Maiden Crossing Le Champagne Situation..solution?

[WesW]

Hi, would like to ask our fellow SS cruisers for their thoughts/recommendation on how SS could have solved a dilemma many of us experienced while dining in Le Champagne on the Maiden Crossing.

 

In sum, there was one couple who had standing reservations for every

night in Le Champagne. The problem occurred when they sat down for dinner, almost night they were loud--continuously, screaming profanity, telling each other to shut up, in other words they were excessively obnoxious. In our two meals in LC, we were never bothered enough (obviously enjoying our meals/wine/friends) to make a formal complaint but did clearly hear their arguments, and their use of inappropriate language.

 

Another couple felt the ambiance in LC was so ruined the night they dined there, they asked for their Le Champagne fee back and they received it.

 

Towards the end of the crossing (our two LC meals were on day 12 and day14 of the 16 day crossing), I visited the Hotel Director, Paolo and politely mentioned I believe they have a problem with one couple in Le Champagne. Marcello, the M'D did the best (at his level) he could by seating them in the only table for two on one side of Le Champagne..but the LC venue is so small, when a couple has a heated argument, almost everyone hears their words.

 

Paolo acknowledged they had a problem with this couple in LC as he has heard from other LC guests, and he asked for my recommendations.

I did tell Paolo that no decision is a decision, but outside of banning them

from LC, which may have a second order effect in the next venue (e.g Restaurant they dine in disrupting even more diners), I did not have

a good recommendation. On the last sea day of our voyage, I asked another cruise acquaintance (along with his wife, also had a standing

reservation in LC every night) what he thought about this couple and

their behavior? He said, Wes, "it's America," this is democracy.

 

After a few days at home, am still pondering this Le Champagne situation and wondering what your thoughts/recommendations are?

 

Thanks in advance

[Budda11]

Wes, we had the same problem on the 15th - I think the room is the problem, not at all like the other ships - small - I cannot think of a solution and we may have to live with this type problem.

 

Malcolm

[CASHIPman]

Hi, would like to ask our fellow SS cruisers for their thoughts/recommendation on how SS could have solved a dilemma many of us experienced while dining in Le Champagne on the Maiden Crossing.

 

In sum, there was one couple who had standing reservations for every

night in Le Champagne. The problem occurred when they sat down for dinner, almost night they were loud--continuously, screaming profanity, telling each other to shut up, in other words they were excessively obnoxious. In our two meals in LC, we were never bothered enough (obviously enjoying our meals/wine/friends) to make a formal complaint but did clearly hear their arguments, and their use of inappropriate language.

 

Another couple felt the ambiance in LC was so ruined the night they dined there, they asked for their Le Champagne fee back and they received it.

 

Towards the end of the crossing (our two LC meals were on day 12 and day14 of the 16 day crossing), I visited the Hotel Director, Paolo and politely mentioned I believe they have a problem with one couple in Le Champagne. Marcello, the M'D did the best (at his level) he could by seating them in the only table for two on one side of Le Champagne..but the LC venue is so small, when a couple has a heated argument, almost everyone hears their words.

 

Paolo acknowledged they had a problem with this couple in LC as he has heard from other LC guests, and he asked for my recommendations.

I did tell Paolo that no decision is a decision, but outside of banning them

from LC, which may have a second order effect in the next venue (e.g Restaurant they dine in disrupting even more diners), I did not have

a good recommendation. On the last sea day of our voyage, I asked another cruise acquaintance (along with his wife, also had a standing

reservation in LC every night) what he thought about this couple and

their behavior? He said, Wes, "it's America," this is democracy.

 

After a few days at home, am still pondering this Le Champagne situation and wondering what your thoughts/recommendations are?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Luckily when W&I dined in LC, they were either well behaved or not in attendance. (It was Christmas night.) However, if alcohol was the cause of the issue then Silversea should've banned them from being served anywhere on the ship.

 

We all paid for a pleasant voyage and if this couple chose not to heed any warnings then cut 'em off.

 

Did Paolo ever address this with the couple? If not then he took the easy way out much to the detriment of the other passengers.

[Jade13]

They would be a disruption in the MDR also.

[MuseCruiser]

A couple we became friends with told us of their experience with this couple in LeC---their arguing, calling each other stupid, telling the other to "shut the fxxx up," back and forth, etc.

 

This is a scenario any restaurant, from time to time, encounters.

