benjaminnicholas

Having just gotten off Polaris, I understand how polarizing the entertainment can be. The classical duo was great for an evening, but they had a very repetitive repertoire. We heard the same arrangements at least a dozen times. It also didn't help that the pianist was very strong, but the cellist kept hitting a lot of sharp/wrong notes. No bueno. The contemporary couple was somehow able to suck the life out of every single song they sang. It reminded me of Muzak on horse tranquilizers. The entertainment director meant well, but was hampered by putting on a one-woman show that had the production value of typical high school. Bad sound, bad/harsh lighting, no use of that gigantic, expensive projector in the Aula. A fully missed opportunity to do something fun. All said, the ship had more than enough technical capability to do solid entertainment, but it felt like they just threw things together. Viking is charging too much money for it to feel this way. You bet I mentioned all of this on the survey (written survey, no digital option, oy vey).

And that's certainly not what any of us are suggesting. Viking can make changes, have quality entertainment and be nothing like a mega ship. But change is inevitable. It's just HOW they change that will determine if they continue catering to an audience that's growing smaller by the day. It'll be interesting to see.

But see, you're just thinking of you... And that's not what we're discussing. You'll be long dead when Viking still remains. That's the very issue we're touching on: How the line will change to suit younger pax and a new generation with the money to travel well.

When you run the numbers and have an understanding of how business has always worked, you can see that Viking can't keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting record profits. The demographic will always evolve. This means that they will listen to their younger monied cruiser who could conceivably be a client for decades, not just a few more years. I'm only 40 and have been doing Viking since I was 23. I'm aware of the brand, the ships and how they do things. I enjoy it, but also cruise with a wide variety of other lines. Viking could learn a few small things from other near-luxury lines. And they will. And shareholders will make sure of that.

YOU THREW UP ON THE CLASSICAL DUO!

Oh, I've seen plenty of older drunks on Viking expedition and ocean ships. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Weather permitting and water permitting. So, just because you had it work out doesn't mean everyone else will. I was just on Polaris, so I'm well-aware.

CDS is a billion dollar company, so a lot of people would disagree. Viking's target market is dying every single day. Trust me that changes are coming now that the company has shareholders.

The crew member working the front door of the restaurant. Basically, their version of a maitre'd No, it was well into the iten.

As a simple data point, on Polaris (expedition), in the two reservation eateries, they were making comment on people coming to dinner in black jeans, but still allowing them to sit.

It's a true expedition ship when in the Arctic and other far-off spots. But now, it's on Canadian waterways and the Great Lakes. There's far less offered on the ship when it's not in the waters it was designed for.

It's not that I'm looking for RC-style entertainment. I'm just looking for Viking to not be lazy and tech their existing shows properly. They look thrown together when they could look quite professional. I work for Cirque Du Soleil, so I'm aware of what lighting/sound tech they have on their expedition ships. More than enough to do very nice productions, including their classical and contemporary duos. The cooking demos in the Aulua weren't even lit or had cameras on the stations. Huge missed opportunity. Viking does so much else so well, it feels like they knowingly drop the ball on entertainment. Even older folks need a little razzle-dazzle. Ultimately, I'm sure they'll have to make some entertainment changes, as their target market continues to die out. And going public will only make that kind of change happen faster.

On the Polaris now and it's been 10+ days of very repetitive entertainment. Even the 80+ demographic is complaining. I've overheard them talking. My main problem with this particular ship is that they have the larger theater and tech to do some pretty impressive things, but they don't. The shows are very simply lit and the tech is, sad to say, a little lazy. At these prices, I'd like to see Viking get a little more creative.

This topic reminds me of how many **** there are when traveling. If you're sick, stay home or in your cabin.

Like a lot of things VV does, it's still half-baked. Perhaps their app and the loyalty program will be fixed this year. Dare to dream.

It's nice, but I wouldn't go that far

If there's fudging going on with the medical release, Viking needs to put in place better roadblocks to keep people who aren't fit for this kind of travel away. Do not be selfish and put a whole ship at risk of ruining their holiday just because you want to cross something off your bucket list.

*dad joke alert*

But Veuve is.... Basic.

FYI: Expedition ships are using Starlink, so it's much speedier than Ocean or River ships.

While there are number of competitors in the space, Viking changed the game with brand new, larger, modern ships doing the route. No other ship is as comfortable (imo). I've done several expedition ships, but they all felt very... Bare bones. True design was missing. You can't say that about Viking's expedition ships.

The sole reason I wouldn't cruise on Mera again is that their gym is entirely too small for the number of pax. They undersized it... And for what reason, I don't know. It's almost always a zoo, without enough room or any mirrors. If you're fit, this is a terrible ship to try to stick to your workouts on.

If the guest can play the way this gentleman plays, I'm fine with it. He did a spectacular renditions of Chopin, Mozart and Stravinsky.

THIS. Their Caribbean ports of call are dull, dull, dull. Their Euro ships have much more interesting itens, albeit not so much so that I'd choose them to sail the Med.

Certain repeat guests have carte blanche to play in the YC lounge. I've seen a very regular guest on the Mera give impromptu spectacular performances and the crew never said a word. My butler said the gentleman is well-liked by the crew and is allowed to play in the lounge when he likes.