Entertainment aboard HAL ships

[rsldonk]

One thing I really wish HAL had was a karaoke venue.  

[taxmantoo]

6 minutes ago, rsldonk said:

One thing I really wish HAL had was a karaoke venue.  

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by taxmantoo

[rsldonk]

1 minute ago, taxmantoo said:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cQAwr1m9WbA/VcqnQ6goZFI/AAAAAAAAAcc/EH7Gul07PuQ/s1600/simon%2Bcowell%2Bintro%2Bmeme%28www.lipstickalley.com%29.jpg

And nobody would force you to go.  I just enjoy watching drunk people try to sing.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, igraf said:

I prefer that no one is talking while I am listening to music.  I recall a music performance being ruined by a loud group who were so rude that they decided to sit up front next to the musicians, and then try to talk louder than the music.  I finally had to ask them to have their conversation elsewhere.

 

igraf

 

 

 

Seems like these are two different things. The other poster is opining that having some background music in a venue where people gather to have cocktails and chat is nice. No reason they couldn't do that and also have what I would call "performances" where the music is the highlight and people come to listen.

 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, rsldonk said:

I just enjoy watching drunk people try to sing.

 

Are you thinking of a younger crowd than generally found on HAL though?

 

Most of the over-served on HAL just fall asleep in their chairs!  🤣

[rsldonk]

15 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Are you thinking of a younger crowd than generally found on HAL though?

 

Most of the over-served on HAL just fall asleep in their chairs!  🤣

Yeah, you may be right, but if HAL doesn't start appealing to a younger group of people, they will soon be irrelevant.

[KirkNC]

31 minutes ago, rsldonk said:

Yeah, you may be right, but if HAL doesn't start appealing to a younger group of people, they will soon be irrelevant.

Why, people in their 60’s is the fastest growing demographic.

[Roz]

17 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Why, people in their 60’s is the fastest growing demographic.

 

I don't know what the fastest growing US demographic is, but the largest age cohort is the 25-54 yr. olds with 39.5% of the population.  

[rsldonk]

20 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Why, people in their 60’s is the fastest growing demographic.

People in their 60s are quickly turning into people in their 70s, meanwhile you have the Gen X fall off and then the millennial spike.

[KirkNC]

12 minutes ago, rsldonk said:

People in their 60s are quickly turning into people in their 70s, meanwhile you have the Gen X fall off and then the millennial spike.

From the US Census website:

 

The first Baby Boomers reached 65 years old in 2011,” said Dr. Luke Rogers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch. “Since then, there’s been a rapid increase in the size of the 65-and-older population, which grew by over a third since 2010. No other age group saw such a fast increase. In fact, the under-18 population was smaller in 2019 than it was in 2010, in part due to lower fertility in the United States.”

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/65-older-population-grows.html

Another article:

 

The fastest-growing segment of the population is expected to be the over-65 crowd, which will account for 19.1% of the total population in 2026,

 

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/over-65s-expected-to-be-fastest-growing-demographic-over-next-5-years-60391374

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by KirkNC

[LynnSD]

This past year has been terrible financially for musicians.  It seems logical that a cruise contract would be a lifeline, hopefully for some really great performers.    We shall see.   

[rsldonk]

1 minute ago, KirkNC said:

From the US Census website:

 

The first Baby Boomers reached 65 years old in 2011,” said Dr. Luke Rogers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch. “Since then, there’s been a rapid increase in the size of the 65-and-older population, which grew by over a third since 2010. No other age group saw such a fast increase. In fact, the under-18 population was smaller in 2019 than it was in 2010, in part due to lower fertility in the United States.”

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/65-older-population-grows.html

 

 

 

Yep, but still, if you want to go to bed at 7, great.  Go to bed, nobody is stopping you.  Give options for other people too.

[EDLOS]

WOW !

When I posted my disappointment in HAL entertainment offering 3 years ago, i.e. BB Kings doesn't play Blues and in the Queens Lounge with low ceilings is too loud., twin Pianos play by poor entertainers, Lincoln Center ( I love ) playing only one set per night during Early dinner seating as they had to play live for Planet Earth, , no continuous music in Atrium anymore, no Dance Band sets before or after dinner, no more dance lessons, no more time time passing activities such as Putting or Bowling, Golfing, Kareoke, etc.

I was told people didn't want these activities by fellow cruisers.

They are alive and well on NCL, Celebrity, RCI,  and others where I went after HAL.  I cruised before Covid four times a year. I have never met a Piano Bar with sing along that was not SRO night after night.

Because you are not interested and/or it only attracts a certain group, don't knock  it. Something for everyone was/is a winning formula. Attracting younger people for destination cruising, they are back packing though Europe until they reach the time and money 50+ to join us. or going on Carnival with water slides to Caribbean islands with their children. You and I really don't want them crawling under our table at dinner. 

Just some observations from an old Curmugeon with 40 plus cruises under his belt.

[Mary229]

I don't even think it is always age, some people just like quiet and calm and they like a different type of entertainment. I like enrichment over night clubs and that is where I want my dollars to be spent. Even though I meet other people on the ship and am pleasant I do not cruise to be social or engage in social activities.  I have been like this my whole life - you can ask my mother😁

 

  I am happy to have others do what they want but if HAL sends me a survey I tell them how I want my dollars spent not what I think will help their business. There is room enough in the marketplace for all of us but perhaps not on the same ship.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Mary229

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, EDLOS said:

Because you are not interested and/or it only attracts a certain group, don't knock  it. Something for everyone was/is a winning formula.

 

The problem is that the "right" mix is going to differ significantly. Not just from age group to age group but among introverts and extroverts, for example. 

 

I cruise a number of lines and I think it is good to have SOME differentiation between lines. I'm not saying HAL's offerings are the most enjoyable -- far from it. But I also think that there is a type of HAL cruiser that isn't necessarily aged, but still is not on board ship PRIMARILY for the more social entertainment activities.

 

Between Celebrity, Princess and HAL, Celebrity seems to have the most "buzz" in their bars and clubs at night. Princess has the edge when it comes to passenger-generated entertainment. I lose count of the number of TV game shows and trivia shows that they adapt for passenger entertainment.  I'm not sure, though, if you tried that on HAL, whether you'd get the same uptake from the passenger base.

 

I also think HAL isn't helped by having a kind of split personality. You have the shorter-length cruises primarily the same itineraries week after week (e.g., Caribbean, Alaska) where multi-generational families are more prevalent and might be in search of more entertainment -- they want a packed week, then they will go home with lots of memories.  Then you have the longer cruises on smaller (at least up to now) ships and somewhat older clientele; fewer children. These are not necessarily people looking for a week of whoopie. They might be on board for a month or longer and for them it seems to be more of a longer, sustained but low key experience they are seeking.

 

I don't have a clue what the answer is. Sometimes I am left shaking my head. For years everyone on these boards complained about the "dreadful" evening production shows. Then when HAL more or less did away with the format, you'd have thought no one ever expressed any dissatisfaction with them and that they were the greatest thing afloat. Go figure.

 

I personally would like to see a few more activities during the day, appropriate to the HAL personality -- not pool events or karaoke per se, but maybe more varied trivia options, more (good) lectures, even a wider variety of classes or activities such as an onboard choir, book club, etc.  For evenings, on ships with the music venues, I understand the focus but as mentioned -- why build ships with state-of-the-art stages and capabilities and then not utilize? 

 

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Are you thinking of a younger crowd than generally found on HAL though?

 

Most of the over-served on HAL just fall asleep in their chairs!  🤣

 

I had to deal with such a group once that, for reasons still unk to me, chose the Explorers Lounge and the Adagios on a nightly basis to fine-tune their anti-social skills

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, lost4sure said:

rkacruiser,

 

I think Diane Fast is the piano player you are referring in the piano bar and her husband (can't remember his name) in the Ocean Bar. 

 

When I posted another name, I really thought:  that's not correct.  Believe it or not, but my memory "kicked in" during the middle of last night and I remembered her name!  

 

18 hours ago, Crew News said:

Amen to Cantare.  I was fortunate enough to be onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam to hear Cantare and echo the comment above

 

I appreciate learning your memory of support of this outstanding group.  If such was possible then, it's still possible.  

 

11 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

Her husband at the time (no longer a couple ...) was named Bob. He would show up most nights after his gig in the Ocean Bar and sometimes even bring some of the other musicians along for an improvised jam session.  We spent a few nights in there on the Noordam WAY PAST closing time.

 

Yes.  Bob was the gentleman's name and those of us on the Eurodam's Baltic Cruise and re-positioning cruise to New York experienced such jam sessions.  Outstanding evenings!

[kazu]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Are you thinking of a younger crowd than generally found on HAL though?

 

Most of the over-served on HAL just fall asleep in their chairs!  🤣

 

Have to confess I’ve never been on one of those cruises 😉 

 

We’ve had a big group shut down the Crow’s Nest with the piano singer on the Prinsendam, same thing with BB Kings on the Rotterdam.

I’ve seen the odd person fall asleep at Adagio, admittedly but they are few and far between.  Everyone else was enjoying the music.

