No shows after dinner? Really?

[Sailor Gal]

I have read a few posts that mention that HAL is doing away with shows after dinner. Is this true on all HAL ships? We're not party animals by any means, but we do like to eat dinner @ 7:30 and have cocktail hour on our verandah before dinner. Not interested in going to a show before dinner. Wondering if there will be any night life at all after dinner. We're going on Eurodam in Nov. We're used to shows, comedians, music, dancing after dinner. Hate to hear the ship will be dead at 9:00!! Anybody know what there is to do @ 9:00-midnight? THX

[kakalina]

HAL has no intention of doing away with the after dinner entertainment. When that is over there is generally some action in the Crows Nest. To be honest, it is about average for the place to empty out around MN. Of course, there will be exceptions especially on formal nights when the crew and staff tend to congregrate in the CN.

If you are looking for a lot of late night life you won't find it on HAL.

Shorter cruises in the Caribbean tend to have more night life than longer cruises elsewhere.

[Mary Ellen]

HAL has no intention of doing away with the after dinner entertainment.

You may have missed that HAL has recently been playing around with the show times (now 7 & 9??? - not sure on the times at all). For the later diners, they are having the usual after-dinner show before dinner - the earlier show time. NOT something we care to do. The main reason we've liked the later seating is to relax, shower/change after being ashore, and have a pre-dinner drink. We don't want to now rush to fit in a pre-dinner show. :eek:

[heavenly]

You may have missed that HAL has recently been playing around with the show times (now 7 & 9??? - not sure on the times at all). For the later diners, they are having the usual after-dinner show before dinner - the earlier show time. NOT something we care to do. The main reason we've liked the later seating is to relax, shower/change after being ashore, and have a pre-dinner drink. We don't want to now rush to fit in a pre-dinner show. :eek:

 

Just got off the Oosterdam a week ago and this is exactly how it was set up. We all had late dining and I think one couple in our group made it to two shows, but they are used to early dining so their schedule worked. For those of us that always choose late it was a horrible option.

[heavenly]

You may have missed that HAL has recently been playing around with the show times (now 7 & 9??? - not sure on the times at all). For the later diners, they are having the usual after-dinner show before dinner - the earlier show time. NOT something we care to do. The main reason we've liked the later seating is to relax, shower/change after being ashore, and have a pre-dinner drink. We don't want to now rush to fit in a pre-dinner show. :eek:

 

Just got off the Oosterdam a week ago and this is exactly how it was set up. We all had late dining and I think one couple in our group made it to two shows, but they are used to early dining so their schedule worked. For those of us that always choose late it was a horrible option.

[sail7seas]

The new brainstorm of having shows for people who dine at 8:00 and 8:30 before our dinner guaranteed the performers will have a near empty audience. If we wanted to dress and be out for the evening at 6:15 or so, we would be going to early dinner. We ask for 8:00 dinner because we do not want to start our evening so early.

 

Love to know who thought this was 'for the comfort and convenience of their guests'???

[sail7seas]

sorry,,,,,, wasn't worth saying twice!

[sail7seas]

Sorry..... :o

[kryos]

I have read a few posts that mention that HAL is doing away with shows after dinner. Is this true on all HAL ships? We're not party animals by any means, but we do like to eat dinner @ 7:30 and have cocktail hour on our verandah before dinner. Not interested in going to a show before dinner. Wondering if there will be any night life at all after dinner. We're going on Eurodam in Nov. We're used to shows, comedians, music, dancing after dinner. Hate to hear the ship will be dead at 9:00!! Anybody know what there is to do @ 9:00-midnight? THX

I think AYWD has a lot to do with that also. People can eat at all times now, so I believe what HAL is doing is having what would normally be the late dinner seating show while the normal early dinner seating would be going on. That means that, yes, you are right ... the last show would probably be over by about 9:00/9:30 ... somewhere around there.

 

But that doesn't mean there isn't entertainment around the ship. There's live music in most of the bars and lounges, and often something special going on up on the Lido Deck.

 

But I think the late shows are pretty much a thing of the past. Sad, too, because the nice thing about the late shows is that the show lounge wasn't packed and one could easily get a seat. Now that they are doing the shows earlier, of course everybody goes ... and you'd better get to that show lounge about 20 minutes to half an hour before the show if you want a decent seat ... or any seat at all for that matter.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sail7seas]

No...... It is not, of course, everyone goes. Many of us in Main Traditional Seating are no longer going to shows. For me personally, no big deal. We rarely went to shows anyway. But I am upset for other people who enjoyed the shows and enjoy 8:00 seating. Seems they have to give up one thing or the other which will make their cruises less "Any Way THEY Want".

 

I wrote about that just above.

