Celebrityers thinking of trying HAL for the Music Walk

[Scuppersisontheboat]

We have been on 3 Celebrity cruises, Equinox, Beyond and Beyond, and have really enjoyed the quality of food, the service and the ship itself.  On the River cruise forum when I mentioned music, someone nicely suggested the Music Walk on Holland’s 3 largest ships, so I checked out a few videos and it looks awesome.  I don’t understand why Celebrity doesn’t do a piano bar with a pianist who can take requests and play all the hits, it makes for a great evening.  
So anyway, we are thinking of doing a cruise on Holland America to check it out.  Those of you who have been on the Rotterdam or sisterships, would you say we should go for it, or no?  All our Celebrity sailings were moderately, but not completely full of PAX, everything else being equal will we notice more crowding?  The pics of the MDR on the Rotterdam look like they have jammed a lot more tables than on Celebrity.

Any thoughts will be appreciated, thanks!

[Edinburghgirl1]

We love Celebrity but are now trying other lines for more interesting itineraries. Celebrity”s  are pretty boring. Got HAL cruise in the Koningsdam booked for February 2024. Hawaii and French Polynesia 35 nights. 

[Tapi]

We loved sailing on Nieuw Statendam. (Rotterdam’s sister). Compared to our last Celebrity cruise aboard the Solstice, the ship felt less crowded and easier to get around. I thought that Solstice’s layout was a bit wonky. 

 

HAL’s Pinnacle class of ships is wonderful. They feel modern and airy, but traditional at the same time. At 99,000 tons, they are “smaller” but in my opinion, it’s the perfect size with a very easy to learn layout. 

Music Walk is indeed a very enjoyable part of these ships. One moment you’re listening to a Top 40 band at one venue, and the next you’re listening to a classical music ensemble at another. The main theatre is different than on more traditional theatres aboard other cruise lines. It’s circular, with floor to ceiling LED’s covering more than 180 degrees of the theatre. Shows are simple, but combined with technology, they’re visually impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed the shows by the Step One Dance Company (click on that hyperlink for a preview). 

 

Overall, we thought that Nieuw Statendam blew Celebrity Solstice out of the water. We enjoyed both cruises greatly and would gladly sail on either one again, but Nieuw Statendam just felt a bit better in almost every category (service, cuisine, entertainment, etc). 

Edited April 13, 2023 by Tapi

[hcat]

 

 

I agree that a cozy piano bar is lacking.

 

We have been on EDGE class most recently so memory fades. From what I recall, there is a piano in the Martini Bar area on E class, .opp the  bar location..but it not a dedicated lounge area.. most all the music groups play there   Same with EDEN..not sure if there's a piano there?? have not seen a piano.in the Club.

 

X used to have a piano bar concept in  Michaels Club on M Class.( Perry Grant was on Connie) ..Area is now used as a suite lounge on some ships. There is a public bar on S Class " Ensemble Lounge"  (?)  where small music groups play..not sure if there is a piano there.  There is/was a baby grand in the  dance floor area on main level which no one apparently uses.

 

Guess the concept has faded on X.

[newtocruiseinblue]

4 hours ago, Scuppersisontheboat said:

We have been on 3 Celebrity cruises, Equinox, Beyond and Beyond, and have really enjoyed the quality of food, the service and the ship itself.  On the River cruise forum when I mentioned music, someone nicely suggested the Music Walk on Holland’s 3 largest ships, so I checked out a few videos and it looks awesome.  I don’t understand why Celebrity doesn’t do a piano bar with a pianist who can take requests and play all the hits, it makes for a great evening.  
So anyway, we are thinking of doing a cruise on Holland America to check it out.  Those of you who have been on the Rotterdam or sisterships, would you say we should go for it, or no?  All our Celebrity sailings were moderately, but not completely full of PAX, everything else being equal will we notice more crowding?  The pics of the MDR on the Rotterdam look like they have jammed a lot more tables than on Celebrity.

Any thoughts will be appreciated, thanks!

