What happened to the sing-a-longs ?

[RedWolfJr]

I was on the Maasdam in April, '02. The piano player in the piano bar had lyric books and she took requests. Everybody sang along and some added harmonies. The place was filled to overflowing from when she started playing to when they closed up sometime after 1. It was magical and really made the cruise.

In 2006, our family cruised on the Westerdam. In that piano bar, the player played for himself and as background for his stories about how he knew all these famous people. He wasn't interested in having anyone interrupt him even on the night that a sing-a-log was advertised. Very depressing.

This August, my wife and I were on the Veendam. The cruise director told me that the piano player was supposed to be doing sing-a-longs but he wasn't. Oh, he did invite folks to sing-a-long with "Sweet Caroline" but then there were 5 songs that only he knew the words to. Disappointing but about as expected.

How can I know before I book the cruise whether or not there will really be sing-a-longs ?

I'm not really interested in sitting and listening while somebody sings at me. I can get better music from the radio or an IPod. But being in the middle of a room full of singing people is a much different ( and a very joyful ) experience. That's what I'm looking for. Where can I again find that on a cruise ship ?

[luvcruisn']

It seems to vary by each piano player and each ship they are on. I have had some great piano bar times and some not so great. I usually check it out the first or second evening on board to see whether I want to hang out there or not. On one cruise, only one of the crew members seemed to be a regular, singing along with the piano player, very few others joined in. On the Prinsendam, the piano player played up in the Crows Nest, and it was freezing up there, so wasn't a very popular hangout. Some other ships - Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, the piano players had a following, and many people hung out there, so it just depends.

Maybe Ruth C can add some comments, as she is very knowledgeable about piano bars and the players there.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There is no way you can find out who the Piano Man will be and if he does sing-alongs when you book a cruise.

They change all the time -- some stay on for a year -- some for only a few months.

We have had the same thing happen as well.

[sail7seas]

We were on Maasdam two weeks in June and the Piano Man in MIX had plenty of folks singing along while he played. It was a great time. :)

[boards]

We were the Noordam last Nov. and the had the Piano man and a sing-a-long, while I did not join it sure looked and sounded like they having a great time.

[protocrone]

Really hoping we get a live one on the Eurodam in November- we've got actual singers as part of our party. From Blue Grass banjo player to cabaret/Carib/fusion/viola player and a sax player. Let's just say that any kind of music will be singable for us! The piano man is gonna have singers whether he invites or not!

Of course, when my sister sings, every song sounds like 'on the road again'. I don't know how she does it.

[Desdemona01]

we are in agreement with you but we've been experiencing, unfortuately, more *performers* lately than true piano bar entertainers. On our Ryndam cruise last November the guy drew a crowd but spent way too much time talking about himself and how everyone tells him how awesome he is, and the rest of the time trying to impersonate Lionel Ritchie. the last *fun* piano man we've enjoyed was Jimmy Maddox--the guy has an amazing recall for songs and really brings the crowd into it. We just haven't been able to sinc up with him since a fun cruise on the Westerdam. The upside is that we get more rest on the cruises with bad piano bar entertainers--we aren't staying up as late at night ;)

[RuthC]

I try to keep up with who's playing where, and how they are, but unfortunately, the few reviewers who even mention entertainment at all don't say who is playing in the Piano Bars/Lounges/Mix areas, so it's hard to keep track.
Add to that the fact that HAL has really changed the atmosphere of Piano Bars with these three different areas, and changed the focus of what a piano bar is with some of the people they've hired, and, let's say it ain't what it used to be.

There's no way to predict what you'll find on any given cruise. You just have to go and see. Do give it a night or two, though, before you decide. Sometimes it takes a while for everything to gel.
And do make it known to the musician, and the Cruise Director, that you want some real sing-alongs. Sometimes all ya gotta do is ask.

[hillside]

Is Stryker back on board a HAL ship? We really enjoyed him on the Statendam last March. He was taking time off for a medical reason. Hopefully he's back. We thought he was fabulous. And, yes, lots of sing-a longs!

