What is so great about the Piano Bar?

[Plant]

We enjoy the Piano Bar! The piano player is generally a "laid back" kind of person. We don't have to scream to be heard :eek:!

 

We like all the piano bar singer's. No, they're not Big Star's, but they are usually very good!

 

I'd just suggest that you go once... .

[OCruisers]

The piano bars on some Carnival ships are so much better than others. The GOOD ones are very fun! :D

 

Fantasy & Fascination always seems to have the worst piano players and very few are ever there. Agree with the person who said he'd had "More Fun at Funerals". :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

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[kkdleon]

The piano bars on some Carnival ships are so much better than others. The GOOD ones are very fun! :D

 

Fantasy & Fascination always seems to have the worst piano players and very few are ever there. Agree with the person who said he'd had "More Fun at Funerals". :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

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Just off the Fantasy- didn't care for Rob and bar service was awful. Took 30 minutes to get waitress to stop at the piano bar where we were sitting, and after another 20 minutes we left sans drinks. Maybe will try again this summer on the Liberty.

[mousey]

Much like how a great DJ can make a nighclub fun by knowing the audience, the same is true for the piano bar. I've been in duds - and been in great ones. So much of the fun also comes from the audience. And it can be somewhat cult-like where you will find the same folks coming night after night - even sitting in the same seats. On the Breeze, we had a great time with the "regulars" - everyone ended up getting a special name. Lots of fun - but not for everybody.

 

I totally agree with this post!:D We usually love the piano bars...but it definitely depends on both the pianist and the crowd. And I agree with another poster who said that it seems to draw an older crowd. But personally, I never care about what age a crowd is...old or young...I'm there.

Edited February 16, 2014 by mousey

[riclop]

I have cruised several times and have never been to the piano bar. I see on the boards that it gets mentioned alot and that it is great.

 

Is it just a sing a long with the piano player? I don't have a clue. Please enlighten me so I can join in on my next cruise because it sounds like fun.

Just go and try it .

[snyder650]

I've enjoyed the piano bar on some and not at all on others. While I've never complained about it, I'm glad to hear they are non-smoking now. More often than not, I've found the air in the piano bars to be stagnant, so the cigarette smoke just hung in there an permeated everything. I've found it difficult to stay for long...even was I was a smoker.

 

Looking forward to visiting the Piano Bar on Pride in a few weeks.

[bbmom2boys]

Totally agree with the statements a good entertainer determines your experience. I have always found they are not usually great singers but their piano skills are phenomenal but more important than that they are "entertainers"! The good ones engage the audience! As someone said you get to know everyone else over the week ....becomes kind of a "Cheers" bar kind of atmosphere! Dave Filsinger was the VERY BEST but he has taken his skills and decided to stay on land! We sail with Milby Dumas in 11 days! Cant wait! We have heard good things!

 

And if you get the chance to try piano bars on land you might find an awesome inexpensive night out! Best one we have found was Howl at the Moon in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando!

[satxdiver]

The pianist and his live music. Holding a nice glass of wine at the time.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

We just got back from a cruise on the Imagination, the first night in the piano bar was fun, even though the piano player was a much better piano player than singer, he still got the crowd going. The second and third nights we went back hoping to have fun, but unfortunately some bimbo who was way too old to think she was as cute as she thought she was (reminded me of my mom's saying "I'd like to buy her for what she's worth and sell her for what she thinks she's worth") I don't usually pay attention to other people or let others affect my good time, but unfortunately, this woman insisted on being center of attention and totally took over....ruined my fun, and apparently everybody else's too, because after the first night just she and her group of 6 or so people were all that hung out in there....sad really.

[Kpurdy79]

Do any of the ships have a dual Piano bar? We were on the Epic last year and they had one (Howl at the Moon) and it they were amazing. Just curious.

[vincentharris]

For me,,, it's hit or miss.

Some can play a mean piano, but can't sing.

Some can't play a lick, but sing very well.

Some can do both, but can't interact with the audiance.

 

Find one that can do all three???? You've got a rockin good time all night long.

 

Ron Pass, the only piano bar entertainer worth seeing. I have tried other times and the assessment above proves very true.

