AAA Travel Show and HAL Stereotype

[Roz]

Just got back from an "Onstage Alaska" show co-sponsored by Holland America and AAA. The DVD that was shown and the info presented made me want to go back to Alaska tomorrow. Plus, I won the grand door prize, which was a very nice carry-on bag with the HAL logo embroidered on it. The same one sold in the gift shops on the ship.

We've all seen the weekly (almost daily!) posts in this forum asking if HAL is a line that caters to old folks, would a 35-year old feel out of place, is there anything to do at night besides soak your dentures :D , etc.

Well, the music that was playing before the presentation while people were finding their seats was big band swing. Nothing wrong with that, except that it plays into the stereotype of a cruise line for my parents' generation. The people like my parents who were in their teens/early 20s during WWII are now in their 80s, with a whole slug of us Boomers coming up behind them.

Maybe at these shows they should start playing music by The Stones or The Who. Just an observation.

Roz

[ViolaSwamp]

Cruise lines NEED to cater to the younger crowd. Not ignore the older folks, mind you, but to entice and KEEP a new customer base, they really have to lilt younger, not just age along with the older people.

So says the gal in her late 20s. :p Even my "old fogie" husband in his early 40s would agree.

Regarding music, anywhere there's classic rock is a good place for us. :cool:

[DizzyDallasDi]

Maybe at these shows they should start playing music by The Stones or The Who. Just an observation.

Roz

I vote for the Beatles.

Diane

[scottamiller]

I'm 37 ,and would prefer Big Band, Swing, Jazz, Rat-Pat era vocals etc. over Rock music any day - then again I am rather out of the norm for my age group :D Needless to say HAL is my cup o'tea ........

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got back from an "Onstage Alaska" show co-sponsored by Holland America and AAA. The DVD that was shown and the info presented made me want to go back to Alaska tomorrow. Plus, I won the grand door prize, which was a very nice carry-on bag with the HAL logo embroidered on it. The same one sold in the gift shops on the ship.

We've all seen the weekly (almost daily!) posts in this forum asking if HAL is a line that caters to old folks, would a 35-year old feel out of place, is there anything to do at night besides soak your dentures :D , etc.

Well, the music that was playing before the presentation while people were finding their seats was big band swing. Nothing wrong with that, except that it plays into the stereotype of a cruise line for my parents' generation. The people like my parents who were in their teens/early 20s during WWII are now in their 80s, with a whole slug of us Boomers coming up behind them.

Maybe at these shows they should start playing music by The Stones or The Who. Just an observation.

Roz

Congratualtions on winning a HAL logo bag.

Your must have a lot of HAL cruisers -- our AAA never has had anything like what you attended today. Sounds great.

[airlink diva]

Just got back from an "Onstage Alaska" show co-sponsored by Holland America and AAA. The DVD that was shown and the info presented made me want to go back to Alaska tomorrow. Plus, I won the grand door prize, which was a very nice carry-on bag with the HAL logo embroidered on it. The same one sold in the gift shops on the ship.

We've all seen the weekly (almost daily!) posts in this forum asking if HAL is a line that caters to old folks, would a 35-year old feel out of place, is there anything to do at night besides soak your dentures :D , etc.

Well, the music that was playing before the presentation while people were finding their seats was big band swing. Nothing wrong with that, except that it plays into the stereotype of a cruise line for my parents' generation. The people like my parents who were in their teens/early 20s during WWII are now in their 80s, with a whole slug of us Boomers coming up behind them.

Maybe at these shows they should start playing music by The Stones or The Who. Just an observation.

Roz
I thought it was just me on thinking this! I went to the AAA travel show last year sponsered by AAA and HAL in Memphis. There was a diverse group of people with various ages and lifestyles. However the direction of the presentation and music was towards the older cruisers.
Now I enjoy all types of music. I listen to Benny Goodman to Queen to Jessye Norman to Coldplay to Project Pat. I think that a mixture of music to appeal to everyone would work. Also show more than seniors! You have the baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and others there who they need to appeal to. These are the up and coming cruisers and potential cruisers who are looking at cruises as a great value and HAL is not delivering. I guess that's one reason that I won't attend the travel show this year. I was lucky in having a travel agent who believe in HAL and see it as a great cruiseline that have the potential for people.
Happy sailing!!

