Watching TV on the Ship

[RuthC]

I used to love having the TV on for the radio station music, but then HAL changed the playlists, and there was nothing I cared to listen to anymore.

 

But I still like the background noise, so turned the set on to some shows, both for the sound, and for the entertainment while getting dressed in morning and evening.

On the Nieuw Amsterdam, though, the new interactive TV system is different. There is little choice in TV programs now, and much less choice in movies. And you can't catch lectures you missed anymore. :(

[Krazy Kruizers]

I can remember when we first started to cruise.

No TV's!!

[crystalspin]

The ONLY time we have ever turned the television on was to listen to the narrator through a narrow gap in the balcony door, through the Panama Canal.

 

We do watch the introductory material once through on getting to the room while unpacking. Refreshes one's memory about the muster drill protocol.

[GRACECRUISE]

We never watched TV until our Dec cruise. The NA had the interactive TV. There were lots of TV shows and movies to pick from. On afternoon after Margaritiaville drinks and sun it was back to the room for a nap. I put Frozen on just to have something on and really enjoyed it. Also watched a great Disney Bears documentary while I packed. Other than that we did have football on aside from news while getting ready fro dinner.

 

I was nice to look at Pinnacle, Cannelito, Tamarind and LeCirque menus on the TV as well as seeing what is happening on the Koningsdam.

[sail7seas]

I can remember when we first started to cruise.

No TV's!!

 

I started sailing HAL about 1991 and we had TV's in our cabins.

 

Noordam III and then Statendam were the first HAL ships we sailed.

 

[cruz chic]

I started sailing HAL about 1991 and we had TV's in our cabins.

 

Noordam III and then Statendam were the first HAL ships we sailed.

 

 

My first cruise was on the Noordam in 1984. I can't recall if there was a tv in the room.

[Saphire]

The TV gets turned off as soon as we enter the room and is never turned back on. The sights and sounds of the sea become our relaxation and background sound for the week :) I really dislike how they have the TV on in the middle of the Neptune Lounge. It ruins the atmosphere, there is no reason to have it there. People can watch in their staterooms if they need to.

[Lizzie68]

The TV gets turned off as soon as we enter the room and is never turned back on. The sights and sounds of the sea become our relaxation and background sound for the week :) I really dislike how they have the TV on in the middle of the Neptune Lounge. It ruins the atmosphere, there is no reason to have it there. People can watch in their staterooms if they need to.

 

What atmosphere is in the Neptune Lounge? It is an inside room, coffee and snacks, a computer, and a TV where we can catch up on the news. The volume is always low and conversation with any other passengers in there is not impeded.

[1884Vic]

I don't have TV in my own home (I haven't since 2006) but we do watch it on the cruise. We save up movies we have been wanting to watch, order room service and relax. I would rather watch a movie than go to most theater shows and it's time my husband and I get to spend alone, in PJ's, eating crap. We never do this at home. We are up with the sun and go, go,go all day. Everyone spends their vacation time differently.

[babyher]

we use the TV as background noise and we will put it on at night before we go to bed. 26 years of working nights , that TV was the best babysitter for keeping us awake (plus the internet) .. At home we set the timer for an hour at bedtime and we are rarely awake when it goes off. just an old habit of having it on.

 

Pretty much what we do on vacation.

 

But to be on vacation and have to ruin back to the cabin because its 9pm and such and such is on NO. That is why God invented DVR :)

[NoWhiners]

we use the TV as background noise and we will put it on at night before we go to bed. 26 years of working nights , that TV was the best babysitter for keeping us awake (plus the internet) .. At home we set the timer for an hour at bedtime and we are rarely awake when it goes off. just an old habit of having it on.

 

Pretty much what we do on vacation.

 

But to be on vacation and have to ruin back to the cabin because its 9pm and such and such is on NO. That is why God invented DVR :)

 

I bolded the part that we do. Also use it if I wake up in the wee hours to get back to sleep. Like a sleeping pill like cruz chic noted above. I do like having it and wouldn't want it removed. We do like to keep up with the news even while on vacation, so this is a convenient way to do that. One of our first cruises was the week that Michael Jackson died. Still can't believe all the attention that got--must have been a slow news week!

 

ML

[jimmy2x]

"I used to love having the TV on for the radio station music, but then HAL changed the playlists, and there was nothing I cared to listen to anymore"

 

You mean the "Sinatra/Ella" channel is gone? How depressing. Sometimes I do wonder if anybody at HAL takes note of the age of most of their cruisers.:(

[sail7seas]

What atmosphere is in the Neptune Lounge? It is an inside room, coffee and snacks, a computer, and a TV where we can catch up on the news. The volume is always low and conversation with any other passengers in there is not impeded.

 

I agree the TV in Neptune Lounge is never set to high volume and we've never had any issue trying to have a conversation with the TV on.

 

[Saphire]

No, the TV in the Lounge is not loud, but it a focal point. Why have it? There is a TV in every stateroom. I would much rather have unobtrusive, soft music (ambient, classical).

