HAL vs. Carnival/Royal

[coffeebean]

On my Amsterdam cruise, the main stage had a show with concert pianist, Juan Pablo. I was blown away listening to a concert pianist. It was absolutely thrilling hearing"Rhapsody in Blue". Just stunning!!!

Edited October 3, 2019 by coffeebean

[Petronillus]

1 hour ago, coffeebean said:

On my Amsterdam cruise, the main stage had a show with concert pianist, Juan Pablo. I was blown away listening to a concert pianist. It was absolutely thrilling hearing"Rhapsody in Blue". Just stunning!!!

 

On our recent Baltic Sea cruise on the Rotterdam we had a similar experience with the Lincoln Center Stage quintet. I suspect that if you told the average person, even the average HAL passenger, "Now you get to attend a chamber music recital," you'd elicit a bunch of yawns. These musicians were fantastic, and so was their programming! Starting about halfway through our 14-day cruise, they were performing to packed houses, with 15-20 others standing in the corridor outside. Kudos to Lincoln Center for selecting, vetting, and blending the 5 musicians (2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 piano) and for prescribing the programs. Kudos to HAL for teaming up with Lincoln Center and for providing a dedicated venue and investing in a Steinway concert grand piano.

 

Similarly, one of the mainstage entertainers was a pianist named (unbelievably but truly) Hyperion Knight. He performed a mix of classical, light classical, show tunes, and pops. Brilliant virtuoso! DW & I can't understand why he hasn't attained star status. One of his wisecracks was, "I didn't go into music for fame and fortune, and so far everything's going according to plan." On the last afternoon of the cruise, for a solid hour he put on a trivia show (name that composer/title/etc.) in the Ocean bar alternating classical music and pop songs. I would go out of my way to attend a Hyperion Knight concert in or near Chicago.

 

Add to these the Step One Dance Company, and DW & I were very pleased with the entertainment offered on this cruise.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Petronillus