Change in Live Music on the Golden

[getting older slowly]

HI All

Just got off the Golden after a B2B ( 26 nights ) Had a great cruise, but one big thing was the Live Music,

the Pianist and Guitarist along with the Princess Band ( the Drop )

Now are playing in 45 minutes blocks and shows are chancing every hour.......

What happened to sitting down with drink and having 90 minutes of music.... ( are we going for the short attention span people )

Also loud music in the Piazza..... ( do not try to go to Guest Services while they are playing )

This was our 6th cruise on the Golden and a first with this Cruise Director ( Cory I believe )

So is the music planning a Princess thing or a Cruise Director thing  or some other greater force.

 

All one can say is that it saved us money, no after dinner drinks while watching live music 

 

Cheers Don 

 

[trishh]

27 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

HI All

Just got off the Golden after a B2B ( 26 nights ) Had a great cruise, but one big thing was the Live Music,

the Pianist and Guitarist along with the Princess Band ( the Drop )

Now are playing in 45 minutes blocks and shows are chancing every hour.......

What happened to sitting down with drink and having 90 minutes of music.... ( are we going for the short attention span people )

Also loud music in the Piazza..... ( do not try to go to Guest Services while they are playing )

This was our 6th cruise on the Golden and a first with this Cruise Director ( Cory I believe )

So is the music planning a Princess thing or a Cruise Director thing  or some other greater force.

 

All one can say is that it saved us money, no after dinner drinks while watching live music 

 

Cheers Don 

 

Morning Don,

sorry to take you off topic but I'm getting on the Golden on Thursday and wondered what you thought of the food. We were on 2 years ago and found the food to be below par, then we got on last year and it was great. I'm hoping that it's still good.

Trish

[cr8tiv1]

45 minutes sets have been the norm for a long time.  They are staggered to pick up the slack between theater times.  Music in the piazza has ALWAYS been too loud for me.  I feel sorry for the customer service desk.  Is it done on purpose so you don't spend a lot of time talking out your grievances?  

 

The ED schedules the music events.  I am not sure s/he has complete control on who the entertainers are.  Princess may have the final say on which shows are performed.  ED does have control over canned music.  I was on the Ruby when I requested better canned ballroom music for pre-dinner dancing.  

 

And "who" decided to have an acoustical guitarist in the Wheelhouse for dancing music?  Or mic the same acoustical guitarist (oxy-moron) in the piazza?

 

[getting older slowly]

9 minutes ago, trishh said:

Morning Don,

sorry to take you off topic but I'm getting on the Golden on Thursday and wondered what you thought of the food. We were on 2 years ago and found the food to be below par, then we got on last year and it was great. I'm hoping that it's still good.

Trish

Hi Trish,

Firstly enjoy your Cruise, we have spend 76 nights n the Golden over the last 3 years, and enjoyed them all 

Food is very subjective on this cruise we mainly ate in Club Class, Service was excellent food was good to very good and out of 50 odd meals only two were average,

 

But it does depend on the crew.... we did noticed change in some places between the first and second legs of the cruise ...

ie crown grill didn't do toast at all well compared to the crew on the first leg....

 

In general the staff was very good, buffet was good food for lunch on port days, did notice a major change in demographic of passengers.... second leg beginning early December... younger people and more carnival style people....

( People sitting in lift lobby eating pizza..... Interesting    as well as a gentlemen in shorts singlet and thongs carrying a stubbie)

 

Please note as I do all the cooking at home.... I enjoy having somebody else cooking.

 

Cheers Don

 

   

[getting older slowly]

25 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

45 minutes sets have been the norm for a long time.  They are staggered to pick up the slack between theater times.  Music in the piazza has ALWAYS been too loud for me.  

 

Up until this cruise we have had either a pianist or guitarist play at the Promenade Bar for at least a couple of 45 minute sets generally attracting a large crowd.... and this was first time the music was so loud in the piazza....

 

Maybe the Golden has being lagging behind the rest of the princess fleet in the newer direction of live music....

 

But to us is was a disappointment....... but nothing to ruin our cruise

 

Cheers Don

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

And "who" decided to have an acoustical guitarist in the Wheelhouse for dancing music?  Or mic the same acoustical guitarist (oxy-moron) in the piazza?

 

On a 28 day cruise a few years ago there was a young lady with a guitar in Wheelhouse. She absolutely packed the place every time she played. Both listeners and dancers. I don't believe she ever gave her last name but she goes by Phillipa. We'd be happy to have her for a Wheelhouse entertainer any time.

 

On another cruise there was a young man who played guitar and sang. I can't remember his name but, when he played, Wheelhouse would empty. He also performed in the Piazza and people left in droves.

 

Entertainment can be as subjective as food. We had a cruise where David Juneau played piano in Wheelhouse most nights and most nights we were there. We hope to sail with him again. The crowd was out at Crooner's where another pianist - Tommy McPhee - was playing. We didn't enjoy him at all as he seemed extremely full of himself and had a large crowd of groupies who were quite annoying. I'm sure those folks who absolutely loved Tommy wouldn't care for David at all.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Thrak

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

On another cruise there was a young man who played guitar and sang. I can't remember his name but, when he played, Wheelhouse would empty. He also performed in the Piazza and people left in droves.

 

 

That must have been the same (male) guitarist I had heard.  I would like to commend Princess....most of the time, they get their road show entertainers spot on.  Rhapsody Trio, Phoenix Rising, Elua, and many many more.

[skynight]

"Now are playing in 45 minutes blocks and shows are changing every hour.."

My experience on Princess are 45 to 50 minute sets with 10 to 15 minute break. Not sure what you mean by shows changing. Usually the Crooner's piano entertainer remains the same all evening starting around 9:00pm. Party bands usually do one or two sets and their music can be interspersed with other activities in the same lounge. Agree that Piazza music can be too loud, but there are passengers that enjoy this.

[polmcs]

14 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

On a 28 day cruise a few years ago there was a young lady with a guitar in Wheelhouse. She absolutely packed the place every time she played. Both listeners and dancers. I don't believe she ever gave her last name but she goes by Phillipa. We'd be happy to have her for a Wheelhouse entertainer any time.

 

Sounds like Phillipa Cookman and yes, she is very talented. We had her and her good friend Charlotte (They perform as Char and Philly) on our Oz-Fiji Cruise last year on the Sun and yes, they packed out the Wheelhouse bar each and every night that they performed there. They also did a few sets in the Vista Lounge one evening. 

 

Their music is very good, but the “banter” on stage between them is also very entertaining. You can tell that they are definitely very good friends. 🙂 

 

We’ve also sailed a few times with Tommy McPhee and enjoyed his sets, but as much as I like Elton John, he does tend lean heavily on those tunes. I give him a pass as he is a fellow countryman! 😉 

[Thrak]

16 hours ago, polmcs said:

Sounds like Phillipa Cookman

 

YES! Many thanks. That's one of the pieces of info I lost when my phone went to pieces suddenly last week. I couldn't remember her last name.