Entertainment on Koningsdam

[darstamp]

My daughter and I are scheduled to sail to Hawaii next April on the Koningsdam.  It is an 18 day cruise there and back.  We were on the Koningsdam in June going to Alaska and found the entertainment lacking.  We liked the Lincoln Centre Stage and the Music Walk offerings although we found they got very repetitive.  We went to one lightshow/dance offering in the main theatre but that gets old pretty fast.  This was made even more evident on our recent cruise with Princess where there were several Quizzes, Music Trivia and audience participation games every day.  We loved it and had a great time.  My concern is that those 18 days are going to get really long unless the Koningsdam ups their game.  I would like to hear from anyone who has sailed on Koningsdam recently as to their entertainment level.  Thanks.

[Mosaic]

It will not be any different from what you have already experienced.

[taxmantoo]

Your recent experience on the Koningsdam pretty much sums it up as far as the entertainment on all HAL ships.  Lincoln Centre Stage/Rolling Stone Rock Room/BB King/Billboard Onboard constitute the entertainment on HAL other than the Main Stage which has now been diluted into showing BBC Movies, several versions of a dance show and, lately, a 30-45 minute HAL infomercial on their history.  I agree that Princess offers much more entertainment but HAL still remains a good choice for more diversified itineraries.  

 

[rodndonna]

21 minutes ago, taxmantoo said:

Your recent experience on the Koningsdam pretty much sums it up as far as the entertainment on all HAL ships.  

 

 

We've done 3 HAL cruises post Covid on 3 different ships one of which was Koningsdam in June (Alaska). The entertainment on the Koningsdam cruise paled greatly compared to our other 2 cruises. We chalked it up to illnesses within the entertainers on that cruise. Definitely didn't get the impression the vocalist at BB's was the regular (or at least had not been doing it long). 

 

Illnesses, maybe just hard to get top talent to take a 4-5? month stint on an Alaska itinerary, or just bad luck - who knows, but we have found the musical entertainment to be very inconsistent across our 3 cruises.

 

We've chalked it up to things not quite being up to par yet. 

[PACD_JG]

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 hours ago, darstamp said:

My daughter and I are scheduled to sail to Hawaii next April on the Koningsdam.  It is an 18 day cruise there and back.  We were on the Koningsdam in June going to Alaska and found the entertainment lacking.  We liked the Lincoln Centre Stage and the Music Walk offerings although we found they got very repetitive.  We went to one lightshow/dance offering in the main theatre but that gets old pretty fast.  This was made even more evident on our recent cruise with Princess where there were several Quizzes, Music Trivia and audience participation games every day.  We loved it and had a great time.  My concern is that those 18 days are going to get really long unless the Koningsdam ups their game.  I would like to hear from anyone who has sailed on Koningsdam recently as to their entertainment level.  Thanks.

If your entertainment preference is for "Quizzes, Music Trivia and audience participation games every day" then HAL may not be the best fit.   They won't have any more of the game style entertainment than they do now.     

 

You will see Step One again - 4-5 different shows (but likely what you have already seen) - then a variety of other typical cruise ship entertainers.   All the cruise lines pretty much are drawing from the same talent pool.   The big difference on HAL is Lincoln Center, Rolling Stone and BB King - Many  people like these shows and some don't - but they are not going to be any different next April then you have already experienced.   Maybe on the margins...

 

If that's not your cup of tea - then - probably better sticking with Princess.

 

This Princess cruise is about the same time, but you will have to fly to LA - But - It will be worth it if you like what Princess is doing better - The Koningsdam will be about the same as you already experienced.   Better to fly 4 hours to LA and have 18 days on a ship you like then suffer thru 18 days on a ship you don't.  

 

Crown Princess

Friday, April 14Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA4:00pm

Saturday, April 15At Sea

Sunday, April 16At Sea

Monday, April 17At Sea

Tuesday, April 18At Sea

Wednesday, April 19Hilo, Hawaii, HI9:00am6:00pm

Thursday, April 20Honolulu, Oahu, HI7:00am11:00pm

Friday, April 21Lahaina, Maui, HI7:00am6:00pm

Saturday, April 22Nawiliwili, Kauai, HI8:00am5:00pm

Sunday, April 23At Sea

Monday, April 24At Sea

Tuesday, April 25At Sea

Wednesday, April 26At Sea

Thursday, April 27At Sea

Friday, April 28Ensenada, Mexico8:00am5:00pm

Saturday, April 29Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA6:30am

[Clay Clayton]

Just my two cents-we are in Koningsdam now finishing her last Alaska leg and staying onboard to Hawaii and back. The performances onboard have been basically as others have described but I disagree with those that state participation opportunities are lacking.  To date (and based on what is shown on the app for the Hawaii cruise) there are typically three trivia opportunities a day-general, themed (movie, nature, celebrity), and music; one or two other games-scattagories, Pictionary, majority rules, etc. 

YMMV

[CruiserBruce]

@darstamp, HAL has never professed to have a goal to keep you entertained 24/7. Otherwise they would have the "hairest chest" type of events. 