[sail7seas]

Some people like a bit of socializing rather than isolating in their cabin. Not all couples/travel companions are joined at the hip and one may go on an excursion and the other either doesn't want to or cannot for whatever reason. If they can go to Neptune Lounge to see whatever is going on there, they aren't so isolated. Solo travelers may wish to get a cup of coffee, sit for a few minutes watching the news and enjoy their coffee. If you want particular music, it is so easy these days to provide for yourself whatever ambient, classical music you want. I'd rather TV than even more HAL music. It's all over the ship.

 

Here is an example of how they will never please all the people all the time.

 

You want classical, someone else wants soft rock, someone else wants absolute quiet.......

 

Edited January 8, 2016 by sail7seas

[Lizzie68]

No, the TV in the Lounge is not loud, but it a focal point. Why have it? There is a TV in every stateroom. I would much rather have unobtrusive, soft music (ambient, classical).

 

Perhaps it hasn't occurred to you that not everyone is of the same opinion.;) If you don't like the TV in the Neptune Lounge you could always ask the concierge to turn it off and see if anyone else there minds. As most people are only there for a short while, it could always be turned back on again. Not sure, however, why on earth this bothers you so much. You don't like tv - fine. That's your choice. Others do. That's their choice.

[Typhoon1]

We always have the TV. It's tuned to one of the music channels or the channel showing the ships position.

[POA1]

No, the TV in the Lounge is not loud, but it a focal point. Why have it? There is a TV in every stateroom. I would much rather have unobtrusive, soft music (ambient, classical).

Sometimes you're hanging out in the Neptune Lounge with people you've just met and the conversation hits an awkward pause. Having the TV on - and it's usually tuned to a news channel - allows you to to interject random "news things" into the conversation. It's great for throwing the complainers off their game.

 

Is the person you're talking to complaining about the temperature on the ship? Mention whatever weather story's on TV. 'You might be uncomfortable in the dining room, but how about those record lows in international Falls, Minnesota?*' . Or, if you really want to get out of the conversation, look your acquaintance in the eye, holding eye contact just a little too long for comfort. Then, lean in, and just above a whisper, ask - in a deadly serious tone, "Just between us, how much gold and silver do you think William Devane really has in his safe?" Then dart your eyes around the room several times.

 

"If you are feeling daring, you can also bring up the fact that Worcester, Massachusetts is the warmest of coldest 50 cities in the United States. Make sure you pronounce it "Wore-chest-er," not Wustah. You don't want to risk being mistaken for someone who is un-crazy.

Edited January 8, 2016 by POA1

[Saphire]

POA1, you are too funny. I didn't mean to sound snarky. Really, I am SO happy to take a cruise once a year, TV or no TV. I will let it be.

[81Zoomie]

The NA had the new 55in TVs with some live programming. It is hung over the couches in the suites, so you either have to look at the reflection in the mirror above the bed or move the chairs if you wish to watch from a spot other than the bed. It was nice to catch up on the news while getting ready. Was just on the Zdam and they did not have the new TVs. I must say the new large TVs make the staterooms look sleeker whether or not they are on. We do enjoy the music channels and the bridge cams as well.

[sail7seas]

Sometimes you're hanging out in the Neptune Lounge with people you've just met and the conversation hits an awkward pause. Having the TV on - and it's usually tuned to a news channel - allows you to to interject random "news things" into the conversation. It's great for throwing the complainers off their game.

 

Is the person you're talking to complaining about the temperature on the ship? Mention whatever weather story's on TV. 'You might be uncomfortable in the dining room, but how about those record lows in international Falls, Minnesota?*' . Or, if you really want to get out of the conversation, look your acquaintance in the eye, holding eye contact just a little too long for comfort. Then, lean in, and just above a whisper, ask - in a deadly serious tone, "Just between us, how much gold and silver do you think William Devane really has in his safe?" Then dart your eyes around the room several times.

 

 

 

LOL........ there you go again. Good thing I had just put down my ice water or I'd be buying a new laptop. :D :D

 

 

 

"If you are feeling daring, you can also bring up the fact that Worcester, Massachusetts is the warmest of coldest 50 cities in the United States. Make sure you pronounce it "Wore-chest-er," not Wustah. You don't want to risk being mistaken for someone who is un-crazy.

 

 

 

Yes, It's Whistah.......... You had to go and tell the world? How will we know the wanna'be's??

 

[sppunk]

We are journalists / communication people so addicted to news. We watch CNN getting ready for dinner and right before we sleep briefly for headlines.

 

I also in 2008 watched an entire Red Sox game in Alaska and missed dinner and a show. It was a Lester no hitter. I screamed and cried like a schoolgirl too. I'm not ashamed.

[POA1]

POA1, you are too funny. I didn't mean to sound snarky. Really, I am SO happy to take a cruise once a year, TV or no TV. I will let it be.

I didn’t take it as snarky. I just saw the opportunity to be a smart aleck. :D

[OceanTraveller4ever]

TVs are great for entertainment, news, and diversions. I do hope HAL will install bigger flat screens in the suites :)

[sail7seas]

TVs are great for entertainment, news, and diversions. I do hope HAL will install bigger flat screens in the suites :)

 

If I have understood recent posts, HAL is redecorating Neptune Suites and the TV's on the counter top are being replaced with large flat screens hung on the wall.