Incident on Britannia

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, anniegb said:

Which cruise lines have patriotic sailaways apart from P&O ??

 

I don't sail P&O but I have sailed NCL, MSC, HAL, Princess, Azamara, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and they don't.

 

Just asking

 

Annie

 

I was on the Sapphire Princess a few weeks ago and was surprised we had a sort of Last Night Of the Proms before the balloon drop with flag waving and even ‘Rule Britannia ‘! I was very surprised.

[Dileas01]

Whilst the incident happened some time after the sail away party. I still maintain that this was the catalyst. The sail away party was when the drinking started and just continued till later that night and into the small hours of the next morning.

[Harry Peterson]

41 minutes ago, Dileas01 said:

Not surprised that there was trouble after a P&O so called “patriotic”afternoon. Although I am British I am not English and on two previous cruises, one P&O and one Princess, from Southampton I have had to put up with almost continual snide so called jokey comments from a fair number of English passengers regarding both my name and the part of the UK I am from. On both cruises it reached a crescendo after the alcohol fuelled Rule Britannia “patriotic” sail away when the comments  changed from half jokey to wholly offensive. Had done 4 P&O cruises before but never again with P&O and never would I book any cruise on any line out of Southampton. Suggested to both P&O and Princess that for sail away parties less Rule Britannia and more Summer Holiday might be better but of course got no response.There seems to be an increasing boorish uncouth element on those cruises from Southampton and on P&O in general. Also it seems to reflect the increasing ugly side of some parts of so called British nationalism. 

Totally agree on ditching the current well outdated format of the 'Sailaway' - particularly the Rule Britannia stuff that made little sense after around 1900, and certainly after Suez!

 

It's potentially provocative and can stir up trouble where it needn't be.  Your 'Summer Holiday' suggestion's a good one if these events have to take place at all.

 

Like some others here, though, I avoid them like the plague.

[daiB]

9 minutes ago, Dileas01 said:

Whilst the incident happened some time after the sail away party. I still maintain that this was the catalyst. The sail away party was when the drinking started and just continued till later that night and into the small hours of the next morning.

And you know this how?

[Dileas01]

18 minutes ago, daiB said:

I see you have fallen for the pathetic reporting of this ‘fight’. It happened at 0200 and had nothing to do with the sailaway at all.

Shocking sensationalist journalism.

The sail away is I believe the catalyst that’s when the drinking starts and the inhibitions fall away. It’s not surprising that the effects didn’t appear till the small hours of the following morning.

[Dileas01]

1 minute ago, daiB said:

And you know this how?

Because that is what happened on the ships I was on. The sail away party was the start of the downward spiral 

[daiB]

1 minute ago, Dileas01 said:

The sail away is I believe the catalyst that’s when the drinking starts and the inhibitions fall away. It’s not surprising that the effects didn’t appear till the small hours of the following morning.

Have you been to a sail away. There is not exactly an orgy of drinking.  Most people are lying on sun beds. Or looking down from the deck above. And it only last about 45 minutes.

[Hobson1754]

Well this bodes really well as I have been having doubts for months now about our first P & O cruise (14 night Caribbean on Brittania in January) & our first cruise in 4 years! I’ve accepted that since we started cruising about 25 years ago things have changed and that there’s not the wow factor anymore but fights and this sort of behaviour goes to a different level.  I can only hope that the media have exaggerated the situation and that we hear more from passengers who were there via Cruise Critic.  

The positive from our point of view is that, unless we change habits of a lifetime, I think we’d be fast asleep at 2 a.m. and if not definitely not at the buffet!

Edited July 27, 2019 by Hobson1754

[dgs1956]

5 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

Well this bodes really well as I have been having doubts for months now about our first P & O cruise (14 night Caribbean on Brittania in January) & our first cruise in 4 years! I’ve accepted that since we started cruising about 25 years ago things have changed and that there’s not the wow factor anymore but fights and this sort of behaviour goes to a different level.  I can only hope that the media have exaggerated the situation and that we hear more from passengers who were there via Cruise Critic.  

