Does Nieuw Statendam have karaoke?

[AFNavigator]

31 minutes ago, brovol said:

We are on the NS in April.  We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Christmas, and although two different ship classes, I think things are relatively consistent with HAL.  The NS has a rolling Stones Rock bar, which we look forward to checking out.  The NA didn't have this.  On the NA, however, we very much enjoyed the classical string music, played at Lincoln Center Stage.  I guess HAL is doing away with this as an every evening show, but will still have it at some point on the cruise, and those changes wont occur for several months.  BB Kings is really good too; although not really blues.  More contemporary pop, so if you are a big blues fan (like I am) don't get your blues expectations high.  Still enjoyable shows though.

 

We tend to eat dinner very early, so as to catch whatever is playing thereafter.  My wife watches the schedule closely, and so we tend to get to the venues early to get a seat, and then move on to the next place as soon as the last thing we are doing ends.  I think between the Rolling Stone,  BB Kings, and Lincoln Center Stage (or whatever it turns into), you will have plenty to do each evening. 

 

The two piano (Billboard) shows were very disappointing on the NA.  That is all about who you have for singer/piano players.  Some would be awesome, and others lousy.

 

Another option is heading to the Crows Nest, which is very nice, but "chill" in the evenings.  There is a full regular and coffee bar there, games, as well as tables for cards if you are interested in that. My wife, two adult children and I went up there on a slow night, got a beverage and played Euchre.  The views there are incredible. 

 

One thing I didnt like about the NA, and I'm sure its the same on the NS, is that the lido buffet is closed so much; including between 8:30 and 10:30 pm.  Its nice to have the option to get a snack, or something sweet during that period, and the only option was the pizza place, which was very busy because nothing else was open.  Even if they kept a small section of the buffet open, with sandwiches or simple things to grab; but they didn't on the NA.  Hope the NS is different.

 

I think most folks are able to stay entertained on these ships, even if they arent party ships.

Same evening food timing on the NS.  The only venue open between 8:30 and 10:30 is the NY Pizza & Deli.  The good thing is it has a bit bigger menu than the basic NY Pizza on the NA.  Of course there's always 24 hour room service available...with most items no charge.

[SSBrickNJ]

35 minutes ago, brovol said:

We are on the NS in April.  We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Christmas, and although two different ship classes, I think things are relatively consistent with HAL.  The NS has a rolling Stones Rock bar, which we look forward to checking out.  The NA didn't have this.  On the NA, however, we very much enjoyed the classical string music, played at Lincoln Center Stage.  I guess HAL is doing away with this as an every evening show, but will still have it at some point on the cruise, and those changes wont occur for several months.  BB Kings is really good too; although not really blues.  More contemporary pop, so if you are a big blues fan (like I am) don't get your blues expectations high.  Still enjoyable shows though.

 

We tend to eat dinner very early, so as to catch whatever is playing thereafter.  My wife watches the schedule closely, and so we tend to get to the venues early to get a seat, and then move on to the next place as soon as the last thing we are doing ends.  I think between the Rolling Stone,  BB Kings, and Lincoln Center Stage (or whatever it turns into), you will have plenty to do each evening. 

 

The two piano (Billboard) shows were very disappointing on the NA.  That is all about who you have for singer/piano players.  Some would be awesome, and others lousy.

 

Another option is heading to the Crows Nest, which is very nice, but "chill" in the evenings.  There is a full regular and coffee bar there, games, as well as tables for cards if you are interested in that. My wife, two adult children and I went up there on a slow night, got a beverage and played Euchre.  The views there are incredible. 

 

One thing I didnt like about the NA, and I'm sure its the same on the NS, is that the lido buffet is closed so much; including between 8:30 and 10:30 pm.  Its nice to have the option to get a snack, or something sweet during that period, and the only option was the pizza place, which was very busy because nothing else was open.  Even if they kept a small section of the buffet open, with sandwiches or simple things to grab; but they didn't on the NA.  Hope the NS is different.

 

I think most folks are able to stay entertained on these ships, even if they arent party ships.

My wife and I have a daily 5:45pm Main Dining room reservation.

Will that work out well to have us done in time for whatever happens at the Lincoln Center Stage?

[brovol]

50 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

My wife and I have a daily 5:45pm Main Dining room reservation.

Will that work out well to have us done in time for whatever happens at the Lincoln Center Stage?

