New behavior patterns on Viking Ocean since COVID?

[KBs mum]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

A buddy of mine once got a great deal on a Rolodex in St. Thomas....😳

KBs dad was asked not to wear a rolex by the company he worked for at the time, apparently gave the wrong impression to customers. It was a gag gift bought for 5 dollars in Singapore. Kept good time, had casio innards

[hutch1994]

On 11/7/2022 at 10:33 AM, Nidec said:

With painted toenails and hairless legs? I very much doubt it!

Big feet and big legs.  With so many men wearing nail polish today, who knows what they do with their feet.

[Jim Avery]

50 minutes ago, hutch1994 said:

Big feet and big legs.  With so many men wearing nail polish today, who knows what they do with their feet.

😱🍸

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, hutch1994 said:

Big feet and big legs.  With so many men wearing nail polish today, who knows what they do with their feet.

Okay, will the owner of those feet please identify yourself!

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

Okay, will the owner of those feet please identify yourself!

I have big feet but skinny legs.  It aint me.  Nobody saw me and you can't prove a thing.  🍹

[M.Travels]

On 11/5/2022 at 7:00 PM, bookbabe said:

In all seriousness, though, this thread is making DH and I a little nervous for our upcoming West Indies Explorer cruise.  I’m pretty sure our wardrobe choices won’t live up to others’ expectations.  Ah well…

Don't worry too much! There will be folks who spend their cruise commenting on what everyone else is wearing, but we don't pay them too much attention ... it seems to be a form of entertainment for some people on vacation. A few years ago we were in Yellowstone and this one couple ended up eating near us a few times, and the woman kept a running commentary on everyone in her field of vision: what they were wearing, how much salt they used, how fast the staff cleaned the tables, every little detail. She actually made OUR vacation better because we were so grateful we were not traveling with her we did not get annoyed with anyone in our group the entire trip! I hope you and DH have a fab time.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, M.Travels said:

Don't worry too much! There will be folks who spend their cruise commenting on what everyone else is wearing, but we don't pay them too much attention ... it seems to be a form of entertainment for some people on vacation. A few years ago we were in Yellowstone and this one couple ended up eating near us a few times, and the woman kept a running commentary on everyone in her field of vision: what they were wearing, how much salt they used, how fast the staff cleaned the tables, every little detail. She actually made OUR vacation better because we were so grateful we were not traveling with her we did not get annoyed with anyone in our group the entire trip! I hope you and DH have a fab time.

Sounds like someone my late mother would have enjoyed….she used to say, “if you don’t have anything good to say, come sit by me”😂

[duquephart]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Sounds like someone my late mother would have enjoyed….she used to say, “if you don’t have anything good to say, come sit by me”😂

 

Your mother was Alice Roosevelt Longworth?

[Redtravel]

Been on 3 cruises since June.  3 different lines.  Most people are polite and are happy to travel again. There are also rude people, poorly clothed people, and people who are pushy. I hate crowding.  Crowding on elevators happens too often. More than once, I have been on an elevator when people try to pack it.  I have gotten off.  

[molymoo]

We are just back from the Panama Canal Holiday cruise that was the first leg of the current world cruise on Neptune.  The majority of the cruisers were there for the long haul but we have disembarked and I have had to make my own bed and cook dinner for the last two days!  😒  By and large our fellow passengers were polite, friendly, and fun to meet and get to know.  We saw no signs of "chair hoggery" and the only place we encountered crowds was cocktail hour at the living room bar.  

There were, however three passengers who may be a lot to contend with on a four month cruise; the first was a lady who literally shoved my daughter out of the way in the line to check in for excursions at one of the ports.  She had been told that she had to wait to check in until her entire party was present.  We reached the head of the line, handed over our excursion cards when apparently her group was finally assembled. She swooped in, pushed my daughter aside (rather aggressively, I might add) and announced that "we were here first" and plunked her group's cards onto the clipboard, burying ours in the process.  The girl checking us in looked at us sheepishly and apologized as I tried to pull our cards out of the pile.  We checked in after with another crew member.

Another was a "gentleman" who was in the theater waiting for excursions and had a number of questions and proceded to whistle and snap his fingers to get the attention of the crew member announcing each excursion and giving instructions for exiting the ship.  That will get old very quickly on a four month cruise.