The positive from our point of view is that, unless we change habits of a lifetime, I think we’d be fast asleep at 2 a.m. and if not definitely not at the buffet!

We have been on Britannia several times and, yes, some people do get drunk etc but these sorts of incidents can happen anywhere and are not confined to cruising. It isn't acceptable but there really is nothing to worry about.

[daiB]

5 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

Well this bodes really well as I have been having doubts for months now about our first P & O cruise (14 night Caribbean on Brittania in January) & our first cruise in 4 years! I’ve accepted that since we started cruising about 25 years ago things have changed and that there’s not the wow factor anymore but fights and this sort of behaviour goes to a different level.  I can only hope that the media have exaggerated the situation and that we hear more from passengers who were there via Cruise Critic.  

The positive from our point of view is that, unless we change habits of a lifetime, I think we’d be fast asleep at 2 a.m. and if not definitely not at the buffet!

Don’t believe all you read in the gutter press.

 

I have yet to see a fight in 40+ cruises including the one before this Britannia cruise. A friend who just came off knew nothing about it as I suspect was the case for most people.

[Dileas01]

4 minutes ago, daiB said:

Have you been to a sail away. There is not exactly an orgy of drinking.  Most people are lying on sun beds. Or looking down from the deck above. And it only last about 45 minutes.

Yes of course  I have, and you are right, most people are lying on sun beds but most people are not drunk or offensive only a few are. And those few are quite capable of causing considerable disruption. In any situation it is always the few who can make or break anything.

[besberry]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Just been reading about it the BBC news site.  How disgusting.  This is going to start happening more and more on the huge ships I fear.

Nothing to do with the size of the ships and everything to do with the passengers.  I've been on the Symphony of the Seas, most people (including me) were on the alcohol package and I saw no bad behaviour.  I'd say half the passengers were Brits.

[P-L-B]

We don't attend every British sail away but on the occasions that we have they don't only play English patriotic music.

They often play music that have Scottish and Welsh connections.

Scotland The Brave, I Would Walk 5000 Thousand Miles and Land of My Fathers, Delilah for example.

Yes, some people do wave flags and have a sing song but it's called having fun and it should not be an excuse for bad behaviour.

It's optional and you don't have to attend if it's not for you.

Edited July 27, 2019 by P-L-B

[Clodia]

28 minutes ago, daiB said:

Have you been to a sail away. There is not exactly an orgy of drinking.  Most people are lying on sun beds. Or looking down from the deck above. And it only last about 45 minutes.

That's exactly what I said on the Daily Wail comment page; it would actually be difficult to have more than a couple of drinks at the sailaway!

[Clodia]

I see carnival have acted quickly on this one; all of the tabloids have removed and closed reader comments including sensible ones!

[Presto2]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

 

 

 

One witness, part of a group involved in the trouble, explained to staff that things kicked off when another passenger appeared dressed as a clown. This upset one of their party because they’d specifically booked a cruise with no fancy dress. It led to a violent confrontation.
 

 

Well when I first posted this a few hours ago I thought that the fight put P&O to shame. Having read the above my jaw hit the floor --- just how ridiculous is the reason given for the fight. If it has been the 1st of April I would have thought it was a joke!

Words fail me on this one ….

 

The above puts us all to shame and just gives more ammunition to those who think that the British are all badly behaved drunks !

[Krazy Kruizers]

2 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Sadly, it’s just another manifestation of the changing demographic of cruisers today.

 

It’s not so much the declining standards of P&O that worries me. It’s the declining standards of the people on its ships.

 

I so agree with you.

[Presto2]

2 hours ago, anniegb said:

Which cruise lines have patriotic sailaways apart from P&O ??

 

I don't sail P&O but I have sailed NCL, MSC, HAL, Princess, Azamara, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and they don't.

 

Just asking

 

Annie

We were on RCI IOS and they had a flag waving British evening that was even more British that the Great British Sailaway

[Krazy Kruizers]

I just heard about this.

