Which ships have the BB King review?

[realnurse2]

Does anyone know the answer ? Thanks! :)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Per HAL's website, the B B King Blues Club is on the Rotterdam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and will be on the Konigsdam.

Edited August 25, 2015 by middle-aged mom

[3rdGenCunarder]

Per HAL's website, the B B King Blues Club is on the Rotterdam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and will be on the Konigsdam.

 

So is this now a permanent feature on these ships? For a while it seemed to come and go.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

So is this now a permanent feature on these ships? For a while it seemed to come and go.

 

Looks permanent (for now);)

[RuthC]

Where do they play on the Rotterdam?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Looks permanent (for now);)

 

So that means the end of the Neptunes? Westerdam had BB King last winter and there were no Neptunes, which was VERY disappointing. Hell Cats tried to do some of the Neptunes kind of music, but they were not nearly as good.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

So that means the end of the Neptunes? Westerdam had BB King last winter and there were no Neptunes, which was VERY disappointing. Hell Cats tried to do some of the Neptunes kind of music, but they were not nearly as good.

 

Last cruise on Westerdam in May, no Neptunes, no HAL Cats. Just "The Band".

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Where do they play on the Rotterdam?

 

Good question. I don't know. Hopefully, someone who's experienced them on the Rotterdam will tell us.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Last cruise on Westerdam in May, no Neptunes, no HAL Cats. Just "The Band".

 

Was The Band any better than the HAL Cats? My misspelling earlier was intentional, BTW. :cool:

 

I really liked the Neptunes. That was our after-dinner entertainment many nights on previous cruises. On Westerdam this past winter, BB King was so loud that I couldn't go to their show. I felt the volume was uncomfortable in the hallway when I walked by. I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stay more than a minute or two.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Was The Band any better than the HAL Cats? My misspelling earlier was intentional, BTW. :cool:

 

I really liked the Neptunes. That was our after-dinner entertainment many nights on previous cruises. On Westerdam this past winter, BB King was so loud that I couldn't go to their show. I felt the volume was uncomfortable in the hallway when I walked by. I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stay more than a minute or two.

 

Sorry, I missed your spelling of the "Hell Cats"' ;) "The Band" was fine, but there was no vocalist. So in that regard, they were better than the "Hell Cats".:)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Sorry, I missed your spelling of the "Hell Cats"' ;) "The Band" was fine, but there was no vocalist. So in that regard, they were better than the "Hell Cats".:)

 

Well, that gives me hope. The vocalist with the HAL/Hell Cats used to drown out the musicians, so I don't know if they were good or not.

[POA1]

Sorry, I missed your spelling of the "Hell Cats"' ;) "The Band" was fine, but there was no vocalist. So in that regard, they were better than the "Hell Cats".:)

It's basically the same house band minus the singer. We know a guy who was one of the bassists for the HAL Cats. Now he's a bassist for the new band.

[ansjefitnes]

Where do they play on the Rotterdam?

 

They play in the Crow's Nest and do 3 sessions.

[realnurse2]

Thanks everyone for your information!

[RuthC]

They play in the Crow's Nest and do 3 sessions.

Thank you for confirming my best guess.

[caroltovt]

One more example of cost cutting? Along with the non-existent guest speakers and string quartet?

 

Sad

[wntgoislnds]

ear plugs work. I wanna dance!

[igraf]

Hardly! The BB King Blues band is the best musical venue from HAL ever.

 

Personally, I found the violin/piano duet to be an improvement over the string quartet.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

One more example of cost cutting? Along with the non-existent guest speakers and string quartet?

 

Sad

[Cruising-along]

Hardly! The BB King Blues band is the best musical venue from HAL ever.

 

Personally, I found the violin/piano duet to be an improvement over the string quartet.

 

igraf

 

I agree. Our favorite entertainment on any cruise, hands down. I just wish BB King could be on all the ships. :p

[SetAnOpenCourse]

... On Westerdam this past winter, BB King was so loud that I couldn't go to their show. I felt the volume was uncomfortable in the hallway when I walked by. I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stay more than a minute or two.