I've sailed both lines and will say HAL generally offers better itineraries. The music walk is really great and we loved it, but the Celebrity ship had more energy at night. Both felt equally crowded. It is going to depend on where you are going and when. It never hurts to try other lives. We stick to both HAL and Celebrity. 💖

[Chocolatemom2]

We’ve been on Koningsdam and Niew Statendam, loved both, will sail either again. Music walk was excellent. One of the more enjoyable parts of the evenings. Food was excellent and service as well. In fact, I do not expect the service on our celebrity cruise this fall will come close. But that’s ok, I’ll still be on a ship in the Caribbean. 
if you enjoy relaxing with a drink and listening to music you won’t be disappointed on HAL. 

[loving goldens]

We have always sailed Celebrity.. tried the Rotterdam for 10 days in March... we enjoyed the music walk much better than Celebrity... And the dive in restaurant pool side blows Mast Grill out of the water!!! We would not hesitate in booking again!!!  🙂 Great service and very clean...

[prmssk]

Check with the Holland board as I haven’t completely kept up with what’s going on with Holland but I remember reading in the last month or two that they will be removing the Music Walk, at least in the form it is now. We have yet to get on Holland in recent years and the Music Walk really intrigued so I was disappointed to hear the news that I may not get a chance to experience it. 

[MustBCruzn]

4 hours ago, Tapi said:

We loved sailing on Nieuw Statendam. (Rotterdam’s sister). Compared to our last Celebrity cruise aboard the Solstice, the ship felt less crowded and easier to get around. I thought that Solstice’s layout was a bit wonky. 

 

HAL’s Pinnacle class of ships is wonderful. They feel modern and airy, but traditional at the same time. At 99,000 tons, they are “smaller” but in my opinion, it’s the perfect size with a very easy to learn layout. 

Music Walk is indeed a very enjoyable part of these ships. One moment you’re listening to a Top 40 band at one venue, and the next you’re listening to a classical music ensemble at another. The main theatre is different than on more traditional theatres aboard other cruise lines. It’s circular, with floor to ceiling LED’s covering more than 180 degrees of the theatre. Shows are simple, but combined with technology, they’re visually impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed the shows by the Step One Dance Company (click on that hyperlink for a preview). 

 

Overall, we thought that Nieuw Statendam blew Celebrity Solstice out of the water. We enjoyed both cruises greatly and would gladly sail on either one again, but Nieuw Statendam just felt a bit better in almost every category (service, cuisine, entertainment, etc). 

 

This was exactly our experience when we sailed on the Nieuw Statendam last year. This year we're sailing on the Apex in July and the Rotterdam in September. We've definitely added HAL's newer ships to our cruise lineup.

Edited April 13, 2023 by MustBCruzn

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

Check with the Holland board as I haven’t completely kept up with what’s going on with Holland but I remember reading in the last month or two that they will be removing the Music Walk, at least in the form it is now. We have yet to get on Holland in recent years and the Music Walk really intrigued so I was disappointed to hear the news that I may not get a chance to experience it. 

Here's a link to those Music Walk changes you were referring to.

 

Holland America Line Makes Major Entertainment Changes (cruisehive.com)

 

[Tapi]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here's a link to those Music Walk changes you were referring to.

 

 

Wow, all of those changes look like great upgrades to me, not cutbacks. Lincoln Center Stage performances moved to the World Stage with new visuals will most likely be amazing. 

[Josie201]

Celebrity is our favourite cruise line, but we have sailed HAL previously (though not for a couple of years), Princess and RC.

 

We recently did a 25 day Mex Riviera/Hawaii cruise (January 2023).  We thought we would love the Music Walk concept.  We did, to a degree, but found it very repetitive especially on such a long cruise.  The bands were very good, there was live music every night but we really missed the opportunity to see a "production show" once or twice a week.  We would usually flip between BBKings and Rolling Stones during the evening, but we then found almost every night we were doing the exact same thing.  A bit monotonous for our liking.   We were on Koningsdam.  But, by all means, give it a try and see what you like or prefer.  Its good to have options. 

 

We also found the food was a few steps below Celebrity, but we haven't been on Celebrity in 2023 since "the cutbacks" have been implemented.  Cheaper cuts of meat, cheaper preparation, small portions, repetitive (green been every night ...), lots of up charges. 

