Big Outdoor Screen on HAL?

[Typhoon1]

MUTS was an ill conceived idea. The Princess cruisers love it, but they can keep it.

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

My last cruise June-July wwhen we sailed out of Seattle a Princess ship was beside us and movie screen was on.. The weather was nice and the mountain was out in all her glory. I can't imanage sailing Alaska and watching a mmovie indoors or even outdoor when there is so much to see off the ship. But thats me

I also could hear the noise froom that big ugly drive in

Mary

[pv girl]

the original concept - MUTS - Movies Under the Stars - was probably a good idea and novel at its inception - operative words being "under the stars"

 

It was another venue for evening entertainment - enjoy the good outdoor weather, snuggle up on a comfortable lounger, have popcorn, watch a good movie - great for families or those not wanting to be in an inside bar, showroom, dancing club, etc. We saw lots of folks enjoying this in the evenings on our Princess Med cruise last summer. What ruined the concept was that it went all day too. Hard to enjoy lounging by the pool during the day with it blasting away with cartoons, rock music, etc.

 

The Rotterdam had the big screen at the aft pool on our Baltic cruise 2012 and in the evenings had scheduled some good stuff - e.g. a James Taylor concert, and a Cheryl Crowe concert - unfortunately those evenings were cold, windy, drizzly, and no one was there but the bartender and the pizza guy. At the time, we thought it would have been fun in good weather and were sorry to miss it.

 

So the concept itself has its place and could be good, if done right, and more sparingly than Princess does it.

[Davidson Duo]

We spent 30 days on the Rotterdam with the big screen TV in the Retreat. On this particular itinerary, it was a pleasant addition to our cruise. We had 17 sea days that were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no scenic cruising of islands or inlets. On sea days, they would play "movies" during the day with no sound playing. The movies were gorgeous scenery pictures from around the world, as well as a lot of footage of wildlife "doing their thing in the wild". The photos were stunning and very enjoyable to watch when we were sitting under a waterfall in the Retreat pool in the middle of the Pacific Ocean three days from land. They were actually very relaxing and enhanced our experience.

 

They also would show a movie some days around 4 pm (again - only on sea days). The volume was kept quite low, and they seemed to usually be rather sedate films, no heavy action movies, so not intrusive or annoying at all.

 

We have also been on Princess and tried their MUTS big screen. It is very different from the HAL program, and cannot really be used in comparison. Unless you have actually experienced the HAL system in action, I don't feel you can truly advise whether HAL's is a good or bad thing. It is it's own program, and we actually enjoyed it when used in the scenario we experienced on our heavy sea day extended cruise.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Davidson Duo

[pv girl]

We spent 30 days on the Rotterdam with the big screen TV in the Retreat. On this particular itinerary, it was a pleasant addition to our cruise. We had 17 sea days that were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no scenic cruising of islands or inlets. On sea days, they would play "movies" during the day with no sound playing. The movies were gorgeous scenery pictures from around the world, as well as a lot of footage of wildlife "doing their thing in the wild". The photos were stunning and very enjoyable to watch when we were sitting under a waterfall in the Retreat pool in the middle of the Pacific Ocean three days from land. They were actually very relaxing and enhanced our experience.

 

They also would show a movie some days around 4 pm (again - only on sea days). The volume was kept quite low, and they seemed to usually be rather sedate films, no heavy action movies, so not intrusive or annoying at all.

 

We have also been on Princess and tried their MUTS big screen. It is very different from the HAL program, and cannot really be used in comparison. Unless you have actually experienced the HAL system in action, I don't feel you can truly advise whether HAL's is a good or bad thing. It is it's own program, and we actually enjoyed it when used in the scenario we experienced on our heavy sea day extended cruise.

 

Yes, this is exactly what I was trying to point out in my post also. It has its place, if done right.

[CI66774]

Love MUTS!!!!

[spazwok]

I love movies under the stars on Princess, I think it's fantastic. We love watching the movies during the evening and the music and other programs during the day are great. I wish HAL had this feature!

 

 

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[Ship's Wake]

MUTS was an ill conceived idea. The Princess cruisers love it, but they can keep it.

 

 

Plenty of cruise ships elsewhere for those who need a big screen to keep them occupied.

[akeasley]

I enjoy MUTS on Princess and am surprised to see how many people dislike it. I certainly won't be bored on my future HAL cruise w/o a MUTS screen but it's good to know that movies are shown in another area where people are only there if they are interested in watching the movie.

[sherryf]

I would not be worried about being bored on a sea day in Alaska, though! There is so much scenery, regardless of weather, that it's a shame to come inside and miss a minute of it. I've been known to spend an entire "work day" in a lounger enjoying the fresh air, and beauty all around me.

 

On a round trip cruise from Seattle, the first and last days are mostly open ocean, without much to see unless you are lucky enough to spot whales or dolphins. They also tend to have decent weather for sitting by the pool. We've enjoyed having movies to watch during our pool time, but I can always take my Kindle to the pool instead. Nice to know they show movies in other venues in case the weather is not pool appropriate.

 

Do all cabins on HAL have DVD players? I'd love that too. Sometimes you just want a little down time. We sometimes take DVDs and watch on my laptop, but it would be so much nicer to have a DVD player in the room.

[sandij]

I don't understand all the complaints, have sailed on several ships with the outdoor screen and always enjoyed a movie under the stars, they served popcorn and had blankets available if it got chilly.

The lounges are the same ones everyone sits for hours during the day, how can they be uncomfortable in the evening.

[sail7seas]

Some of us don't like those big screens playing VERY loudly during the day. It isn't only under the stars they have them screeching. It's easy to avoid them at night if you don't want to see the movie but if you want to sun during the day and it is screaming away, some of us don't enjoy the loud volume.

 

[Marigold252]

Same here. I was on the Veendam in late March - April, and was thrilled that it was never turned on. It also looked a bit worn around the edges, rusty, etc.

 

We were on the Veendam in February and it wasn't used. IMHO it's an eyesore.

 

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[RuthC]

On a round trip cruise from Seattle, the first and last days are mostly open ocean, without much to see unless you are lucky enough to spot whales or dolphins.

Some of my nicest days at sea have been spent outside just watching the ocean. It's mesmerizing to watch the waves, trying to figure out their patterns, and watch the changing sky when it's all cloudy.

Not everyone's idea of a good time, I guess.

Do all cabins on HAL have DVD players?

Every cabin on every HAL ship has a DVD player. There is also a booklet listing out all the DVDs available. There are probably hundreds of movies (in a variety of genres) and TV shows available. You can call to request them, or pick them up at the Front Desk.

[Watson's aunt]

hi

 

I love the sea . I love watching the sea go by and day dreaming what is was like 200, 600 1000 years ago. I loove walking around the promenade deck or other deck watching the sea go by. If I see something a whale or something other its a plus. having a movie blasting in background would ruin my cruise. If I want to see a movie I will go see it at home. I hardly spend any time in my cabin I want to watch the sea. That is why I cruise. Not sure how I would feel on longer cruises. but I want to be on deck watching and hoping I might see something. During my cruise to Pamana I would wake up in middle of night and sit on on my balcony (my first one) Keep the door closed and just sit on it listing to how wonderful it was. The waves hitting the ship was so peaceful. If they put these stupid big screen (old drive inplaces) movies on a Hal ship I will find someplace

 

Mary