Farewell to the Martini Bar

[c-legs]

The Martini Bar should be a nice place to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail with BACKGROUND music. I definitely would have requested to speak with the Bar Manager (over the loud music) and let them know about the issue.

We're presuming he/she could HEAR you over the ''volume '' of music...:rolleyes:

Sign language lessons ought to be provided so crew members & guests can communicate properly in that atmosphere, among themselves and with others.....:D

C

[NLH Arizona]

But of course the free drink packages blow my theory up.

Not necessarily, they still have to keep their drink counts up, no matter if there are drink packages or not. Thanks for bringing up the fact that a lot of clubs now a days play loud music. I would bet that the majority of the folks on here have never been to a club like that and don't understand the attraction to others.

[c-legs]

Hi all,

 

Is this an isolated incident on Solstice?

With respect, I suggest you re-read all the various threads on the topic and digest the various exchanges and dialogues the '' incidents'' have generated. Your question will hopefully be answered.

In my opinion, there have been 7 different threads ( I could be wrong) started on the general topic of '' music VOLUME and placement '' on Celebrity ships, mostly ''S'' class.

But...hey....thanks for reading this one.

Cheers

[c-legs]

i started this thread and said the martini bar was our bar of choice on our past 7 celebrity cruises. On cruise #8 it was, for us unbearably loud. It is our opinion - i suggest we stop the bickering about what is or isn't loud, or what the music should be in any venue and close this thread and all enjoy our next cruise.

 

well said !

[jelayne]

well said !

 

Thank you.!

 

And to the Celebrity Cruises person- thanks for your interest. Hope there is a happy medium to be found. Maybe if the stripes on board look at the demographics and feel empowered to adjust to the clientele on the ship all will be happy.

[Oville]

I would bet that the majority of the folks on here have never been to a club like that and don't understand the attraction to others.

 

Ha, ha. I certainly don't understand the attraction. I thought the Martini Bar was way to noisy long before the addition of the Miami DJ style music.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Oville

[willma]

Just off Eclipse last week. We used the Martini Bar every evening. I took care to notice the music. Sometimes there was none at all and you could hear the jazz duo in the Passport Bar. Other times it was very much background and you could easily converse with others around the bar. This was pre dinner, so maybe the volume was cranked up later in the evening. I thought that the volume of music on the ship generally was just fine, and I would have noticed if it was too loud!

[cruisin-m]

I love that Celebrity are actually trying to give their ships some atmosphere and break away from their old boring and snooty ways! Each to their own I guess.

 

On Solstice I loved the vibe and music in the martini bar and would be very disappointed if they turned the music down just because someone (in their own personal opinion) didn't like it, they can't please everyone 100% of the time and there are countless venues in the ship that are silent including places to drink, perhaps you should consider going to one of these locations instead of forcing your preferences onto others.

 

There are also "quieter" spots at and around the martini bar nearby if you don't want to sit right in the thick of it.

[Pushka]

What does having loud music have to do with atmosphere and old boring and snooty ways? If anything loud doof doof music is very dated.

[Presto2]

Having just ploughed through all the posts in this thread it seems obvious to me that on some ships, on some cruises and in some bars the music is uncomfortably loud for passengers. I imagine this can vary from week to week so I don't see how anyone can make derogatory comments about anyone else's experience unless they were there at the same time.

 

As someone else has said, the design of the Solstice Class ships means that loud music in this area affects many areas of the ship - some designed to be a quiet place like the Hideaway.

 

Why can't they just compromise and have some nights where it is loud, some where it is quieter, some where you have a decent group singing or something a like string quartet, acoustic guitar or pianist. That's what we had on our last cruise and it suited everyone. Then again - that's what they seemed to have scrapped ......... :(

 

On a lighter note - what is a 'boomer'? I noticed a post about dates, so think I know what it means, but coming from the UK it isn't a term we use. (Its usually the name of a pet dog). It kept making me laugh :D I'm a 1963 girl - what does that make me ??? :)

[Pushka]

A late boomer! :p

[deck chair]

Hello

 

I haven't been on a Celebrity cruise since the ZENTIH in 1996 where there was no issue with over the top loud music. For my upcoming Winter cruise was thinking of switching from my long time favorite CUNARD to Celebrity on the ECLIPSE. After reading these posts I'll stick to CUNARD with all its musicians and sophisticated music which by the way rarely bleeds from one room to the next as it apparently does on the SOLSTICE class. And aside from the nightclub with its mix of a live band and DJ, there is no room on the Queens where you can't carry on a conversation without raising your voice while live music is being played. (And even in the nightclub it is never over the top loud.) I wanted to try Celebrity again but I will keep my hearing, thank you.

