Borrowing a piano to practice on

When u attend the meet and greet u will me them and get the phone #’s

Thanks for the compliment. Sometimes the truth hurts and the ignorant resort to calling names. But I still don't buy it. I have been around here too long. This thread reminds me of "Can I bring my own mattress." You supposedly are booked on a cruise but never had posted anything on cruise critic. As someone already pointed out who knows someone who competes they don't go anywhere and practice so much the week before the competition. The pianos on the cruise ships are for their entertainers. They are not going to let anyone touch them or play them. They are tuned professionally. Do you think they will let me play their guitars if I was playing in a competition? Of course not. None of this makes sense and to add its someone who just created a cruise critic account. If you were really concerned about your piano competition you would not book a vacation the week before. Any competition either swimming, dancing, piano, you practice the week before. You don't go on vacation. You would stay home and practice and not try to bring a piano or find a piano on a cruise ship. This is so silly I cant even believe I am typing these words. What next? I'm in a jazz concert recording, do you think one of the jazz performers on the ship will allow me to practice their trumpet in my cabin for awhile :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

If you book a Garden Villa you can have a piano all to yourself. As Judge Judy says....if it does not make sense, its not true. None of this makes sense and a concert pianist would know other professional pianists who are paid to perform are not going to let anyone play their piano. This forum always gets these kinds of threads of ridiculous requests from 1st post members and then poof they are gone. Not falling for it.

Wow, you must be a pleasure to be around...

I’ve been on CC seemingly forever and find OP to be genuine and respectful. And if you had bothered to read, he clarified that it is not in fact a competition, that was a shorthand way of setting up the topic.

OP, you have received good advice. Especially like the idea of asking one of the officers who attends the meet and greet, as they are very inclined to help CC members in that venue. No way of knowing who will be there but if the hotel director attends, approach him/her and ask! If not the CD should be there. And yes you can likely find pianos in various venues where you can play, especially in the mornings.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I wouldn't bother asking the reps on the phone...they know nothing. Just wait until you're on the ship..I'm sure they will accommodate you, if possible.

Again, when you get on board, go to guest services and leave a note for the cruise director with your contact info. They are the ones that schedule entertainment. They will try their best to accommodate you, but keep in mind the times offered to you might not mesh with your schedule.

Again, all you can do is ask. Be happy if they say yes, but also be prepared for them to say no.

Wow, you must be a pleasure to be around...

 

I’ve been on CC seemingly forever and find OP to be genuine and respectful. And if you had bothered to read, he clarified that it is not in fact a competition, that was a shorthand way of setting up the topic.

 

OP, you have received good advice. Especially like the idea of asking one of the officers who attends the meet and greet, as they are very inclined to help CC members in that venue. No way of knowing who will be there but if the hotel director attends, approach him/her and ask! If not the CD should be there. And yes you can likely find pianos in various venues where you can play, especially in the mornings.

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you, I really appreciate your help.

Thanks for the compliment. Sometimes the truth hurts and the ignorant resort to calling names. But I still don't buy it. I have been around here too long. This thread reminds me of "Can I bring my own mattress." You supposedly are booked on a cruise but never had posted anything on cruise critic. As someone already pointed out who knows someone who competes they don't go anywhere and practice so much the week before the competition. The pianos on the cruise ships are for their entertainers. They are not going to let anyone touch them or play them. They are tuned professionally. Do you think they will let me play their guitars if I was playing in a competition? Of course not. None of this makes sense and to add its someone who just created a cruise critic account. If you were really concerned about your piano competition you would not book a vacation the week before. Any competition either swimming, dancing, piano, you practice the week before. You don't go on vacation. You would stay home and practice and not try to bring a piano or find a piano on a cruise ship. This is so silly I cant even believe I am typing these words. What next? I'm in a jazz concert recording, do you think one of the jazz performers on the ship will allow me to practice their trumpet in my cabin for awhile :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

If you book a Garden Villa you can have a piano all to yourself. As Judge Judy says....if it does not make sense, its not true. None of this makes sense and a concert pianist would know other professional pianists who are paid to perform are not going to let anyone play their piano. This forum always gets these kinds of threads of ridiculous requests from 1st post members and then poof they are gone. Not falling for it.

It’s amazing how comical it is sometimes the questions that people ask on this site lol

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was going to suggest upgrading to the Garden Villa as well.

You can contact the bandmaster to see if there is a time for them to unlock the piano if it is locked or if it is a digital that is unplugged. Outside of Taste/Savor is one location. The cruise director can assist you as well.

There is a piano outside the taste dinning room and quite few times after breakfast someone was playing the piano. They were not ncl staff.

It’s amazing how comical it is sometimes the questions that people ask on this site lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There are never any dumb questions on CC. We all learn from each other. But when someone creates an account to ask such a question I am suspicious. C'mon we have all seen this before so many times. The comical part is the people who have resorted to calling me names because I call B.S. One poster who called me names tried to backtrack or change the OP's words calling it not a competition. Hello!!!! The OP clearly called it a competition. No details provided though. I have almost 5000 posts on CC and this happens all the time. Its funny but the person is playing along since I called BS right away. Usually they drag on and then just vanish. I am more entertained by the people who call me names for standing up for the integrity of this forum. Go back and read the first post which is the first post from this person. No interest in cruising. Just the typical troll kind of question by the typical first timer. Here is my challenge. OP provide details of your cruise and meet at the CC meet and greet. If you are real, I will not only apologize here but your next cruise I will comp you with NCL OBC to your account on your next cruise. Anyone who meets the OP can private me here on CC.

I wouldn't try to get an answer ahead of time and would wait to talk to someone in person when you board. If you call now someone is going to look up some kind of policy that will undoubtedly forbid this and possibly alert the ship. Once you are on board people will be much more pragmatic or just sit down and play if there is an open piano in a closed lounge like the example given by the above poster and in the unlikely event that someone asks you to leave just apologize.