The last night we were seated in the restaurant near a couple who were travelling on the WC.  The "gentleman" had a voice that projected well and he began commenting on people passing in the aisle being seated or leaving the area.  The comments were insulting and derogatory and his wife repeatedly asked him to stop to which he replied "just having a little fun".  He additionally made an insulting remark about his wife to one of the servers as he ordered four appetizers and two entrees and schooled the wine steward on the proper temperature at which to serve the wine.  I hope he and his wife have a very large cabin!

As I said, most of our fellow passengers were great ... but it doesn't take too many to cause problems.

 

[Hockeyump]

The latter couple sound like one we came across on a far east cruise pre-covid.  Drank a copious amount of Grey Goose prior to dinner and virtually fell of his stool, his wife having to support him walking to the restaurant. Racist comments and he made nasty sexist comments about our Prime Minister (UK).  Wasn't having that from someone from another country so I am afraid I very politely told him what I thought.  I don't think he'd ever been called out on it before and I felt so much better afterwards!

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, molymoo said:

We are just back from the Panama Canal Holiday cruise that was the first leg of the current world cruise on Neptune.  The majority of the cruisers were there for the long haul but we have disembarked and I have had to make my own bed and cook dinner for the last two days!  😒  By and large our fellow passengers were polite, friendly, and fun to meet and get to know.  We saw no signs of "chair hoggery" and the only place we encountered crowds was cocktail hour at the living room bar.  

There were, however three passengers who may be a lot to contend with on a four month cruise; the first was a lady who literally shoved my daughter out of the way in the line to check in for excursions at one of the ports.  She had been told that she had to wait to check in until her entire party was present.  We reached the head of the line, handed over our excursion cards when apparently her group was finally assembled. She swooped in, pushed my daughter aside (rather aggressively, I might add) and announced that "we were here first" and plunked her group's cards onto the clipboard, burying ours in the process.  The girl checking us in looked at us sheepishly and apologized as I tried to pull our cards out of the pile.  We checked in after with another crew member.

Another was a "gentleman" who was in the theater waiting for excursions and had a number of questions and proceded to whistle and snap his fingers to get the attention of the crew member announcing each excursion and giving instructions for exiting the ship.  That will get old very quickly on a four month cruise.

The last night we were seated in the restaurant near a couple who were travelling on the WC.  The "gentleman" had a voice that projected well and he began commenting on people passing in the aisle being seated or leaving the area.  The comments were insulting and derogatory and his wife repeatedly asked him to stop to which he replied "just having a little fun".  He additionally made an insulting remark about his wife to one of the servers as he ordered four appetizers and two entrees and schooled the wine steward on the proper temperature at which to serve the wine.  I hope he and his wife have a very large cabin!

As I said, most of our fellow passengers were great ... but it doesn't take too many to cause problems.

 

 

Sadly, every cruise has them.

 

What's the bet that when the inevitable itinerary changes start, the pax you described will be the first ones at the Explorer's Desk, in the Living Room, screaming at the Shore-ex staff.

[Mich3554]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Sadly, every cruise has them.

 

What's the bet that when the inevitable itinerary changes start, the pax you described will be the first ones at the Explorer's Desk, in the Living Room, screaming at the Shore-ex staff.

Just saw one at the Atrium bar.  How obnoxious.  I hope they are few and far between.

[Pushka]

We had one on our first Viking Cruise and weirdly he seemed to be everywhere we were. Even on the train from Seward to Anchorage on the row in front of us. I had tired of his demanding and aggressive voice from the moment of waiting to embark on the cruise. He sat opposite us. And then frequently. Rude and demanding to crew.
 

On the train I noticed he had fallen asleep. I set my alarm for five minutes. It went off on cue. I have never seen someone jump so high on a train. He had no idea what had happened. We tried to stop laughing so we didn't give the game away. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Pushka

[Hobson1754]

6 minutes ago, Pushka said:

On the train I noticed he had fallen asleep. I set my alarm for five minutes. It went off on cue. I have never seen someone jump so high on a train. He had no idea what had happened. We tried to stop laughing so we didn't give the game away. 

Like it 😂😂

[MamaFej]

Not that I'd ever actually do it, but...

One could follow such a cruiser to their cabin to ascertain the number.

 

One could stay up late one night to call the room every 20 minutes from a different house phone and saying, "Stop bieng rude!" 

 

One could make an agreement with other cruisers who are also annoyed by the boor, and take shifts overnight.

 

I wouldn't do it myself, but I would offer kudos to anyone who actually did do such things.