 

Part of the reason we like HAL...we don't need full time entertainment. But there will be increased activities on longer cruises, and as others have mentioned,  there are more activities than you mention. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

@darstampHere is a link to my website where I uploaded every menu and program for my relatively recent 35 day cruise on the Zuiderdam   https://www.theinsidecabin.com/2022-south-pacific-cruise-itinerary/

 

This was a different ship, but the activities - trivia etc will be similar.   As @CruiserBruceas posted, longer cruisers will have more activities than shorter cruises.   But if you have done both Princess and HAL and prefer Princess - then - you have a choice of a similar itinerary next April with Princess.   

[2 old to drive]

On 10/6/2022 at 12:12 PM, darstamp said:

My daughter and I are scheduled to sail to Hawaii next April on the Koningsdam.  It is an 18 day cruise there and back.  We were on the Koningsdam in June going to Alaska and found the entertainment lacking.  We liked the Lincoln Centre Stage and the Music Walk offerings although we found they got very repetitive.  We went to one lightshow/dance offering in the main theatre but that gets old pretty fast.  This was made even more evident on our recent cruise with Princess where there were several Quizzes, Music Trivia and audience participation games every day.  We loved it and had a great time.  My concern is that those 18 days are going to get really long unless the Koningsdam ups their game.  I would like to hear from anyone who has sailed on Koningsdam recently as to their entertainment level.  Thanks.

Sailed in October round trip to Hawaii, things have certainly changed but I hope you continue to enjoy it. 

 

They had huge lineups for dinner the first week but they were able to get that under control after so with luck you will no longer see that. 

 

Entertainment was O. K smoke from the casino was noticeable and it was especially in the evening. I do not smoke and that bothered me. 

 

Good luck but keep in mind NOTHING is the same after  Covid so grin and bear it.  J

[Hlitner]

I noticed a post that implied that "all cruise lines draw from the same talent pool."   That is absolutely incorrect and just another HAL fan excuse.  I will give you real examples.  On Princess they still have major Production Shows (HAL has none).  We have been on many HAL cruises (5* Mariner) and many Princess cruises (long time Elite) and only once or twice do we recall anyone working "cross line."  Recently we were on MSC where they had a different Production Show every night (for a week).  These are pretty big shows with singers, dancers, and acrobats (think Cirque de Soleil) none of which you would ever see on HAL.  There were also 5 other entertainment groups working on that MSC cruise...none of which you will find on HAL.   We have also cruised quite a few Seabourn cruises (part of the HAL group).  Seabourn sources their singers/dancers (yes, even Seabourn has Production shows) though Belinda Productions which is a high-end British Production company.  On our SB cruises we have met (and had dinner with) many of the entertainers only one of which told us she had worked on HAL (for a short time as a dancer).  

 

We have also previously posted that of the 16 cruise lines we have cruised, HAL is the ONLY line that passes off Documentary Movies as the main entertainment.  Most lines do not even show movies in their main theaters leaving that to outdoor screens and/or TV.

 

Hank
 

[vswan]

We did the 18 day Hawaii cruise this past April and loved it. We are not big joiners in activities, but did go to all, or most, of the shows. If you are looking to be entertained with planned activities at all times, this cruise does not do that. If you enjoy having things going on that you can partake in several times a day you will be fine. Until this cruise I always tried to book cruises with a majority of port days. Found that I really enjoyed having more sea days and just relaxing. I would not hesitate to book this cruise again.

[robotpony]

We're on one of the 18 day Hawaii cruises next April too smack dab between my partner's and my birthdays!

 

My partner was initially concerned about the number of sea days, but I compared it to the time we spend at an ocean side lodge (in Tofino) on the west coast here where there is even less to do. For us, the less trips are great as we end up doing some of the most interesting things, even enjoying the smaller stuff more (like card games, walking, reading, movies). Not everyone can enjoy those quieter vacations, but the really work well for us.

[montythecat]

We have recently dipped our toes into HAL because we were attracted to The Music Walk

offerings. On The Pinnacle class ships we thoroughly enjoyed the variety on offer. To

have a rock band on a cruise ship was, for us, a real treat. I find the Celebrity theatre

productions rather old fashioned. Acrobats !  Oh no. The classical quartet were excellent

and the two pianists on HAL were very entertaining. Trivia was frequent and well run.

All in all we were very happy with the entertainment which was on offer but this topic is

incredibly subjective, but that is one of the good things about cruising, alternatives are

available.

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

On 11/12/2022 at 4:23 AM, montythecat said:

We have recently dipped our toes into HAL because we were attracted to The Music Walk

offerings. On The Pinnacle class ships we thoroughly enjoyed the variety on offer. To

have a rock band on a cruise ship was, for us, a real treat. I find the Celebrity theatre

productions rather old fashioned. Acrobats !  Oh no. The classical quartet were excellent

and the two pianists on HAL were very entertaining. Trivia was frequent and well run.

All in all we were very happy with the entertainment which was on offer but this topic is

incredibly subjective, but that is one of the good things about cruising, alternatives are

available.

 

 

Agree with you! Music Walk was the best part of our recent HAL cruise.  Do most of their other ships have similar variety?

