OnTheJourney

Thanks for ideas. We booked a private tour with a local, small family-run outfit that sounds really good.

Hmmmm....yes and no. Generally speaking, I think it's fair to say that many people like what they're familiar with, be it art / music pieces or events / situations / routines that fall within their comfort zone.

Never been in there other than the last cruise when there was supposed to be a non-denominational Sunday morning religious service. The schedule got messed up on that one. For that matter, have hardly spent much time in any cruise ship lounge other than during some sort of special event. Being a musician, probably seems weird to not spending some time doing that in the evenings and listening to music, but just not all that interested. I hardly ever listen to my own recordings for that matter. I've talked with or read about other musicians who feel the same way, which is probably a somewhat interesting topic in and of itself.

I consider what Viking plays in the background in the public / dining areas to be more mellow new age than pop. Very nice stuff, I think. Jazz is an acquired taste and probably more of a niche audience, if you will (albeit a large one for sure), than for pop/rock.

No offense taken whatsoever!! So very sorry if it came across that way.

LOL So you were...what...8 or 9 years old in '74 based on your mention of being 'single digits'? Some people might refer to the music of Bach or Mozart as being 'absurdly' old. All relative.

Well, that was '74. I was already in college. I'm in my upper 60s but feel like I grew up musically during the late 60s and early 70s. Probably the time that had the most impact, for me, is early teens or even before when I started guitar lessons since the music of the time so influenced what people wanted to learn to play...guitar and drums!! That went right through me since I, and so many, probably feel they're among the best, if not THE best, bands of all times as to musical creativity and being able to crank out amazing pop tunes that'll likely play 200 years from now. But..hey...each to his/her own! My daughter's age group (30ish) grew up hearing the music of their parents' generation and so often got into it equally as much. No generalizations implied though. I still think the 60s and 70s was the most amazing time period in terms of the quality and creativity of the music compared to anything that came since. So many amazing bands and solo artists.

We don't do much then. Usually after (early) dinner we head back to the room, prepare everything for whatever comes the following day (especially if a long excursion), take showers, probably catch up on missed lectures or port talks, and typically in bed by 10:30-11:00. Never been into going to any lounges in the evenings - did a few times on various cruises. We go to the shows though unless it's something we have little interest in.

As i said, can't be Sofia. She's too well polished for anyone to accuse her of being even at a mediocre level, since she's so far above that. Are you sure it wasn't some passenger who slipped in there unbidden and decided to share some degree of talent! Basically same here....

May have been the same guy we heard on the Sky in '19. Knew his way around the neck for sure and did both vocals and instrumentals.

good point!

Any idea what his name is? I love hearing good instrumental on guitar. The guy that played on two of our sailings was really good. If it's just a strum and sing approach, I tend to lose interest although admire and envy people who have the range to easily sing pop stuff. Not in my cards, having been a Bass II my whole academic and collegiate singing career!

LOL..he's a good guy. I have great respect for him after how he handled things with our Northern Lights sailing back in '19, and then also what he publicly stated during the Invitational Chairman's cruise this past May. He was on that sailing, along with Karine, her husband, and the dogs.

Makes sense. Much more ive music taking place when walking around on RCL or X in the various lounges, etc.

Curious...what sort of "things" did you feel you were prevented from doing? There's always the option of just chilling out in the wintergarten. No live music taking place there at all except for during tea. Great place, we always found, for just reading in a quiet setting - or also the seating areas right outside the wintergarten. Explorer's lounge too. During the day...no music at all. Mamson's..same thing. Warmer weather, of course, one's own balcony is always good. The atrium areas, except for when there is live music, also seem quiet and relaxed - people playing various games or working on a jigsaw puzzle. A bit confused as to what you're referring to. Could it be you're looking for more organized, group-type social events on a sea day? During our cruise the big thing was baggo...crew vs. guests. Threw the bag (or whatever) down the staircase. Once again, somehow expected that sort of thing on a larger cruise line. It was fun for all involved I have no doubt...but made for a good bit of extra noise while passing through the atrium areas. Also lots of people standing around the railings looking down on it. I think they did it every sea day. Will probably become a Viking tradition. Some activities are probably dictated to some extent by who the cruise director is.