Edited January 10, 2023 by MamaFej

[Heidi13]

9 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

Not that I'd ever actually do it, but...

One could follow such a cruiser to their cabin to ascertain the number.

 

One could stay up late one night to call the room every 20 minutes from a different house phone and saying, "Stop bieng rude!" 

 

One could make an agreement with other cruisers who are also annoyed by the boor, and take shifts overnight.

 

I wouldn't do it myself, but I would offer kudos to anyone who actually did do such things.

 

Unfortunately, those making the phone calls will receive a call or visit to their cabin, as except for the cabins most of the ship is covered by CCTV. Cameras don't even have to see a face, as they can track you back to the cabin.

[jmfdr]

44 minutes ago, Pushka said:

We had one on our first Viking Cruise and weirdly he seemed to be everywhere we were. Even on the train from Seward to Anchorage on the row in front of us. I had tired of his demanding and aggressive voice from the moment of waiting to embark on the cruise. He sat opposite us. And then frequently. Rude and demanding to crew.
 

 

Just be thankful you aren't married to him.  Can you imagine being his wife and living day in and day out with someone like that!

[Pushka]

2 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

Just be thankful you aren't married to him.  Can you imagine being his wife and living day in and day out with someone like that!

Absolutely this. I guess she just tunes out. She wasn't actively participating in anything he did. While waiting to embark which was delayed, he was on the phone to Viking loudly complaining. And that continued the whole cruise. 

[TayanaLorna]

1 minute ago, Pushka said:

Absolutely this. I guess she just tunes out. She wasn't actively participating in anything he did. While waiting to embark which was delayed, he was on the phone to Viking loudly complaining. And that continued the whole cruise. 

So how is a Viking rep in California office going to help someone embarking at a distant port?  One word for this guy - idiot.

 

[Pushka]

2 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

So how is a Viking rep in California office going to help someone embarking at a distant port?  One word for this guy - idiot.

 

Maybe some people just like to voice their complaint without expecting any resolution? Or maybe hoping for compensation....

[katlew]

So, we just got back from our NZ/Aus cruise & I was very worried after reading this thread about what we’d encounter. I would say most people were still very polite & nice. We saw the chairs around the pool typically full of people not things. We mainly saw folks being nice to the crew even though most of our cruise turned into sea days. Though I’m sure guest services folks & the general manager got an earful.

 

There was one rude behavior that drove us crazy though, taking cellphone calls on speaker! One evening after dinner we went to the Explorers Lounge to catch the last guitar set & have a drink. Two men were having such loud speaker phone conversations we had to move to the other side. Another time a woman at a meal in the restaurant took a call on speaker. The best was a man sitting in the area around the Winter Garden doing his banking & resetting his brokerage password all on speaker for all of us to hear! Seriously people, you have private cabins, don’t subject us all to your calls.

 

We did have an interesting dresser in the restaurant as well. I’m not talking jeans or tennis shoes. I’m talking a bikini top under a denim overall, half unbuttoned jeans & a crop top, or shorts that were barely a bathing suit bottom. We figured because the trip was such a mess the crew wasn’t giving people a hard time about dress code, but this was just so out of place! (I sound like a prude, but it was so bad.)

[lackcreativity]

I know that the type of behavior under discussion has been around forever. Generally, it was the rare exception on most of our Viking cruises. I did feel that it was more common on our one post covid cruise so far. We were just so thrilled to back on a vacation that we tried to be very understanding of the things that still were not back to pre-pandemic standards. For others, there just seemed to be so much pent-up frustration that their reactions were all out of proportion to a given situation. Hoping that those folks have gotten it out of their system before we cruise again in June!

[Twitchly]

3 hours ago, katlew said:

There was one rude behavior that drove us crazy though, taking cellphone calls on speaker!

Ah, one of my pet peeves. Interestingly, I mostly notice this behavior among people over 50. Maybe because younger people don’t use phones as phones as much, I don’t know. 
 

It’s easy to focus on and remember just the negative. So I’m glad to hear the majority of your fellow cruisers were considerate. That’s been our experience, too.

[CurlerRob]

4 hours ago, katlew said:

The best was a man sitting in the area around the Winter Garden doing his banking & resetting his brokerage password all on speaker for all of us to hear!

 

I would have been unable to resist walking by and saying "thank you for the access to your brokerage account - nothing like a free cruise!" 🍺🥌