With our experience on the NA, I would say generally yes, but close call.  Having said that, on the NS the Lincoln Center Stage venue is the same as BB Kings, so my assumption is that on some nights the strings will be earlier, and the "blues" later, and the other way around the next night, but that just a guess. 

 

The Lincoln Stage music on the NA was typically two or three performances each day; one maybe at 3:30 or 5, and then two performances, maybe at 8 and 9.  One of the later performances was essentially the same show as the earlier show; so basically two "new" shows each day.  We are not big classical music people, but loved all of the shows.  The traditional classical music was more of the "pops" variety.  You will be familiar with the stuff they play. Then they always played contemporary pop music with a classical arrangement, so most folks familiar with that too.

 

Dinner in the main dining room takes too long, in my opinion.  So with entertainment scheduling you are largely beholden to the wait staff.  In my experience if you tell the waiters you are in a hurry because of a show they will step it up.  We ate at 5:15 most nights, and had no issue with seating; but the music venues are not huge, so want to plan a bit.

[SSBrickNJ]

1 hour ago, brovol said:

With our experience on the NA, I would say generally yes, but close call.  Having said that, on the NS the Lincoln Center Stage venue is the same as BB Kings, so my assumption is that on some nights the strings will be earlier, and the "blues" later, and the other way around the next night, but that just a guess. 

 

The Lincoln Stage music on the NA was typically two or three performances each day; one maybe at 3:30 or 5, and then two performances, maybe at 8 and 9.  One of the later performances was essentially the same show as the earlier show; so basically two "new" shows each day.  We are not big classical music people, but loved all of the shows.  The traditional classical music was more of the "pops" variety.  You will be familiar with the stuff they play. Then they always played contemporary pop music with a classical arrangement, so most folks familiar with that too.

 

Dinner in the main dining room takes too long, in my opinion.  So with entertainment scheduling you are largely beholden to the wait staff.  In my experience if you tell the waiters you are in a hurry because of a show they will step it up.  We ate at 5:15 most nights, and had no issue with seating; but the music venues are not huge, so want to plan a bit.

I didn't want to reserve it any earlier because maybe we'll do some excursions and then upon returning my wife would want to wash her hair...do make up. I needed to allow time for that.

When do most people get back to the ship from excursions? Difficult for people to answer probably?

Varies?

 

[AFNavigator]

5 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

I didn't want to reserve it any earlier because maybe we'll do some excursions and then upon returning my wife would want to wash her hair...do make up. I needed to allow time for that.

When do most people get back to the ship from excursions? Difficult for people to answer probably?

Varies?

 

As you can imagine, the time people typically return from port stops totally varies with the port stop onboard time.  A lot of port stops have around a 3-4 PM onboard time but some are much later depending on whether it is a short distance to the next port.  Whatever the time is, it seems like most recommendations are to plan on being onboard no later than an hour before cutoff time to give yourself a buffer against unknown delays.  If you are on a ship-sponsored excursion though, you don't have to worry about getting back late.  Cruise lines will hold the ship for late line-sponsored excursions.  If you are on your own, you are totally responsible for getting back on time...the ship will not wait for you.

[SSBrickNJ]

1 hour ago, AFNavigator said:

As you can imagine, the time people typically return from port stops totally varies with the port stop onboard time.  A lot of port stops have around a 3-4 PM onboard time but some are much later depending on whether it is a short distance to the next port.  Whatever the time is, it seems like most recommendations are to plan on being onboard no later than an hour before cutoff time to give yourself a buffer against unknown delays.  If you are on a ship-sponsored excursion though, you don't have to worry about getting back late.  Cruise lines will hold the ship for late line-sponsored excursions.  If you are on your own, you are totally responsible for getting back on time...the ship will not wait for you.

Thank you for quoting me and giving a helpful response.  We will likely use NAL excursions and it seems to me my choice of a 5:45pm daily dining reservation will be fine. It's late enough to get back from an excursion and early enough to be done "just in time" for the evening musical offerings.

Do people reading this agree? 
 

[Dobby36]

3 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Thank you for quoting me and giving a helpful response.  We will likely use NAL excursions and it seems to me my choice of a 5:45pm daily dining reservation will be fine. It's late enough to get back from an excursion and early enough to be done "just in time" for the evening musical offerings.

Do people reading this agree? 
 

