Selfie Taker(s) Capsize Gondola

I doubt that this is the first time! Venice is one of those amazing places where you don't always pay attention to your surroundings. That said, I bet it was cold!

This was the most interesting part of the article to me:

In 2020, Venice reduced the numbers of tourists allowed on their famous gondolas because of ‘fat tourists’.

There may have been language issues here, due to the nationality of the tourons.

Well, it is better not to translate what the gondolier is saying :-)

Just when you think people can’t get any more entitled.
SMH.

Lad time I was there I saw a man step away from his tour group, crouch down, and wash his face and hands in the Grand Canal.
I couldn’t even speak.

Seems the greatest degree of stupidity and the final digit of pi are equally elusive values.

I wonder how waterproof their recording devices are/were?

And I wonder how much income the gondolier lost, likely having to dry out his gondola before he could take other passengers.

Idjuts.

I hope the tourists in question were given an in-depth explanation of Venice's sewage system...you know, just to help them feel better. :-)

On a serious note, I hope they are held liable for the gondolier's clean-up costs and any loss of revenue.

Here's a link to supplement what Stan mentioned. I've never been on a gondola, but I can certainly imagine how overloading one could be very dangerous.

As for the group that caused the capsize, they seemed to suffer from a toxic combination of arrogance and ignorance. Hopefully, the cold water taught them a lesson.

And I totally agree that they should be required to compensate the gondolier for the damages they caused to the source of his livelihood.

And I wonder how much income the gondolier lost, likely having to dry out his gondola before he could take other passengers.

Suspect its not a matter of 'drying out', but of replacing all the upholstery and soft items.

As noted above, the canals are not filled with pristine pool water.

And Venetian gondoliers pride themselves for not knowing how to swim, since a good gondolier does not need to learn.

A gondola costs on average between 40,000€ to 60,000€ (basically like an SUV), so I hope it wasn’t too damaged.

This would seem to be "poetic justice" for a group of inconsiderate, self centred and entitled people. If they had newer smartphones, they were probably somewhat water resistant, but that wouldn't be the case with all cameras. The Gondolier lost his upholstered seats into the canal and it may not be possible to recover and refurbish those. He will also be out of business for a short time while he repairs his Gondola. In the article I read, it indicated that the tourists had been fined as well. The amount might have been €1500 each, but I can't remember for sure.

Here is a link to the article Ken cited. In addition to being fined, the article states they were expelled form the city. Highly unlikely the total amount of the fines will come anywhere close to compensating the gondolier for his damaged gondola and loss of business.

To paraphrase Clara Peller, "Where's the link"?

TC,
This ugly incident has resulted in some witty adaptions found online; the lyrics below are all sung to the tune of 'Amore'.
My fave is the last one.
I am done. the end

When you can't sit down and you quite nearly drown
that's amore.
When you act like a twit

And then fall into shi_
That’s amore

When you’re posing with grace, but then fall on your face,
That’s amore.

When the gondola sways,
And your balance betrays,
That’s amore.

Selfie sticks in the air,
But you fall off your chair,
In the canal, quite a scare,
What a story to share!

When in Venice you roam,
But can’t swim back to Rome,
That’s amore.

When the crowd tips your boat and you fall in a moat,
that’s amore

When the fat tourist clown, their phone can’t be put down,
That’s amore.

When the ___ick can’t go sit, so he meets Moby Dick,
That’s amore.

When it looks like a snake, but you’re sat in a lake,
That’s a Moray.

Correction / Clarification!! Can no longer find the article (and link to it) that Ken cited abut the punishment for those who capsized the gondola. It's possible that I misread an article about the folks riding motorized surf boards on the Grand Canal. Sorry about making that mistake.

OMG, gregglamarsh, I'm dyin' here!!!
Too funny...except not for the boat owner. :O(

A different group completely ruined a tour for ALL of us through a well-known slot canyon some years ago. Screaming, yelling, taking selfies of each other, getting in the way of everyone else and holding us all up to the point that the tour behind us was right on our heels. They KNEW we were all PO'd but didn't care. I wish the guide would have told them to knock it off but not sure it would have made any difference.

Oh Kathy, I'm sorry that you and your group had to tolerate that poor behaviour.
Had a similar experience once on Santorini.
After considerable patience, responded with aggression and just plowed my way through.
I am done. the bull
PS was that you who posed with the lion at the Duluth Zoo?

Mind your comments please. I've removed a few. This is not a place to throw swaths of humans under the proverbial bus.

Also, thanks Gregg. I'll be singing "that's a moray" all day. ;)

From the original article ( https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/gondola-capsized-when-tourists-refused-to-sit-down-while-taking-selfies/ar-AA1l9nDa ), these sentences make me laugh:

"From some countries, it’s like bombs loading on and when (the boat)
is fully loaded, the hull sinks and water enters."

"Advancing with
over half a tonne of meat on board is dangerous.’ "

"From some countries, it’s like bombs loading on and when (the boat)
is fully loaded, the hull sinks and water enters."
"Advancing with
over half a tonne of meat on board is dangerous.’ "

I sense something got lost/mangled in translation.

I hope this incident serves as a reminder to all tourists to follow safety instructions. I feel for the gondolier, who must have had a tough time dealing with the aftermath.

Would his insurance have covered anything? Would that claim have resulted in his annual insurance fees going up?
Imagine having to jump into such cold and filthy waters due to the ignorant (as in 'ignoring') attitude of others!
Would like to know the final consequence for those people.

I am done. the disgust