[Calgary North]

In our fifties, we are certainly within the Boomer age group and grew up with all the music that is now being played constantly as "Classic Rock".

We just came off the Ryndam 10 days ago and found a wide variety of music, both live and recorded. Our favourite easily was listening to the string quartet live daily in various venues on the ship.

My personal second favourite was silence and the opportunity to read and/or watch the sea and scenery and /or converse without background noise.

Each cruise line was seemingly gone to some effort to differentiate itself and attract a certain clientele.

I would assume HAL will change its personality if and when it finds its business falling off.

[silvercruiser]

On a HAL Alaska cruise two years ago all the staff introduced themselves by their first names and then asked what our names were. Well, when someone's given his first name, you give yours too. Even the wait staff in the dining room called us by our first names. I was told that HAL was trying to project a younger image.

[shonuf]

On a HAL Alaska cruise two years ago all the staff introduced themselves by their first names and then asked what our names were. Well, when someone's given his first name, you give yours too. Even the wait staff in the dining room called us by our first names. I was told that HAL was trying to project a younger image.

No more "Mr. Brian" and "Mrs. Susan"? How sad. Personally, I always introduce myself by my first and last name. "Mrs. Last Name" was my mother-in-law (she even signed birthday cards to us as "Mrs. Joe B. Last Name".

[PirateShark]

As someone facing the "dreaded" 5-Oh NO! in less than two years, I've grown up listening to and enjoying various types of music. From Mozart to Metallica, I can groove to any of it :D In fact, a mosh pit or two wouldn't be out of bounds at times...

But, I also have a high-stress, high travel job and frankly, when I go on a cruise, I want to "whatever" - meaning I might wake up and want to just lounge on the balcony with my book, take a Zip Line Tour or drink and dance til the sun comes up.

I've booked my next cruise for sure on the Noordam to the Caribbean and I figure that during the 10 days with 3 sea days, I'll get my fill of "whatever" and be happier for it! I've cruised on Regent previously and I'm looking for "balance" in itinerary, relaxation and wildness. Just because I'm getting up there doesn't mean I'm dead yet if you know what I mean :p

Like life, your cruise or vacation is what you make of it. Enjoy the moment and don't get too wrapped up in the "perception" of what should or should not be fun.

[DizzyDallasDi]

"Mrs. Last Name" was my mother-in-law (she even signed birthday cards to us as "Mrs. Joe B. Last Name".

Now that's really old school. It reminded me of my grandmother who referred to her friends as Mrs. Husband's Last Name.

Diane

[AlexandNessa]

Hmmm. I'm 36 and sometimes find HAL too old, primarily due to the music and entertainment. After a HAL hiatus, we are going back to the Vista class ships and booked a B2B on the Westerdam in 2009. The longer cruises we did on the Ryndam and Volendam, while nice, were certainly a much older crowd than our 7- night cruises on the Zuiderdam and Oosterdam.

I'm sure that's true of longer cruises on any line, with the exception of Disney.

[WhansaMi]

Just got back from an "Onstage Alaska" show co-sponsored by Holland America and AAA. The DVD that was shown and the info presented made me want to go back to Alaska tomorrow. Plus, I won the grand door prize, which was a very nice carry-on bag with the HAL logo embroidered on it. The same one sold in the gift shops on the ship.

We've all seen the weekly (almost daily!) posts in this forum asking if HAL is a line that caters to old folks, would a 35-year old feel out of place, is there anything to do at night besides soak your dentures :D , etc.

Well, the music that was playing before the presentation while people were finding their seats was big band swing. Nothing wrong with that, except that it plays into the stereotype of a cruise line for my parents' generation. The people like my parents who were in their teens/early 20s during WWII are now in their 80s, with a whole slug of us Boomers coming up behind them.

Maybe at these shows they should start playing music by The Stones or The Who. Just an observation.