 

My feeling is that in any restaurant (whether land or sea) that encounters it has an obligation to ALL the guests to stop this kind of behavior which produces a bad experience for everybody. I urged our friends to indicate they had no intention of paying the fee for LeC, and as Wes notes, when they did this, the ship reversed the charge. Ultimately, if the ship realizes they are taking a financial hit by allowing this behavior to continue, they will be more motivated to stop it.

 

I think the management should have told the couple this kind of behavior isn't allowed in LeC (or anywhere in a public area) when it gets to the point it disrupts other diners resulting in many complaints. I would have told them the next time it happens, they would be asked to leave the restaurant, and future reservations there declined. If it happens in other public venues, they would be asked to avoid those. If they ignored it, ultimately, they could be asked to leave the ship.

 

I disagree with the point that it is the "fault" of the room--when we dined there, we didn't hear others' conversations. It's not THAT small. From what I was told, the couple was quite inebriated, and yelling loudly at each other, trying to "one up" the other by saying "you're STUPID;" then "NO, YOU'RE THE STUPID ONE" etc. It isn't the room, it's the loud yelling.

 

The management must not tolerate such behavior.

[WesW]

Thanks Malcom, Wil, Craig, and Jade for excellent feedback. Craig, Paolo did not address the issue with this couple as I personally checked if they were in LC (yep

in their usual seats) the next day after I spoke with Paolo.

 

ps..Malcolm, please give Jean, Ida and my warm regards...I tried to send some pictures

to Jean and your email your gave me while on board (alas, I must have a digit incorrect) as my email keeps bouncing back undelivered. If you would like to send me your email again, pls use: Colonelwes@gmail.com.

[Emtbsam]

How very unfortunate. This is a very infrequent situation on SS. We have never seen anyone misbehave on the ships.

[dougburns]

Wes; As I told you when we were aboard, I think the solution is for a male passenger who is in the venue and is disturbed by their behavior get up and say something to them. I've done this in the past, especially when they're using foul language, and it has worked. IMHO the next thing to do is ask the man to step outside and have a serious conversation. The night we were there with you I really couldn't make out what they were saying; just that they were loud. I would have done the above if I had heard the foul language.

[PebmarshPete]

A couple we became friends with told us of their experience with this couple in LeC---their arguing, calling each other stupid, telling the other to "shut the fxxx up," back and forth, etc.

 

This is a scenario any restaurant, from time to time, encounters.

 

My feeling is that in any restaurant (whether land or sea) that encounters it has an obligation to ALL the guests to stop this kind of behavior which produces a bad experience for everybody.

 

I think the management should have told the couple this kind of behavior isn't allowed in LeC (or anywhere in a public area) when it gets to the point it disrupts other diners resulting in many complaints.

 

From what I was told, the couple was quite inebriated, and yelling loudly at each other, trying to "one up" the other by saying "you're STUPID;" then "NO, YOU'RE THE STUPID ONE" etc. It isn't the room, it's the loud yelling.

 

The management must not tolerate such behavior.

 

I could not agree more. It is the management's obligation to create and maintain an ambience such that behaviour like that does not occur because it is known to be unacceptable.

Sorry, but I cannot agree that it is up to those clients who are offended by such behaviour to remonstrate with the offenders and certainly not to 'take it outside and sort it out' for themselves. You are there to enjoy the experience, not just the food, and are paying a premium to do so!

If it had happened to us, I would have explained to the staff that we were not prepared to accept such behaviour and, if they had failed to deal with it, we would then have left and sought a refund of any charges.

Am I alone in finding it strange that such people should have paid extra to 'perform' in Le Champagne when they could have offended even more people elsewhere?

[PebmarshPete]

Am I alone in finding it strange that such people should have paid extra to 'perform' in Le Champagne when they could have offended even more people elsewhere?

 

Sorry, just remembered that people like that either do not know or do not care that their behaviour is offensive so the venue is really of no importance! ;)

[TheFerret]

I was not on the cruise, but seem to remember reading in one of the threads that there was a couple on board for something like 100-120 nights (or more) and they had booked Le Champagne for every night.

 

Could this be the couple, and would the fact that they book so many nights make management less inclined to take action? I don't know, just asking.

[BILLP1]

I would go over to their table and politely introduce myself and explain to them the problem that we are having trying to enjoy our dinner.