 

Happy sailing!

 

Deck Chair

[Lois R]

quote by Presto2:

 

"On a lighter note - what is a 'boomer'? .....it is a "baby boomer"

and you would be at the tail end of what is considered one.

 

"Baby boomers are people born during the demographic Post–World War II baby boom between the years 1946 and 1964. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the term "baby boomer" is also used in a cultural context."

[ECCruise]

 

There are also "quieter" spots at and around the martini bar nearby if you don't want to sit right in the thick of it.

 

You were not on Solstice during a loud music period. There are no "quieter" spots "at and around" the martini bar when that is going on. We have spent 21 days on Solstice around OZ/NZ and never encountered the obnoxious music either. But on different sailings, there have people who have experienced it. Why is that so difficult to understand for the nay sayers?

[BourbonNBluesLuvr]

With respect, I suggest you re-read all the various threads on the topic and digest the various exchanges and dialogues the '' incidents'' have generated. Your question will hopefully be answered.

In my opinion, there have been 7 different threads ( I could be wrong) started on the general topic of '' music VOLUME and placement '' on Celebrity ships, mostly ''S'' class.

But...hey....thanks for reading this one.

Cheers

 

Hello,

 

In fairness to the official Celebrity Cruises poster, they certainly have read and even commented on this issue in other threads previously…as noted by this past post:

 

 

Old March 11th, 2014, 12:29 PM

Celebrity Cruises's Avatar

Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises is offline

"Official"

 

Join Date: Aug 2011

Location: Miami

Posts: 438

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Hi all,

 

We want to ensure that everyone is enjoying the music on our ship, and we never want to have music that is too loud, or too low. We have looked into the issue, and we will make sure that the volume is corrected on all of our ships. This process may take a few days, but rest assured we have passed on your feedback and want to provide the best cruising experience for all of our guests.

 

However, since this thread seemed to branch out into a myriad of different topics/comments…e.g…experiences of others on past cruises, (sometimes no ship/date listed); whats loud/whats not loud; what some hope to find on their next cruise; hearing aids; one's yearly hearing check-ups; baby-boomers; volume on a Princess ship; bartender makes a lousy Cosmo; kinds of music; etc, etc…I think the Celebrity Cruises poster was trying to narrow down between the jibber-jabber, if this was more related to an isolated 3 nights on a specific Solstice sailing, that the OP mentioned in the first post, or perhaps an issue that needs to be addressed again.

 

and like you said…Thanks to Celebrity for listening, taking the time to comment and trying to clarify the problem.

 

BBL

[Presto2]

quote by Presto2:

 

"On a lighter note - what is a 'boomer'? .....it is a "baby boomer"

and you would be at the tail end of what is considered one.

 

"Baby boomers are people born during the demographic Post–World War II baby boom between the years 1946 and 1964. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the term "baby boomer" is also used in a cultural context."

 

Ohhhh, I'm a baby boomer - still makes me laugh. Looks like hubby is too ;)

[NLH Arizona]

Ha, ha. I certainly don't understand the attraction. I thought the Martini Bar was way to noisy long before the addition of the Miami DJ style music.

Well just think about it, if we all liked the same things, no one would every get to do anything.

[NLH Arizona]

You were not on Solstice during a loud music period. There are no "quieter" spots "at and around" the martini bar when that is going on. We have spent 21 days on Solstice around OZ/NZ and never encountered the obnoxious music either. But on different sailings, there have people who have experienced it. Why is that so difficult to understand for the nay sayers?

I guess for the same reason, you can't understand that people might just enjoy the loud music. Different opinions, different likes. As I've said, I've been on cruises where some folks complain continually about the loud music, but not everyone had an issue with it.

[BecciBoo]

I actually think the martini bar should be upbeat and I don't even mind the repetitive techno music...but at a reasonable level. The ships are really designed very poorly for acoustics and very loud music in one venue really effects the others.

 

Exactly!!!!!!!!! While we prefer the smooth jazz, we are quite happy to have other styles if they are tolerably low...I wouldn't want no music at all. The key is the conversation for me....I hate hovering over someone's face to be heard or hear what they are saying. It takes too much energy to scream!:mad:

[BecciBoo]

are countless venues in the ship that are silent including places to drink, perhaps you should consider going to one of these locations instead of forcing your preferences onto others.