Best of luck in your competition. I digress, but if you are even in St Pancras station in London arrive a few minutes early to play on one of their public pianos.

Now I'm curious. OP please have someone video you playing the piano on board during your cruise to prove to david_sobe that you are real!

<snip> There are never any dumb questions on CC.

LOL...you couldn't be any further from the truth. That is something that people say on internet forums to people who ask dumb questions. ;p

There are never any dumb questions on CC. We all learn from each other. But when someone creates an account to ask such a question I am suspicious. C'mon we have all seen this before so many times. The comical part is the people who have resorted to calling me names because I call B.S. One poster who called me names tried to backtrack or change the OP's words calling it not a competition. Hello!!!! The OP clearly called it a competition. No details provided though. I have almost 5000 posts on CC and this happens all the time. Its funny but the person is playing along since I called BS right away. Usually they drag on and then just vanish. I am more entertained by the people who call me names for standing up for the integrity of this forum. Go back and read the first post which is the first post from this person. No interest in cruising. Just the typical troll kind of question by the typical first timer. Here is my challenge. OP provide details of your cruise and meet at the CC meet and greet. If you are real, I will not only apologize here but your next cruise I will comp you with NCL OBC to your account on your next cruise. Anyone who meets the OP can private me here on CC.

I’m boarding the Norwegian Breakaway on June 17th, 2018 from Berlin (Rostock). Need my reservation number? I’m puzzled as to why you have spent so much time trying to prove I’m fake. Don’t you have anything better to do? I hope you weren’t lying about the OBC because I certainly need it!

Now I'm curious. OP please have someone video you playing the piano on board during your cruise to prove to david_sobe that you are real!

Thanks for the idea! Hopefully they will say yes.

There is not usually entertainment while the ship is in port, so perhaps scheduling while the ship is mostly empty would be an option. Connecting with the staff is a great idea, but often the M&G is not the first day. Try calling ahead, and I have also had success with e-mailing questions via the NCL website. Good luck with everything!

My brother once played the piano in the main dining room during dinner And made $50 in tips This was on the pride of America The entertainment director would know the exact schedule for each the pianos and may be able to accommodate your request to use the piano for practice port days in the morning will be the best time some lounges may also be available in the afternoon .

You will find different responses that vary with the specific people and ship. Before I sailed, I made a request to use a conference room and the customer rep kept giving me different answers with the last email stating I would have to pay a $50 fee.

The simple request turned into a huge irritation once onboard. I am still trying to get a response from corporate. Crickets. My next move is to wrap the CEO.

The pianos on the cruise ships are for their entertainers. They are not going to let anyone touch them or play them.

You are 100% wrong. Twice I have seen passengers playing a piano on board. One was on the Dolphin back in the mid-80s and the 2nd was this past autumn on the Getaway. Both were being played with full knowledge of the cruise staff.

Do you think they will let me play their guitars if I was playing in a competition?

None of this makes sense

This forum always gets these kinds of threads of ridiculous requests from 1st post members and then poof they are gone.

:D Just sit down and play :D

It is easer to beg for forgiveness than to seek permission .:halo:

:D Just sit down and play :D

 

It is easer to beg for forgiveness than to seek permission .:halo:

words to live by.....

My son is a professional musician. He has just bought himself an electric portable piano with weighted key action and pedals, for carrying to gigs. Though he chose one with fewer keys an 88 key model was available. It was a few thousand dollars, but maybe you could hire one for the cruise and practIce with headphones in your cabin?

Great suggestions, but I would add some caveats. I am a professional keyboard player, and the 76 key semi-weighted keyboard I use is huge and weighs a ton, so unless you have a very large cabin it is not that practical. To have a damper pedal with any keyboard you would likely need a stand, too. I think carrying all that onboard would be a super pain, and the ship would likely not let you check it. If the logistics could be worked out with a 61 or 76 key unweighted keyboard without a stand, you could practice the piece in sections. Every electronic keyboard has an octave setting to raise or lower the octave, I use it all the time even changing it amidst performance. The cheap little 61 full size key keyboards come with an awful damper pedal switch. You can buy a much better one with the feel of a real damper. Yamaha makes some amazing keyboards that have very authentic piano patches for around $100, cheaper than renting, plus about $20 on Amazon for a decent damper. Make sure it is Yamaha pedal if you buy a Yamaha keyboard, I have an MX61 that will not accept anything but a Yamaha pedal.

There is a piano outside the taste dinning room and quite few times after breakfast someone was playing the piano. They were not ncl staff.

Came here to say just this...

Just returned from an NCL cruise, met several fellow piano players. Every time we saw a piano, we stopped to ask if we could play, always denied. We were given many reasons. Pianos belong to ship, if anyone HEARS you and you are not in the musicians union, could take away from their livelihood, also told that, every cruise, people who can play ask to do this, or don’t ask, just so they can play in front of other guests, aiming to impress them. So many people can play piano well, so they just say no to letting you borrow a piano. There may be one in the owners suite however, if you wanted to upgrade.

Just returned from an NCL cruise, met several fellow piano players. Every time we saw a piano, we stopped to ask if we could play, always denied. We were given many reasons. Pianos belong to ship, if anyone HEARS you and you are not in the musicians union, could take away from their livelihood, also told that, every cruise, people who can play ask to do this, or don’t ask, just so they can play in front of other guests, aiming to impress them. So many people can play piano well, so they just say no to letting you borrow a piano. There may be one in the owners suite however, if you wanted to upgrade.

Exactly. Grant one request and next thing you know others will be asking themselves to play and next thing you know you would have piano Karaoke!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums