pharmom5

Hi Seanewby, we were just a couple of doors down from you, in 6148! I'm sure we passed by in the hall. I was happy to see a picture of Gede in your pics, he was awesome. Our seasickness schedule sounds like it was about the same, although I had it very mild, my two friends were pretty sick. I am still sad that it is over, loved every minute. We also had the joy of spending time with my daughter, she is a cast member. I'm glad you enjoyed the shows, that of course was a highlight for us, to see what she has been working on since February. She was Snow White in Everafter, the dance pro for the tango in Dancing with the Stars, and lots of other parts. The whole thing was a once in a lifetime, incredible experience. The glaciers, the ports, the fun, just amazing.

I can't believe it's only one week from tomorrow until we set sail. My daughter is a performer on the Westerdam, so we haven't seen her since April. Seeing her and Alaska - double excitement! Thanks to all for all the helpful tips I've been reading on here.

Very rarely is there live singing in the production shows ...

 

You can see the dancers singing in the chorus without any mikes, while they're dancing around like crazy ... and sometimes you can hear them singing but there are no lips moving! Sometimes the singers forget to come in on cue.

 

Occasionally they can even switch parts! That's how we first learned about the taping ... one night (Statendam, back in 2011) there were only three singers (instead of the usual four) and one of the dancers was singing the missing singer's part - with the missing singer's voice. We waited until after the show and approached the sound tech and he just stared at us a few minutes, then he hemmed & hawed, then admitted that all of the voices were taped for just such an emergency (the singer had a death in the family & had to leave). Then we spoke with the male singers ... they were kind of flippant about it "yeah, doesn't everybody tape?" ...

Just have to reply that the singers do most definitely sing live, because my daughter is a singer/dancer on the Westerdam right now. On a show day, they do the show 3 times, singing at all of them. I'm sure there are backup tapes for emergency situations such as a death in the family of a performer, in which case someone who is usually a dancer would probably lip sync to the tape of one of the singers. Even in that case, I'm sure that all the other singers are still live.

She is a singer/dancer in all the production shows. I think there are 5 or 6 shows, but I'm not sure how many they do each week. She is absolutely loving the whole experience, and she said Alaska is absolutely beautiful. I can't wait.

Here is what the response was....

 

I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful and perfect the cruise was. I was a little skeptical about HAL because of the reviews regarding age, entertainment, etc.....but it was perfect.

The ship was in perfect condition. The service was impeccable. The staff very friendly. The food was amazing. In a word....perfection.

 

I upgraded to a verandah, and I'm so glad I did. It was beautiful to sit out there in the mornings and have coffee.

 

I was a little worried that the shows in the main theater would be a little 'hokey' and like high school productions, but just the opposite. I LOVED the production numbers and the theater on the Westerdam was so hi-tech and the singers and dancers were amazing.

 

By day 4, I started getting a little lonely. Everyone I had met on the ship all had spouses or significant others. Everyone was delightful, but I sometimes felt a little like I was in the way. Kinda a third wheel. Still, I loved traveling alone and will do it again.

 

I'm looking forward to my next cruise...probably Mexico in October.

I'm so happy to read this review, for 2 reasons. First, we are going on the cruise in August, and 2nd, my daughter is one of the performers in those shows. You know how us moms are, loving the good review! Thanks.

We were on the Oosterdam in rough seas a few years ago. The dance troupe was 8, I think. By the time the late show ended on a particularly rough night, 5 of the dancers were down with injuries. Sometimes there is an element of bravery that few people even think about.

Very true, I will be anxious to hear from my daughter what it's like on the stage if they hit rough seas.:(

No, her name is Elise and I am looking forward to seeing her and the rest of the cast in August!

Hi, I will be going on my third cruise in August, my first with Holland America, but I am writing this as the mom of a performer doing her first contract right now. I just want to say that while I totally understand that the big theatre shows might not be to everyone's taste, please at least give them a chance and do realize that these performers have worked incredibly hard getting ready to put these shows on. I'm pretty sure that choosing performing as a job is never about trying to get rich, but it is because of an incredible passion to get on that stage and entertain people. From what little I know as of now, there has been a lot of excitement, energy, creativity, talent and really hard work going into getting these shows ready. Maybe give them a try with the thought in mind that these people are so happy to be up there entertaining you!