What Time is Bed Time?

[sail7seas]

I have seen/heard on recent cruises that various evening activities had very low attendance.

Are you interested in evening shipboard activities or is it early to bed for you? (I imagine there would be some variance depending upon how port intensive the itinerary or if you are booked on many early morning tours.)

[Spot]

We aren't early to bed but don't particularly care for late night activities, this is one reason why we so enjoy HAL.

[Sheebah]

I've found the earlier we eat dinner the more we want to do activities. If we eat late, we end up burned out and just want to relax.
I've also noticed a correlation between number of sea days and my interest in evening activities. The more sea days, the more I'm looking to be entertained.

[SHayesShip]

It really varies for me. I turn in between 10pm to 12 midnight every night. But the majority of times it is between 10 to 11pm regardless of what activities there are.

[Aussie Gal]

We usually go to be around 11.00-11.30pm. We always have dinner at 8pm and often will go and watch a show afterwards.

If we have an early morning we may miss the show and go to bed a little earlier though we don't like going to bed too early after eating. We do like our food to settle a bit before bedtime.

Jennie

[Southbound]

After the show, we usually go up to the Crow's Nest for a drink (or two) and enjoy the trivia contests (as spectators). Then around midnight we'll head back to our cabin via the Lido buffet so DH can have his pre-bedtime cheese fix while en route.:D

[Copper10-8]

We always have 2nd seating dinner which, for us, means going to the late show at 10:15 PM. After that, we usually head to the Crow's Nest (or the Ocean Bar on Prinsendam) calling it a night sometime between midnight and 0100 (except when we have an early excursion the next morning;) ).

[airlink diva]

I have seen/heard on recent cruises that various evening activities had very low attendance.

Are you interested in evening shipboard activities or is it early to bed for you? (I imagine there would be some variance depending upon how port intensive the itinerary or if you are booked on many early morning tours.)




I admit that even with my "young age 38 :D ",It varies on cruises! The first night I try to stay up for the show and a visit to Northern Lights (but most of the time I'm so sleepy because I get up so early on sailing day!!)
On sea days (except for the last day on the ship), I tend to stay up until midnight or beyond. But on port days, esp if they are group together, I'm in bed after dinner. I know that of my upcoming sailing on the Maasdam, that we have five days in a row with port calls, on those nights, depending on what I do on shore, I will either go to dinner (second seating) and return to the room, eat in the Lido or just order room service and have a relaxing dinner in my room.
I will try to view a show if alot of positive comment are posted. But overall, on port days, I'm in bed early

[kryos]

I'm generally heading back to my stateroom most nights before midnight. Usually I have late seating dinner, then may take in a show, and then will head up to the Lido deck for a nice cup of java and a cigarette before heading to bed.

Of course, when the next morning is a port day ... if I have an early excursion, I could be in bed much earlier ... by 10:00/10:30.

I never was a late night person to begin with, so I don't tend to put in late nights on a cruise either. I'd much rather be up and about during the day, when there are far more things that interest me going on.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[jhannah]

We're not late night people, either. We are usually in for the night by 10:30. I much prefer to awake early and watch the sunrise and/or arrival in port from our verandah. Nothing like it!

[Krazy Kruizers]

If there is a good show - like new ones we had on the Statendam - we will stay up and then have a night cap.

Otherwise we usually just roam around for awhile, have a night cap and go to bed early.

DH likes to be in the gym by 6 AM.

[SDHALFAN]

Oh Lord: I am soooo boring. I am most definitely a "morning person" and the early morning is my favorite time of the day so I'm usually in bed by 10 - 10:30 p.m. I rarely go to the shows and usually just drop a few dollars in the slots after an early dinner, or I may go to the Explorers' Lounge and listen to lovely music before going back to my cabin to watch a DVD, then off to bed to dream of the next day's adventures.

Valerie:)

[lvs2crooz]

We usually have late seating, so we'll go to the show ,then take a short walk around the ship or have a nightcap on our balcony , while looking out at the ocean and enjoying the peace and quiet and each others company. On sea days we tend to stay up later and go to the casino or one of the lounges for a short while after the show. My DH and I like to go to sleep around 11:30 on port days so we're full of energy and ready to explore the ports of call. Mary

[RevNeal]

It all depends upon what's going on the next day ... and, of course, what I did that day. If it's been a VERY long day, with a LONG shore excursion, I might go to bed early. MIGHT. It's more likely that if I'm going to be getting up EARLY for an early port arrival/shore excursion, then I'm more likely to hit the sack around midnight.