We rarely disagree and I’m not sure if it’s because I go on longer cruises or not but I am tired of the “people go to sleep at 9:30” line.  Not true at all.  Not on the cruisesI have been on.

 

We are up late enough to roll in your and Hitner’s carpets unless we have a very early port call the next day at 7:30.  Just the same with Main Dining, it’s not that early. 😉 

[Aquahound]

On 6/9/2021 at 7:18 AM, igraf said:

I prefer that no one is talking while I am listening to music.  I recall a music performance being ruined by a loud group who were so rude that they decided to sit up front next to the musicians, and then try to talk louder than the music.  I finally had to ask them to have their conversation elsewhere.

 

igraf

 

 

I think you misunderstood. I’m referring to a solo guitarist in a venue like the Crows Nest or atrium, or a solo pianist in the Ocean Bar.....venues where you can still have quiet and polite conversations while downtempo  live music plays in the background.  HAL used to have this, but did away with it. 
 

In no way, shape, or form was I advocating for people to be rude and disruptive. 

[cruisemom42]

14 hours ago, kazu said:

We rarely disagree and I’m not sure if it’s because I go on longer cruises or not but I am tired of the “people go to sleep at 9:30” line.  Not true at all.  Not on the cruisesI have been on.

 

Well, let's chalk it up to different experiences. 😉

 

On the first HAL cruise I ever took -- maybe 18(?) years ago with my parents and DS who was then around 10-11) -- it was not a great experience. There really was little going on at night. Lounges with 1-2 groups of people. And this was on the (then) fairly new Zuiderdam, which HAL was touting as the first of their new class of "family" cruise ships with something for everyone. It was summer in the Caribbean, but very few kids -- DS did not enjoy the kids program. At night I would walk around by myself looking for something to do, but the only action was in the casino. Several nights I ended up getting a DVD and going back to my cabin. Not exactly what I cruise for...

 

That cruise kept me from returning to HAL for quite a while!  My parents loved it for many years though.

 

Now that I cruise solo, I've returned to HAL for itinerary-based cruising and there are things I really like about the line in addition to itinerary -- size of their cabins for one. But I've never really hit the sweet spot of entertainment with HAL.  I've never been lucky enough to sail on a HAL cruise with good enrichment speakers. I know they exist (or did exist) but seems difficult to know in advance whether they will be offered. On the small ships I've sailed with enrichment programs, the speakers and their areas of expertise are announced in advance of sailing.

 

I also am far from an expert on the newer ships that have all of the music venues. But on the ships I've sailed, I can't say I've run into a rollicking good time in any later-night venue (as a night-owl, something I appreciate....)  My dislike of larger ships has kept me away from these newer vessels -- and I suspect it will continue to limit my bookings on HAL in future. 😕

 

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by cruisemom42

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I also am far from an expert on the newer ships that have all of the music venues. My dislike of larger ships has kept me away from them -- and I suspect it will continue to limit my bookings on HAL in future. 

 

I haven’t been on the newest ones yet, either.

 

Other than one sailing on a Signature Class ship, our sailings have been on the Prinsendam (for a good number), the R & S class & the Vista ships.

 

So, my experience is also limited 😉 

[T8NCruise]

4 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I think you misunderstood. I’m referring to a solo guitarist in a venue like the Crows Nest or atrium, or a solo pianist in the Ocean Bar.....venues where you can still have quiet and polite conversations while downtempo  live music plays in the background.  HAL used to have this, but did away with it. 
 

 

I loved when they had the guitarist playing in the Crow's Nest in the evenings - it was a lovely place to gather either before or after dinner.  And the dancers in the Ocean Bar, with the little band playing.  Actual entertainment.
I must be amongst the minority that dislikes BB King - so loud, and believe me, I love music and the opportunity to dance, but I also like to be able to hear my partner speaking.  I'm also not a fan  of the two piano thing.  Much prefer the old Piano Bar.

Entertainment is not one of HAL's strong points any longer, sadly.

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I’m referring to a solo guitarist in a venue like the Crows Nest or atrium, or a solo pianist in the Ocean Bar.....

 

I have experienced the Crow's Nest being used that way.  Maybe a song or two from the performer occasionally added to the  entertainment.  Even during the MIX concept, there might be such a performer and the guests received his performance well, i.e. the area was packed and the Stewards/bartenders were quite busy.  

[Catlover54]

Which ships routinely offer a classical music venue ( for listening and not talking)?

[RuthC]

4 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Which ships routinely offer a classical music venue ( for listening and not talking)?

All of them do.