Sounds like a plan! You can always mention to the wait staff when starting dinner that you have a time-specific commitment for X time and they can usually speed up service a bit if need be ;)

[lpmpsail]

I’ve complained on my exit reviews every time about the lack of non-sales pitch activities during the day. It’s absolutely ridiculous- literally every day 3 out of 4 events listed are a sales pitch. More passengers need to complain. We’ve paid for entertainment, not infomercials. 

[SSBrickNJ]

4 hours ago, lpmpsail said:

I’ve complained on my exit reviews every time about the lack of non-sales pitch activities during the day. It’s absolutely ridiculous- literally every day 3 out of 4 events listed are a sales pitch. More passengers need to complain. We’ve paid for entertainment, not infomercials. 

I see your point and for your sake I hope things improve.

Truthfully the day stuff does not matter to me personally.

Except for the "At Sea" days, we'll get off the ship and do/see stuff whenever/ wherever the ship docks during the various days.

Thanks for posting though.

[SSBrickNJ]

1 minute ago, SSBrickNJ said:

I see your point and for your sake I hope things improve.

Truthfully the activities during the daylight does not matter to me personally.

Except for the "At Sea" days, we'll get off the ship and do& see stuff whenever or wherever the ship docks during the various days. I'm seeking entertainment in the 7:00pm until 11pm timeframe.

Thanks for posting though.

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[FlaMariner]

On 1/23/2023 at 8:44 PM, SSBrickNJ said:

What are the best evening activities my wife and I might enjoy?

 

After dinner we head to the Main Stage, the Rock Room, Billboard Onboard (our favorite), BBKings, the thermal suite, trivia, walk around the promenade deck, the casino (for blackjack), or movies on lido deck (w/popcorn and a glass of red wine!)......sometimes a combination of those based on what's on the full schedule.....never bored, lots of entertainment....for us, we never understand the whining about lack of entertainment. 

 

Take your pick and enjoy...and no karaoke (another reason we choose HAL)

Edited January 25, 2023 by FlaMariner

[SSBrickNJ]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

 

After dinner we head to the Main Stage, the Rock Room, Billboard Onboard (our favorite), BBKings, the thermal suite, trivia, walk around the promenade deck, the casino (for blackjack), or movies on lido deck (w/popcorn and a glass of red wine!)......sometimes a combination of those based on what's on the full schedule.....never bored, lots of entertainment....for us, we never understand the whining about lack of entertainment. 

 

Take your pick and enjoy...and no karaoke (another reason we choose HAL)

Firstly....thanks for your great post.

Secondly, you are the second helpful person to mention the movie on the LIDO deck.

Historically...generally, how is the comfort level in the evening out on the Lido Deck for a cruise from Sweden to Norway?

I'm thinking it might be kind of cool to spend 2 hours on lounge chair watching an outdoor movie?

I hope I am wrong...just asking though 🙂

[*Miss G*]

39 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Firstly....thanks for your great post.

Secondly, you are the second helpful person to mention the movie on the LIDO deck.

Historically...generally, how is the comfort level in the evening out on the Lido Deck for a cruise from Sweden to Norway?

I'm thinking it might be kind of cool to spend 2 hours on lounge chair watching an outdoor movie?

I hope I am wrong...just asking though 🙂

 

The Lido roof closes so it is at a constant temperature.  Plus there are blankets if you need one.

[FlaMariner]

12 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

The Lido roof closes so it is at a constant temperature.

 

....and this is a major plus....We are on the Princess Sky TA in March and the lido pool deck does not have a retractable ceiling....And when it rained, and when it was windy/chilly the entire deck is useless and it is is "run thru" area when inclement weather.

 

That retractable ceiling is a major HAL + especially when you cruise to places other than the Caribbean. 

 

As far as the lido deck movies.....to add to Miss G.....The loungers are moved in the evening to accommodate viewing for the movie....and the NY Deli has some great "movie snacks" in addition to popcorn.  Wings come to mind. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by FlaMariner

[*Miss G*]

54 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

As far as the lido deck movies.....to add to Miss G.....The loungers are moved in the evening to accommodate viewing for the movie....and the NY Deli has some great "movie snacks" in addition to popcorn.  Wings come to mind. 

 

Movie Night Snacks!

 

[FlaMariner]

That's it!!!!  Wine and wings and a movie on deck!

[SSBrickNJ]

3 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Movie Night Snacks!

 

WOW! WOW! WOW! There is so much on the Movie Night Snacks list my wife and I like! This is gonna be awesome! Thanks for sharing that!

Steve