Otherwise ... I'm a night owl, and will tend to stay out to 1 or 2 am, depending upon with whom I'm cruising and what kind of activities we're up to. I LOVE roaming the ship after everybody else turns in and the ship quiets down. I've sometimes gone to my cabin around 12:30 or 1 am, caught an hour or 2 of shut-eye, then have gotten up (thrown on some sweats or some-such) and go wander around for 40 minutes or an hour. I often take my camera on such junkets and will get some good interior shots. :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I guess we too are in the majority here. We end up going to bed about 10 to 10:30. With cruising as often as we have in recent years we tend to skip the shows. We go to early lower dinner, then walk around the ship for a while. We may stop to have a drink in the Explorer's Lounge then back to our cabin to relax, maybe sit out on the verandah and watch the stars. Then lights out. I also enjoy wathcing us come into port in the morning there is just something exciting about it.:)

[the2ofus]

I do enjoy going to the shows and then listening to music in the Ocean Bar, Explorer's Lounge and Piano Bar. Rarely stay up past midnight.

I think HAL policy/practice may be partly responsible for the sparse attendance at late evening venues. All the musicians seem to take their breaks at the same time. When the Ocean Bar combo took their evening breaks, DH and I used to go looking for another place to dance or listen to music. Invariably, we found that in all the other venues the musicians were also on break. When there's no music anywhere on the ship, people tend to drift off to their cabins. We have mentioned this as a negative factor on all our comment cards, but the practice has never altered on any of the HAL ships we've been on.

We would usually go out on deck for our evening mile stroll during the late evening musicians' break and then check back in at the Ocean Bar to dance a bit more.

At midnight all the musicians pack up for the night, except the DJ in the crows' nest. About then, I head for the Lido for a cup of decaf coffee and a cookie, then head for my cabin.

[the2ofus]

"I LOVE roaming the ship after everybody else turns in and the ship quiets down. I've sometimes gone to my cabin around 12:30 or 1 am, caught an hour or 2 of shut-eye, then have gotten up (thrown on some sweats or some-such) and go wander around for 40 minutes or an hour. I often take my camera on such junkets and will get some good interior shots. :)"


Oh Revneal, guys are so lucky! I don't think a woman would dream of roaming around the ship alone at 2 or 3 a.m.. no matter how pleasant and peaceful that might be. I just would not feel safe doing that.

[Atomica]

I usually go to bed between midnight and 1am - I like going for an evening drink after the late show, and then maybe poke around the midnight buffet for a litte bit. Other than that, I enjoy a walk around the promenade deck before heading back to my cabin for the evening.

[jagsfan]

Sounds like a good group of people on HAL. Enjoy the cruise but stay out
of trouble and off CNN.

[msraye]

I tend to spend the first 2 or 3 days sleeping--i.e. in bed around 9 or 10 plus naps during the day. I sometimes skip dinner in the dining room in order to sleep. Once over my first exhaustion I am good till midnight or so. I would love to dance or do late night activities but being without a partner there is no point as most seem geared toward couples.

[giggles217]

I enjoy the nighttime activities and tend to stay up later than my DH but since he's an early riser my sleep time gets less and less as the cruise goes on so then I'll start turning in earlier too. I find myself taking more late afternoon naps so that I can get the best of the evening and the mornings!!!

[LolaWiz]

I have seen/heard on recent cruises that various evening activities had very low attendance.

Are you interested in evening shipboard activities or is it early to bed for you? (I imagine there would be some variance depending upon how port intensive the itinerary or if you are booked on many early morning tours.)




normally we stay up at least to see the show after dinner (early seating) or perhaps go to the disco or casino for a bit, but normally, i crash pretty early.
On our last cruise, my DH and i were the ones to be in bed by 10 when my inlaws and mom were up til 2-3am! :o

[serendipity1499]

I'm a night owl at home, usually turning in after 1:a.m. but will sleep in until around 8:00 in the morning..However when on board, we usually walk a mile on the Promenade deck around 7:00 a.m & then go to breakfast with our friends...

We have dinner late & then attend the show..My DH heads back to the cabin after the show to do his reading or puzzles (he will not gamble)..I will occasionally go to the casino with our friends & play the slots for about 1/2 hour or so..10 min if I've lost my evening allotment quickly..If after a couple of days I consistently lose my small allotment, I don't bother to play anymore & will instead head back to the cabin to do some reading before turning out the light..

I would love to go & listen to the Music, but unfortunately can't drink anything alcoholic at night, as I wake up with a pounding headache the next morning even if I've only had one drink:( ..When we have wine with dinner will always take an aspirin before going to bed, which is not the best thing to do especially if you have a tendancy get to heart-burn...

Of course our afternoons (& some mornings) at sea are spent sleeping (err reading) on the Promenade deck,;) unless there's a good lecture....Then will go to the Queens Lounge for the lecture & about 1/2 way through will fall asleep..:o Those seats are so comfortable..

