Political Discussions on Viking

[eddieg07410]

In these times whatever side of the political spectrum you are on confronting others with a different point of view can result in some very uncomfortable feelings. In years passed when we cruise we almost never talked politics or though were usually able to sense the political leanings of our fellow passengers. But things were kept latent. These days it seems anyone with an opinion feels obligated to broadcast it loudly and demonstratively. My questions how do you find such discussions on Viking. And if you were to opine to most most passengers on Viking ocean cruises lean to the right, to the left, in the middle, or just don't care.

[minka34]

So far, haven't heard much political chat on Viking cruises.  But then again, we might not notice unless it was in our face.  We tend to just try to have fun on vacation. 😊

[Squawkman]

Political discussions are not permitted on CC and will be removed by the hosts.

[burnabyjean]

On our Viking river cruise (the only one we've done, so far, with Viking) most people avoided political discussion. There was one guy who was in your face about it, so we just avoided him wherever possible. I didn't have a sense that the general population leaned one way or the other, as the discussion never came up.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, Squawkman said:

Political discussions are not permitted on CC and will be removed by the hosts.

 

I'm not sure that this is an actual political discussion (we aren't discussing any particular political issue) but rather a discussion of how we feel about engaging in or being subjected to any political discussion while on board the ship.

 

My response to OP is simple. My political opinions are my own and I have no interest in discussing them with other people either when traveling or at home; I'm not a debater and feel no need to defend my opinion or to be persuaded to yours. So, let's talk about something else, something we can be pleasant about.

 

However, if you are from a non-US country, I am curious about the major issues in your country and why they important and would listen to a short non-partisan explanation -- the key words here being 'short' and 'non-partisan'. What's the issue and what are the major bones of contention.

[Berlin Bear]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I'm not sure that this is an actual political discussion (we aren't discussing any particular political issue) but rather a discussion of how we feel about engaging in or being subjected to any political discussion while on board the ship.

 

My response to OP is simple. My political opinions are my own and I have no interest in discussing them with other people either when traveling or at home; I'm not a debater and feel no need to defend my opinion or to be persuaded to yours. So, let's talk about something else, something we can be pleasant about.

 

However, if you are from a non-US country, I am curious about the major issues in your country and why they important and would listen to a short non-partisan explanation -- the key words here being 'short' and 'non-partisan'. What's the issue and what are the major bones of contention.

We’re from Germany and on Viking (and Celebrity) cruises have often been asked about the political system and situation here. Such conversations mainly arise out of curiosity and can be very interesting.

[Mrs Miggins]

The majority of those onboard are from the US.  Interestingly on our recent Azamara the numbers were about equal between US and UK with a sprinkling of other nationalities.  A very nice balance.   I recall on our first Viking there was very nearly an altercation between those we were sitting with from the US.  You can guess why.  However I would not ask anyone about the "major issues in their country"  since you are likely to get a personal view rather than a balanced one.  As I have an interest in politics I do read news sources from the US regularly and my own personal thoughts have no relevance since I do not have a vote.

[Jay23]

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

 I would not ask anyone about the "major issues in their country"  since you are likely to get a personal view rather than a balanced one.  As I have an interest in politics I do read news sources from the US regularly and my own personal thoughts have no relevance since I do not have a vote.

Quite right Mrs Miggins.  J.  

[TayanaLorna]

Out of four VO cruises, about the closest I ever sensed the desire to discuss US political issues was when we were required to wear masks all the time.  That discussion would have been fruitless because even the Captain was reminding us it was required to wear a mask.

 

But political leanings of Viking cruisers?  Never really heard discussions but often would get a sense of which way someone was leaning.  At any rate, we would avoid political discussers the same way we would avoid complainers.  No positive juju there.

 

[Moonlion]

On our first Viking river cruise, we went with two close friends, and became friends with another couple we met on board who had similar political views as ours (I won't say which political views 😀).  When we were alone together (e.g., on tours or at a table for six), we felt comfortable discussing politics.  Otherwise, we avoided such discussions so as not to offend or make uncomfortable others who may have different political leanings.  There's plenty of other things to talk about!  On our Viking ocean cruise last January, it was just my husband and me, and we never heard or discussed politics while onboard. 

[Liz Masterson]

This is an interesting discussion, and I've often had wonderings much the same as the poster. I confess it is difficult sometimes to not discuss "politcal" positions because so much of life and current events center on that now. And yes I'll bet the necessity of vaccines and masks on Viking might make avoiding the politics around that a little trickier. Thankfully rules are rules and what the captain says is law onboard a ship.

 

I found it interesting that on the World Cruise in 2017 a group of women on the cruise organized their own version of a Women's March around the promenade deck. 

[PasadenaDave]

Having just returned from 15 days on Viking I have to say other than hearing "Florida didn't have Covid if you listen to the news", nothing political discussed.

 

I think a few major reasons:

• There are so many amazing things to see that there is plenty to talk about
• Demographics, at 60 I trend to the younger end of the spectrum and for most, we have nothing to prove and political agendas are in our rearview mirror.
• Overhearing conversations included:  I am putting my house on the market as we will retire next year;  I listed my house and got 20 offers in three days;  This is a great way to start retirement.
• Is this your first Viking Cruise?  Many answered fourth or fifth and one person 15, her husband usually stays home to golf.

 

What I didn't hear was any discussions about the market or finances.  I think this is so as most of us are financially secure and gyrations in the market are just that and have no impact other than perhaps how much we pass on to our children.

[KBs mum]

We've found that cultural differences are more likely to cause ill feeling than politics. 

A word considered innocuous in one country can have a different meaning in another, or something being considered good or bad manners. 

 

Politics rarely get mentioned, other than in a 'how does your system work?' compare and contrast discussion about republics and constitutional monarchies, when somebody realises we're from the UK

Universal tax funded healthcare is another thing we are often asked about. Happy to chat about anything, in England it's possible to have a conversation about a politician or a policy and at the end not know how the person voted last time or intends to vote. Usually, everyone will agree the politician is a twit and the policy misguided, then have another beer and change the subject to something contentious, like Man U v Liverpool

Edited May 26, 2022 by KBs mum

[Cienfuegos]

8 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

(SNIP)

Universal tax funded healthcare is another thing we are often asked about. Happy to chat about anything, in the England it's possible to have a conversation about a politician or a policy and at the end not know how the person voted last time or intends to vote. Usually, everyone will agree the politician is a twit and the policy misguided, then have another beer and change the subject to something contentious, like Man U v Liverpool

That was precisely our experience on the Trade Routes cruise in 2019.  There was a lot of interest in health care alternative programs.  Part of the learning process.

 

 

[longterm]

We've taken 2 Viking cruises in the past 6 months; on the first, we had dinner with another couple, and the woman voiced her idiotic opinions out of the clear blue. 

 

But then, as luck would have it, another couple we'd met, and with whom we'd had discreet political discussions, walked up, and the husband immediately started telling us about the people he'd just dined and argued with about politics.

Then, on our latest cruise in March, a man in one of our excursion groups loudly proclaimed his allegiance to a particular faction, only to find that the tour guide's favorite US president was one he certainly didn't care for. 
 

I laughed and applauded.

We don't go on cruises to debate/argue politics; we go to have fun.

[PasadenaDave]

I forgot one observation but I'm not certain if this person was with Viking.  We were on our pre-cruise excursion in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.  My attention was drawn to him when from behind me I heard, "These people sure have some weird superstitions".  That caused me to turn in his direction and see him with an American Flag tee shirt and an American Flag on his baseball cap.

 

Now I am agnostic for the most part but lean Christian mainly due to upbringing.  I respect all beliefs and no one is the chosen one.

 

It was all that I could do to not say in a loud voice, "You do know that all religions have weird superstitions don't you?"  I didn't say anything.

 

There are inconsiderate people everywhere

[jasardeax]

I have been a proud

Political Atheist for many years, and have stated that many times when a discussion becomes political. 