 

So sad about the situation.  Sadly the world is changing and so is cruising.  I am not thrilled how all the cruise lines are changing.

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, Dileas01 said:

Not surprised that there was trouble after a P&O so called “patriotic”afternoon. Although I am British I am not English and on two previous cruises, one P&O and one Princess, from Southampton I have had to put up with almost continual snide so called jokey comments from a fair number of English passengers regarding both my name and the part of the UK I am from. On both cruises it reached a crescendo after the alcohol fuelled Rule Britannia “patriotic” sail away when the comments  changed from half jokey to wholly offensive. Had done 4 P&O cruises before but never again with P&O and never would I book any cruise on any line out of Southampton. Suggested to both P&O and Princess that for sail away parties less Rule Britannia and more Summer Holiday might be better but of course got no response.There seems to be an increasing boorish uncouth element on those cruises from Southampton and on P&O in general. Also it seems to reflect the increasing ugly side of some parts of so called British nationalism. 

 

Having been to a number of the GBS from, what we remember (on only one Pina Colada a time I add), they have songs for each country that makes up the UK. We haven't noticed any change in the atmosphere and not noticed it being 'alcohol fuelled'. Have never heard anyone make rude comments re anyone's name though and have just seen people from different countries having a good time. I'm not saying you haven't though and it would be sad if things changed.

 

 

[AchileLauro]

1 hour ago, Dileas01 said:

Not surprised that there was trouble after a P&O so called “patriotic”afternoon. Although I am British I am not English and on two previous cruises, one P&O and one Princess, from Southampton I have had to put up with almost continual snide so called jokey comments from a fair number of English passengers regarding both my name and the part of the UK I am from. On both cruises it reached a crescendo after the alcohol fuelled Rule Britannia “patriotic” sail away when the comments  changed from half jokey to wholly offensive. Had done 4 P&O cruises before but never again with P&O and never would I book any cruise on any line out of Southampton. Suggested to both P&O and Princess that for sail away parties less Rule Britannia and more Summer Holiday might be better but of course got no response.There seems to be an increasing boorish uncouth element on those cruises from Southampton and on P&O in general. Also it seems to reflect the increasing ugly side of some parts of so called British nationalism. 

 

It may or may not have been a relevant factor in this case but I agree entirely with what you say about the "Great British" sailaway. I too am British and claim to be from no particular country in the U.K. as I was born on the border in an area that historically sometimes was regarded as one country and on other occasions another. In my view the GBS only winds the worst sorts and encourages tribalism. 

[Harry Peterson]

7 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I just heard about this.

 

So sad about the situation.  Sadly the world is changing and so is cruising.  I am not thrilled how all the cruise lines are changing.

Nor me. We’ve all become accustomed to the Butlins on Sea jibes. Now it’s becoming Magaluf or Ayia Napa on sea. British holidaymakers are hated across the world for their appalling behaviour, and now they’re finding cruising within reach.

[govanguy]

It all starts in the classroom.

 

Assertive people just say what they want, but they take others into account when doing so. They convey information in a quick and precise way, and avoid harming others while doing so.

Aggressive people don’t care about harming others. They tend to also be assertive, because they don’t care about others. There is a thin line between being just assertive or self-reliant and being aggressive.

When you step over someone else’s boundaries with your assertiveness, you are being aggressive. And this happens often.

 

Something many people don't have the intelligence to differentiate.

 

Anyone experienced the same scenario on a flight?

[mickrory]

Dai is correct there are no sailaway parties at 2am in the buffet.

It's a few idiots drinking on empty heads. I've never witnessed a fight or even aggressive behaviour on 30odd cruises I've been on.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Krazy, this is not how ALL lines are changing, just the mainstream ones. There is generally a correlation between how much pax pay for their cruise, the social demographic and this kind of behaviour. There is plenty of alcohol flowing on the true luxury lines but this doesn't happen.