Huh....find that hard to believe. I can't recall encountering much of any live music unless venturing into a bar or later evening, which we don't do anyway. Except for whomever was playing during tea, theatre shows and either piano or string duo in the atrium at various times, I don't think we heard any other live music.

No chance whatsoever that it would have been Sofia!

I heard a guy there one night basically singing a variety of pop music. Essentially the guitar was pretty much just to accompany himself. However, we've heard another guitarist on Viking that often played during tea who is primarily an instrumentalist at heart and accomplished. Having been a professional musician and public school music educator my entire life, I'd like to think that I'm a pretty adequate judge of what I'm hearing.

Who was it? Sofia Vasheruk? Can't imagine who would classify her as being merely "ok" at performing classical or any other genre. She's a highly skilled, award-winning concert level performer, and so very good technically. Her pop performances also very well done. Being a pianist, organist, and guitarist myself (music has been my whole career), I zoomed in on her music pad from up above out of curiosity while watching her play. Note for note she executed flawlessly and NOT easy arrangements by any means. I just didn't sense the same depth of feeling that she puts into her classical selections. It may well have been someone else on your sailing.

Well, alot better IMHO than bringing on female pop performers covering stuff by Taylor Swift or Adele. That'd be my turn to run the other direction....

LOL....I get it. Each to his or her own for sure! 😆 Admittedly, this is not my favorite part of classical music. I do enjoy listening...for awhile...and can greatly admire the talent needed to accomplish the pieces. I'm more of an orchestral bent when it comes to classical preference. This makes sense given that at some point us baby boomers either won't be here anymore or else no longer in adequate physical condition to hop on cruise ships 🙁 True enough. As my Mom is fond of saying, "nothing stays the same". Much of what Viking is and has been is a product of Torstein's vision for it. Obviously, he won't be here forever either, so then it falls on Karine, or whomever after her, to continue to help shape the vision of what a Viking cruise should be. Thing is, I can quite honestly get the theatre pop shows done better - and more elaborately - on RCL or X since they have the bigger casts and likely the production $ to accomplish it. Viking was a nice alternative for something different. People, generally speaking, tend to like things that they know and are familiar with. Viking has always sort of defined itself by what it doesn't have - including kids, casinos, photographers, umbrella drinks and such. Target market is surely the 55+ retired group (though 50s appears to be the low end of things) curious about exploring their world "in comfort" (as the advertising goes...). Bring kids onboard and it will lose that sense of greater calmness and quiet not to be found as much on the behemoths of the seas. Bring casinos and that invities a different sort of demographic as well. Musical offerings - in whatever form - are likely to have the least amount of impact as to who decides to travel with Viking or not if the rest of the product remains basically the same.

Curious...in what way?

And yet...the cello / violin duo plays alot of pop tunes. We greatly enjoyed listening to them for a bit in the atrium after dinner. But Sofia playing pop stuff on piano somehow just didn't quite work for me. As a musician, I didn't sense the same love or feeling for what she was playing as when she does her amazing classical selections.

He was amazing. Helped in a great way to make Brady achieve the numbers that he did. I thought it was cool how he followed Brady to Tampa Bay. Winning the SB in the first season there was also amazing. LOL....I get it. My big thing is...I don't like dynasties...in any sport. I like to see a variety of teams get their chance at the big titles. Thus, I was not a Patriots fan. It was like...enough already. Now, I'm starting to feel that way about KC. I'm not a great Eagles fan either, though, so really didn't care much who won this last one. Mahomes is great, but I'm tired of him at this point too.

Understood completely. As I said, surveys have likely reflected your thoughts and hence some more variety being added. That said, fleeing from a show “in horror” is surely an exaggeration? My attraction to Viking was partly due to them not being as mainstream in what they generally offer compared to some other larger lines. It all comes down to satisfying and meeting the needs of the demographic that is loyal to them. Surely some devoted fans of classical music likely had your same sort of reaction to the more pop oriented performances. Covid has also changed how the travel industry operates in some ways. I agree that presenting a variety is a good thing but depending on how far it goes it could start to alter other facets of what makes Viking who they are. Suppose enough surveys come back urging them to start letting younger (under 18s) on board, or to allow a bit of casino action, or the opportunity for professional photos. I’m probably going over the top here but just suggesting that any cruise line will probably give in at some point to doing, adding, or changing whatever that will best fill up the ships.