[CruiserBruce]

5 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Agree with you! Music Walk was the best part of our recent HAL cruise.  Do most of their other ships have similar variety?

The three Pinnacle class ships have the full Music Walk. None of the other HAL ships have as expansive a Music Walk.

[san diego sue]

Does HAL have guest lecturers on their longer cruises with lots of Sea Days?

We are going to be on a 17 day Panama Canal cruise in the spring. We like Trivia but want more than that on Sea days.

[oaktreerb]

HAL is getting back to the EXC programs that they had started promoting pre-Covid.  On a Panama Canal cruise you will have a lecturer focusing on the building of the canals old and new.  There will be plenty of outside viewing areas and a narrated passage through the canal as well as Panama buns to snack on.  There will probably be group games like pictionary and majority rules plus a Meet the Captain where he will give you a video presentation of the “inside” workings of the ship and bridge.  

27 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

Does HAL have guest lecturers on their longer cruises with lots of Sea Days?

We are going to be on a 17 day Panama Canal cruise in the spring. We like Trivia but want more than that on Sea days.

Also, mahjong and bridge groups have places to meet during the day.

Edited November 13, 2022 by oaktreerb

[SweetsugarNL]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

The three Pinnacle class ships have the full Music Walk. None of the other HAL ships have as expansive a Music Walk.

Can someone explain what a music walk is? It was on the Rotterdam also but we have tried to avoid crowds back then.

Edited November 13, 2022 by SweetsugarNL

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, SweetsugarNL said:

Can someone explain what a music walk is? It was on the Rotterdam also but we have tried to avoid crowds back then.

Music Walk is the area where the Rolling Stone Lounge, BBKings and the Billboard piano area are.

[REOVA]

If you've seen the shows on other HAL cruises, they will be the same (Step One, Cantare, BBC) which is sad that they switched agencies and got rid of the house band, singers and dancers. We liked Music walk, the Rock Band was great but played the same songs every night (they have a 50-100 song list with 3 sets most nights), BB King band was great but the piano players in Billboard were poor (and also repeated songs AND script). Its like they think new passengers come each night. 😉 Depending on the musicians you may get good or bad players on music walk. They did have a comedian on World Stage and also in BB King lounge one night (although he was on same time as rock band down the hall and hard to hear). They do offer trivia 3 times a day, pictionary, guess games, etc with extertai ment staff along with Mah jong, bridge, etc and there are plenty of games up in EXC lounge/crows nest and you can pay to do paint class. We find the first sea days harder due to anticipation and working up to itinerary so maybe bring some books or reading material.  Coming back may be less anxious after tours of the islands.  

[montythecat]

Music Walk is also where the classical quartet perform. They have their own room so it is

like having a mini concert which is lovely, unlike most cruise lines which have a couple

of violinists, or some other combination, playing in a noisy lounge setting with nobody

listening to them. I genuinely do believe that HAL try and take music seriously and

provide for all tastes.

[Clay Clayton]

Hmm, Lincoln Center folks didn’t have their own room on our recent Alaska and Hawaii B2B cruises on Koningsdam. They played in the same space that BBKing Band did just different times.  Additionally, there was a house band that performed at various locations around the ship. There were three or four different dance shows held in the World Stage area.  Unfortunately we only made it to one but it was great and made really good use of the incredible projection and digital capabilities of the space. Finally, we LOVED Billboard On aboard -the piano bar. For the Alaska cruise we only had one player. Due to a visa issue with her scheduled partner, Tammy Ying was on her own and was great. If she repeated a song it was usually because someone in the audience requested it. On the Hawaii cruise, she had a new partner and together they were also enjoyable.  If you’re going on K’dam anytime soon, Tammy should still be aboard.  I think she told me her contract was through February. If so, tell her one of her NC “Dads” says hey! 😊

[SharonN]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

. Finally, we LOVED Billboard On aboard -the piano bar. For the Alaska cruise we only had one player. Due to a visa issue with her scheduled partner, Tammy Ying was on her own and was great. If she repeated a song it was usually because someone in the audience requested it. On the Hawaii cruise, she had a new partner and together they were also enjoyable.  If you’re going on K’dam anytime soon, Tammy should still be aboard.  I think she told me her contract was through February. If so, tell her one of her NC “Dads” says hey! 😊

IMG_3388.MOV

She must have moved on because whoever, the Billboard Duo was last week on the Koningsdam, they were the worst ever. Everyone we talked to said how bad they were. I tried to listen to their "Country" set one night and walked out after 3 songs it was so bad. She was mumbling and skipping words and the 2 acted as if they'd never met each other before that night. 

[happy4al]

Just got off the Koningsdam. Food, service are really good. BB King is fine, just way too loud. Rolling stone is lousy, and too loud. Suitable for teens at a rock concert, or adults who think they’re still teens. Pianos not too bad, just not too good. Real problem is the Lincoln Stage, where highly trained classical musicians are forced to play— over and over, year after year— modern  screeching “ classical” junk like creep and bohemian rhapsody. Mozart and Beethoven buried in the afternoon.