 

There are also "quieter" spots at and around the martini bar nearby if you don't want to sit right in the thick of it.

 

There is another shoe you could wear too, you can't see the "back at ya"? Why shouldn't you go to some of the louder venues....

 

It's a Mexican standoff....just sayin...:cool:

[bobsfamily]

I've had my hearing checked yearly since I was in my thirties and have perfect hearing, my last check-up was in March 2014 at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.

 

At what age did you start getting annual hearing tests? I'm 63 and have never had one (well, not counting grammar-to-high-school). I'd go get one if I "thought" there was a problem, or if a doctor ever thought there was. Not yet so far.

 

I quote these 2 out of many to point out something... A person who is "in the business" so much that they are concerned about their hearing, goes to many concerts a year, etc. would tend to have a high tolerance for loud music as that is what is at a concert. Heart-thumping, body pounding, make you get up and dance music. That music and level is GREAT at a CONCERT where 5000+ people have come to listen to that.

 

A LOUD martini bar can be fun if you are young (or young at heart) for an evening but not every evening. I think if management looked carefully they would realize that if the music was turned up after say 11pm (or even 10:30)that would be the time the "younger" crowd is just getting ready to come out. Keep it pounding til 3-4am, do the flair thing, sell lots of drinks to really "cool" people.

From 4ish til 10ish have some great jazz or lower toned rock/new age music and allow the pre/post dinner crowd to sit and enjoy a drink (or 2). You will get great reviews and on both ends sell booze.

One note about drink sales... IF you have most of the ship with a drink package the goal is NOT to serve booze, the less sold the more revenue. Conversely if the "cool" crowd deemed a drink package as to much up front then POUR on the music and POUR out the booze for maximum profits!

[hulamoon]

I woke up this morning and read some of this thread again. In a semi tired way it has some humourous aspects to it.

 

Occasionally we have been the ones to experience something in life or a cruise ship others haven't in their experience dealt with before. If one cruises Celebrity enough there is a feel for what experiences can be expected and people develop preferences. Absolutely a lot of change is occurring for Celebrity and therefore sometimes it is not clear what to expect. what is normal, new or the new norm?

 

If one out of eight times the music makes the library unbearable I would think that would be a one off type experience. But we hear about it every few months.

So clarity is appreciated.

 

We were on the Solstice when a roll call member who requested their cabin be moved because they could not sleep due to music. I heard of this once in all my times with Celebrity, so I tend to think of it as not so common an experience. Our cabins are often on the stern, so we didn't have those experiences, nor could I judge it.

 

As far as what a boomer is, other than a great dogs name. Originally it did not include very late fifties and sixties births. I was suprised when we got lumped in to the group as our experiences were not the same. We were at one time a small group considered slightly more conservative and independent. Although these days the definition of conservative is not the same either.

[hcat]

Celebrity Official asked a specific question. Maybe those cruising recently and in next month or so can report about their ship

 

We'll be on Reflection in Nov out of Miami and will have a chance to sample all the music....including Martini Bar, lobby atrium all the way upwards , Cafe Baccio, Ensemble Lounge, upstairs club and Passport bar...plus daytime at poolside etc,

 

I am feeing confident that things have mostly changed in a good way that all can live with! I think most of us can agree that we enjoy cruising....esp on X!

Edited September 28, 2014 by hcat

[MizDemeanor]

FWIW, on our last Celebrity cruise, the volume was tuned up at Molecular too, so for us to be able to escape to Molecular was good until the mgr came over and tuned the volume up. The mixologist who was a doll turned it down because even she didn't like it that loud. We thanked her and she mentioned there were complaints and sure enough, mgr came back over and turned it up again.

 

We were no longer able to speak with mixologist, I wish I could remeber her name, or with one another.

 

And that's the point, when the volume of what ever it is that is being played, and I don't think anyone really minds variety; when the volume is so loud early in the night when people want to be convivial and get to enjoy conversation with one another in a friendly way, when one can't hear one another because of the voulume it's annoying and ridiculous.

 

Even with a drink package, if the objective of the cruise line is to limit the cocktails for better profit as some have suggested, the bar staff will lose out. A lot of people are eager to tip the bar staff extra for a really good time.

[ChucktownSteve]

Ohhhh, I'm a baby boomer - still makes me laugh. Looks like hubby is too ;)

 

and if you liked younger men you'd also be a Cougar. :D