 

I would just ask to keep their conversation to a proper level.

 

I would hope that they would understand the problem that they are causing.

 

If that fails then my next move would depend on how much wine that I have consumed.

[Goldens4]

BILLP1,

 

My husband read your post and chuckled. He, ( if management would not have stepped in) would have taken the same action. Except, for your last step. I have seen him remove a person from an airplane and a room in such a quiet way, it is amazing. He always says "just what he was trained to do". I'm just tired of him always having to "step up to the plate" when no one else will. PC is going to be the end of us all. And :mad: to all of you who just sit there and accept bad behavior and expect other people to do what you don't have the "coyones" to do. Have a nice night! Think about it.:)

[Rally]

I would go over to their table and politely introduce myself and explain to them the problem that we are having trying to enjoy our dinner.

 

I would just ask to keep their conversation to a proper level.

 

I would hope that they would understand the problem that they are causing.

 

If that fails then my next move would depend on how much wine that I have consumed.

This is management's responsiblilty, and they need to act quickly and quietly (at first) and, the second attempt needs to be rapid, forceful and final. If it comes to a guest needing to take action, even if just speaking to them, management has failed in their duty.

 

It doesn't matter how many nights they have booked (and what is this? A "standing reservation" in Le Champagne???? Where did THAT come from??) Boors come in all shapes, sizes, and financial circomstances. There is no one passenger who has paid more than the total of the other passengers on the ship.

 

If it ever comes to a passenger having to take the offender "outside" for a serious conversation, I wouln't ask for my Le Champagne fee back, I would ask for my entire cruise fee back. I mean really: where is the sheriff? There is security on the ship for a reason.

 

I have seen, rarely but some times, "entitled" passengers on Regent and other upper end lines. I remember one man who constantly berated his spouse at dinner, and shouted "Boy!" when he wanted the server. He probably blogged about the "poor service" when he got home. Someone probably forgot to tell him his Mommy wasn't on board.

[Wellseasoned]

Ferret, happily that couple disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale. We, too experienced their act in Le Champagne and were happy when the lady shouted that she "couldn't wait to get off of this ship". We've been in Le Champagne twice since, and it's been lovely!

[DebbieH103]

I've got a different position on the matter just from an administrative standpoint. I'm making this comment at 12:35 a.m., so I'm not in the rested frame of mind to go retrieve my last passage terms of service and conditions.

 

I feel it is SS's responsibility to honor the terms of contract. If behavior is covered there, they have the right to site the terms and take action. If personal conduct is not covered, they have a fine line in enforcing specific behaviors, and it becomes a social issue not much different than being annoyed with someone being on a cell phone except perhaps for the offensive language. I know I would not like being in the position of sitting next to them and would probably just wail to my husband the entire meal that I can't believe anyone would sit there and act that way.

 

I didn't think the room was that small, and I don't think this will be a routine problem. Let us pray.

[Emtbsam]

This is management's responsiblilty, and they need to act quickly and quietly (at first) and, the second attempt needs to be rapid, forceful and final. If it comes to a guest needing to take action, even if just speaking to them, management has failed in their duty.

 

It doesn't matter how many nights they have booked (and what is this? A "standing reservation" in Le Champagne???? Where did THAT come from??) Boors come in all shapes, sizes, and financial circomstances. There is no one passenger who has paid more than the total of the other passengers on the ship.

 

If it ever comes to a passenger having to take the offender "outside" for a serious conversation, I wouln't ask for my Le Champagne fee back, I would ask for my entire cruise fee back. I mean really: where is the sheriff? There is security on the ship for a reason.

 

I have seen, rarely but some times, "entitled" passengers on Regent and other upper end lines. I remember one man who constantly berated his spouse at dinner, and shouted "Boy!" when he wanted the server. He probably blogged about the "poor service" when he got home. Someone probably forgot to tell him his Mommy wasn't on board.

I agree completely. Let's hope that we don't have that couple on our Tahiti cruise!

[CASHIPman]

I've got a different position on the matter just from an administrative standpoint. I'm making this comment at 12:35 a.m., so I'm not in the rested frame of mind to go retrieve my last passage terms of service and conditions.