I seem to sleep much better on a ship than I do at home! :D

[hammybee]

We always have 2nd seating dinner which, for us, means going to the late show at 10:15 PM. After that, we usually head to the Crow's Nest (or the Ocean Bar on Prinsendam) calling it a night sometime between midnight and 0100 (except when we have an early excursion the next morning;) ).

Same here.
I am a life long insomniac and get along on about 4-5 hours of sleep, most nights. Therefore, I am used to being the night owl and the early bird.

I once read soemwhere that insomniacs tend to eat more than the typical person, especially chocolate.

[Sueseb]

For us it depends on the show, the music , the next day's plans etc. We do plan to go to the crew show, usually at 11:30 PM. They are VERY sparsely attended but have some really good talent. If you've never attended one, give it a try. I was surprised that there were not more crew members attending but we were told that they are not allowed to as they are not supposed to socialize with the PAX. Sue

[RevNeal]

I would love to go & listen to the Music, but unfortunately can't drink anything alcoholic at night, as I wake up with a pounding headache the next morning even if I've only had one drink:( ..When we have wine with dinner will always take an aspirin before going to bed, which is not the best thing to do especially if you have a tendancy get to heart-burn...

Just a suggestion ... you might want to try drinking your way through the mocktails. I have done that and have really enjoyed them. They allow you to fit-in with the rest and still enjoy the evening music, etc., even if you don't or can't drink.

[rkacruiser]

My "usual" on-board evening routine:

Happy Hour at the Crow's Nest
Dinner at 8:00 P. M.
Explorer's Lounge for an after dinner drink and coffee(decaf, please)
Show, and then probably to cabin to change, if wearing formal wear
If I have a veranda, 30-60 minutes on the veranda; if no veranda, same amount of time at the stern, overlooking the wake, enjoying the sound of the sea and the sights of the night sky!

At times, I have been sitting at the stern so long that I have had a crew member come and check to make sure I was OK.

[AlohaPride]

I've read about people doing "a mile" walk around deck. Any idea how many "laps" it would take on the Noordam for a mile?

[serendipity1499]

Just a suggestion ... you might want to try drinking your way through the mocktails. I have done that and have really enjoyed them. They allow you to fit-in with the rest and still enjoy the evening music, etc., even if you don't or can't drink.

That's a thought Revneal..I guess a "mocktail" is like a "Shirley Temple"..Thanks for the suggestion..

[hammybee]

I've read about people doing "a mile" walk around deck. Any idea how many "laps" it would take on the Noordam for a mile?

I believe the number is five.

[RuthC]

Back in the days when the Piano Bar closed at 2:00 AM (and had a good entertainer) RuthC was a happy sailor. Now that the music I like ends by midnight everywhere it's hard to find fun in the wee hours. But still I try. Sometimes I find a few like-minded folks sailing and we chat until...whenever.

For me the ship is the destination, so the evening entertainment is important. I skip the production shows, but usually see the guest entertainers. Then head to music, music, music while it lasts.

[HeatherInFlorida]

We always have late dinner and then call us crazy, but we really enjoy going to the shows. Every now and then we won't, but for the most part we just enjoy the whole ambiance of the shows. There's a spirit to them we enjoy.

After that, DH will often stop by the casino for a bit and I return to the cabin. There is nothing like walking into the cabin, with the bed turned down and the low lighting with the chocolates on the pillows and the next day's activities sheet waiting.

After getting ready for bed, I really enjoy going out onto our balcony to sit for awhile, enjoying the night ... the sound of the ship sliding through the water and usually the moon glistening upon the water.

Then I settle into bed to read about the day to come. DH returns by now and before you know it we're asleep.

Usually it's between 12 and 1 a.m. And that's my precious evening:) . I am so ready just thinking about it!:D

[Druke I]

We like to eat early (1st seating), and I am not a night owl. Unless there is a good show (stage or movie) I'll be in bed before 10pm (often 9pm!!).

I go get up early - 5am is normal.

I don't seem able to reset my internal clock - been this way past 15 years.

[sirarthur]

We like late dinners and early to bed. On one Alaskan cruise we took my 84 year old aunt and her two "older" best friends. (We are in our late 50s) After dinner they went to the shows and partied after that. We go to bed immediately after dinner and get up at 4am go to the Lido, get coffee and sit in our favorite corner and wait for the sunrise.....that is what is so great about cruising....everyone can do their own thing!!!

[sail7seas]

Originally Posted by AlohaPride
I've read about people doing "a mile" walk around deck. Any idea how many "laps" it would take on the Noordam for a mile?




I believe the number is five.

On Maasdam, four times around the deck equals approximately one mile so for a Vista Class ship, it would probably be around 3 times around for one mile. I don't recall exactly how many. Volendam and Rotterdam et al are 3 1/2 times around to a mile.

[bepsf]

I believe the number is five.