[RedWolfJr]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/image.php?u=199166&dateline=1221661374 (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=199166) protocrone (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=199166), it sounds like you really do need to have the "outlet" of singing on your cruise. Good luck. From what others are saying it doesn't sound like the odds are in your favor.

If you don't find the right atmosphere around the piano, I recommend going up on the Sports Deck at night. You can exercise your voice up there and not bother folks. ( I have had reports that some folks heard me. ) It's not the same feeling as a room full of folks singing or a theater with a 40 person strings section at work, but at least you can get some of the physical benefits of singing. It's probably a bad environment for the viola. :)

Actually, this is a small piece of one of my pet peeves : the disappearance of singing in America. When I was a kid, public group singing seemed to be everywhere. You followed the bouncing ball before the feature film started. In school, the other kids were already singing when your class enterred the auditorium. Church was filled with chances to sing. When you went to see the fireworks on the 4th, the band played while the folks sang along until it was dark. When the national anthem played at a ball game, everybody sang not just one person with a microphone.

Where did that all go ?

Even many churches seem to have moved toward the view that whenever possible the congregation shouldn't sing. The use of hired guns seems to have replaced the regular folks. I guess I shouldn't object. There was a time while I was in college that I took money for being the one person choir at a local church.

I know that if I hadn't been surrounded by singing like that when I was young, I probably wouldn't feel this way about singing now. So, I really worry about our future generations. Can they really get as much joy from listening as we have gotten for joining in ? Will anybody in the future know what it is like to sing familiar tunes in a crowd of hundreds of people ?

I try to do my part. My first two sons made the All-State chorus and the younger 2 kids are/were involved in singing too. They all play intruments and do well at karaoke. But I feel like they lean a bit too much toward the "if you can't be pitch perfect then shut up" philosophy when it comes to singing. I shouldn't be surprised as they've really not had much exposure to large ( non-trained ) group singing. It just doesn't happen that much anymore. I miss it.

[RuthC]

Is Stryker back on board a HAL ship? We really enjoyed him on the Statendam last March. He was taking time off for a medical reason. Hopefully he's back. We thought he was fabulous. And, yes, lots of sing-a longs!
I saw his name mentioned in a thread on this board recently. He was playing on HAL, but I can't remember which ship. :o

And I agree wholeheartedly that Stryker is marvelous! He has a joy within that comes out through his piano playing. He makes the instrument sing!
Wonder if he's still doing his Old Tyme Gospel Hours? He got such crowds that he was first moved to the Ocean Bar, and then to the Show Lounge to accommodate everyone.

[hillside]

Stryker did the old time gospel hour on our Statendam cruise. We thought he was fabulous and made a point of going to the piano lounge most nights. What a terrific venue!

[CinWin]

The most fun we ever had in a piano bar was on the Eurodam a few years ago when Jimmy Maddox was playing. I sent him an e-mail not long ago to see if he is still with HAL but never got an answer.
Cindy

[startwin]

Does anyone remember Fritzie? She used to be on the Ryndam (or was it the Veendam) years ago. The piano bar was always packed when she played, it was always a great evening with lots of sing-a-longs.

[RuthC]

Does anyone remember Fritzie? She used to be on the Ryndam (or was it the Veendam) years ago. The piano bar was always packed when she played, it was always a great evening with lots of sing-a-longs.
I remember Fritzie fondly. She had the Tropic Bar gig on the final voyage of the ss Rotterdam. She had a hard time getting a steady assignment as the musician in the Piano Bar, as men were considered better at that job. She had been the "utility" piano player, and I had enjoyed her in that capacity, on prior cruises.
She made for a fun time.

I learned on one of my more recent cruises that Fritzie died, but I don't know when, or any other details.

[RuthC]

...Jimmy Maddox was playing. I sent him an e-mail not long ago to see if he is still with HAL but never got an answer.
Cindy
He was on the Maasdam earlier this summer.