 

[kryos]

Love to know who thought this was 'for the comfort and convenience of their guests'???

Someone told me that the reason for this is that the late show wasn't playing to a full house ... especially on the longer cruises where many of the passengers were older. Those folks, in general, want to be in bed by 10:30 ... not going to a show. But for the shorter 7 to ten day itineraries where you get a younger passenger demographic, I don't understand this new rule. Surely the show lounge saw a good crowd for the second show on those cruises, didn't it?

 

I agree with you in that I am really not interested in going to a show before dinner. I have a sea day routine on my longer cruises ... afternoon tea, afternoon nap, late seating dinner and then show, and then maybe a cup of java up in the Lido before turning in for the night. The nice thing was that generally since I take longer cruises the show lounge wouldn't be that packed for the second show and I could enjoy my dinner and then take my seat in the lounge literally a couple of minutes before the curtain went up. Now, with the late show actually taking place early, it's gonna mean that more people will go and you can't pull that. Walk in a couple of minutes before the show is going to start and you'll be watching the show from a standing position. I'm not one who likes sitting in a show lounge for half an hour waiting for the show to start, so it looks like I probably won't be going to that many shows on my next HAL cruise. :(

 

No, I don't like this new thing either, Sail. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mancunian]

That is interesting Kryos, because we have found it to be the opposite. Some other lines are also doing this and our experience has been that many fewer people go to the show when it is before dinner. Recently on Rotterdam we were very disappointed because we have always enjoyed the shows and found we were rarely going. We do not like missing our predinner drink with music in the lounges.

 

I don't know why some lines are doing this but it is very sad. I would have thought for the ship's musical shows it would have been better for the singers/dancers having the two performances apart because their routines are so energetic.

[kryos]

I don't know why some lines are doing this but it is very sad. I would have thought for the ship's musical shows it would have been better for the singers/dancers having the two performances apart because their routines are so energetic.

I think it's sad too. Maybe you are right and there will be plenty of open seats at the show, but still that means having to go to a show at like 6:00 p.m., which is something I'd rather not do.

 

I think the reason I've seen the show lounge not really filled during the late shows on my cruises is because I tend to take longer cruises and there's a lot of older folks on them ... some really older. I would imagine they like to be in bed earlier and a 10:15 or 10:30 show is just a bit too late for them? Maybe that's why HAL made this change?

 

If that's the case then, they should implement the change based on passenger demographic for each cruise. Leave everything the way it is on the shorter cruises where the age demographic drops way down.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Crusing Bob]

We also always prefer late Upper for the same reasons mentioned. Do other cruise lines have late shows like HAL once did and are they also changing?

 

Seems it might help if many Holland cruisers who sail several times a year register a complaint about this change and maybe they will rethink this change. We can only sail on 7 day cruises but we would like the option of a 10:30 show as we had last year in October.

[sail7seas]

Maybe we would all flood Bill Prince's mailbox with our comments. Wonder if it would have any impact?

[Sailorgirlseattle]

No...... It is not, of course, everyone goes. Many of us in Main Traditional Seating are no longer going to shows. For me personally, no big deal. We rarely went to shows anyway. But I am upset for other people who enjoyed the shows and enjoy 8:00 seating. Seems they have to give up one thing or the other which will make their cruises less "Any Way THEY Want".

 

I wrote about that just above.

 

 

You just spoke for me as well. The only show I caught on my last cruise was Julie Barr's late night adult show. I'm not big on Vegas-style productions in the first place though, so I can't say I'm really missing them in the time shuffle. I have liked to catch the comedy night though, on past cruises - the regular comedy night, during the main show. Still, was nice to have the option of catching a show or not.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

...I did forward a note and a couple of the CC links on the "new & improved" show schedule a few weeks ago when threads started showing up on this topic to customer service : attention entertainment divison.

 

Myself & apparently others have left negative comments on the comment cards. That's 'bout it.

 

And so it goes...

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

 

P.S. If someone has Bill Prince's email address please be kind enough to post (Mr. Stan 'the man' also would be great).

[CruisinTexans]

Kryos,

 

We've been on two world cruises and the shows were pretty full after our late seating dinner. As a matter of fact, if you wanted a decent seat you had to leave the dining table early.

 

Leslie

[pvlover]

Not being able to have a civilized, late-seating dinner (even if AYWD) and then going to the evening show would not necessarily be a deal breaker for us....but pretty darn close. Perhaps this may be convenient HAL, but it certainly is a poor idea from our perspective. In fact, we were very close to putting down a deposit on the Prinsendam Jan 2nd S. America cruise, but are now re-thinking it.