 

I feel it is SS's responsibility to honor the terms of contract. If behavior is covered there, they have the right to site the terms and take action. If personal conduct is not covered, they have a fine line in enforcing specific behaviors, and it becomes a social issue not much different than being annoyed with someone being on a cell phone except perhaps for the offensive language. I know I would not like being in the position of sitting next to them and would probably just wail to my husband the entire meal that I can't believe anyone would sit there and act that way.

 

I didn't think the room was that small, and I don't think this will be a routine problem. Let us pray.

 

An argument, regardless of location is a safety/security concern and thereby Silversea has a duty of care to all passengers.

 

A cellphone conversation, though possibly distasteful would probably not rise to the level of a safety/security concern.

[palamoh]

I find this situation to be incredible. Silversea owes everyone on board to be treated with dignity. To avoid confronting this Couple from a Mgt standpoint tells me that Silversae must not have a policy in place to deal with disruptive people. My God if more than one person complained about their behavior and nothing wasn't done, the next complaint should have went to the captain himself. I spent a lifetime in Law Enforcement and have dealt with every form of low life imaginable. Belive me if you don't take action with people like this you out of touch with reality and you have failed your job. The Maitre d in this case failed his job period!!!

[south seas sue]

I must agree with those who say it is management's responsibility. I must sharply disagree with those who say the offended pax should confront the couple. The misbehaving couple obviously do not care that they are loud and that their language is inappropriate - in MHO, confronting them could lead to a physical confrontation, and violence! Why should other passengers have to put up with this! This couple obviously loves drama, so escalating a personal confrontation with another passenger would be right up their alley.

 

If management refuses to bar the couple from the dining room, or in any way address their behavior so that it is eliminated, then I guess all you can do is ask for your dining fee back, leave the room, and not dine there again. I sure would give the manager a piece of my mind though. They should NOT tolerate this behavior, even once! If management does not step up to the plate, then all you can do is protect your own cruise experience, and then write a blistering letter to SS when you return home.

 

Management should warn the couple once, then bar them from whatever dining rooms they are in when the misbehave again. Let them be "contained" for the duration of the cruise. "In-room dining." Look, if SS can enforce dress codes, it should be able to enforce civilized behavior in public places.:(

[MuseCruiser]

Look, if SS can enforce dress codes, it should be able to enforce civilized behavior in public places.:(

 

Gets my vote for quote of the week! Absolutely right!

[Host Dan]

Maybe SS could bring them a "special entree or dessert" made of peanut butter... That'd shut them up for a while! :D

 

Host Dan

[dwelsh]

LOL. Hope they wear dentures!!!!:):):)

[Goldens4]

I think it is sad. By my previous post, I meant for SS staff to show some "coyones" in dealing with this situation and not the passengers. A good example is this: An elderly couple we met in 2006 (they have been on SS forever and duct tape knows who I am talking about) had an experience on a Shadow cruise to Alaska last summer. There was a small child who was out of control in the Restaurant during lunch. He crawled up on the table, sat in the middle, and took a hissy fit. Parents were right there. Instead of the Maitre' D "removing" the problem, he produced a soccer ball and played soccer with the brat in the aisles to keep him quiet even though the other diners were annoyed. So what is wrong with this picture???? I would never want to experience a real security breach if SS handles incidents like this. Thoughts please. I think this is unnerving. I'm here for a vacation, not to be the sheriff and, I'm a "girl". I throw like one too;).

[south seas sue]

I believe that is the word you mean. It does mean testicles in Spanish...........glad you clarified your post. You seemed to be saying if the offended party does not confront the offender, he (or she) is a "milktoast" - so to speak.

 

In our long lives, my DH and I have learned by experience. We were in a bar once, having come to hear a jazz singer we particularly liked. We were in our 50's at the time. There was a table of four younger people right in front of the singer, laughing - talking - not paying any attention to the singer, who was gamely trying to continue to sing. Highly disruptive, to say the least. We asked the manager to say something to the offending party - he did, and they continued talking loudly and laughing. They just began to glare in our direction. We tried to ignore them, but we were not about to escalate any conflict by approaching them ourselves. When they left, one man loomed over our table and my husband stood up. Somehow a glass got broken, but no blows were exchanged......they left, and someone from the bar offered to escort us to our car when we left, in case one of the party was lurking nearby..........bad experience, needless to say.

 

I'm sure we all have stories we could tell about confrontations that got out of hand.

 

It is management's job to discourage and deal with this kind of boorish behavior - whether in a bar, or on a cruise ship.