He had the Piano Bar on the E-dam inaugural, and I had a good time there. Then was replaced after the first 10 days (he headed to another ship), and the second guy was awful. :eek:
Sometimes ya gotta wonder where Seattle digs up some of their choices.

[msteries]

Last February I was so excited to see that the N. Amsterdam had a piano bar, but alas it was right across from the smoke-filled casino and somehow the ventilation system was sucking the smoke into that rather low-ceilinged room. After 5 minutes my eyes were stinging so badly that I had to leave. Are there other places with pianos onboard? The Crows Nest always had a guitar player.

I've really enjoyed this thread about the joys of singing! Thanks! I am active in science fiction fandom, and there are folks who sing the night away at most conventions. A still-living folk tradition.

[peug]

msteries if you wanted a sing-a-long you didn't miss much on NA in Feb. We had such a great time on the Maasdam a couple of years ago with Dr. Boogie that I couldn't wait for the piano bar on NA in Feb. This piano man was Darryl and didn't encourage singing along except for one night and did his own arrangements that night too so it was hard to sing with him. The first night a couple of us just started singing along thinking that was what a piano bar was and he let us know in a nice way that HE was the one paid to sing. We were on for 2 weeks and skipped it after the first week.

[taxmantoo]

The most fun we ever had in a piano bar was on the Eurodam a few years ago when Jimmy Maddox was playing. I sent him an e-mail not long ago to see if he is still with HAL but never got an answer.
Cindy

He was on the Maasdam earlier this summer.

He had the Piano Bar on the E-dam inaugural, and I had a good time there. Then was replaced after the first 10 days (he headed to another ship), and the second guy was awful. :eek:
Sometimes ya gotta wonder where Seattle digs up some of their choices.

Jimmy is now on the Nieuw Amsterdam in the Mediterranean. You can follow him through his blog at http://web.mac.com/jimmymaddox/web.mac.comjimmymaddox/Blog/Blog.html

[taxmantoo]

...The first night a couple of us just started singing along thinking that was what a piano bar was and he let us know in a nice way that HE was the one paid to sing.

That happened to us once also and I looked at the piano player and replied, "Yes sir, I am very well aware that YOU are getting paid to sing as I am paying your salary!" ... Never had a problem after that!

[elycelynne]

Really hoping we get a live one on the Eurodam in November- we've got actual singers as part of our party. From Blue Grass banjo player to cabaret/Carib/fusion/viola player and a sax player. Let's just say that any kind of music will be singable for us! The piano man is gonna have singers whether he invites or not!

Of course, when my sister sings, every song sounds like 'on the road again'. I don't know how she does it.

Good luck with that if Michael Sara (Hawaiian guy) is still on the Eurodam. I will grant that he's a good singer and piano player, but he uses synthesizer tracks with his piano playing and he's definitely more of a performer than an entertainer. You can sing along to your heart's content, but it's not because he facilitates it.

Jimmy is now on the Nieuw Amsterdam in the Mediterranean. You can follow him through his blog at http://web.mac.com/jimmymaddox/web.mac.comjimmymaddox/Blog/Blog.html

And if you click under the "Piano Bar Nation" tab at the top of the blog, you can see his schedule through June 9th of 2012.

[donaldsc]

I was on the Maasdam in April, '02. The piano player in the piano bar had lyric books and she took requests. Everybody sang along and some added harmonies. The place was filled to overflowing from when she started playing to when they closed up sometime after 1. It was magical and really made the cruise.

In 2006, our family cruised on the Westerdam. In that piano bar, the player played for himself and as background for his stories about how he knew all these famous people. He wasn't interested in having anyone interrupt him even on the night that a sing-a-log was advertised. Very depressing.