A mile is 5280 feet.
The walking circuit on a Vista's Promenade Deck is @ 900 feet bow to stern, and 100 feet side to side, therefore one circuit is @ 2000 feet
So a little over 2 1/2 laps make a mile on Noordam's Promenade Deck.

Oh, and I usually stay out til about 2am...
...unless I had a hangover the morning before.

Then again, I rarely emerge from my stateroom before 10.
;)

[sail7seas]

We always have 8:00 dinner and rarely go to the show. A very few times during a cruise, we might play a few minutes at the slots. More often than not, we spend some time here or there chatting with whoever and end up in Ocean Bar for a nightcap. (We used to go to Crows Nest but have found on our recent cruises, we haven't gone up there.)

We're usually back in our cabin about 11:30 or so.

[Love Cruises]

I have seen/heard on recent cruises that various evening activities had very low attendance.

Are you interested in evening shipboard activities or is it early to bed for you? (I imagine there would be some variance depending upon how port intensive the itinerary or if you are booked on many early morning tours.)




We like the early dinner time followed by the show. Sometimes we will take in a movie. If there is trivia, we will be there (eventhough we are definitely not as smart as some that play). Then we'll go to the Crow's Nest and listen to the band playing there. My husband likes to check out the late night buffet so we stop there. After that we will take a walk out on the promenade deck checking out the weather. Most of the time we go to bed by 1:00 am.

[kakalina]

We tend to have the early seating and then I go to a show ( if there is one) I do enjoy them. We generally are in our cabin between 9:00 and 9:30. Then we call room service and have our hot drinks and dessert sent in. We are up between 4 and 5am and that is the best time to wander the ship, taking pix and really looking at all the wonderful antiques and artwork. You can see them so much better when the corridors don't have any people in them. We have met and made friends with some of the crew that are about in the earlier hours, also.
I think a sunrise is so beautiful, the promise of a wonderful day ahead, to own, make yours in a special way on board.
My favorite memory is sunrise as we entered Bora Bora, the sun made the water surrounding us a blood red and suddenly a huge pod of dolphin started leaping and playing in the red and gold of the water. Amazing

[lawyerrose]

Oh Revneal, guys are so lucky! I don't think a woman would dream of roaming around the ship alone at 2 or 3 a.m.. no matter how pleasant and peaceful that might be. I just would not feel safe doing that.[/quote]

I wouldn't think twice about roaming the ship at any hour of the night and, yes, I'm a woman. I like it when most folks are already in bed, too. Seems more intimate -- like I've got the whole ship to myself. I love being out on deck late at night. Just me and the moon and stars. Ahhhhhh. . .

Rose

[newmexicoNita]

Golly it depends on so many things: if we have a big port day we will be in bed by 10pm; if the next day is a sea day we are more inclined to stay up. I would say we vary from 10pm to about midnight, just like at home. We do like to see a show and sometimes take part in game activities. Those are the nights we are later getting to bed. I can assure you, we are never up after midnight. I do like to visit the casino after dinner and a show. NMnita

[Toad]

The answer is three times around the deck and if you do 12 which is four miles you will not gain a pound!

[sail7seas]

Toad.......Promise???? Guarantee???? :D

We walk about 2 miles of laps around Promenade and then walk 2-4 miles in port depending upon where we are etc

I still have to eat very carefully in order to not gain. :(

[Love Cruises]

We tend to have the early seating and then I go to a show ( if there is one) I do enjoy them. We generally are in our cabin between 9:00 and 9:30. Then we call room service and have our hot drinks and dessert sent in. We are up between 4 and 5am and that is the best time to wander the ship, taking pix and really looking at all the wonderful antiques and artwork. You can see them so much better when the corridors don't have any people in them. We have met and made friends with some of the crew that are about in the earlier hours, also.
I think a sunrise is so beautiful, the promise of a wonderful day ahead, to own, make yours in a special way on board.
My favorite memory is sunrise as we entered Bora Bora, the sun made the water surrounding us a blood red and suddenly a huge pod of dolphin started leaping and playing in the red and gold of the water. Amazing
kakalina... your description of the sunrise in Bora Bora sounded so great. Maybe, next cruise, instead of sleeping in, I'll get up to see one. Don't think I can get my husband to do it though!

[ssolomon56]

I have seen/heard on recent cruises that various evening activities had very low attendance.

Are you interested in evening shipboard activities or is it early to bed for you? (I imagine there would be some variance depending upon how port intensive the itinerary or if you are booked on many early morning tours.)





I don't agree with the low attendance aspect at all. My DH and I generally have dinner at the early seating. Then, head over to the show, and a little trivia...some time at the casino...and karaoke. If there is a late night comedy show the place is generally PACKED - and it doesn't even start until 11-12:00. We rarely head back to the cabin for the night until about 1:00 or so.

[Toad]

Yes promise..... four fast miles plus port walking!