Volume onboard

[Another_Critic]

6 hours ago, cublet said:

In Two70 it's not only that the 'music' [that's a matter of opinion] was loud, I could feel my inners vibrate.

I've been several cars back from a car with blaring music ... and my car is shaking to the beat.  😞

[rudeney]

Many land-based restaurants are purposely designed with hard surfaces to increase the volume.  This is to make them seem more "vibrant" and "lively".  When they get crowded, it can be hard to have a conversation, and I hate that.  I expect a place with live music to be loud, but otherwise, I like being able to enjoy a conversation over a meal without yelling.  Luckily I have not encountered that on a cruise ship, not even the Windjammer.  But we have not sailed on the larger ships, so all I have to compare it to is the MDR, Chops, Giovanni's, Izumi, etc.  

[letsgogogo]

This a trend in restaurants too. I heard an industry expert on NPR explain this. It’s very deliberate. The louder it is, the less people can speak and they tend to just drink more instead. Higher bar revenues.

 

The next piece doesn’t really apply to cruise ships, but also… the deliberate use of hard surfaces to amplify volume levels. Tables turn more quickly..higher revenues.

[LGW59]

If anything, it has gotten even louder!

[mpk]

I think this is very particular to which crewmember is running the soundboard on a given ship.  So some might say "it was fine on the So-And-So of the Seas"   But others would say "it was shaking my body on That-And-That of the Seas!"

 

That said, there is a trend toward loud.  A friend of mine just came back from a Princess cruise complaining about the excessive loudness in the theater.  I recommended earplugs--  not the normal kind, but instead the musical kind.  These earplugs strive to lower the sound evenly, and are used by musicians.  Musicians are of course very close to the instruments.  For example, violinists can have issues with the one ear next to the instrument.

 

There is a wide range of cost and quality to musician earplugs.  The inexpensive ones, which I use, cost about $20 a pair.  It goes way up from there, to custom molded plugs bespoke to a person.  So for weekend garage bands, cruisers, and casual listeners- the $20 works great.  I use Etymotic brand.  Other companies make them too.

[Mapleleafforever]

Can't please everyone.....

[TBone2K]

20 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I find the music on board uncomfortably loud, especially in the theater. Sometimes the music is so loud, I can't hear the singers.  We generally sit 10 rows or so from the stage and I wonder if there is a better spot that is not as loud.

Slightly off topic, but the best place to sit to get the best balance is as close to the sound board as possible. Since that's the person who controls the volumes. It's usually near the back of the lower level.

 

Until the volume get lowered, for adults, the basic disposable earplugs you can buy at the pharmacy do the trick and are fairly discreete. For the littler ones, over the ear hearing protection is sometimes a good thing to bring along.

[John&LaLa]

5 minutes ago, TBone2K said:

Slightly off topic, but the best place to sit to get the best balance is as close to the sound board as possible. Since that's the person who controls the volumes. It's usually near the back of the lower level.

 

Until the volume get lowered, for adults, the basic disposable earplugs you can buy at the pharmacy do the trick and are fairly discreete. For the littler ones, over the ear hearing protection is sometimes a good thing to bring along.

 

Sometimes sit above it in the theater.

 

It's also the best place to watch Flight on Symphony 👍

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 7/4/2022 at 12:58 PM, little britain said:

Is it me or are the sound volumes on RCI ships getting LOUDER and LOUDER ? 

When you cannot have a conversation in Giovannis wine bar inside due to the sound levels of the amplified musicians in Central Park; or when the piano guy in the schooner bar is so Loud on Odyssey you have to leave….

 

Yes loud music is fine in Music Hall where it’s meant to be a music venue…but not everywhere

 

So sorry to say ALL ships are way to loud. I cannot hear out of my right ear and have a hearing aid for my left. Even if I remove the hearing aid. It is still way to loud. Brass instruments do not need an amplifier along with the drums. Singers basically scream in the microphone. My dad was a musician and in the union. He played in Jackie Gleason's band. He always said. If you cannot play good, play LOUD. This way no one will hear the bad music you are playing. People will do there best not to hear it at all. 

[Oceansaway17]

4 hours ago, LGW59 said:

If anything, it has gotten even louder!

HUH speak up.   

[Oceansaway17]

3 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Sometimes sit above it in the theater.