[Surfwench]

I don't think we ever bothered when we cruised on the Pride, but we did go on the Breeze, last April, and Ron Pass was the piano player. He had gotten such RAVE reviews on here, and also in member reviews. We did not care for him at ALL. We stayed for a half hour, and left. Never to return again....

Like others have said, some people love it, and some don't. Can't hurt to check it out.

The smoke comment confuses me:confused::confused::confused: There is no smoking allowed in the Piano Bar, so I am not sure why it would get "smokier" as the night went on.

 

Not like Ron Pass?! Funny to see that comment, we were on the Breeze last April too. He is uber talented but he's a 'listen to' entertainer, not a sing along with one. We went nearly every night, but we never sang. I've kinda enjoyed the other piano guys who were a little less of an act unto themselves. More audience participation.

[NCTribeFan]

I really hate sing-alongs. Really. The first time I even knew there were piano bars on ships was after I joined CC (so I already had several cruises under my lifevest, so to speak). Poked my head in on Miracle, Dec 2007, and the guy was awful. Just awful.

 

Sorry, folks, but I think if you're paid to play/sing music, you should at least be moderately competent - that includes playing the right notes and singing in tune.

 

So I didn't bother with the next several cruises. First time I actually went in and sat, had a drink and listened for a while was on Leg 1 of my Fantasy B2B in October 2012. Angela was at the piano. Not the best voice, but she was entertaining.

 

Now, I usually stop in for one song (people should never, ever get up and leave ANY performance of ANY kind in the middle of a number; that's the height of rudeness), but have rarely stayed.

 

A. I hate singalongs

2. Song choices - what most people think are great songs, I can barely listen to.

 

Who was the genius who requested Sweet Home Alabama from an African-American piano bar guy who was filling in on Fantasy last September? Really? Have you people never actually listened to the lyrics? :rolleyes:

 

The song Piano Man - requesting this over and over and over and over from someone. Again, have you never actually listened to the lyrics? Do you not find it even a little ironic that you're asking someone to sing a song about how awful it is to be a musician and have to play requests in a bar every night?

 

I guess I'm a music snob. Most of my friends have been musicians, singers or performers. I just can't deal with the bad performances. That's one reason I personally was glad the lido bands went away. I never heard a single one that should've been getting paid to perform. Poorly played music and off-key singing is NOT what I want to hear when I cruise.

 

But I've come to the conclusion that 90% of people must be tone deaf, so it doesn't bother them. That's the only explanation I can think of! :p

 

So, the piano bar is near the bottom of my list of Things To Do on a cruise. Obviously, lots of people think they're great. But if you don't, you aren't alone!

[momof4boys]

Had to laugh about the older crowd.....I am sure that is mostly true, however, on the DREAM this summer, it was out younger kids, 21,23, and 25, that made us older folks go to the piano bar.

 

Our kids love the dueling piano bar in the town they go to college...it is honestly packed every night.....but gracious...on the weekend the lines snake out the door. Been there and they are pretty good but my it is loud---shouting to talk loud.:D

 

So our kids tell us we "HAVE" to go to the piano bar with them (before they go to dance club) I'll have to look up the guys name but he was good. If he didn't know a song (and there were some oldie requests he wasn't that familiar with) he would ask permission to put that request on hold till the next day. By the next night, he could sing and play the song. He could actually do both. He played a lot of contemporary songs. That seems to draw the younger crowd in, too!

[Cruise, J.D.]

As said, it all depends on the player. Some are just awful and some are a lot of fun.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

While the Piano Player does make a difference, a dull crowd can ruin a good player while an upbeat crowd can make up for an average player. As has also been said, no kids.....

[EnTnSA]

Finally got a chance to check it out on our last cruise. Walked in…and then promptly walked out.

 

To be fair, it was pretty early (around 9), but there were not many people in there, and I thought that perhaps a passenger may have just gotten up to play and sing. It was just not good at all. Almost awkwardly bad.

[sjcruiser]

Each piano bar is different. Whether you enjoy it or not will depend on who the singer is. We haven't enjoyed all the piano bars and that's down to the singer.

 

I agree that all the pianist/entertainers are not all the same as far as their skills engagement, entertaining, or social interaction with those around them. The piano bars can be packed at time, and hard to get in, so if we find one that we like, we get their early, and make a night out of it, usually when we don't go to the nightclub, or the nightclub is dead, or playing the same music that we get tired off.