[George C]

Totally agree celebrity should have a piano bar on all ships , we used to sail Hal but food was just so so and don’t dare try to compare suite perks since hal really doesn’t have any worth talking about . If you want better entertainment I would go to rccl .

[Muushka]

8 minutes ago, George C said:

Totally agree celebrity should have a piano bar on all ships , we used to sail Hal but food was just so so and don’t dare try to compare suite perks since hal really doesn’t have any worth talking about . If you want better entertainment I would go to rccl .

You are right about the suite perks, practically non-existent.

 

But the Music Walk is all I can think about when we consider booking another cruise.  I loved it.

That and the laundry.   HAL has the best laundry package at sea!

[Essiesmom]

It looks like HAL is concentrating on their three newest ships.  Drop over to the HAL board and read the live from by Hank (Hlitner) and Cruisemom42.  They are on Westerdam doing Japan, and there is almost no entertainment, last set ends at 10:45 and bars close down then.  There are five live threads from the World Cruise but I stopped reading them so can’t comment on entertainment.  EM

[Ken the cruiser]

Thank you for starting this thread on the Celebrity forum! It just reconfirms why we stopped cruising with HAL back in 2017 when they first implemented their Music Walk strategy. Now we mostly book our 3+ week cruises with Celebrity, Princess and maybe NCL, if they offer an awesome itinerary. But then I'm 70 and HAL's target demographic is much younger. 

Edited April 13, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[George C]

49 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thank you for starting this thread on the Celebrity forum! It just reconfirms why we stopped cruising with HAL back in 2017 when they first implemented their Music Walk strategy. Now we mostly book our 3+ week cruises with Celebrity, Princess and maybe NCL, if they offer an awesome itinerary. But then I'm 70 and HAL's target demographic is much younger. 

I haven’t sailed hal recently but I thought there target demographic was way older and I am 73. 

[Scuppersisontheboat]

What a great bunch of responses, this is golden, keep them coming!  I’m glad I started this on the Celebrity forum as well, it gives an interesting perspective.  Also I may be wrong, but I think more Celebrity cruisers have tried HaL but not the other way around.

 

In January on Celebrity Beyond I thought the choices of food, and the food itself was exceptional.  The theatre shows were Broadway / Vegas quality.  We did check out the bands and entertainers in various venues like Eden, etc, but I really like the idea of the dedicated Music Walk on HAL.  
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[Bill Miller]

Cruise lines experiment with self playing pianos. "They don't eat, need a cabin or ask for time off," said a cruise line talent recruiter.

[Ken the cruiser]

59 minutes ago, George C said:

I haven’t sailed hal recently but I thought there target demographic was way older and I am 73. 

That was my "peanut gallery" understanding when they implemented their Music Walk strategy back in 2017, along with incorporating BBC Earth trivias and movies, and the Step One Dance Company production shows into it. Prior to that HAL offered top notch production shows, guest entertainment every night in the main theater, and interactive game shows that made you laugh. They used to also have professional guest lecturers on 15+ day cruises, like on their Antarctica, Panama Canal and Hawaii itineraries, to name a few. They used to also offer a variety of things to do on sea days. Now, one person fills the combined Cruise/EXC director position, who also in many cases I understand provides any lectures or port talks.

 

But I will say we did get excited in 2018 while on an Antarctica cruise on the Zaandam when we heard about an In-Depth EXC program they were going to implement on the Maasdam. In fact, we booked a 40-day Oct 2019 B2B on the Maasdam that went to some New Caledonia Islands before circumnavigating Australia, and it was awesome! They offered between 4-6 professional lectures on each sea day and even beefed up their evening shows in the main theater with a variety of Australian entertainers due to the high demand for quality performances. Unfortunately, the In-depth EXC program disappeared with the Maasdam.

 

It's too bad as we are 4 star Mainers with over 160 days cruising with HAL. But, unfortunately, hanging around in Music Walk lounges drinking and listening to music every evening just isn't our thing. We like going to evening theater shows, interactive game shows that make us laugh, and learning "stuff" on sea days by going to professionally given lectures. Now, if HAL ever starts offering those types of entertainment options again that can once again compete with Celebrity and Princess, we'll definitely consider booking with them again. 