Roz

The problem would be, that would be misleading.

I loved our cruise this summer (I am 48, hubby is 53), but I have to say the one thing that I would be critical about is that I felt that the music was from my parents'/grandparents' era. I mean, think about it -- young adults from the 60's are now in their 60's! A little classic rock would be nice, and I'm not talking about the Musak version. The DJ would play a little after midnight, but it would have been nice to have a place where there was more contemporary music throughout the evening.

Sheila

[DizzyDallasDi]

The problem would be, that would be misleading.

I loved our cruise this summer (I am 48, hubby is 53), but I have to say the one thing that I would be critical about is that I felt that the music was from my parents'/grandparents' era. I mean, think about it -- young adults from the 60's are now in their 60's! A little classic rock would be nice, and I'm not talking about the Musak version. The DJ would play a little after midnight, but it would have been nice to have a place where there was more contemporary music throughout the evening.

Sheila

I'm a Boomer and I'm sure I'll be able to enjoy the music on-board as long as it's not Lawrence Welk's style. However, my preference would be classic rock. I'm going on my first HAL cruise in Nov. to the Caribbean on a 7-nghter so I'm thinking there will be a good mix of ages on this itinerary. Maybe the piano guy will take requests?

Diane

[WhansaMi]

I'm a Boomer and I'm sure I'll be able to enjoy the music on-board as long as it's not Lawrence Welk's style. However, my preference would be classic rock. I'm going on my first HAL cruise in Nov. to the Caribbean on a 7-nghter so I'm thinking there will be a good mix of ages on this itinerary. Maybe the piano guy will take requests?

Diane

I hope you are right. Ours was a European, 12-day trip, so the demographics are likely different.

But, you may want to stock up on your I-pod tunes... just in case, because, everything that wasn't classical, on our cruise, was Lawerence Welk... or Perry Como.

Sheila

[mrmac]

The problem would be, that would be misleading.

I loved our cruise this summer (I am 48, hubby is 53), but I have to say the one thing that I would be critical about is that I felt that the music was from my parents'/grandparents' era. I mean, think about it -- young adults from the 60's are now in their 60's! A little classic rock would be nice, and I'm not talking about the Musak version. The DJ would play a little after midnight, but it would have been nice to have a place where there was more contemporary music throughout the evening.

Sheila

I was just on the phone last week with our HAL District Sales Manager begging for the same thing. Except for the ballroom dancing for the elderly in the Ocean Bar, there has not been much dance music for the rest of us on HAL lately. They even stopped putting a live group in the Crow's Nest on a nightly basis. I gave him my feedback that HAL needs a live top 40 group in the Crow's Nest, playing hits from the 60's-90's. No matter how nice the ship and service is, if there's no entertainment for the under 70 crowd, HAL will not survive. Pleasant music by the classical string quartet is not a substitute.

[WeLoveCruising]

I guess I'm in the minority, I like the older music. I'm in my early 40's, and have eclectic tastes in music. At home we mosty listen to classic rock, or 60/70/80's music, but I appreciate the American standards, big band music, etc. I like the atmosphere it creates on the cruise, and like to watch others dance, sing along in the Piano Bar, etc.

I played Name that Tune many times with my 75-year old mother in law in the Piano Bar and won each time. Most people thought it was because of her, but it was me ;) . Although, I've never cruised with RuthC, from what I read she's the queen of Name that Tune.

Oh yes, and to add - there is plenty of modern music on HAL. On the Vistas you will find it in Northern Lights as the night gets later. The Crows Nest on the S/R ships has it, too. In fact, we wanted to stay out later on our last Maasdam cruise, but found the music after midnight was too modern / techno for our taste

[RuthC]

Although, I've never cruised with RuthC, from what I read she's the queen of Name that Tune.
LOL! Well, I was the queen, but I believe there's been a coup attempt. :(

You're may be in the minority, but you're definitely not alone in your taste in music. My preference is music of the 40's, 30's and 20's. I can easily go back to about 1912.