“We live in a political world
Under the microscope
You could travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You've always got more than enough rope”

 

 

[Twitchly]

On Viking Ocean, it’s thankfully easy enough to avoid people who get political. Nice big ship, no required seating at dinner. I don’t care where you fall on the political spectrum; I’m not interested in talking about it.
 

On the other hand … years ago I cruised with another line and had an assigned seat for dinner. One of my fellow diners was a litigation lawyer for a tobacco company. Oy. He was initially combative and tough to be around, and I skipped dinner more than once. But interestingly, by the end of the cruise he had mellowed enough to share his misgivings about what he did and about the profession in general. And we ended up having some good talks.
 

I still wouldn’t ever recommend assigned seating at dinner, but if I had just walked away from this guy at the beginning and never engaged with him again, he would’ve always remained nothing more than a stereotype to me. Instead, he became human. 
 

So I’ll still avoid political discussion whenever possible, but when it becomes unavoidable, I look for ways to see the fellow human being rather than just a stereotype. There’s enough division in the world.

[H2Otstr]

We were on a land trip and our PD told us at the beginning of the trip that political discussions were off limit. The next day one lady came on the bus with a huge pink you-know-what kind of hat. She never said anything, but everyone knew what she meant. 

[MrsKMB]

Nothing ruins a vacation like politics. My Viking cruise was a river one. (Ocean is upcoming.) I could guess the political leanings, but I chose not to think about it. No one ever discussed it. There was so much more to talk about and everyone was lovely.

[CCWineLover]

Thank goodness those days of assigned seatmates at meals are over!  It made it quite difficult when conversations were going bad and there was not way out for the rest of the cruise!

 

We go on cruises to get away from the politics, stress, and news!  Thank goodness we have been able to do that with Viking quite easily.  Only a couple times have people been a bit too strong one way or the other, and we just bow out and avoid them in the future.  If you notice, certain groups tend to "hang" out with each other anyways.  Like minded people tend to gravitate to similar like minded people.

 

We've always had the policy of 'no-politics' as well when we meet new people on-board.  Get that out of the way up front!

[jrkstl]

Interesting topic!

 

So far our cruising experiences have all been Viking River.

 

Since we are a gay couple, I suppose it explains why like-minded people gravitate to us (we’ve met some incredible people, some of which we’ve traveled with again!). But we typically keep the political discussions to a minimum. 
 

I’ve noticed that most travelers that make the effort to experience other countries and other cultures are typically more open-minded, so the discussions are usually great.

 

We have two Viking Ocean trips booked for 2023, so it will be interesting to notice the differences.

 

Jeff

[CTLeeA]

Interesting...on one Viking cruise, a gentleman and his wife asked if they could join us at the buffet area.  Apparently, since I was in the same demographic category as the gentleman from Georgia, he apparently incorrected assumed I would agree with him on his view of the 2016 election.  I informed him that I didn't and it would be best to avoid discussing politics.  He then got quite red in the face and left.  His wife remained and apologized for him.  I felt badly that he embarrassed her.   I found foreigners every interested in our politics and they approach the subject in a very academic manner and polite manner which I don't mind at all.  I remember an Irish couple who asked me if I'd mind giving him my thoughts on the election and afterwards, he came over to me and hugged me.  

[cmaasfamily]

Similar to others, we've had very light conversations with non-US passengers - more answering specific questions they were curious about than anything approaching a political debate.

 

While not overtly political we did have one experience encountering a nearby large table at dinner with what appeared to be a patriarch of some sort that made a grand theatrical production (one might say of biblical proportions) praying before each meal. Certainly their right to do so, but I'm not sure the practice really required thunderous lecture-disguised-as-prayer to the dozen or so tables in the vicinity.

[Hockeyump]

We're in the UK and the only political moment was on s 2018 cruise. An older gentleman, on hearing where we were from made a very derogatory comment about our then female Prime Minister. After a particularly scathing response I walked away.