 

But that's coming from an old person like me. I'm sure there are plenty 30-50 year olds that would very much enjoy that kind of stuff. For example, when we were on the Regal Princess for 3 weeks this past summer, they had a professional lecturer every sea day on each of the 7-day itineraries that made up our cruise. Unfortunately, most of the guests on each leg were under 50, and usually only about 20+ people attended the lectures. 🤣 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Tapi]

3 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

It looks like HAL is concentrating on their three newest ships.  
 

They are on Westerdam doing Japan, and there is almost no entertainment,

Our first cruise on HAL was on the Westerdam and it almost made me not want to sail on HAL again. The ship was dark and gloomy. Felt very depressing. Service, cuisine and attention to detail were great, but there was something lacking about the entire experience that just made me not want to sail HAL again.

 

That all changed when we sailed on Nieuw Statendam. It was like night and day. Absolutely loved this ship and experience to the point that I consider it one of my favorite ships I’ve ever sailed on. 
 

HAL is definitely doing something different with the Pinnacle class than with the rest of the fleet, attempting to attract a younger clientele.

[magnus1977]

When does the venues at Music Walk close in the evenings?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, Tapi said:

the Westerdam and it almost made me not want to sail on HAL again. The ship was dark and gloomy. Felt very depressing

 

My first HAL cruise - only because I was with a running group and that's what they used in AK at the time - was on the Westerdam and it was enough to make me NEVER go on HAL again.

 

I'm glad you found service and attention to detail excellent - I didn't. Our dining room servers were barely competent (orders consistently put at the wrong table - within our group, but still); any time I encountered a crew member while walking around they barely acknowledged me (as in not even a hello or in most cases even eye contact - and they weren't rushing somewhere); and the kicker was when I went to close my account the night before, the guest services girl screwed that one up so that it wasn't closed and I had to go and wait in a line debarkation morning when I got a BUZZ rather than a DING when trying to leave the ship (and the only reason I made my post-cruise excursion was the crew member in charge of us finally came looking for me when I wasn't back after half an hour and got me to the front of the line - the one competent and helpful crew member I encountered).

 

Honestly I'd not even get back on HAL if someone gave me a free cruise with beverage package and a huge OBC included. It was that bad.

[Tapi]

2 hours ago, George C said:

I haven’t sailed hal recently but I thought their target demographic was way older and I am 73. 

HAL has been tweaking their product to attract a younger clientele, specially on their newest class of ship. There are more activities geared towards 30-50yo’s. The children’s program activities and facilities have been upgraded, as well as better staterooms that will accommodate families, all in an effort to attract families. 
 

I think that the newer ships have a modern, airy, clean look, while still maintaining that traditional feel that HAL is known for. 
 

Also, you can find the Pinnacle ships more often operating shorter (7 night itineraries) in popular regions which tend to attract younger people as well.

 

With all of that said, HAL still offers longer itineraries to more exotic locales that appeal to an older clientele aboard the smaller ships on the fleet (that have a more “old school HAL” feel). 

Edited April 13, 2023 by Tapi

[Tapi]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

But that's coming from an old person like me. I'm sure there are plenty 30-50 year olds that would very much enjoy that kind of stuff. 

Your assessment is correct. We are in our late 40’s, raising teenagers. For us, Music Walk as well as the World Stage with the Step One Dance Company performances and Planet Earth documentaries on Nieuw Statendam were some of the activity and entertainment highlights on that cruise. They definitely appealed to my age bracket.

 

I find myself a bit too old for the type of energy and crazy, mind numbing activities aboard lines like Carnival (which 20 years ago appealed to me), but too young to fully embrace a subdued cruise experience where entertainment is mostly centered around lectures, culinary classes, and similar enrichment opportunities.

 

I find that HAL’s Pinnacle class offers exactly what I’m looking for at this stage in my life. A little bit of old, a little bit of new, all combined in a perfectly sized, modern but traditional feeling ship.