As long as there's one lounge on the ship that plays music of that era, I'm a happy girl. The problem is the musicians HAL is hiring don't know the songs!
On my last cruise there was a "King and the Crooners" night in the Piano Bar. The piano player mostly played Elvis---and upbeat Elvis at that---and only one crooner. He didn't know any crooners other than Frank Sinatra, and didn't know many of his songs, either. :eek: There was nothing imaginative in his repertoire---just the same ol', same ol'. :rolleyes:

[matondo]

I remember cruising the Zuiderdam and the entertainer was an Elton John impersonator. We loved him. The next night a lady sitting next to me was complaining about the impersonator from the previous night. She said she didn't know any of the songs he did except for one (it was the only song all night that wasn't an Elton John song but a song from the 50's).

[Pam in CA]

With the popularity of shows such as "Dancing with the stars" and "So you think you can dance," which feature swing dancing, I don't think big band music is as out of date as it might have been a few years ago.

[WeLoveCruising]

LOL! Well, I was the queen, but I believe there's been a coup attempt.

Ruth, if I'm ever lucky enough to sail with you, we'll team up and win those Dam mugs for sure :)

I know what you're saying about the entertainers. I've had some great ones, but recently more often than not its the same old stuff. And how many times a night can they play Piano Man??

[WhansaMi]

With the popularity of shows such as "Dancing with the stars" and "So you think you can dance," which feature swing dancing, I don't think big band music is as out of date as it might have been a few years ago.

I watch both of those, but I wouldn't say that either of those "feature" big band music. Dancing With the Stars has more, but I just tolerate that. ;-) So You Think You Can Dance has a high percentage of contemporary music.


But, really, that's all beside the point. I guess my point is, I don't understand why, given that there are many music venues on the ships, there can't be greater diversity.

Sheila

[Roz]

KK,

I spoke with my TA briefly after the show, and she said 250 people attended. Our area of the state (Middle TN) is part of AAA Auto Club South based in Tampa. They do events like this on a regular basis. They're kind of my faux cruise fixes between my real cruises.

Roz

[neverwinter2]

Swing dancing is popular on-and-off with the younger crowd. Just as with any other type of music, I enjoy it - but not 10 days of it, nonstop. ;) And my grandmother, while a Lawrence Welk fan, does not listen only to Lawrence Welk. Can't imagine why a cruise line (or anyone else) would provide only one kind/genre/era of music as entertainment.

For those collecting demographic data on this thread, I'm 27, but recently taught in a high school, and currently work with people in the 18-24 year old group. So I feel pretty in touch!

[Cruzman]

My experience relative to the type of music played on HAL ships has been that live entertainers seem to cater to the passenger demographic currently on board. I took my 25 year old son on a Maasdam cruise in 2002 and there were quite a few other twenty somethings on that cruise. He was up 'til 3 AM most nights in the Crow's Nest with a number of them. Based on the video he took one night, the music played was just about all current rock hits.

[WhansaMi]

My experience relative to the type of music played on HAL ships has been that live entertainers seem to cater to the passenger demographic currently on board. I took my 25 year old son on a Maasdam cruise in 2002 and there were quite a few other twenty somethings on that cruise. He was up 'til 3 AM most nights in the Crow's Nest with a number of them. Based on the video he took one night, the music played was just about all current rock hits.

My experience (with an n of one! ;-)) was that the DJ would play such music after midnight, but prior to midnight, there was none to be found. Could you check in with your son and see if his experience was similar?

Sheila

[RuthC]

And how many times a night can they play Piano Man??
Too many, IMO. And that's an example of how the caliber of the lounge entertainers has decreased over the years. Many of the musicians play the exact same sets every night. You can practically set your watch.
I remember a 12-day cruise several years ago. The musician in the Piano Bar never repeated a song (unless there was a request for a specific song) over the entire cruise. The last night he played four solid hours of "good-bye" songs. Now that's a decent repertoire!

The lounges don't all have to play the same style of music---it's better if they don't! That way differing tastes can all find someplace to stay out and play, and purchase drinks. That, after all, is why HAL provides entertainment.