[meterman2]

We enjoy the late sitting. On our three previous HAL cruises, we always wanted the 8 p.m. but had to settle for 8:30. Not a big problem, but many times we would either be late or have to rush for 10 p.m. show. Well, this time we booked well over a year in advance (directly w/HAL) to lock up the 8 p.m. sitting for our group and the "show situation" is now worse than before. I guess we'll have to go early (and be dressed) and maybe we'll have to leave the show early sometimes. More than anything, I don't want to have to dress up earlier.

 

I guess if I had to do it all over again, I'd still pick the "late seating". We enjoy the dining experience too much, well above the shows. When we were confronted with AYWD, the thought of reservations, possibly waiting, pagers and different waiters most nights seem to threaten the thing we enjoy the most during the cruise. I know I'm resistant to change, but I think HAL is off the mark with these changes. On every cruise we have had a great experience with our (same) waiters. Going to "our" table at the end of a tough day at sea and being warmly greeted by name by "familiar smiling" faces was "like coming home". I don't think HAL realizes how important that aspect of the cruise is to so many people. That service has always been a HAL trademark.

[twinkletoes4445]

The new brainstorm of having shows for people who dine at 8:00 and 8:30 before our dinner guaranteed the performers will have a near empty audience. If we wanted to dress and be out for the evening at 6:15 or so, we would be going to early dinner. We ask for 8:00 dinner because we do not want to start our evening so early.

 

Love to know who thought this was 'for the comfort and convenience of their guests'???

 

We picked the 8:00 time for just this reason...we wanted to have time to change and then relax a bit, have a drink, eat dinner and then go to a show.

 

Well, with all this in mind, we've decided to try dining in our cabin a few times on this next cruise, just to try something different. I suppose we'll wait and see what times the shows are and see how it will work out and then choose. We only made it to one show on our last cruise, and would really like to try and see more this next time.

 

I'd think that if many of the show seats sit empty, surely they'll make adjustments in the schedule? Well, if not, we have a plan. And if that fails, I'll just have another martini, and nothing will really matter. :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

The new brainstorm of having shows for people who dine at 8:00 and 8:30 before our dinner guaranteed the performers will have a near empty audience. If we wanted to dress and be out for the evening at 6:15 or so, we would be going to early dinner. We ask for 8:00 dinner because we do not want to start our evening so early.

 

Love to know who thought this was 'for the comfort and convenience of their guests'???

Sail, I too would love to know who thought this was such a great idea.

For the very first time we have chose to have Main seating for our upcoming Alaska cruise for the reason that we want to have more time to relax before having to get ready for dinner and that when having early dining it seemed there was never anything going on very late. We thought this way it would keep us up later doing something. But now if I do want to go to a show I will be forced to get ready early and sit thru a show before I can go eat. Isn't there a saying "A Dinner and a Show" not "A Show and a Dinner":eek:

I got bets they find that the first show ends up being held with a lot of empty seats.

[ldog]

Well, somebody said that the 7 o'clock shows are full. I would bet that's people who eat at 5:45 and quickly.

 

Only one of the production shows was early on our Feb Statendam cruise and we didn't go. I'm just not prepared to watch a show before dinner. I much prefer drinks in the Ocean Bar or Crows Nest.

 

I work in theatre and entertainment and usually enjoy the shows - with a few complaints about badly placed lights shining into my eyes.

 

If this scheduling continues we'll rethink booking again on HAL. And I'll be pretty vocal about my displeasure if they schedule it this way on our upcoming Prinsendam Amazon adventure.

 

We found a line that we liked and that made us comfortable and fit our travel style and now they are changing it. Doesn't make sense to me but then I can be adaptable and try other cruise lines too.

 

We had a good run of five years. <sigh>

[bepsf]

Maybe we would all flood Bill Prince's mailbox with our comments. Wonder if it would have any impact?

 

Nope.

Bill Prince doesn't pay any attention to what passengers like or want - even when he's told...

...Otherwise we'd have better entertainment and the showlounges would be full already.

[sail7seas]

Going to "our" table at the end of a tough day at sea and being warmly greeted by name by "familiar smiling" faces was "like coming home". I don't think HAL realizes how important that aspect of the cruise is to so many people. That service has always been a HAL trademark.

 

 

Ditto...... You said it all!! Lots of things they can take away from us, they can charge extra for, they can alter, but DON'T MESS WITH MY TRADITIONAL TABLE AT 8:00 P.M. with our wonderful stewards we enjoy for the entire cruise. That is one of the major things that makes our cruises on HAL more special than going to any old restaurant at any old resort or any old hotel anywhere. I can stay home for a different table every night and nameless/stranger to us stewards.

 

We're willing to roll with many of the changes. IF they decide we will all have a catch as catch can dining table every night, that is not something we will willingly accept.