This August, my wife and I were on the Veendam. The cruise director told me that the piano player was supposed to be doing sing-a-longs but he wasn't. Oh, he did invite folks to sing-a-long with "Sweet Caroline" but then there were 5 songs that only he knew the words to. Disappointing but about as expected.

How can I know before I book the cruise whether or not there will really be sing-a-longs ?

I'm not really interested in sitting and listening while somebody sings at me. I can get better music from the radio or an IPod. But being in the middle of a room full of singing people is a much different ( and a very joyful ) experience. That's what I'm looking for. Where can I again find that on a cruise ship ?


I would disagree with you. I would much prefer to hear a good singer who has a good voice, good phrasing and the ability to put over a song over a bunch of people with no voice singing boring old standards. If you want a sing along, bring your Mitch Miller CDs.

DON

[Desdemona01]

The most fun we ever had in a piano bar was on the Eurodam a few years ago when Jimmy Maddox was playing. I sent him an e-mail not long ago to see if he is still with HAL but never got an answer.
Cindy

he's still with HAL and busy--they move him around alot because he's very popular. I keep track of him via email and his website

[

[Desdemona01]

msteries if you wanted a sing-a-long you didn't miss much on NA in Feb. We had such a great time on the Maasdam a couple of years ago with Dr. Boogie that I couldn't wait for the piano bar on NA in Feb. This piano man was Darryl and didn't encourage singing along except for one night and did his own arrangements that night too so it was hard to sing with him. The first night a couple of us just started singing along thinking that was what a piano bar was and he let us know in a nice way that HE was the one paid to sing. We were on for 2 weeks and skipped it after the first week.

I think this might be the same Darryl that we encountered on the Ryndam a couple of years ago--yawn.......not into people singing along at all. And, to top it off, there was a lady pax who'd apparently been a singer with a big band back in the day and she wanted every song to be her solo--the two of them duking it out was painful.....

[Himself]

I was on the Maasdam in April, '02. The piano player in the piano bar had lyric books and she took requests. Everybody sang along and some added harmonies. The place was filled to overflowing from when she started playing to when they closed up sometime after 1. It was magical and really made the cruise.

In 2006, our family cruised on the Westerdam. In that piano bar, the player played for himself and as background for his stories about how he knew all these famous people. He wasn't interested in having anyone interrupt him even on the night that a sing-a-log was advertised. Very depressing.

This August, my wife and I were on the Veendam. The cruise director told me that the piano player was supposed to be doing sing-a-longs but he wasn't. Oh, he did invite folks to sing-a-long with "Sweet Caroline" but then there were 5 songs that only he knew the words to. Disappointing but about as expected.

How can I know before I book the cruise whether or not there will really be sing-a-longs ?

I'm not really interested in sitting and listening while somebody sings at me. I can get better music from the radio or an IPod. But being in the middle of a room full of singing people is a much different ( and a very joyful ) experience. That's what I'm looking for. Where can I again find that on a cruise ship ?


Three things can happen:
1. )You get a paino player who likes to be the center of attention and he likes to sing, talk and play and all are forbidden or discouraged from singing alone.

2.) You get a group of PAX who like to be entertained and listen to music and no one sings even if the piano player wants everyone to join in. The result is no sing along because the audience refuses to sing.

3.) The paino player wants all to join in and all do and you have a great sing along.

Number three is the most desireable situation in the piano bar. Me--I like to be entertained and so I go to the Explorers lounge and relax by listening to Classical Music.

[Desdemona01]

I would disagree with you. I would much prefer to hear a good singer who has a good voice, good phrasing and the ability to put over a song over a bunch of people with no voice singing boring old standards. If you want a sing along, bring your Mitch Miller CDs.

DON

that's why *performers* are in the main show lounge and the Ocean Bar. Traditionally piano bars are sing-along, good time experiences and a good way to have fun and meet fellow pax.

[TravelRabbit]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/image.php?u=199166&dateline=1221661374 (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=199166) protocrone (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=199166), it sounds like you really do need to have the "outlet" of singing on your cruise. Good luck. From what others are saying it doesn't sound like the odds are in your favor.

If you don't find the right atmosphere around the piano, I recommend going up on the Sports Deck at night. You can exercise your voice up there and not bother folks. ( I have had reports that some folks heard me. ) It's not the same feeling as a room full of folks singing or a theater with a 40 person strings section at work, but at least you can get some of the physical benefits of singing. It's probably a bad environment for the viola. :)

Actually, this is a small piece of one of my pet peeves : the disappearance of singing in America. When I was a kid, public group singing seemed to be everywhere. You followed the bouncing ball before the feature film started. In school, the other kids were already singing when your class enterred the auditorium. Church was filled with chances to sing. When you went to see the fireworks on the 4th, the band played while the folks sang along until it was dark. When the national anthem played at a ball game, everybody sang not just one person with a microphone.

Where did that all go ?

Even many churches seem to have moved toward the view that whenever possible the congregation shouldn't sing. The use of hired guns seems to have replaced the regular folks. I guess I shouldn't object. There was a time while I was in college that I took money for being the one person choir at a local church.

I know that if I hadn't been surrounded by singing like that when I was young, I probably wouldn't feel this way about singing now. So, I really worry about our future generations. Can they really get as much joy from listening as we have gotten for joining in ? Will anybody in the future know what it is like to sing familiar tunes in a crowd of hundreds of people ?

I try to do my part. My first two sons made the All-State chorus and the younger 2 kids are/were involved in singing too. They all play intruments and do well at karaoke. But I feel like they lean a bit too much toward the "if you can't be pitch perfect then shut up" philosophy when it comes to singing. I shouldn't be surprised as they've really not had much exposure to large ( non-trained ) group singing. It just doesn't happen that much anymore. I miss it.
RedWolfJr--I so totally agree with your sentiments, and they were so articulately said!
When strangers sing together, a bond develops. I am very shy by nature, but have found that to be the case. I hope a sing-a-long will be in your cruise future (and also in mine).

[RedWolfJr]

"I would disagree with you. I would much prefer to hear a good singer who has a good voice, good phrasing and the ability to put over a song over a bunch of people with no voice singing boring old standards. If you want a sing along, bring your Mitch Miller CDs.

DON"

Don, I agree with the other poster, Desdemona01. There are plenty of opportunities to sit & listen on your cruise. I'm asking for one place to sit or stand & participate and be enveloped by the sounds and atomosphere.

But I would also point out that if you are looking for good singers, you probably shouldn't be looking in a cruise ship's cast. They are OK but they are not exactly Pavarotti. Often I find them hard to listen to after a few songs. But I consider that part my problem. I tend to notice too much the mistakes and unpleasant notes and bad arrangements. After all they are getting paid for it. So, I expect a lot.

[RedWolfJr]

Three things can happen:
1. )You get a paino player who likes to be the center of attention and he likes to sing, talk and play and all are forbidden or discouraged from singing alone.

2.) You get a group of PAX who like to be entertained and listen to music and no one sings even if the piano player wants everyone to join in. The result is no sing along because the audience refuses to sing.

3.) The paino player wants all to join in and all do and you have a great sing along.

Number three is the most desireable situation in the piano bar. Me--I like to be entertained and so I go to the Explorers lounge and relax by listening to Classical Music.


I've seen No. 1 and it upsets me a lot. But truth in advertising would help.

And I've seen No. 3 and it is great.

But, so far, I haven't see No. 2. Does that really happen ?

If so, I suspect it's something like laughter in a movie theater. You need a certain critical mass before people feel comfortable participating.

My heart could not handle me singing alone on stage. But with three other guys in a barbershop quartet, I can do it. That gives me enough "cover" that I feel relatively comfortable. I've only sung karaoke in public a couple times and the legs never stopped wobbling. Sing-a-longs give folks the freedom and cover they need to open their mouths without having to worry about stage fright. They aren't usually looking to sing a solo.