.