 

It's also the best place to watch Flight on Symphony 👍

oh yes I sat up there and filmed the whole show called Flight.  Loved it a lot.  Made up for not seeing Mamma Mia that week.  Like the musical steps to WJ and that smashed up VW bug.   SOS is special

[pcur]

I find myself smiling as I read these posts.  One of the almost universal things about gradual hearing loss, is the person does not realize it.  It's usually other people that mention it.  When my family finally convinced me that "what?" was a frequent word I used during conversations, I went for a hearing test.  Yep, mild-to-moderate.

 

What I loved about my second hearing test (as in second opinion) is not the fact that the results were identical to my health provider, but that being in Costco, I put on two different "demo" hearing aid sets, and walked around the noisy store for several minutes.  It's like my brain said, "OH, yeah, I used to do this!" when I walked by and could hear other people talking to each other again.  

 

Before my aids, I used to bring soft foam ear plugs to all ship performances.... 

[boogybaby]

Music was too loud for us on Jewel last week. Our meal is Chops and Giovanni were difficult due to the volume of the pianist in Schooners. We had many early nights

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, pcur said:

What I loved about my second hearing test (as in second opinion) is not the fact that the results were identical to my health provider, but that being in Costco, I put on two different "demo" hearing aid sets, and walked around the noisy store for several minutes.  It's like my brain said, "OH, yeah, I used to do this!" when I walked by and could hear other people talking to each other again.  

I did the same walk at Costco, and was amazed how much better I could hear with the new aids versus the old aid(s).

[pcur]

6 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

I did the same walk at Costco, and was amazed how much better I could hear with the new aids versus the old aid(s).

Pretty cool, huh?  Streaming music and phone calls in the car are the best.

[auntjoy036]

I am just back from Serenade of the Seas. What struck me is that there is no place without piped in sounds. The Solarium has the artificial birds chirping. I thought the open back deck on 11 (beyond the Windjammer) would be quiet between meals but I could hardly hear the wake or the waves because the soft rock greatest hits were playing so loudly. It is odd to be sailing on the ocean and not hear the water sounds.

[Diann24]

On 7/4/2022 at 3:08 PM, flamingos said:

Nope. The pool deck band was so loud on Odyssey that we couldn't hold a conversation on the other end of the pool.  

Yes! Totally agree! On my last cruise in June, I hated when the band was playing because it was so so loud on the pool deck! The band was good but they did not need to be so loud. This was on the Oasis. I found myself looking forward to all of the breaks that the band would have unfortunately.

[island lady]

On 7/5/2022 at 10:12 AM, davekathy said:

I'm a loud talker. Kathy is constantly telling me, inside voice. 😉 I also wear hearing aids but I can hear pretty good without them. 

 

You are still young grasshopper.  😉  Your bro is just about deaf...whaaat???  

[drjohn4]

Was on Odyssey last week and they had the sound up so loud in the main theater for both of the shows that I went to that it washed out a lot of the tone in the singers' voices.  Not to mention being uncomfortable and bad for the audience's hearing.

[DCPIV]

On 7/5/2022 at 10:28 AM, mpk said:

I recommended earplugs--  not the normal kind, but instead the musical kind.

 

Those are great for shows and, perhaps, if you're just sitting around or reading.  However, they aren't very useful if you're trying to have a conversation.

[little britain]

14 minutes ago, drjohn4 said:

Was on Odyssey last week and they had the sound up so loud in the main theater for both of the shows that I went to that it washed out a lot of the tone in the singers' voices.  Not to mention being uncomfortable and bad for the audience's hearing.

Also on last week. Showgirls was fine, but Effectors was far too loud. 
The guy in the schooner bar steadily increased the volume all week until it was unbearable on the last night. Perhaps it was to punish those who remained seating who weren’t clapping 

[Tatka]

Fine for me. Sailed om Celebrity Edge, Anthem (3), Oasis (2), Enchantment from last year. Nothing different than before pandemic. Maybe people got used to quietness during pandemic?

[mpk]

28 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

Those are great for shows and, perhaps, if you're just sitting around or reading.  However, they aren't very useful if you're trying to have a conversation.

 

I found that my musical Etymotic earplugs are fine for show as well as conversations.  These lower the volume (evenly across the spectrum to maintain music quality), but do not block out sound completely.  One airline pilot wrote in a review that they work great for blocking the air noise and engine buzz, but still able to converse with the copilot and navigator.

[island lady]

So many of us have noticed the increase in volume all over the ship....and many of us (me included) have mentioned that on our exit survey.  

 

Wonder how many have actually complained the volume was too low at venues and announcements?  😉 

 

Hey...RCI...wake up, you sure are making sure we are!  

[rudeney]

I wonder what would happen if you actually complained at the time to the person in charge of the sound mixing that it was too loud?