 

 

Can someone confirm how often they played on their cruise? I would like to completely avoid the noise of this show/venue.

Edited August 25, 2015 by SetAnOpenCourse

[3rdGenCunarder]

Can someone confirm how often they played on their cruise? I would like to completely avoid the noise of this show/venue.

 

On Westerdam, they played in the Queens Lounge (which doubles as the culinary arts center during the daytime). I think they played twice instead of three times. The Queens Lounge was used as the VIP room for Superbowl Sunday, and that affected the BB King schedule. There are no cabins above it, but there are cabins below it on Main deck. I don't know if those cabins are loud when there's music in the Queens Lounge.

 

It's a shame the show is so loud. I like the music, but I'd also like to protect my hearing. I find some of the showroom shows over-amplified, too. That's why we loved the Neptunes--good musicians playing at a reasonable volume.

Edited August 25, 2015 by 3rdGenCunarder

[POA1]

Can someone confirm how often they played on their cruise? I would like to completely avoid the noise of this show/venue.

It was 6 days a week on all four weeks of our 2014 cruises. One of the nights might be in the main showroom. The others - or all 6 - were in the Queen's Lounge. Three 45 minute sets beginning at 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30 pm.

[SilvertoGold]

I had read a lot of very positive reviews of the BB King Blues before we went on a ship that features this group.

 

I thought another so-so HAL band.

 

Boy, was I wrong. Wow!! Outstanding is too tame an adjective. I thought their show was by far the best ever on HAL and it was hugely popular, with a full house most sets we attended. I am amazed that HAL got onto something this good.

 

Not sure how well this would work in the CN, but seriously thinking of cruising only ships which feature this group now.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

It was 6 days a week on all four weeks of our 2014 cruises. One of the nights might be in the main showroom. The others - or all 6 - were in the Queen's Lounge. Three 45 minute sets beginning at 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30 pm.

 

Thanks for the information, POA1 and 3rdGen.

 

I lived in Chicago for many years and enjoyed the Blues clubs and bars; both the touristy venues and off the beaten path. While not a hardcore fan, there are moments in life when it feels good to listen to. But for a cruise experience, the feeling of authenticity is ruined by hype and excess volume, which to me comes across as a struggle for relevance by HAL.

 

There is no such thing as bad publicity, though, and no such thing as ‘too loud’ if it is an attempt by management to rebrand the line, and I wouldn’t be surprised if marketing strategists had that in mind for this show (also with the “Recycled” percussion show). I think a better approach, and maybe more in the spirit of the Blues, would be to let passengers discover the show, and not push it on them with extra volume.

-

Edited August 25, 2015 by SetAnOpenCourse

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks for the information, POA1 and 3rdGen.

 

I lived in Chicago for many years and enjoyed the Blues clubs and bars; both the touristy venues and off the beaten path. While not a hardcore fan, there are moments in life when it feels good to listen to. But for a cruise experience, the feeling of authenticity is ruined by hype and excess volume, which to me comes across as a struggle for relevance by HAL.

 

There is no such thing as bad publicity, though, and no such thing as ‘too loud’ if it is an attempt by management to rebrand the line, and I wouldn’t be surprised if marketing strategists had that in mind for this show (also with the “Recycled” percussion show). I think a better approach, and maybe more in the spirit of the Blues, would be to let passengers discover the show, and not push it on them with the extra volume.

-

 

It does seem that there is no such thing as "too loud." Live bands and DJs crank up the volume, and I'm never sure if they're trying to make things "exciting" or using the volume to cover up poor quality. Even restaurants, especially when they're part of a bar, turn up the "background" music too much. Sometimes we find that we have to shout to have a conversation. A couple of times in NYC, we've walked into a restaurant, heard the blare, and walked out.

 

I remember what the thing was with the Superbowl. That night was supposed to have been BB King's night in the main showroom, but they showed the game instead. Don't know why they didn't "bump" one of the production shows for BB King on some other night. A large space might have been more bearable for the volume.

Edited August 25, 2015 by 3rdGenCunarder